Cozy Christmas

The heels of her boots ticked a cadence on the polished hallway and echoed off the walls as she hurried toward the principal’s office. No matter how many times she came here, she always experienced a surge of memories that made her feel more like a teen than an adult.

Whitney was smiling when she paused at the open door to Coraline’s office and rapped on the jamb. “Good afternoon. Have you got a minute?”

“Of course, dear.” Circling her desk, the gray-haired principal opened her arms to her visitor and gave her a motherly hug. “I was meaning to phone you anyway, just hadn’t gotten around to it.” Her already pleasant smile widened and her blue eyes sparkled. “I need another volunteer to bake three dozen cookies for the tree-lighting ceremony this coming Saturday.”

Whitney returned the hug, then stepped back. “Only if you give me permission to buy them from Melissa at the bakery. I don’t do a lot of cooking.”

“Then how are you ever going to snag yourself a decent husband? Don’t you know the way to a man’s heart...”

“Is through his stomach,” Whitney supplied with a soft laugh. “So I’ve heard.”

“Well then?”

She shook her head so hard she dislodged one end of the scarf loop that circled her neck. “Well, nothing. If I never hear about another supposedly amazing romance, I’ll be happy. If you’ve been reading the Gazette, you know my boss has had me covering a bunch of lovey-dovey stuff lately. I’ve decided it must be some kind of epidemic.”

“That is a rather negative spin to put on it,” the principal observed.

“Now you sound like Josh.”

The older woman stared. “You’ve been talking to Josh Smith?”

“I’ve been trying to.” Whitney plopped into a side chair and sighed. “That man is harder to interview than anybody I’ve ever met.”

“Probably just the kind of mind he has. You know what I mean. Some people are talkers, like you and I, while others are deep thinkers, like Josh.”

“You’re probably right. Which is partly why I’m here,” Whitney explained. “I thought it might help if I could take a peek at the legalese that came with the business grants.”

“I supplied everyone with copies,” Coraline said.

“I know. I have those. I was just wondering if there might be some clue in the originals that wasn’t in the packets you handed out.”

“A clue to what?”

“The origin of the grants. You know the saying, follow the money.”

“Sorry. There’s nothing in those papers you haven’t already seen.” She returned to the chair behind her desk and made herself comfortable. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Outside of telling me the name of Mr. Moneybags, I guess not.”

“Mister? Why do you believe it’s a man?” Coraline asked. “I think women are far more likely to be philanthropic, don’t you? It’s our tendency to nurture.”

“I suppose you’re right. When I first started looking into this for the Gazette, I thought of the benefactor as either male or female. Lately, though, I’m starting to see him as a man.”

“Whatever you say, Whitney.” The principal picked up a pen and sorted through a pile of papers on the desk until she found the one she wanted and brought it forward. “So, can I put you down for three dozen?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Excellent. If you’re coming to the ceremony you can just drop the cookies off that night. I’ll have a table set up next to the hot chocolate the Cozy Cup is providing.”

“Josh is bringing enough for the whole town?”

Coraline busied herself making notes on the list. “We all pitch in every year. You know that. I’m sure others will donate, too.”

“Right. I’d better stop by Sweet Dreams and get those cookies ordered before Melissa’s swamped. She says she won’t know for sure until she’s been in business for the whole year, but she predicts this is going to be her best season.”

“I suspect so,” Coraline said sweetly. “I’m looking forward to having my children home for the holidays. How are your parents doing?”

“Fine, thanks. I wasn’t sure Mom would survive Dad’s knee surgery but he’s back on his feet and she’s stopped doting on him so much.”

“You’re very fortunate to have such a satisfying life.” Her smile faded. “Not all of my former students have been so blessed.”

“Maybe that would be a good hook for another series of articles,” Whitney ventured, picturing a headline and framing it in the air with her hands. “Teen leaves small town looking for happiness and discovers that he or she had it all the time, right here in Bygones.”

Once again, Coraline seemed unduly bothered. Whitney stood and approached the desk. Reverting to her student attitude she asked, “Are you all right, Mrs. Connolly?”

“I’m fine, dear. Just terribly busy. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Perhaps we can chat more at the tree lighting. A few of our students are going to be wearing elf hats and helping to pass out the goodies. I’ll be there to keep an eye on them.”

“What about the church? Are they going to bring the crèche down to the park, too?”

“Not this year. They’re doing a live drama program called Bethlehem, with a real donkey and a few sheep.” She smiled. “I suspect it would be best to keep the livestock confined to the churchyard where the rest of the stable is set up.”

“You’re probably right.” Whitney started for the door. “Thanks for your time. Sorry to have bugged you.”

“Think nothing of it, dear.”

As Whitney left the office she happened to glance back over her shoulder. Coraline was watching. And there was a definite frown wrinkling her brow.

Since the older woman had lived and worked in Bygones all her life, Whitney supposed she did take special events very seriously; she just hated to see the principal looking so unduly burdened.

* * *

The small, sparsely furnished apartment over the coffee shop was not up to Josh’s usual standards. He had two reasons for occupying it. One, it was foolish to waste money setting up a real home in Bygones when he wasn’t planning to stay. And two, he didn’t want to give the impression that he could afford better. It had been difficult enough to honestly answer questions about his efforts to spruce up the empty movie theater located next to his shop. Everybody knew it wasn’t included in the grants so he’d had to play down his personal investment.

It was the industry-wide shift from 35mm film to digital presentation that had drawn his interest—and had caused the theater’s former owner to sell to his dummy corporation so cheaply. The cost of conversion was going to be expensive and might never pay off.

Josh, however, was delighted for a chance to tinker with a computer-driven system. If all went well, he hoped to surprise Bygones by opening with a free showing of a Christmas movie within the month.

Personally, he didn’t see why practically everybody got so sentimental at this time of year. As his father had often said while entertaining business associates in their palatial home, emotional attachments to tradition were nothing but useful tools.

The late Bruce Barton had paid professionals to decorate his home and office for the lavish holiday parties he’d hosted, relegating Josh’s mother, Susanna, to the task of playing glamorous hostess. Every time Susanna had tried to add homey touches to the austere but elegant decorations, Bruce had made fun of her efforts and insisted she remove them. By the time Josh was a young teen, she had stopped trying and had meekly complied with whatever made her husband happy.

Josh suddenly felt compelled to phone his mother. It was because of her that he’d begun the Bygones rescue project, although she didn’t know it. She was the one with nostalgic memories of the town, not him.

She answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Mom. I tried to connect with you by computer a couple of times. You must have the instant messaging feature turned off.”

“Josh! It’s wonderful to hear your voice.” She sniffled, making him wonder if she was catching cold. “You know computers hate me. The whole system shut down about a week ago and refuses to work. I suppose I’ll have to call one of your techie friends to have a look at it—unless you’re planning on coming home soon.”

“I’ve been pretty busy,” he said, wishing he could tell her the whole truth about his absence right now, instead of waiting.

“Well, just so you won’t have to worry about me during the holidays, I’m going on a Caribbean cruise with two other widows. We’re leaving next week.”

That made sense. After all, she was alone now and must be knocking around in that big house his father had insisted upon. Why she didn’t sell it and truly move on was beyond him.

“That’s a good first step,” Josh told her. “If there’s Wi-Fi on the ship you can keep me posted about all the fun you’re having.”

“I suppose so,” Susanna replied softly. “I miss you, honey.”

“I miss you, too. We’ll get together and catch up on everything after you come home all tanned and relaxed.”

“I’m surprised it’s taking you so long to set up that new branch of Barton Technologies.”

Josh had almost forgotten his necessary cover story. “I should be done by the first of the year.”

That much was true. Actually, he could have left Bygones months ago and been assured that his money was being well spent. So what had kept him?

The notion that he might be starting to like his life in the small town was too ridiculous to consider seriously. He was completing a necessary job, that’s all. He might not be creating the computer software design administrative center that his mother imagined, but he was still working. And he was pretty proud of the results he was seeing.

Main Street had recovered beyond his wildest dreams. Merchants and the Save Our Streets committee had worked together to produce a model shopping area that was not only appealing, it was also profitable. Even his coffee specialty shop and computer gaming business was showing a slight gain, and it was just a front for his real occupation as a cutting-edge software designer and founder of Barton Technologies.

There were times when Josh felt like one of those comic book superhero characters, with a mild-mannered facade hiding extraordinary powers.

Grinning at the inane image, he told his mother, “If your computer would boot up, I could fix it from here. Since it won’t, I’ll send somebody over before you leave for your cruise. How about tomorrow?”

“That’s fine,” Susanna said. “Love you.”

“Me, too,” he mumbled, returning to the reticence he had learned so well while growing up. “Bye.”

Affection was rarely shown and even less often spoken of during his childhood. That was simply the way it was. Only after his father’s death had his mother begun to tell him she loved him. It was still difficult to echo her sentiment in spite of the fact that Josh loved her dearly.

He ended the call, stared at the phone for a few seconds, then shoved it back into his pocket and sat down at one of his computers to email the Barton tech support team.

* * *

As Whitney entered Melissa Sweeney’s Sweet Dreams Bakery, she couldn’t repress a grin. Seeing macho Brian Montclair behind the counter with his blondish hair and sporting a holiday-themed apron was just too funny. The guy was built like a linebacker, yet he’d managed to fit into this job. Finally. Getting rid of the chip on his shoulder over not getting a chance to start a repair garage had taken some doing. Of course, romancing his boss hadn’t hurt, either.

“Hey, Brian,” Whitney said. “I need to place a rush cookie order.”

“Sure thing. Melissa’s already got a bunch of those stacked up. What do you need and when?”

“Late Saturday afternoon. About three dozen. I’ll make it easy for her and just take whatever kind she bakes. They’re for the tree-lighting ceremony in the park.”

“Gotcha.” He was painstakingly making note of her order. “You still poking into the secret Santa deal?”

“If you mean looking for the mysterious money man, yes. Why? Do you know who it is?”

“Nope. But Melissa got another one of those pep talk messages in the mail. I figure the others did, too.”

“Interesting. Mind if I have a look at yours?”

“Not at all.” He reached behind him to a ribbon where his boss—and fiancée—had hung a string of Christmas cards, and plucked one from the group. “Here you go. Short and sweet.”

“Rats. It’s printed, just like before. I was hoping to see a handwriting sample this time.”

“Guess the guy’s too smart for that,” Brian offered.

“Do you think it’s a man, too? I didn’t at first, but I’m starting to lean that way now.” Whitney handed the card back to him.

“Yeah, I do,” the former mechanic said. “I guess it’s because of the way he operates. You know. Using plain stationery at first, now that card. Compared to the frilly way Lily designed all the Christmas decorations and the fancy cakes Melissa makes, that’s barely even a holiday greeting, let alone girly.”

Pensive, Melissa studied the card as he hung it back up. “You’re right. It not only looks masculine, it’s generic. Not even very festive. I suppose it could have been chosen just to throw us all off but it does make me wonder.”

“Anything else I can get you?” he asked.

“Um. I’d love to take home half the goodies in your cases but I just had a mocha latte at the Cozy Cup so I’d better not.”

She started for the door as new customers entered. Waving, she called, “I’ll be back for the cookies after three on Saturday. Okay?”

Brian’s nod and smile was all the answer she needed.

That plain greeting card was a clue. It had to be. And if all the other new businesses had received identical messages, maybe she’d be able to trace their origin.

Chances of doing so were slim to none, yet, at this point, Whitney was ready to try anything. Her next move was a visit to each merchant in the heart of Main Street to ask if they had received cards similar to the one at the bakery.

Love in Bloom was right next door. That was where she would begin, walking rather than bothering to move her car out of the lot behind the bakery.

“Plus, I can ask Lily how it feels to have had the first wedding,” she muttered, once again recalling the phenomenon of escalating romances. Lily had been the first to succumb. Therefore, if Whitney’s next column needed a personal interest touch she could always include more about Tate Bronson’s whirlwind courtship of the pretty florist.

Besides, she added, this was going to be his daughter, Isabella’s, first Christmas with both a mama and a daddy, so it would lend family interest to the article.

A sense of contentment bathed Whitney as she remembered celebrating Christmas as a child. Rather than there being a specific memory of past holidays, she felt it more as an overall sense of well-being, of love.

Those thoughts brought her directly to the love that God had shown when he’d sent His son into the world so long ago. That was the basis of her love of Christmas. Pleasant family experiences merely grew from the core of her heavenly Father’s amazing gift.

Reaching the door to the flower shop she paused to send a silent “Thank You, God,” into the wintry sky.

In the deep reaches of her subconscious there was a stirring of another sentiment. Another reason to give thanks.

As she probed her thoughts, an image appeared. It was the smiling face of Josh Smith.

Chapter Three

Josh was torn between phoning Coraline to try to learn what Whitney was up to and leaving well enough alone. Given the determination of the cute reporter and her parting comment about visiting his Save Our Streets mentor, he decided to place the call. What was the worst that could happen?

“She could figure out who I am,” he muttered. He could have disclosed his real name and purpose for coming to Bygones long ago, but once he did so he knew his comfortable niche in the community would disappear. He’d had enough experiences with prior efforts at philanthropy to know that there was no way to remain disengaged without hiding his true identity. No matter how hard people tried to treat him fairly, his money made a difference. A detrimental difference in too many cases.

Coraline’s phone rang seven times before an answering machine took the call. Okay. So much for picking her brain. He’d just have to ask a few of the other merchants if Whitney had been snooping around and what, if anything, she had said about ferreting out the secrets behind the grant.

Matt Garman, the teenager whom he’d hired for afternoons so he could work on his programming without being interrupted, had reported on time and was already busy behind the counter filling drink orders.

The poor kid’s widowed father was a missionary in Turkey, so Matt lived with his grandparents, pastor Hugh Garman and his wife, Wendy. Giving the kid a job at the Cozy Cup Café had definitely helped Matt become more social. Josh could see a lot of his younger self in the tall, shy sixteen-year-old.

“Matt, you hold down the fort,” he said cheerfully as he shed his apron. “I’ve got a few errands to run. Call my cell if you need anything.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Smith.”

Pulling on his leather bomber jacket, Josh smiled. Hearing himself called Smith instead of Barton still startled him occasionally. By the time he sold the Cozy Cup and returned to St. Louis full-time, he wondered if he’d react the same way when someone at Barton Technologies used his real name?

He turned up his collar the minute he stepped outside. Wind was howling. Holiday banners flapped from the lampposts. The decorations were way too flamboyant for his tastes but he’d stayed silent when the merchants had voted to let Lily design and implement the holiday theme so the street’s décor would be coordinated.

Josh had to agree with his father in that respect. The minimalist approach appealed to his senses more. He’d grown up with the perfect, white, conical tree decorated with strategically placed red ornaments and little else other than a matching door wreath. Anything more seemed way over the top.

Pausing in front of the flower shop he stomped clinging, wet snow off his boots before he entered. He had thought his shop was overly festooned until he saw what she had done with her own. The Christmas motif was not only occupying every available space on her display shelves, she had draped so many streamers and so much tinsel from the ceiling he had to fight the urge to duck.

“Hi, neighbor,” Lily called, able to see his reflection in the curved mirror she’d rigged between the display area and her workroom. “What’s up? I just got in some live poinsettia plants but if you take them out in this weather they’ll have to be wrapped well or they’ll go into shock and die for sure.”

“I’m good on decorations,” Josh assured her, wondering where she thought he’d find room for one more unnecessary thing in his already cramped store.

He sauntered around the edge of the counter and into her work space. “I just wondered if you’d had a visit from Whitney. She’s been bugging me about our grants again.”

Lily nodded and smiled. “She was here. Last I saw of her she was headed down the street, acting like she was on a mission.”

“That’s normal. What did she say to you?”

Lily laughed. “What didn’t she say? She is one determined lady when it comes to her job. Apparently, she saw a Christmas greeting from our benefactor at the bakery and wanted to see if I got the same one.”

“You showed her?”

“Sure. I’m keeping all my cards as mementos of my first year in Bygones. I may eventually make a scrapbook. I’ve just been too busy so far.”

“Which is a good problem to have,” Josh observed. “I saw the special arrangement you made for the church last Sunday. Very impressive.”

“Thanks. It’s one of the ways I thank God for bringing me here and helping me find the perfect husband.” She was grinning broadly. “Which reminds me. Tate wanted me to ask you if you have time to fix his home computer. We’re not looking for a handout. He’ll be glad to pay.”

“That’s not necessary,” Josh assured her. “Like I always say, it’s just a hobby.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind...”

“Have him drop it by the Cozy Cup anytime.” He had started backing toward the door. “And speaking of business, I’d better get back to mine.”

“Watch your step. It’s slippery out there.”

With a casual wave, Josh strode to her door and stepped outside. He looked up and down the street. No sign of Whitney. He checked his cell, saw no new text messages and turned toward the hardware store. At least it and the pet shop beyond had male proprietors. Their take on Whitney’s queries might be more logical than that of the women involved.

Then, if his gut was still tied in knots after talking to Patrick and Chase, he’d stop in at Allison True’s bookstore on his way back to work. Whitney Leigh wasn’t the only person who could be tenacious.

* * *

It seemed odd to Whitney that each shopkeeper, no matter what their wares, had received an identical greeting card. The letters of encouragement in the past had been more detailed, more personally suitable. These cards were nonspecific to the point of being almost insulting.

She handed Allison’s back and shook her head. “Thanks. That didn’t help at all.”

“I was afraid it wouldn’t. Sam said the same thing.”

Allison’s reference to her rekindled romance with high school math teacher and coach, Sam Franklin, set Whitney’s teeth on edge. There was no escape. She felt as if she was trapped in a snow globe made up of the perfect little town and its perfect, tiny residents. If she hadn’t feared being thought of as callous she might have quoted a famous Dickens character and said, “Bah! Humbug!”

When Allison turned to replace the card in the basket she was using to collect them, Whitney almost burst out laughing. The slogan printed on the back of her T-shirt echoed those exact words.

“Love your shirt,” Whitney said with a chuckle. “It fits my mood perfectly after spending the afternoon chasing down clues and coming up empty-handed.”

“Maybe I have something else that will help,” the dark-haired woman offered. She reached into the bottom of the basket and produced an empty envelope. “I saved this.”

“What is it?”

“There’s no return address but the postmark is St. Louis, Missouri. That’s where the card came from.”

“Really?” Whitney snatched it from her so she could closely examine it. “I wonder if anyone else saved theirs.”

“I doubt it. I’m kind of funny that way. I hate to throw things away until I’m sure I don’t need them.” She giggled. “I still have an old photo of Sam that his sister, Lori, took when she and I were teenagers.”

Sam again. Romance again. Whitney rolled her eyes before thinking, happy to note that Allison had apparently not noticed.

“Mind if I keep this?” she asked, taking care to school her features and appear professional.

“No. Not at all. I hope it helps you.”

“Thanks,” Whitney said, tucking the envelope into her tote. “I’ve been to all the other new businesses but I’m going to go back and ask if any of them saved envelopes like you did, just in case they’re not all the same.”

“Have fun,” the willowy brunette said. “I can see why you’d want to visit Josh again. If I wasn’t so in love with my Sam I’d join you.”

“I only go there for coffee. And for information,” Whitney insisted, “although I sure don’t get much of the latter.”

It was Allison’s turn to roll her eyes. Whitney ignored her. There was only one newcomer not yet spoken for. Josh Smith. She was well aware of his single status. She was also aware that there was a standoffish quality to his persona that kept others at arm’s length. Whether that was true of everyone or mostly applied to the way he related to her was of no importance.

His actions had been clear. He was barely willing to carry on a meaningful conversation with her, let alone open up and share any confidences. As far as Whitney was concerned, that meant he was interesting without being interested. Particularly in her case.