Christmas in Eternity Springs (28 page)

“Dr. Davis is handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste again,” a boy on Nicholas's soccer team had warned.

“We have to go there,” Galen had told an alarmed Nicholas. “It'll hurt his feelings if everyone skips. Besides, the Davis home is next door to the Turners'. Sheriff Turner usually gives full-sized candy bars to make up for the toothbrushes.”

Overhearing the exchange, Jax had made sure they didn't miss the town dentist's home.

With the trick-or-treating part of the evening over, the revelers had moved on to the climax of the evening—Brick's pirate ship. According to Claire, a number of the Callahan family members had gathered in Colorado for the event. They met Brick's aunt Maddie at the spot where the line formed. The redhead introduced herself then turned her attention to Nicholas.

“Now whoever designed your costume was thinking,” she said in a slow, sexy voice full of the South. “I can recall plenty of Halloweens where my life would have been easier if I'd had a leash on my kids. I take it you're a show dog?”

“Dad and I are going as the Westminster Dog Show. I'm a komondor and I'm Best in Show.”

“You certainly are.” She grinned at Jax and Claire, then handed Nicholas a child-sized life jacket. “And now, me matey, in order to set sail aboard the
Black Shadow
with Captain Callahan, you'll need to don your pirate's vest. Jax, if you and Claire want to wait for him at the dance hall, we have a selection of grog from which to choose.”

“Thank you,” Claire said. “That sounds—”

Maniacal laughter boomed across the night, and Claire turned toward the sound. Brick Callahan stood decked out in full pirate regalia—tall boots, skintight black pants, a low-cut flowing white shirt, a pirate's eye patch, and a tricorn hat. He held a sword up in the air as he threatened to make Cari Callahan walk the plank.

In line behind them, Rose Cicero observed, “Now that's a sight to make a damsel's heart go pit-a-pat.”

Her tone nonchalant, Claire said, “I certainly enjoy a good costume as well as the next damsel.”

Jax twisted his head and stared at her. Claire arched a saucy brow.
“Oui, Monsieur Lancaster?”

Keeping his voice low and for her ears only, he said, “You're trying to kill me, aren't you?”

She laughed and led him toward the dance hall, where Gabe Callahan introduced Jax to more members of the Callahan clan. Claire glanced around the crowded hall. “Celeste mentioned that your father made the trip this time. I'd like to say hi to him.”

“Branch is working the boat with Brick,” Mark Callahan said. “Playing a curmudgeonly old pirate is right up his alley.”

Nic Callahan scolded her brother-in-law with a look. “Your father is a sweetheart. Have you seen how wonderful he is with the baby?”

“He's great with all his grandchildren,” Mark's wife, Annabelle, observed.

Gabe Callahan laughed. “Have you talked to Brick lately? I suspect he'd weigh in on our side of the argument. Branch has decided your son needs a woman.”

Mark winced. Luke and Matt laughed out loud. Luke clapped Mark on the back. “Might as well start planning the wedding now.”

“What do you want to bet he has another…”—Mark made quote signs with his fingers—heart attack?”

Gabe shook his head. “Nobody's dumb enough to take that bet. So, who needs another beer?”

About half an hour after they'd left Nicholas to board the
Black Shadow
with his friends, a gaggle of boisterous children invaded the dance hall looking for their parents. “He made us touch eyeballs in a bowl, Mom,” said one girl.

“And brains, too!” called another.

They chattered about ghosts and sea monsters and chain saws. “Chain saws?” Clair asked. “On a pirate ship?”

Jax spied his son, his face alight with happy excitement, and he waved Claire's protest away. “Creative license. Hey, you can't have a decent haunted house without a chain-saw massacre.”

Nicholas obviously agreed. Ten minutes later, loaded back into the truck and headed toward town, he talked nonstop about his “perilous journey.”

“… and some parts were really stupid. Everyone knows that the eyeballs were peeled grapes and the brains were spaghetti. But the girls screamed and Mr. Brick's grandpa was kinda scary. I don't know what he meant by ‘Davy Jones' locker' but it didn't sound good.”

“I'm glad you had fun, son,” Jax said.

“I didn't get scared at all. And some of it was pretty scary. Mr. Brick's aunt Maddie can really sound like a witch.”

The boy fell silent then, and Jax thought he might have finally run out of steam. But after a few minutes of quiet, Nicholas surprised him. “I'm not a wussy. I'm very brave.”

“Yes, you are.”

“You are the bravest boy I've ever met,” Claire added.

“I knew those things weren't real. I let myself get scared, because I knew they weren't real, and they couldn't hurt me.” He turned his head and looked at Claire. “Nothing in your shop can hurt me. It's just a store. The things inside it aren't eyeballs.”

Jax met Claire's startled gaze. She was looking to him for guidance, but he had none to give.

“That's true enough. I don't have any peeled grapes, either.”

They drove another mile in silence, then Nicholas said. “I want to go there. Now. I went through the
Black Shadow,
and I didn't scream once. I can go inside Forever Christmas. Will you take me, please, Dad? Now?”

Jax gripped his steering wheel hard. Hell. What should he do? Today had been a great day. He didn't want to ruin it by exposing Nicholas to his terrors. And yet, wasn't the plan to take his cues from Nicholas? If he turned the boy down, what sort of signal was that sending? It might make matters worse.

He glanced down at his son and noticed the leash and dog collar that had been part of his costume tonight. Believe.

Well, hell. What else could he do?

“If that's what you want, Nicholas. Of course, I'll take you to the shop. As long as it's okay with you, Miss Christmas?”

“Of course.”

A few minutes later, Jax parked his truck on the deserted street in front of the store. Claire suggested, “Why don't you let me go in first and turn on a few lights. I expect you want to see the Christmas Doghouse?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I'll wave to you from the door when I'm ready.”

Claire slipped out of the truck. Jax watched her remove her keys from her purse and unlock the door. Moments later, lights switched on inside. Not twinkling tree lights, but overhead lights.
Smart girl.

“You sure about this, Nicholas?” Jax asked as the second floor lit up.

Nicholas unbuckled his seat belt. “Yeah.”

“If you have any second thoughts, just say the word.”

“Okay.”

Claire appeared in the doorway and gave them both a little wave. Nicholas said, “Nothing in that store is going to hurt me. Let's go, Dad.”

Jax sent up a quick, silent prayer and took his son's hand. Together, they approached Forever Christmas to face Nicholas's demons on Halloween night. The irony of the moment wasn't lost on Jax.

Nicholas kept a tight grip on Jax as he paused at the front of the shop and drew a deep breath. Claire offered an encouraging smile. “Welcome to Forever Christmas, Nicholas. The Doghouse is upstairs.”

After that moment's hesitation, the boy forged right ahead.

The lights Claire had turned on cast a soft glow throughout the shop, chasing away the shadows but not highlighting any of the displays. Nicholas darted glances right and left, but he didn't dawdle as he followed Claire toward the staircase.

“Doing all right, buddy?” Jax asked, bringing up the rear as he climbed the staircase. Tension gripped him.

Nicholas responded with a nod.

Claire glanced back at them and began to patter. “I ordered twice as many of the Twelve Dogs of Christmas ornaments as I thought I'd need. Based on the first few days of sales, I should have ordered four times more. The chamber has sold enough to get everything on Celeste's wish list. I hope we have plenty of volunteers for Deck the Halls Friday because we're going to need them. Time is flying. It'll be here sooner than we know it.”

“Maybe we can volunteer to help, Dad.”

Jax briefly closed his eyes. “That would be great.”

Claire led the way to her Doghouse. There, she'd turned on a few more lights—including those on the room's centerpiece Christmas tree. Jax held his breath and waited for his son's reaction. To his shock, the boy did something completely unexpected.

Nicholas laughed out loud. “Are those real dog biscuits on the tree? How do you keep Tinsel away from them?”

Jax took his first easy breath since Nicholas expressed the desire to visit Claire's shop.

Nicholas took his time exploring the Christmas Doghouse. He picked things up. Turned them on and off. He shook the snow globes and jingled the bells. When he twisted the key on a music box, Jax opened his mouth to caution him, but Claire stilled him with a slight shake of her head. The music box played the theme song from
Paw Patrol
.

Throughout it all, Nicholas chattered excitedly. The only reason they heard the sound of something crashing downstairs was because it happened while he was taking a breath. Jax looked at Claire. “What was that?”

“I don't know,” she said, starting toward the stairs. “It sounds like something fell off one of the shelves.”

Jax frowned. They hadn't locked the door behind them. Crime wasn't a problem in Eternity Springs as a rule, but … “Hold on, Claire. Let me go check.”

She dismissed him with a wave. “No, you wouldn't know what to look for.”

Jax listened to the sound of her footsteps as she descended the staircase. He heard a few clicks as she switched on more lights. Then … nothing. He didn't like this one bit. “Wait here, Nicholas.”

Jax followed Claire downstairs, his gaze scanning the area for signs of an intruder. The front door remained shut, the store felt empty. He found Claire standing in her books section, a perplexed look on her face. He asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yes. Everything's fine. I found four books on the floor. Someone must have looked at one of them today and didn't shelve it properly. Law of physics at work.”

Jax figured she probably was right, but it wouldn't hurt to take one quick turn through the shop. He proceeded to do that and had just exited the stockroom where he'd double-checked that the back door was locked when he heard Nicholas say, “Wow, Miss Claire. That's really pretty.”

The boy stood at the threshold of Claire's Angel Room. Shocked to see his calm and collected son downstairs in the middle of Christmas central, Jax pulled up short.

Nicholas said, “Look, Miss Claire. Something has fallen.”

The boy disappeared into the room followed by Claire. Jax hurried to join them and arrived in time to see Nicholas pick up a tattered angel off the floor, the same angel that had set Claire off the day he'd compared it to the children's book character. Nicholas handed the angel to Claire.

“Gardenia,” she said softly. “How did she wind up on the floor?”

“Maybe she fell from the sky,” Nicholas said.”Look. Her wing got broke.”

“Her wing has been broken for a very long time,” Claire said. She brushed off the angel's bedraggled skirt and gently straightened its halo. “Of all the angels in the Angel Room, she is my favorite. She didn't fall from the sky, Nicholas. My mother and my sister and I made her for our family's Christmas tree. She was born out of the love in our hearts.”

“You must have used her for a long time for her to be so beat up.”

“Actually … no. Gardenia never made it to the top of our tree. My sister got sick, and we didn't have Christmas anymore.”

“Did she die like my mom?”

“Yes. Yes, she did.”

“So she's an angel, too. I'm sorry, Miss Claire.”

“Thank you, Nicholas. Me, too.”

“Why didn't you have Christmas?”

Claire set the angel on a shelf half hidden by new and sparkly angels. As he watched her, a hazy thought drifted at the edge of Jax's mind, but before he could grasp hold of it, Claire distracted him with the answer to Nicholas's question.

“My sister was sick a long time. She was in the hospital the first year we didn't have Christmas. And the second. After she died, my mom just didn't have the heart to celebrate the holiday.”

“What about your dad?”

“I'm afraid his heart really broke. He passed away not long after my sister did.”

“That's terrible, Miss Claire. I'm really sorry.”

A lump formed in Jax's throat as he watched his son wrap his arms around Claire's waist and give her a hug. “You and I are alike. You lost Christmas, too.”

“Yes, Nicholas. You're right. For a long time, I did lose Christmas.”

“But you got it back. You have Christmas every day now, don't you?”

“Forever Christmas,” Claire said, returning his son's hug.

Nicholas stepped away and gazed up at her solemnly. “You know what, Miss Christmas?”

She pulled one of the cotton strands hanging on the hat he still wore. “What, Mr. Best in Show?”

“After tonight, I'm pretty sure that I got Christmas back, too.”

It was all Jax could do not to break out into the chorus of “Joy to the World.”

*   *   *

After she read Nicholas his Christmas story, Claire considered going straight to bed rather than wait downstairs for Jax for their customary shared nightcap. Talking about Michelle tonight had left her emotions raw. At the same time, she wanted to celebrate Nicholas's big step forward with Jax. It didn't seem right to bail on him just because his son's questions had stirred up old hurts.