Christmas in Eternity Springs (24 page)

Nicholas was all they had left of Lara. Since Jax's parents were deceased, the Hardcastles were the only grandparents his son had. They didn't threaten the boy's health or safety or security. They no longer threatened Jax's relationship with his son. He needed to let go of the anger that he'd nursed since the hypnosis debacle and welcome them back into his son's life.

Claire returned to the shop with her eyes sparkling. “Your son is spectacular.”

“I know. I'm so proud of him.”

“Looks like he's soothed the grandparent waters, too. The last thing I expected was for Mr. Hardcastle to walk in here and apologize.”

Jax smirked. “Must be that Eternity Springs mojo at work.”

“Must be.”

“So, you're closing at noon? We'll see you at home shortly afterward?”

“That's my plan, but if you need to spend more time with Nicholas's grandparents, I'll certainly understand. I can find my way to the church by myself.”

“Nope. We're not missing the wedding. I suffered through the trauma of buying the boy new dress clothes, new shoes, and getting him a haircut in preparation for Chase and Dr. Lori's wedding. We're not missing it.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I'll see you in a couple of hours.”

Jax rejoined Nicholas and the Hardcastles, and they continued their walking tour of Eternity Springs, ending back at Angel's Rest. There, Nicholas grabbed a tennis ball from Captain's box of toys, removed the retriever from his leash, and he and his grandfather began taking turns throwing the ball.

Linda took a seat on a park bench to watch the action. Jax sat atop a four-foot rock wall that divided Celeste's contemplation garden from the open area where the boy and dog played. The silence between them was comfortable enough, so when Linda finally spoke, he wasn't expecting an attack. “You and Lara never suited.”

Jax almost groaned out loud. It was always one step forward, two steps back with the Hardcastles.

“Her father always put her up on a pedestal, and right or wrong, she needed the same from the man in her life. You expected more from her, and she couldn't make that jump.”

Jax couldn't argue with that, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I think she could have been happy with James,” Linda continued, “but the miscarriage damaged her. I don't know if it was hormonal or emotional or a combination of the two, but she wasn't thinking right. I told her to seek help, but I blame myself for not following through, not making sure it happened. As a result, I overcompensated where Nicholas is concerned.”

“It's not your fault, Linda. Or Brian's. In the end, it wasn't even Lara's fault. In her right mind, she never would have done anything to put Nicholas at risk.”

“She was a good mother.”

“She was a fabulous mother. I remember how great she was with Nicholas when he was a colicky infant. I would be tired and frustrated and at my wit's end, and she always stayed calm and collected. That is the Lara I'm going to try to remember from now on. That's the Lara I plan to share with Nicholas as he grows up.”

“You are a good man, Jax. I know that Brian apologized, but I need to do so, too. I'm so sorry, Jax. You and Lara might not have been right for each other long-term, but I think you must have been meant-to-be for a time in order to give this world Nicholas. You and my daughter created a fabulous, special child. Seeing him today so happy and engaged has been so reassuring. You're a good father, Jax.”

“Thank you, Linda. I appreciate your saying that.” He focused on the rush and bubble of Angel Creek and thought of his ex-wife without resentment for the first time in a very long time. “Nicholas is lucky to have you and Brian. I've been lucky that Nicholas has you. Claire told me recently that Eternity Springs is a great place for making fresh starts. What do you say we give it a try?”

“I think that's a fabulous idea.”

“In that case, do you and Brian have plans for Thanksgiving? Claire and I have already made plans to cook for a few friends. If you and Brian would like to join us, we'd love to have you.”

Tears flooded her eyes and she gave him a tremulous smile. “We'd like that very much. Your Claire wouldn't mind?”

He didn't correct her “your” reference. He certainly thought of Claire as his at this point. “I'll check with her, but I'm sure she'd want Nicholas to share the holiday with his grandparents.”

“She's a lovely woman, Jax. I can tell that she cares about both you and Nicholas.”

“She is. She does. We like her very much.”

“I'm glad, Jax. I want you both to be happy.”

“We're getting there.” His gaze shifted in the general direction of Forever Christmas. If Nicholas managed to conquer his fear to the point where he could enter the store, Jax would change that from “getting” to “almost” there.

“One other thing I might mention,” Linda said. “Brian and I recognize how difficult it is to be a single parent. If you ever want a break, if you ever need a babysitter, I hope you'll consider us. We'd be happy to fly in for a long weekend, or even bring Nicholas out to Seattle, if you think that would be good for him. I promise we'd be careful with him, and we'd follow all your wishes.”

Jax considered her. At this point, he wouldn't have any reservations about allowing Nicholas to spend some time with his grandparents and without him. Fresh starts, and all. “That's quite an offer, Linda. Quite a timely offer. Nicholas has a Friday and Monday off from school the first week in November. Teacher in-service days. Shall we ask him if he'd like to visit Seattle?”

“Nothing would make me happier.”

The prospect of four days alone with Claire made Jax pretty darn happy, too.

 

Chapter Fifteen

Whoever invented teacher in-service days needs a raise.

—JAX

Claire attended Lori and Chase's wedding and reception with Jax and Nicholas. The ceremony was lovely, the party fun.

Before the father-daughter dance, Cam Murphy made a speech about love and the power of perseverance that brought everyone to tears. Chase gave a public tribute to his mother that made every woman in the room a little wistful. Later in the evening, Claire discovered that Jax was quite the dancer, and following a discussion about Texas red dirt music with Brick and Devin Murphy, Jax had joined in with Daniel Garrett to sing a few old Willie Nelson tunes. She discovered he had quite a voice, too. Celebration, laughter, and joy proved to be quite the mood lifter, and by the time the bride and groom departed Angel's Rest to begin their honeymoon in Tibet, she had a whole chapter's worth of positive thoughts to record in her journal.

The Hardcastles departed Eternity Springs for their return trip to Seattle following a Sunday-afternoon picnic at Hummingbird Lake. That night, after Nicholas's bedtime stories, Claire and Jax shared their first time alone since their Friday-night date.

He caught her beneath a sprig of mistletoe that hadn't been hanging from the kitchen doorway threshold when she'd gone upstairs to read “'Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

After kissing her senseless, Jax said, “Claire, have you ever been to Silver Eden Resort?”

“No, I haven't. I've heard it's fabulous, though.”

“I happen to have a voucher for a two-night stay at Silver Eden, part of a swag bag that was given to parents of Rocking L campers. Nicholas is going to Seattle for a long weekend the first weekend in November. It's a perfect opportunity to put the fling in our mistletoe. How about it, Claire? Would you go away with me for the weekend? I thought I'd make a reservation in the name of Stamina Sven.”

Claire's heart began to thud. A long weekend at a romantic resort? Heck yes! “I'd love that, Jax.”

“You can get someone to cover for you at the shop?”

“I'll just close it for the weekend.” She could do that. She was the boss. “I'll look forward to the trip, Sven. Thanks for the invite.”

They exchanged another long kiss beneath the mistletoe, and she had a difficult time going to sleep that night. Luckily, prep work for the Chamber of Commerce event scheduled the following week kept her busy during the days, so she didn't waste too much time in daydreams. The evenings were a long, slow sexual-tension build, held in check by the presence of a third-grade chaperone.

Each evening, she continued to read to Nicholas, and with every day that passed, he seemed a little more comfortable with the subject matter. He walked by the shop on two separate occasions. A third time, he actually crossed the street and walked right past her Christmas tree pots just as a customer opened the door to exit the shop.

He went a little pale at the sound of the jingle-bell chimes, but he didn't run away. Claire was so proud of him.

On Thursday night, he asked about the upcoming chamber event. “Are you really going to have a whole room in your shop for dog stuff, Miss Claire? A room like your Angel Room?”

“Yes. I'm calling it the Christmas Doghouse.”

Nicholas giggled. “That's funny. Isn't that funny, Dad?”

“I think I've been there before,” Jax drawled, a teasing glint in his eyes. “So which of the rooms are you using for your Doghouse?”

“One of the ones upstairs. I've noticed that some of my customers hesitate to go up there, and I think the Doghouse will draw them up.”

“Good thinking. You have a knack for retail, Claire. Which room are you using? The living room?”

“No.” She hesitated a moment before confessing, “My bedroom.”

Jax grinned. “Is there some symbolism in that choice, Miss Christmas?”

“Only square-footage concerns, Mr. Lancaster,” she replied. “It's the largest room upstairs, and I have lots of merchandise to display.”

“Is it all set up already?” Nicholas asked.

“It's about half done. I hope to finish up on Sunday afternoon while the shop is closed.”

“I sure would like to see it,” Nicholas said, a wistful look on his face.

Claire patted his hand. “When I get it all set up, I'll take pictures. I'll show them to you if you'd like.”

“Maybe.” He picked up one of the Christmas books she'd left lying on the foot of his bed and flipped through it. “All the kids at school are going to the party. Galen says Mrs. Murphy is baking cookies for you shaped like dog paws.”

“Yes, she is.” Claire shared a quick look with Jax. “You know, Nicholas, you're welcome to visit the shop any time you'd like, but things are going to be pretty crazy around there Tuesday night. I could give you a sneak peek once it's all set up if you want to try it.”

He shrugged. “Is there really going to be a dog parade? Galen said so. He said all the dogs who are on ornaments are going to be in a parade wearing costumes. I said I don't think that's true because I'm in charge of Captain and Captain's on an ornament and I haven't heard anything about a parade. And what about Mortimer? I don't think it's a good idea to let him go inside Forever Christmas.”

“Twelve dogs in Forever Christmas? The very idea makes me shudder. No, Nicholas. Galen is mistaken about that. We're not having a parade. The dogs will be there in ornaments, only. Well, except for Tinsel, of course.”

“Is
she
going to wear a costume?”

Claire tilted her head and considered the answer. “I don't know. I've considered it, but honestly, I have too many too cute costumes to pick from.” Casually, she said, “Would you like to help me choose? I could bring the possibilities home tomorrow night.”

“Sure. We could try that.”

Later when Jax came downstairs after his part of storytime, Claire handed him his glass of wine and lifted hers in toast. “Here's to progress.”

They clinked glasses. “He wants it. That's a big part of the battle, I think.”

“I have a large selection of Tinsel-sized dog costumes from which to choose. They run the gamut from innocuous to five-alarm Christmas. What do you think I should bring?”

“Bring 'em all. I have a sneaking feeling that he's going to show up at your reception on Tuesday night.”

“From your mouth to an angel's ears,” Claire said.

After closing the shop the following day, Claire filled a bag with a variety of costumes for Tinsel. Had she really purchased twelve different costumes for dogs ten pounds and below? “Ridiculous, Branham.”

Although she'd bet that Sage Rafferty would buy seven or eight of them for her Snowdrop.

She arrived back at Three Bears Valley to find Jax on a ladder at Baby Bear, adjusting the downspout of a gutter. She took a moment to appreciate the view of worn jeans stretched tight across a firm butt. “Tinsel, the first week in November can't get here soon enough.”

As she and Tinsel exited the car, Captain rounded the corner of Mama Bear, a big rawhide bone in his mouth. Jax waved and descended the ladder. He met her with a toe-curling kiss. “You're home early.”

“I wanted to get home before Nicholas. He's still at soccer practice, isn't he?”

Jax checked his watch. “It ends about now. Cicero is driving him home.”

“Good. I'd like you to look at these costumes. Weed any out that you think might be too much for him.”

“Okay.”

He asked her about her day as he and both dogs followed her up the steps into Mama Bear and on into the kitchen. While he washed his hands, she spread the costumes out on the kitchen table. Jax dried his hands on a dishtowel and surveyed the stack. He checked the Forever Christmas price tag on the reindeer costume at the top of pile and shook his head. “Seventeen dollars? Seriously? People will pay that for a dog costume?”

“It's cute. It has matching reindeer antlers.”

“People have more money than sense, I swear.”

“How do you think Nicholas will react to them?”