Christmas Wishes Part 3

She tuts and tosses down the dough. “So Damon’s left early a couple days this week? Days Charlie’s been here? Kids that age are up before sparrows, that’s what it is. I seen the way you two carry on — all that huggin’ and kissin’ you do when you think no one’s watchin’…”

A blush rises up my cheeks. “Whoops.”

“Yeah, whoops, all right.” She sighs, big and dramatic. “Young love, it’s a beautiful thing.”

“Young? Why, thanks, Cee. Has Mr Jefferson called back yet?” I pummel the pastry.

“Nope,” she says. “And I checked that fangled machine for messages, nothin’.”

“Joel called this morning, said I have one day to sort something out. He’s really hamming up that whole bad-guy act.” I don’t mention his threat about the fuses — CeeCee would be at Old Lou’s before I could say boo.

“One day? What you s’posed to do in one day?”

I shrug. “Exactly.”

CeeCee grunts, and shakes her head. “Put it out of your mind, sugar. Oh, before I forget, another delivery of chocolate buttons arrived. We can get started on the rest of the Easter eggs. I thought we could fill up the smaller ones with some zany flavors for kids, like sherbet, that kinda thing. What you think?”

“Sherbet? Sounds amazing!”

“Folks certainly won’t find that anywhere else. I wanted to leave early today on account of running some errands.”

“Errands? You want me to do them?” I usually help CeeCee with her shopping because she doesn’t own a car.

“No, no,” she says quickly. “Just some things I need to sort out. It won’t take long.”

“OK. Take your time, Cee. I thought I’d organize those make-at-home choc-chip cookies in a jar, for the festival.”

CeeCee wraps the balls of dough in cling film, and sets them in the fridge to rest. “You want me to pick up some pretty ribbons to tie around them while I’m out?”

“Sure.”

***

After the lunch rush, I walk out to the office to return Mr Jefferson’s call. He phoned earlier when we were knee-deep in customers, and I could tell by the tone of his voice the news wasn’t good.

“Mr Jefferson, it’s Lil.”

He sighs, a long drawn-out sound. “Lil, I got some bad news. He’s wrapped you up tight with this. By the looks you’re going to have to pay him. From what I can see, the loan has gone through his dad’s business, so technically you owe the twenty thousand, plus interest.”

“Even though his dad’s passed on?”

“Yes, ma’am. Seems Joel is the beneficiary of his dad’s estate, and is chasing everyone who still owes them. Not that there’s many with anything tangible left. They got some nerve, that family, sending people broke with the amount of interest they charged. No one could afford that kind of money. They preyed on desperate people.”

I rest my head against the cool of the wall. “That they did. What should I do? See about getting a loan…”

Mr Jefferson clears his throat. “We can see about getting a payment plan of some type. There’s a host of things we can legally do. You can fight it, it’s just the cost of that if you lose…”

“No, I don’t have the energy to fight him. Let’s see about some kind of payment terms, then. You think you can hold him off for a little while?”

“I do, Lil. Let me contact him, and see about negotiating.”

Chapter Nine

We’ve made over a hundred small eggs, filled with various flavored luscious ganaches to replenish our stock for the last time before the festival. We dust the tops of each egg with colored sugar crystals to differentiate the flavors.

Our jam jars are filled with all the dry ingredients to make chocolate-chip cookies. We’ve tied star-shaped cookie cutters to the jars with gingerbread ribbon. A cute little gift idea we couldn’t resist trying.

“I’m going to add a few of these to the window display,” CeeCee says.

I nod distractedly as I tidy the bench.

A moment later CeeCee rushes back in, her eyes wide, hand on her chest.

“What, Cee? You OK?”

She is breathless, and points to Damon’s shop. “He’s there, out front with Damon!”

“Who?” As soon as the word leaves my mouth I realize. I rush to the window to gaze out. Joel. He’s pointing a crooked finger into Damon’s face.

“Oh, my gosh, I better go over…”

But CeeCee tugs my arm. “No. Leave it. That’s what he wants. He trying to scare you. Damon’s not a coward. He can stand up for himself.”

My heartbeat speeds up. “Yeah, but he shouldn’t have to, Cee. This has nothing to do with him.”

“Leave them be.”

My hearts leaps as I see Joel poke and prod his finger into Damon’s checker shirt. Damon stands there looking a lot more dignified than Joel, who’s yabbering and yelling like a fool. Damon shakes his head at whatever venom Joel’s spewing out.

“Cee, what if they fight?”

“If he don’t leave soon, it’s gonna be me who marches over there.” Cee looks determined.

Joel’s voice carries over on the wind. He’s so angry he’s spitting.

“Cee,” I say urgently, “this is escalating. I have to go…” I trail off when Joel pushes Damon hard in the chest, making him stumble backwards.

Damon regains his balance and steps forward, grabbing Joel by the collar of his shirt. A crowd has gathered to watch, including the local shopkeepers, who yell at Joel to leave. Joel’s face is red with anger as he snarls at the crowd, and angrily flips Damon’s hands off his shirt. He lunges forward at Damon, pushing him hard in the chest. Damon lifts a fist, ready to strike Joel just as Charlie wanders out to the stoop, her face pinched with fear. He shakes his head, as his anger is replaced with concern at seeing his little girl so scared.

“Charlie…” I gulp.

“Is that all you got?” Joel barks at him.

“That’s it!” Cee beats me to the punch; before I’ve even turned to look at her she’s powering across the street yelling all manner of things.

“I don’t hold with cuss words, Joel, but you making me rethink that! You get your grubby paws offa Damon this minute…”

Joel’s eyes are wide with surprise at CeeCee’s volley of abuse. I walk to the front and call for Charlie; she takes one look at her daddy, and races across the road. I pick her up, and murmur soothingly to her. She turns back to watch out of the window, her little heart beating quickly through the fabric of her dress.

“It’s OK, Cee,” Damon says, holding a hand up. “Joel’s just leaving, right?”

“Oh, no, he ain’t!” CeeCee steps between the two men. “Not till I’ve said what needs to be said. And don’t think I won’t smack you upside the head if you don’t listen!”

Joel scowls at her. “Oh, yeah? I’d like to see that.”

“Glory be, you nasty. You could start an argument in an empty house.” She turns to Damon. “You go on in now.”

Damon shakes his head.

“Go and see Charlie bear, make sure she’s OK.”

He’s glued to the spot, not wanting to leave CeeCee by herself. I wave him in, wanting him as far away from Joel as possible. Seeing him literally fight my battles is not something I want on my conscience, no matter how much Joel deserves it. Plus I don’t want Charlie to witness anything so frightening.

“You forget I’ve known this boy since he was knee high to a grasshopper, so get.” From the window I can see give Damon give her an imploring look. She waggles a hand at him to leave.

He takes his time ambling across the street, looking back over his shoulder to make sure CeeCee is safe.

“Hey,” he says, walking into the café. He takes Charlie from me, and kisses her nose. “You OK?” he asks her.

She looks up at him, her blue eyes wide. “I’m good. Was that man going to hit you?”

“No, honey, no.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say. We clasp hands and watch CeeCee unleash a tirade at Joel. He takes a step back from her but listens to whatever it is she’s saying.

“She’s certainly got his measure,” Damon says.

“It’s not right. I should be the one out there, not either of you.”

“That’s what he wants, Lil. So he’s not having it. Better he knows you have a whole town behind you, ready to back you up. Quicker he learns that, the better.”

CeeCee lowers her voice, but her arms flail as she gesticulates wildly.

“Think he’ll be scared off now?”

“We can only hope,” Damon says.

***

CeeCee marches back into the café puffing and panting as if she’s been to aerobics.

“I’m glad I told that snake exactly what I think o’ him.” She takes a few deep breaths and stands at the window like a sentry. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Damon scoops up Charlie from the stool, where I set her up with a piece of carrot cake. “I better get back, ladies. You keep an eye out. If he comes back make sure you holler over.”

I hug them and watch Damon carry his daughter across the road.

Turning back to Cee, I ask, “What’d you say to him?”

“Plenty! Never mind, cherry blossom. I’m parched like some kinda camel.”

Guilt surges through me as I hug her. It seems everyone is fighting my battles. It’s time I got rid of Joel for good. I decide I’ll call the bank, see if I can get a credit card or some kind of loan. While I’m there I’ll withdraw my savings and see if that amount tides him over for now. There’s no point drawing it out; I just want him out of all of our lives.

Rushing to the kitchen, I mix up a big glass of iced tea and take it back to CeeCee. “At least sit down, Cee.” She’s staring out of the window. I can’t read her expression.

“Cee?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you sit down for a bit?”

“I need to go run those errands.” She takes a big gulp of iced tea. “You want anything done while I’m out?”

“You sure you’re OK to be going barreling around town after that?”

She laughs, her big-bellied haw. “Never been better. Righting a wrong sure is good for the soul.”

“Well, OK. If you’re sure, Cee. Maybe take a few hours, see about visiting Janey?”

“I won’t be long.” She straightens her dress, and pats down her hair before heading out.

***

Uneasy. That’s how I feel when I hang up the call with the local bank manager. Worry sits in my belly as heavy as a brick. He can fix me up with a credit card, but only for a few thousand. And it’ll take a fortnight before I can draw on it. This is like a bad dream that never goes away.

Chapter Ten

The morning of the chocolate festival rolls around. I’m jittery with nerves. I hope everything goes as planned, and that there are no spectacular cooking mishaps. It’s one thing to muck up a recipe in the café but quite another to do it in front of almost the whole town. Most of our chocolate recipes are prepared; it’ll just be a matter of keeping up and replenishing, with only a few things made fresh, like chocolate soufflés, which we’ll bake in batches, and I pray they rise into a gooey, chocolaty cloud.

I get to work early, and find an army of volunteers sitting on the chairs out front sipping mugs of something spicy. “Morning, everyone,” I say, leaning close to peer into their drinks.

Sarah from the bookshop speaks up. “It’s a hot cup of gingerbread cocoa. You missed the little gingerbread men Cee perched on top. We ate them up first!”

I laugh as CeeCee wanders out with a tray of more drinks, and offers me one.

“Thanks, Cee.” I feel almost sad crunching into the cute little button-nose gingerbread man who floats amongst the whipped cream.

“You got the tables, Lil?” CeeCee asks.

“In the truck. I’ll bring it around and we can set them up when you’re ready.” I borrowed trestle tables from the town hall. We’re going to line them up under umbrellas, and each station will serve a selection of chocolate-themed deliciousness. The road will be closed for the entirety, so we can spread tables down the length of the street.

Damon walks out from his small goods shop with Charlie in tow. She skips over to CeeCee and hugs her tight. “My little angel, you go on inside. There’s a special milkshake on the bench for you.” Charlie squeals and runs inside to investigate.

I clap my hands. “Before we start, CeeCee and I wanted to thank you all for helping out today, and, remember, you can eat as much as you want! So feel free to take a break from your table and sample everything that’s on offer. We’ll be running things inside, and making sure you’re stocked up out here in the event everything sells.”

Our volunteers let out a whoop, and gather together to help set up. I force myself to look cheerful, but I have a horrible feeling Joel might turn up and ruin things. He said I had one more day, so I expected another pre-dawn phone call from him threatening me. But so far, nothing. A tiny ray of hope runs through me — maybe Mr Jefferson’s involvement scared him off. Maybe he is gone for good. Or is that just wishful thinking?

***

The Gingerbread Café explodes with noise as we cram in as many kids as we can to help paint the Paschal eggs. Laughter rings out as they crack almost as many as they manage to paint. CeeCee and I grin at each other. “At least they’re empty of goo this time,” she says, yelling above the din.

The streets are crowded with people milling about, sampling all the chocolate desserts on offer. We cover a few of the tables with newspaper and wave to a bunch of kids, who eagerly run up and take a seat. I direct them all to the cotton wool, and paper plates, the pink cardboard and colored pipe cleaners.

“Right, kiddiewinks.” I hold up a finished bunny-rabbit mask. “So you glue each piece in order as they are on the table, then, once you’re done, I’ll tie a length of elastic through these tiny holes here—” I indicate “—and then you can hang them on the pegs Cee’s left on the string line out back, to dry…” Before I’m finished talking, hands spring from every direction, eager to get their crafts started.

The Mary-Jos arrive in a hail of glitter. They’re dressed in frou-frou pink gowns, and wear plastic tiaras. One of them, hard to tell which under all that make-up, swishes a wand around, and says, “You, you, you, follow me for face painting!”

The children push their chairs back, and chase after her.

***

It’s midday when I’m zigzagging through the throng of the festival, and notice Walt’s shop is closed. I stand still as people sidestep me, and watch the shop for movement. Maybe he’s taking a break and has closed the doors for some peace and quiet. I think back to the morning, searching my memory to whether I saw Walt’s shop open at all. I don’t think I did. And why hasn’t Janey stopped by the café? CeeCee’s been her best friend since they were girls, there’s just no way even a squabble would keep Janey away, and if they did bicker the furniture shop would still be open.

I march back into the café and search for CeeCee.

She’s leaning against the door jamb, watching Charlie paint a nest made out of shredded brown paper.

“Where are they?” I ask more abruptly than I mean to.

She pretends not to hear me, but I see her face fall slightly.

“Have you ever seen a girl concentrate so hard?” she murmurs.

“Cee.”

She shakes her head, and I see her eyes glisten with tears.

“We just gonna head out back for a minute, Charlie bear, OK?”

I follow CeeCee outside to the car park.

She leans her bulk against a rusty old car, and takes a deep breath. I wait patiently, my mind spinning possible scenarios.

“I was goin’ to tell you after the egg hunt tomorrow. I wanted you to have a good weekend and be able to focus on the business and what with that conman Joel and everythin’…”

“Tell me what?”

When she looks at me, it’s almost as if she’s another person, there’s such a sadness in her eyes, and without her usual smile it doesn’t look like Cee.

“Janey’s been diagnosed with cancer. From what they know, it seems one o’ those aggressive types…” She breaks off as her words become a jumble when the tears finally spill.

I wrap my arms around her, knowing there’s nothing I can say that will ease her heartbreak in the slightest, and because I’m so shocked. I think of Janey, with her ever-present smile, silver hair always tied up in an orderly bun. She keeps the town social life ticking over as she buzzes around organizing events, and fundraisers. She’s so vital and vibrant it’s hard to picture her as anything less. Surely it can’t be?

“Will she be OK? I mean, modern medicine is so good these days, right?”

I lean on the car next to CeeCee.

“They gonna try, sugar plum, and I been praying for her.”

“Where is she, Cee? Up in Springfield?”

CeeCee nods as she wipes her tears.

“Why don’t you go to her? Surely she needs you more than anything right now.”

She takes a long shuddery breath in. “I was going to wait and see what Walt had to say. He’s coming back some time this weekend to drop off the keys for the store. I told him we’d find a way to keep it open, like maybe do a roster system with the other shopkeepers on the street. That way they still got some money comin’ in.”

Once people find out about Janey, there’ll be all sorts of help lined up, from bulk trays of casseroles, to people tending their garden, and anything else they can think of that might ease their burden. Ashford will band together in a show of support for Janey and Walt.

“I’m sure there’ll be no shortage of helpers. We better make up a basket of chocolate for them too.” It’s the only thing I know to do in a crisis. Ply people with food and hope it brings a small level of comfort somehow.

My heart breaks for them, and for CeeCee, who was trying so hard to keep it from me when she must have been slowly dying inside.

“We can sort out his shop, Cee. You should go to her.”

Chapter Eleven

By early afternoon the kids finally lose their zeal. We’ve sold out of almost everything as the festival went on merrily outside, while the children played inside. My head throbs with the sudden silence but I brace myself for them to get their second wind as the Easter bunny is moments away from arriving to spread some cheer and hand out eggs we’d secreted out. I stop for a moment, and look over at Walt and Janey’s shop, and can’t help but miss them. I know CeeCee will put on an act, pretending to be all bubbly and happy for everyone’s sake, but really her heart’s broken into about a million pieces.

CeeCee wanders over to me and whispers, “He’s here.” She nods to the back door.

I find Charlie in the crowd and get set to watch her reaction.

CeeCee claps her hands to get their attention. “We just wanna say thank you for coming to play here at the Gingerbread Café today. We surely have enjoyed it. If you wouldn’t mind doing me one last favor…”

The kids sit cross-legged on the floor, staring up at her.

“Can anyone tell me who that is at the back door?”

Their heads swivel to door as the Easter bunny walks in holding a basket filled with eggs. They immediately jump up and race towards him screaming, “The Easter bunny!”

Damon in his pink fluffy bunny suit is well disguised, but I can almost feel him laughing under the bobbly head as they launch themselves at his knees. Charlie is at the back of the crowd, her face lit with wonder.

Parents shade their faces as they peer through the glass. They’ve been relegated outside and seem happy to watch from the street.

Damon tries to hand out eggs but can’t pick them up with his huge paws. He muffles, “A little help here?”

We giggle and edge the kids back so we can get through and help him.

“Have you been a good girl?” he asks me.

“Isn’t it Santa who asks that?”

“You’re on the naughty list. I’ll deal with you later,” he says, stepping forward and shaking hands with the kids as they stand stunned. I try and wipe the goofy, lovey-dovey look off my face, but find it impossible. CeeCee’s right: I had to kiss a toad before my knight in a bright pink bunny suit found my heart. I watch Charlie pick the foil off her egg slowly and delicately before popping it into her mouth, beaming.

***

“It just ain’t the same without Janey and Walt here,” CeeCee says sadly. We’re up before the sun, hiding the eggs for the Easter egg hunt in shrubs along the streets of Ashford. Sarah and Damon are helping; they’re further ahead, chatting as they walk on opposite sides of the street.

“I know,” I say softly. “Feels hollow without them.”

CeeCee goes to speak but chokes up. She takes a minute then says, “You know, Lil, the only thing that matters in life is having good friends and family around you. When you get to the twilight of your life, like me, you realize that. Money, fancy clothes, none of that matters. When you’re sitting alone in the dark of night, the things that make your heart happy are simple. Charlie’s smile when she bit into that cake pop. You and me laughing ourselves silly every day. My grandbabies, my kids, who all done me proud. And Janey. Our friendship’s spanned decades. There ain’t a thing we don’t know ’bout each other, and that counts for more than anythin’. I know she gonna pull through, I know it. But if she don’t, it means that God got other plans for her, and, as sad as that be, I trust Him. And I’ll be ever grateful for havin’ a friend like Janey. Life doesn’t always have a happy ending, and that makes it even more important to love and cherish what you got. So you just remember that, Lil, OK?” She wipes tears from her eyes, and nods at me before turning away and walking up the quiet street. Times like this I know she wants to be alone. Her words replay in my mind. I can’t help but wonder what else she means.

My heart’s heavy as I walk the other way, placing eggs into the underbrush of plants that line the street. Things don’t often change in Ashford, but it suddenly seems as though they will. The people I look up to and respect are all advancing in years, and I just can’t picture my life without them. I try and shake the blues away. Everything is always sadder before the sun comes up. Picturing Janey and Walt about to face their biggest struggle puts the Joel fiasco into perspective. As CeeCee says, it’s only money. Once I pay him, I’ll never have to see him again, and that’s worth more than anything. My friends need me now, and I need to be strong for them, not lost inside my mind with Joel, and his toxic threats.

***

Since Walt isn’t here, Damon takes over as the egg-hunt organizer. He lines the kids up along a makeshift start line, painted hurriedly at daybreak, when we realized we’d forgotten.

“OK, does everyone have a basket?” he hollers above the excited chatter.

Their “yes sirs’” ring out high into the fresh morning air.

“Great! Now we have a few little ones here today. It’d be nice if the bigger kids buddy up and make sure they find just as many eggs as you.”

The line wobbles as the tweens move places to stand next to the younger kids to shadow them.

“On your marks, get set, GO!”

We watch them race every which way, their yelps punctuating the morning.

CeeCee and I head on into the café, and get to making gingerbread coffee for the parents, who stumble in groggy from such an early start.

***

The kids have all moseyed on home as I close up shop for the day. CeeCee tallied up the takings, including the festival, and it looks as though we’ve made more than we anticipated. All our hard work was worth it in the end.

I’m just about to lock the front door when Damon pushes against it. Charlie stands behind him, gripping the edge of his shirt.

“Hi,” I say, confused. We’d planned to close up and meet at home so Charlie could have a nap after running around town most of the day. I’d planned on guzzling a big glass of wine.

“I forgot to give you something,” he says, stepping into the café. He hands me a small silver-wrapped egg.

“Hey!” I say. “We didn’t have silver eggs. Where did you get this one?”

“We made it. Go on, see if you like it.”

I take my time unwrapping the egg, which is not like me at all but I figure if Charlie, a seven-year-old, can be delicate, I can certainly try.