Christmas In Silver Bell Falls (14 page)

“Hey!  There’s my girl!” he said, just like he always did.  “Are you going to have a white Christmas in Silver Bell this year?”

Just the mention of the town made Melanie’s stomach clench.  “I don’t know,” she said with a small chuckle.  “I haven’t really been watching the weather.”

“Why not?  There is nothing better than snow for Christmas.  It just makes everything more magical.”

Ugh.  Now her father was sounding like one of Santa’s elves.  Yikes.  “Are you busy right now?” she asked nervously.  “Do you have time to talk?”

John paused for a minute.  “Of course, sweetheart.  What’s going on?”

For the next few minutes, she shared what had been going on between her and Josiah and the argument they’d had.  “So?” she asked.  “What did I do that was so wrong?”

“Oh, Mel,” John began, “Sweetheart, I had no idea you had this many issues.”

“Wait…what?  What exactly does that mean?”

“It means I never should have let my disillusionment rub off on you.  I didn’t realize how down you had gotten on Christmas.”

“Okay, can we just move past Christmas for a minute?” she huffed.  “I don’t understand why he’s so upset!  He knows I have a life back in Raleigh.  This isn’t new information!  Why is he suddenly making a big deal out of it?”

“Mel, he’s in love with you.  He told you that.  Of course he’s going to make a big deal out of you wanting to leave him when your three months is up.  He’s thinking about and planning a future with you and you’re thinking about and planning on leaving him.  How could he not be upset?”

She sighed.  “I…I didn’t quite see it that way.”

“How did you see it?”

“I thought,” she shrugged, “I thought we’d get through the three months, I’d give him the property and come home.  Then we’d do the long-distance thing until we knew each other better then…take it from there.”

“I see two things wrong with your plan,” John stated.

“And they are?”

“For starters, you’re giving him the property.”

“What’s wrong with that?” she cried.  “Geez, I thought I was doing a good thing and everyone thinks it’s so wrong!”

“You hurt his pride, Mel.   You didn’t talk to him about it.  Men are funny in situations like this.  He’s been working so hard toward this goal and you just made it seem like it was all for nothing.”

“That wasn’t my intention…”

“No, but the result was the same.”

She sighed.  “Well damn.  So what do I do?”

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” he said before clearing his throat.  “Let’s deal with the long-distance thing next.”

“If we have to…”

“We do,” he said firmly.  “Let me ask you something, how much do you love your house here in Raleigh?”

Melanie thought about it for a minute.  “I can’t say that I love it.  It needs a lot of work, it’s not in my ideal neighborhood, but it was in my budget and it was an investment.”

“Okay,” he continued, “and how much time and money do you plan on putting into it to make it a place you love?”

She shrugged again.  “I don’t know.  Not much.  I had a five-year plan.  I’d live there and then sell it.  That’s it.  I never intended to do extensive renovations.”

“And how often do you go out with your friends?”

That was a good question.  It had been a while.  “Maybe once a month?”

“So then let me ask you…what’s holding you here?  It seems to me like you’re not particularly loving Raleigh.”

“You’re there,” she said defensively.  “Why would I want to move so far away from you?  We’re family!  We’ve only got each other!”

John took a moment and Melanie heard his soft sigh.  “You want to know the truth, Mel?”

“Of course I do.”

“We stayed here because I didn’t want to move you away from your friends when you were younger.  Then you went to college here and then…there didn’t seem to be a reason to move anymore.”

“Wait, are you saying you wanted to move when I was younger?”

“Oh absolutely,” John replied.

“To where?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Dad, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” Melanie said wearily.

“Silver Bell Falls.”

For a minute, she thought she misunderstood him.  “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.  If I could have picked us up and moved anywhere, I would have chosen Silver Bell Falls.  I spent a lot of time there when I was growing up and…I don’t know…it was just the ideal place to me.”

“Ugh…what is it with that town?” she sighed and flopped back on the hotel bed.  “I just don’t get it!”

“No, I think you do get it but you’re fighting it.  What I don’t understand is why.”

“You lost me, Dad.”

“Have you made friends there?” John asked.

“Sure.  Josiah has introduced me to just about everyone in the entire town.  And then at the parade I feel like I met all of them again and their friends!”

“Were they nice?”

“What does…?”

“Just answer the question, Mel,” he chuckled.

“Of course they were nice!  I didn’t realize people could seriously be that nice!”

“It’s a pretty town,” he went on.  “Peaceful and there are some amazing places within a short driving distance.  The weather isn’t ideal but there’s a lot to be said about winter activities.  You never experienced anything like it so you don’t understand, but it can be a lot of fun.”

“Dad…”

“And what about Josiah?  How do you feel about him?”

This was not the conversation she wanted to be having.  Here she was thinking her dad would understand her—side with her—and it was starting to feel like he was just as against her as everyone else seemed to be.

“Come on, Mel.  There’s nothing you can’t tell me.”  He paused.  “Do you love him?”

“We’ve only known each other for six weeks.  How can I possibly be in love?  It’s too soon.  I don’t know him well enough yet.”

“Sweetheart, your mother and I dated all through high school—four years.  And in the end, I still didn’t know her.  It’s not about how long you know someone that equals whether or not you can be in love with them.  Sometimes you just know.”  He waited a minute.  “So I’ll ask you again, do you love him?”

“I do,” she said quietly.  “I really do.”

“So what are you waiting for?  Don’t fight this, Mel.  You’ll regret it.  Believe me.  Don’t pass up the chance to find your happiness.”

“Did you?  Did you pass up your chance?” she asked, feeling like they were being honest for the first time.

“I fear I did,” he admitted.  “I spent so many years being devastated by your mom leaving us, that I missed out on making a better life for you and me.  Maybe I would have met somebody new.  Maybe if I had moved us someplace else, we both could have started over.” 

“It’s never too late, Dad.  You’re not tied to Raleigh either.  No one says you have to stay there.”

“You’re right,” he said after a long moment.  “If I’m going to sit here and preach to you, perhaps I should be taking my own advice.”

Melanie couldn’t help but smile.  “Exactly.  So what do we do now?”

“Well, I can’t speak for you but I think I’m going to start putting out feelers to find a job and relocate.”

Her smile grew.  “Any place in particular you’re thinking of?”

“I have a few places in mind,” he said with a lightness that gave Melanie hope.  “What about you?  What are you going to do?”

“I have a meeting with the attorney tomorrow and one more meeting with Christine and my flight home is Thursday morning.”

“Thursday?  But you’ll be done with your business tomorrow night?  Why stay in the city for an extra day?”

“Because it’s New York City, Dad!  I don’t get here very often and…now that I’m not quite so anti-Christmas, I’m actually enjoying all of the decorations and window displays.”

“But Saturday is Christmas Eve.  Isn’t that cutting it a little close?”

“It is what it is and with the way Josiah and I left things, I’m not so sure I’m going to have anyone to be with on Christmas Eve.”

“I’m sure you will.  Couples fight all the time.  It doesn’t mean you have to break up or never speak to each other again.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“On this one, I speak from experience.”

****

Josiah stood in the baggage claim area and kept watching for Melanie.  They still hadn’t spoken since the night he’d walked out of the cabin, but when she texted him last night and asked if he would pick her up at the airport, he said yes.

The time alone had been a blessing.  He had been able to sit and think with no distractions and he knew without a doubt, he would wait for her.  If Melanie wanted to go back to Raleigh and do a long-distance relationship, he’d do it.  He wouldn’t like it, but he’d do it.

Because he loved her.

And seeing her some of the time was better than never seeing her again.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice her approach.  He simply blinked and she was there.  “Hey.”

Melanie’s smile was a little shy.  “Hey.”

It was so good to see her and he wanted to pick her up in his arms and kiss her, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted.  So he decided to play it safe.  “How was your flight?”

“Good,” she replied.  “Crowded, but good.”

He nodded and knew he was smiling, but it felt a little forced.  Together they waited for her one piece of luggage and then walked out to his car.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melanie shiver multiple times and it only stood to remind him how she wasn’t used to the winters here—the temperatures in Raleigh were milder.

Once they were on the road, he asked her how her meetings went with her publisher and editor and that managed to fill the bulk of the hour-long drive back to the cabin.  She was very animated when she spoke about her work and Josiah knew this book in particular had been a major achievement for her on many levels.  He was proud of her.

“I know it’s a little late, but did you have dinner before you took off?” he asked.

Melanie shook her head.  “I had a late lunch and thought maybe we’d stop at the grocery store on the way home and grab something.”

He nodded but didn’t comment.  He hated this—the uncertainty and not knowing where he stood.  Had he messed things up so much before she left that they were going to go back to being just friends?  The only thing he did know was that he wasn’t willing to open that can of worms while they were in the car or in the grocery store.  But the only way he was going to remain even partially sane was to get it out in the open once they were back at the cabin.

Of course they ran into half the town while in the grocery store and had to stop and talk to them. And once they were outside, it started to snow.  While they were putting the groceries in the trunk, Melanie turned to him and smiled—a genuine smile.  “Looks like we might get a white Christmas, huh?”

What?  She was actually happy about something Christmas-related?

Josiah drove them to the cabin and did so in silence while Melanie told him all about the Christmas decorations and sites she had seen while in Manhattan.  While he heard her talking, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was somehow dreaming the whole thing.  The woman who’d left only a few days ago was pretty anti-Christmas, while this one almost seemed to be looking forward to it.

By the time they had gotten home and unloaded the groceries and brought all of Melanie’s things in, Josiah felt like he had to speak up.

“What in the world is going on here?” he snapped.

Melanie paused—she was in the middle of hanging up her coat when she turned and looked at him.  “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.  What’s going on?”

“In regards to what?” she answered with a snap of her own.  Shutting the closet door, she faced him and walked toward where he stood in the middle of the living room.

“You? Me? Us?  Take your pick!”

Rather than answer him, she walked over and plugged in the Christmas tree, then sat down on the sofa where she looked up at him expectantly.

The last thing Josiah wanted to do was sit down.  He’d been sitting in the damn car for hours between the trips back and forth to the airport and now he wanted answers!  When he saw Melanie sitting there patiently, he sat down and faced her.  “Well?”

“Well what?”

He growled in frustration and raked a hand through his hair before forcing himself to calm down. When he looked at her again, he noticed an amused look on her face.

And it seemed to break some of the tension.

“Okay, fine.”  Taking a steadying breath, he put it all out there for her.  “I’m sorry for the way I reacted before you left.  I got a little ahead of myself and started making plans for us when we’d never even seriously talked about the future.  I had no right getting mad at you for not being able to read my mind.”

“You got that right,” she quipped softly and Josiah glared at her.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for the way I said things, but not for what I said,” he began cautiously.  “I love you, Mel.  I know it’s soon and we have some hurdles but that’s never going to change.  I fell in love with you right away.”