“I’m sorry. Who’s that?”
“You haven’t met Maria De Angelis yet?”
“De Angelis… is she related to the doctor or the sheriff?”
“The doctor,” Mrs. Jefferson said. “Lucas is her older brother. Caitlin De Angelis… that’s the sheriff… she’s Maria’s sister-in-law.”
“Oh. Duh. Of course. Sorry. But why should I talk to her?”
“I’m not so surprised you haven’t had the chance to meet her. That girl has been spending all her time for the last couple of years, turning her old family home into that bed and breakfast of hers. She barely heads into town. Still, she’s probably the best artist in all of Hamlet. She’s the one who does all the signs, including the welcome one out front. I bet, if you ask, she’ll be willing to whip something up for you in time.”
“Really?” Gloria’s heart felt light. That’s exactly what she had in mind. And she couldn’t do it… but maybe this Maria could. “You think so?”
“Come on. Come with me. I’ll get Maria on the line and see what she says.”
Mrs. Jefferson kept her radio tucked behind the counter. She pulled it out, switched the dial, and engaged the button on the side.
A crackling sound cut through the air. A moment later, the crackle died, only to be replaced by a throaty female voice with a hint of an exotic accident.
“Ciao. You’ve reached Ophelia. This is Maria speaking.”
“Maria, this is Dinah Jefferson. How are you?”
“Bene, Dinah. I’m very well. What can I do for you?”
“I’m with Gloria Watson—”
A burst of static, then Maria’s voice cut through again. “The outsider woman from the mountain? I’ve been dying to say hi. She’s there? I can come to the store right now.”
Mrs. Jefferson gave Gloria a thumb’s up before she continued the exchange over the communicator.
“No need for that, Maria, dear. In fact, I think Gloria would be interested in coming to you. You see, she needs a favor, and you’re the first one that came to my mind…”
13
Christmas Eve with Franklin was as magical as Gloria hoped it would be.
To her surprise, he actually chose It’s a Wonderful Life to watch while the roast was working. Then, once it had finished resting, Franklin carved the meat, Gloria finished up the sides she prepared earlier that morning, and the two sat down to a candlelight dinner with Burl Ives’ singing jolly Christmas tunes in the background.
Gloria still couldn’t bring herself to light the massive fireplace, but the single tapered candle placed in between their settings did enough to make their meal feel intimate and cozy and super festive. Or maybe that was the freshly baked pecan pie served with home-made cinnamon ice cream that Gloria made for dessert.
It was still, well, wonderful.
The two of them spoke throughout the whole meal. It amazed her that she once thought Franklin was such a grumpy hermit. In the last few weeks, he’d really come out of his shell around her. Sure, he could still be prickly at times, and the whole idea that Gloria might be leaving at the end of the year still obviously bothered him, but the more she got to know this man, the more she stopped thinking about the distant future.
Right then, Gloria was living in the present. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t worrying about tomorrow.
Today was Christmas Eve. Today she had Franklin cuddling with her on the couch while they watched classic Christmas movies, both of them snuggled under Great Aunt Patti’s gift to her. Today she had pot roast and pecan pie, plus the best cinnamon ice cream Franklin had ever eaten.
Today she had happiness.
Tomorrow could wait.
But you know what couldn’t wait any longer?
Presents.
She could tell Franklin wasn’t ready to go home just yet. Even though he managed to put away three slices of pie and two bowls of ice cream, he suggested the crack open the bottle of wine he brought when their holiday date began. Gloria was okay with a nightcap—and it wasn’t like she was ready for him to leave, either—but before she cozied up to Franklin again, she finally wanted to give him his Christmas gift.