‘Twas the Love Before Christmas

1. Catherine

Chapter one

Catherine

” Ow!” I winced as I shoved the suitcases into the back of my parents’ van. My shoulder had become stiff, sore, from all the travel. My legs turned to jelly under me from all of the time spent crammed into a tiny seat without enough room to let my legs stretch, despite having been in an aisle seat. Flying. It was a necessary evil to get home from California, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t evil. Still, it was much easier than trying to coordinate a drive across the country.

“There we are. I think we’ve got it all, Catherine,” Dad said as he shut the van's back door. With my suitcases in the back, he hugged me closely.

I got into the van, shivering a little. My light jacket didn’t help much in this colder weather, but when I flew out of California, I didn’t want to wear my heavier coat in one of my bags.

“Let’s go,” I said. “I’m exhausted. I just want to eat a little something when we get back to the house and then go to bed. It’s been a long day. I couldn’t get a direct flight, and my flight here was delayed like three hours.” I shook my head. “Traveling for the holidays from California’s a headache and a half. Oh, when does Chris get in, anyway?”

“At least you’re home now,” Mom stated. “And I’ve got some beef stew and sourdough bread from the bakery ready for you at home. I know it’s late, but there’s nothing better to eat than that, right? And as far as Chris goes… his schedule doesn’t have time for him to get here any earlier than Christmas Eve, unfortunately. I know you want to see your brother, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.”

I nodded. I couldn’t wait to see my brother, but unfortunately, I’d have to wait. As far as the food, Mom was right. That was my favorite meal to have when the weather got cold.

The ride home wasn’t long, and as we entered town, I could see the waters of Indigo Lake, the deep color I’d missed from a good decade in California always so comforting, and feel the nostalgia of memories from long ago. Sledding, camping, cookouts on the beach. We soon arrived at the house. As I entered the front door, I stepped into a warm, cozy embrace. Ah, the comforting warmth and rich, nostalgic scent of home. I could smell the aroma of pine from the Christmas tree in the living room that Mom and Dad had decorated. It was beautiful —twinkling lights, favorite ornaments, and a sparkling star at the top.

I could also slightly smell the scents of mom’s homemade potpourri – cinnamon sticks, dried oranges, and a mix of her Christmas spices – she had in a bowl in the entryway.

But another whiff of something was in the air, and I immediately headed toward the kitchen. That’s when I was greeted by the aroma of beef stew and freshly baked bread. Suddenly, I was starving. But first, I needed to clean up.

I grabbed my small bag and headed upstairs. It didn’t take me long to freshen up and head back downstairs for dinner. Mom had already served up portions of the stew and bread for the three of us, and I smiled thankfully as I took my bowl.

“That smells delicious, Mom.”

“I’m glad you think so. Now, eat. You must be starving after all that travel,” Mom said. “Oh, by the way, Noah came home for Christmas, too. I think he’s here alone.”

I headed to the table, my cheeks flushed. Noah West hadn’t been on my mind for a couple of years – not since a Christmas in which we both had come home with “partners.” There hadn’t been any reason to think we’d explore the spark that had burned so brightly years ago and then slowly died due to distance and time.

There wasn’t much conversation as we all ate, partially because I didn’t want to hear more about Noah. The stew was great, as always, and the bread served to scoop up the last bits in the bowl. When I finished, I put my dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs. I changed into pajamas and flopped onto the bed.

***

The next morning, I woke up to the sun filtering through the window in my room. I groaned and rolled over. How was it already morning? I attempted to lull my body back to sleep, but Noah immediately popped into my mind. . Mom said he was home - alone.

What a lonely thought. Being alone before Christmas. I couldn’t put any stock in that “alone”, though. After all, I, too, was alone on Christmas (outside of my family). Couldn’t be a flaw if I experienced it this year too. Besides, being lonely was a well-known side effect of breaking up.

Lonely …

The word bounced in my head. It so aptly described my predicament in California. Ever since my break-up with Alex, the apartment echoed. He’d taken half of the stuff from the apartment; of course, it echoed as if I had just moved in again. However, that wasn’t the only change. Laughter no longer lingered in the hallway as we sipped our coffee on Saturday mornings. His cologne’s scent had long since faded. All I could smell now when I entered the apartment was the fruit left out on my counter – and whether or not it was past ripe.

I’d gone through all of this before. I’d survive. But surviving was a different beast than living . I wanted to live. And I wasn’t sure I could live in California any longer by myself. I’d lost my bearings.

But before I could think any more about that, my nose was sniffing the aromas of breakfast floating up to my room. That woke my senses enough for me to get downstairs for coffee, bacon, and, hmmm, could that be hashbrowns? Whatever it was, I was on my way down to enjoy a cozy breakfast with my folks.

Upon reaching the dining room, I found that was exactly what was going on: Mom was in the kitchen cooking, and Dad was setting the table for three.

“That smells delicious, Mom,” I said. “Uh, mom… you mentioned something about Noah last night. Was I dreaming?”

“No, you weren’t,” Mom said. “He’s in town for the holidays. Has the cutest dog named Wally, too. He missed last Christmas—he was on some island with one of his teammates. I heard that from his parents.” She shrugged. “But I’m sure you don’t want to just hear about Noah West this morning. There’s so much happening in town for Christmas—starting this evening!”

“Oh? Like what?”

The town held a packed roster of activities every year for the holidays, but I could never remember what they were or in what order they were held. Mom and Dad attended almost all of them each year, if they weren’t in California with me, so I was sure they would know what was happening. Besides, there was always something going on in Indigo Lake during Christmas – even while the lake's waters were calm and soothing, if not frozen.

“Well, tonight’s the annual lighting of the Christmas Tree,” Dad said. “I don’t know who they got to decorate this year, but it looks much nicer than in the past. I think they decided to limit the number of ornaments so that each one had a chance to shine.”

“The Christmas Tree lighting has always been fun,” I said as I sat down. “What else are they doing this year? Anything new?”

“Well, they’re going to have a live nativity and have asked everyone if they could borrow their nativity sets for a night of celebration,” Mom added from the kitchen. “I think this is the first year they’ve done a display of nativity sets, and I’m excited. We have ours all ready to go, but I haven’t had the time to get it over to the church hall.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Dad added. “We decided to dig out one from the attic we got years ago – a simple one. It’s always nice to have something more traditional to compare to the fancy new ones because I can’t always tell which piece is supposed to be what.” He shrugged. “As long as there’s not a minimalist one. Those nativities get on my nerves. I can never tell what is supposed to be Joseph and Mary or the three shepherds.”

“I remember that wooden nativity. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it. What other activities? A Christmas dance, right?” I asked.

That had always been the one I had looked forward to as a child.

Mom nodded as she brought breakfast in.

“A Christmas dance, midnight service, a Christmas Market… pretty much the same as in years past,” she said. “Oh, another new thing, for you at least, is what happens after the midnight service. We’ve started stargazing!” Mom said excitedly. “The service ends about ten, so we can have a couple of hours of nice, dark, quiet time to sit around and look at the stars as if we were the shepherds that night. And we do it on the beach.”

“Well, that sounds enjoyable,” I said as I ate. “I suppose there’s nothing more for me to do than to enjoy the season. I hope it’ll help dissolve the sting of a relationship ending.”

“I didn’t believe it when you said you were fine.” Mom said.

“It’s been several months now, but yes. We broke up,” I said. “The relationship was kind of stalled out. I think we were simply headed in different directions, and I want more out of a relationship than where we ended up. So, we mutually agreed to end it. It was sad but… you know, probably best for both of us.”

“Well, Alexander was a nice guy, but good for you, knowing what you want,” Dad said. “I know you’ll find someone with the same life goals as you. Plus, I know it’s not been easy living in California, away from us all these years. How is life in California, anyway? Smooth sailing and easy breezes? It’s been about a year and a half since we were last there to visit.”

“Well, Dad, first, I’m not in a hurry to get into another relationship. And it would be nice if I could go write on the beach as part of my job, but I’ve had so many promotions due to how well I’ve performed that I no longer have time to write,” I mourned. “Don’t get me wrong, the promotions have been great, and I make more money; for that, I’m happy. Cost of living and such in California being as it is and all… but I miss getting to just sit down and write.”

I shook my head. I was just ready for a change in life. Hopefully, coming home to Indigo Lake would allow me to think about everything without work pressures.

Breakfast ended, and soon, my parents were out on their own. They had other things to do than just sit around and mope. I decided that I wasn’t going to just mope, either. I took my larger suitcase upstairs and unpacked. I didn’t want to live out of a suitcase. Plus, I needed a nice, soothing shower.

As I hopped in the shower, the hot water running over my muscles immediately relaxed them. The best part about still having a room at my parents’ house was that I still had shampoo, conditioner, and all of that here, so I didn’t have to worry about packing any. I took a generous helping of shampoo and worked it through my long, dark red hair. I probably had plenty of bags around my blue eyes from the flight coming in late at night, but I couldn’t care less about those right now. Great sleep at home would fix that.

Next came the bodywash, rose water and sea salt scented. A light, soft scent. I couldn’t help a little smugness as I worked the lather across my body. I might even be a little slimmer than I had been in high school, thanks to all the workouts and yoga classes I had started in California. Working a soft face wash over my face, I could feel the round, soft jawline I had come to love over the years.

But it was late in the morning, and as much as the heat helped my muscles, I was ready to see what the day brought. I dried off and took a good look in the mirror. I had been right; there were plenty of bags under my eyes.

I shook my head and started to blow-dry my hair. California was one thing, but it wouldn’t do to go outside with wet hair in chilly Indigo Lake.

Once I was refreshed and dressed, I took a walk around the neighborhood, which brought back old memories. Noah West lived next door to me all my childhood. We’d had so much fun in the treehouse behind his house, walking over the footbridge near our high school, fun on the beach, ice skating in the winter, sporting events – so many memories. He had been my first true love, but everybody knows that high school sweethearts never really get that happy ending.

Maybe that’s why Alexander and I hadn’t worked out, or—maybe that’s how adult love is. Maybe you don’t get butterflies in your stomach when you become an adult and fall in love. As for Noah, there couldn’t be anything left for us in matters of the heart.

I shook my head and walked further down the street, knowing that at home, I was welcome any time.

***

Later that evening, anxious to get going, I told Mom I’d meet them downtown. I left the house and walked to the town square for the Christmas Tree Lighting. My parents would be coming along shortly, but I didn’t know when they’d arrive. I didn’t expect to meet up with them immediately, but it was nice to know that they would be here.

The town bustled all around me. People hurried to and fro, carrying the cords that would be used to light the tree, while others tried to find a good place to watch the lighting from. The tree didn’t look like much right now since it was dark out and it hadn’t been lit, but I knew it would look gorgeous when it flared up at the lighting ceremony. There hadn’t been a year in my life attending this event that I hadn’t been mesmerized by the lights that shone from this tree.

I stopped near the tree to see what I could make out in the darkness. I swore that ribbon was wound along its branches, but I couldn’t tell.

Then, paws scratched at my legs a second before I was suddenly on the ground. Someone’s dog had toppled me over, licking my face. It acted as if it was thrilled to see someone new. I laughed a little as I got up, trying to see where the dog had come from. I didn’t recognize it.

“Huh. Where’d you come from?” I asked as I managed to stand up and pet it. The dog was a bright golden yellow with a fluffy coat, dark-tipped ears and paws, and melting brown eyes. “Who takes care of you, huh, bud?”

Then, I noticed that the dog was on a leash. I followed the leash, only to lock eyes with none other than Noah West. Always so handsome.

That just wasn’t fair.