‘Twas the Love Before Christmas

13. Catherine

Chapter thirteen

Catherine

I showed up to the restaurant for brunch on time, while Rebecca ran a couple of minutes late. That was all right, as the restaurant had about a twenty-minute wait for a table. We hugged when she arrived.

“I’m sorry I’m a little late. Traffic on the roads was a little worse than I expected,” Rebecca said as she pulled away from me. “How’s life treating you? And Alexander? That’s his name, right, your boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend, Rebecca.”

While we were waiting for our table, I shared the details about the way I had called things off with Alexander.

“Well, at least you know what you want,” Rebecca said when the story was over. “Not as many people know what they want as they think they do. I’m glad that you’re refusing to settle.”

“Table for Catherine?”

I stood up. That was our table. Our time talking had flown by. Rebecca took my cue, and we took our places at a cozy booth in the back, with silverware and menus at our fingertips.

“Well, it’s been forever since I’ve been here,” I said as I looked at the menu. “What have you had here lately that’s good, Rebecca?”

“I love their French toast – any variation of it,” she said as she looked at the menu. “And I think I remember you not being much of a fan of French toast.”

I laughed a little. She was right. Having somebody remember the little details was nice.

With that, we had our brunch. Rebecca brought me up to speed on her life: how she was finally settling down now that she was married and excited to start a family. She and her husband had decided to forgo the large white, traditional wedding in favor of a small barbeque this past summer with their families at their new home. Rebecca was not yet pregnant, but she was excited for when the little test would finally read positive.

I was happy for her, if a little envious. I had always wanted to get married and have a family, but so far, my life had not made room for that to happen. Part of it was because I had spent so long with Alex without realizing it wasn’t what I wanted. On the other hand, Rebecca had always been sure about what she wanted. So sure, in fact, that she had never been afraid to make sure her significant others were aware.

By the time our brunch ended, I was almost sure that there was nothing more exciting for Rebecca than being able to revel in the fact that she was living life as she had always meant to. I was happy for her.

“Do you have any plans for after brunch, Catherine?” Rebecca asked as we walked out of the restaurant together.

“Mom asked me to do some shopping while I was in Brighton, so I’ve got plans to go get some décor and other things for the holiday party Mom throws every year. Family holiday party, at least,” I said. “Chris is coming in on Christmas Eve, and I’m not sure who else is invited, but I know that’s the core group of each party. I should have asked Mom how many people she expects…” I let out a soft sigh.

“All right. Mind if we shop together? I also have some shopping to do, and I find that the time always goes faster with a friend,” Rebecca said.

I smiled a little. That was exactly like Rebecca. A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I realized she had parked somewhat close to my parents’ car, not even realizing it, probably.

“All right. Well, I’m headed to Livingstons, and I’ll meet you there,” I said.

She nodded. We split up, and I started the short drive to the store. It was a large store that sold pretty much everything, and I was glad it would be my only other stop for the day. Then, it hit me that I didn’t know if Chris was bringing anyone home for the holidays.

He had before, like I had. This year, there had been so little communication with him that I hadn’t even thought that he could be bringing someone home. I had been far too busy making sure that my life wouldn’t completely fall apart after receiving my last promotion. It was hectic for a while, but that was no excuse. I should have been a better sister and kept in touch more frequently. It was hard to keep in touch when I struggled to keep my head above the water some days, juggling a workload I didn’t want and a yearning to write again.

Even more so when I was spending my late evening hours browsing for an apartment or a house in Indigo Lake now instead of taking advantage of the fact that Chris was only an hour ahead of me instead of two hours behind me, time-wise. The more time I put into the idea of moving, the more it scared me that moving back to Indigo Lake sounded right. Could I really leave all of my California friends behind as easily as I had those in Indigo Lake? Was my writing worth that sacrifice?

I shook my head. Christmas décor shopping with Rebecca had a mood, and it was not homesick. The right word, in my opinion, was festive .

I pulled into the parking lot of the shop a few moments later and found a great parking spot. Walking through the snowy lot, I looked up at the sky. It looked like more storm clouds were rolling in. If I was able to get the shopping done quickly, I should be out on the road before the storm came in. That would be the best course of action. Of course, it was also right before a major holiday. There was a good chance that the store was going to be packed, and the lines were going to be long.

I sighed as I entered the store and simply grabbed a cart. I figured it would be easier to share a cart with Rebecca, so long as she didn’t have a ton that she was buying. When Rebecca entered and saw that I had already grabbed a cart, she didn’t mind. She walked right on over to me, pulling her purse off her shoulder.

“Mind if we share?” she asked as she plunked her purse into the cart.

“Not at all. That was part of why I grabbed a cart. Now, all the stuff I want will be upfront here at the seasonal aisles. Where do you need to be, Rebecca?” I asked.

“Seasonal, and the candy and baking aisles. My parents have asked that we bring some sweets if we’re coming to their party. I love to bake… so of course, I told her we could make that happen. I ran out of vanilla extract, sandwich cookies, and a few other things. It’ll be quick, though. Promise. Why don’t we start here at the seasonal stuff since we both need it, though?”

I nodded. That sounded like a good plan. It didn’t take me long to find some mistletoe to hang on the door to the dining room for Chris and his possible significant other. If anything, he’d get a good laugh out of it if he came alone, and we could always goad Mom and Dad into standing under the mistletoe. I also found a beautiful wreath to hang on the front door with some holly berries, holly leaves, and some glitter to make it look as if it was covered in morning frost.

Rebecca picked up some peppermint bark – the seasonal treat almost everyone loved – and a couple of chocolate oranges. As we passed one of the other seasonal aisles, I saw some plastic serving bowls with snowmen, candy canes, and snowflakes. If for nothing more than for the fun of it, I picked up one of each to surprise my mother with. She’d love them, I hoped, and they’d be perfect to set out on Christmas day with some snacks for us all to munch on. And knowing Mom, they would also make great mixing bowls through the rest of the year.

With that, we headed back to the candy and baking aisles for everything that Rebecca needed. She truly did make it quick as she grabbed everything she needed as if she had an internal list: two containers of vanilla extract, two packages of sandwich cookies, a packet of cream cheese, and a large bag of gummy worms.

“I’m making cheesecakes and dirt,” she said when I raised my eyebrow. “Cheesecake for those who want it, and dirt – you know, made out of sandwich cookies, pudding, and gummy worms – for my younger cousins.”

“Oh. I see.”

I smiled. That was ingenious, even if an odd choice for Christmas. Regardless, we had everything we needed and went to check out. Upon returning to the parking lot, the sky had turned even darker, and snow was starting to come down – hard and fast.

“You know, I’m sure your mom will understand if you come stay the night,” Rebecca said. “I hear it’s only supposed to snow hard tonight. Let the roads get plowed before you make your way home. Besides, it’s not like Brighton’s a day’s drive away.”

“I’ll be fine, Rebecca. I promise,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Besides, it’s only an hour. The sooner I leave, the sooner I arrive home safely. I’ll text you when I get home. Promise.”

Rebecca nodded and hurried to her car, probably also worried about her own safety. I got everything into the car and then started the drive home. Instead of trying to hurry, I decided it would be worth it to go a little slower. I kept up with the flow of traffic, of course, but I intentionally stayed below the speed limit when I was alone on the road to make sure I wouldn’t hit anything.

With my lights on, the snow was somewhat easier to see. However, it was already starting to get dark outside. My progress was slow. I was taking longer than expected, which was never a bad thing in this kind of weather. I worried that it’d be completely dark by the time I finally got to Indigo Lake, but I was glad for my headlights. To make matters worse, the wind was blowing so hard that sometimes I couldn’t see the road under all the wayward snow.

That wind ended up being my downfall. It blew so hard at one point that I couldn’t see the road and drove right off into a snowbank. A little disoriented, I checked to make sure I was all right. My airbag had gone off, so I was a little dazed, but nothing was bleeding – as far as I could tell. I’d probably have a ton of bruises, though. My head ached, and I had to blink hard to get the world righted in my vision again. Probably just the force of the airbags to my head. Not a reason to worry.

My stomach knotted anyway, but not because of the way the airbags had gone off.

I was stranded. This part of the highway was a known dead zone for cell phones, so the best I could do was keep my car on and hope someone else saw my lights when they drove past. If someone drove past. I turned around and grabbed a book that had been in the car. With the heat going, I’d be all right for a while.

I read for a few minutes when I suddenly saw the light of a truck in my rearview mirror. Oh, maybe tonight was my lucky night. The truck was parked behind me.

A knock on my window startled me. I rolled it down just enough to see who had come to help, not really expecting to recognize anyone out here on the road. Instead, I found myself staring at Noah.