Christmas in Bayberry

“So if I wish for a sleek sports car, I’ll receive one for Christmas?” He didn’t really want one, but he certainly wouldn’t turn down a free sports car. He was, after all, a guy.

“You could try, but I must warn you that Santa gives you what you need most—not what you think you need. And you have to be a good boy or you get zip, zilch, nada.”

“Yikes. I guess this means I’ll have to be nice to you until Christmas.”

She sputtered. He could tell she was thinking up a good zinger to get him back.

“Don’t say it,” he warned, trying not to laugh. “Remember, you have to be good, too.”

Her lips pressed together in a pout. “You don’t play nice.”

“I’m just having some fun.?

?

“And it’s about time. You obviously spend too much time in the office. Trust me, there’s more to life than work. When you get old, the things that will matter most are the good memories you made along the way. Penney was right. No one’s going to kick back and think how wonderful it was to spend countless hours poring over reports.”

“But sometimes you have to do that if you want to get ahead.”

She regarded him. “Is that what you want? To get ahead?”

He hadn’t admitted to anyone outside Watson & Summers that he was actively pursuing a promotion, but it felt like he could tell Kate anything. “Yes. There’s a promotion coming up at the office, and I’m doing everything I can to get it.”

“Do you like where you work?”

Her question caught him off guard. No one had ever asked him that before. “It’s one of the top firms in the country. Its name is known from coast to coast.”

“But that doesn’t answer my question. Do you like working there? You know, the people you work with? The job you do from day to day?”

He’d honestly never stopped to consider the question. He thought of the people at Watson & Summers who said good morning to him each day, smiled at him in the halls and wished him good night. “It’s a good place to work. I don’t have to move from town to town.”

“Like your father did?”

Wes had forgotten that he’d shared that part of his life with her. He nodded. “It’s good to stay in one spot.”

“And that’s what you want? To stay put at your company for the rest of your career?”

Why did it seem like saying yes was the wrong answer? For so long, that’s all he could think about—climbing the corporate ladder. But since he’d arrived in Bayberry, he’d seen a part of life that he was missing out on.

He cleared his throat. “That’s always been my plan.”

“I wish you luck,” Kate said. “Let’s get our ornaments on the tree.”

He let her lead the way. She placed her ornament at eye level and he hung his next to hers. They looked good together—as though they were meant to be a pair.

And then it was his turn to make a wish. His eyes moved over the crowd of smiling Bayberry residents. It was as if he’d stepped inside a greeting card with all its warm and joyous sentiments. His attention moved to Kate as she greeted a young girl and her parents.

It was then that he made his wish. Please let Bayberry remain the close-knit, welcoming town I’ve always remembered.

And then, just because Kate hadn’t said he couldn’t, he made a second wish. I wish my mother were here to share this holiday.

Kate turned to him. “Did you make your wish?”

“I did.”

“Good. Come on.” She motioned for him to follow her. “We’d better grab a candle before they’re all gone.”

They stood in line, each taking a candle. Then they moved to a spot next to her aunt, who informed them that Fred was resting his eyes in front of the television, and she’d slipped away for a few minutes.