Chapter Seven
My lips still tingled from Colton’s kiss, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recover in time for dinner at midnight. So many emotions were churning around my mind that it was hard to concentrate on much of anything.
I shouldn’t have kissed him. That much I knew. I happily lived in another state, and I certainly wouldn’t become one of Colton’s one-night stands, especially on Christmas Eve in my grandmother’s house.
“You awake over there?” my grandma asked me.
“Yeah. Totally.” I nodded, feeling a sheepish grin slide over my face.
She’d come down from her bath to see Colton and I coming back inside with red cheeks and dopey smiles I was sure she recognized. Colton had gone into the kitchen to call his family after he started a fire in the living room fireplace for us, so it gave my grandma and me few minutes of alone time.
“So, how was it?” My grandma pulled one of her crocheted Christmas afghans over her lap and waited for my reply.
After a few seconds of silence, she let out a disgruntled huff.
“I know you kissed him.” My grandma seldom acted her age so it always threw me when she wanted details that I didn’t really want to divulge.
“I did not.” I shook my head. “He kissed me.”
My grandma laughed and let out a surprisingly happy-sounding sigh.
“And you’re okay with that?” I prompted. “Being who he is?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re two young people trapped in a cozy cabin on a snowy night—”
“Complete with a nosy grandma,” I interrupted, and she giggled.
“Can’t help it. It’s how I’m wired.” She drew in a deep breath. “But I do believe he’s different from his father.”
I nodded. “I do too. Not that it matters.”
A feeble knock at my grandma’s front door sounded through the room.
“Are you expecting anyone?” I asked.
“Not a soul, but then again, I wasn’t expecting you either. My memory isn’t what it used to be.” She laughed, and I stood up when Colton came from the kitchen.
“Did someone knock?” he asked, and I nodded.
He walked in front of me as we made our way to the door, and when he opened it, the cutest little old couple stood in front of us, shivering. They had to have at least ten years on my grandma.
“Merry Christmas,” Colton said.
The old man brought his wife in closer. “Our car broke down, and we were hoping you might have a phone we could borrow or—”
“Absolutely. Come in.” I motioned for the couple to come inside as my grandma made her way over.
“Oh, you poor souls. How far did you walk from?” My grandma led them into the living room, where she draped blankets around them and sat them down in front of the fireplace.
“Just off the road, a block away or so. It’s hard to tell in the country.” The woman shivered and hugged the blanket around her as she took a knit cap off. Her silver hair was braided tightly against her scalp and her blue eyes looked exhausted. “I thought we ran out of gas the way the car just died. We’re on our way to our son’s. The map said their house was somewhere around here. We’ve only been there once before.”
“I should probably call him so he’s not worried. I think we were the last car to get up the pass before they closed it.” The man slid the blanket off his shoulders and stood. “Can I have your address so they can come pick us up?”
“Or I can drive you to their home, either way,” Colton offered, and the woman smiled.
“Aren’t you Colton McAlister?” she asked, squinting her eyes at him to get a better look.
“I am.” He nodded, glancing over at me.
“You’re such a kind boy, and your brothers too.”
I knew the McAlisters were well-known around town, but then again, so were my parents because of the hardware store. It didn’t take much to become famous or infamous in these small towns, but kindness wasn’t what the McAlisters were known for.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure I can introduce you to quite a few people who disagree.” He smiled wide, and my grandma and I held in chuckles.
“If it weren’t for you, we older folks would have no place to live. Ever since you turned that apartment building into affordable senior housing, you’ve saved lives.” She smiled. “And it seems you saved our two souls by coming to our rescue again.”
My eyes snapped to his, and I was certain I saw a blush creep along his jawline, which surprised me.
“It’s the least my brothers and I could do. We look forward to opening up the memory care unit a few blocks away.”
The woman smiled, and my heart warmed a little more for Colton McAlister. Maybe there was more to him than I wanted to admit. I hadn’t seen any new construction in town, so I wasn’t sure exactly where this senior living facility was or where the memory care unit might be, but it obviously existed.
My grandma helped the man to the phone, and after several minutes away, he returned looking completely perplexed.
“The number has been disconnected,” he told his wife.
“Nonsense.” She trundled over to where he’d left and picked up the phone and dialed.
She hung up and tried again before reappearing.
“That makes no sense unless the storm took out the phones.” She looked somewhat embarrassed and glanced at Colton. “We just might have to take you up on your offer. I’m so sorry, and here it’s Christmas Eve and I’m taking you away from your wife—”
“Oh, I’m not his wife. We’re not together.” I shook my head and my grandma hid a smile.
“Siblings?” The woman’s brow perked up.
“Not at all.”
“Hmm. Well, the way you look at each other, you obviously care deeply for one another no matter what you want to call it.” She glanced at my grandma. “Kids these days are so hard to understand. In our day, either you dated someone or you didn’t. There wasn’t all this waffling and wallowing.”
My grandma chuckled and nodded. “Times have changed, but I think the world is far more complex than when we grew up.”
“It’s odd our phones would be working, but your son’s wouldn’t be.” My grandma looked over at me for a quick second before turning her attention back to me. “What did you say your names were?”
“Oh, we didn’t.” The woman shook her head. “I’m Wilma, and my husband is Lester Mannings. Married sixty-five years.”
“And it only feels like fifty.” He flashed a mischievous grin at Wilma.
Lester squeezed his wife tight. “There’s nothing complex about love. Either there’s that spark or there’s not.” He kissed Wilma as my grandma walked toward the kitchen. “Isn’t that the truth, dear?”
“And that flame keeps on going as long as you add the fuel,” she added, squeezing his hand, and she suddenly looked young again, not a line on her face or anything.
I looked over at Colton to see if he noticed, but he didn’t let on.
“Anyway, it smells wonderful here, and I’m sure you have dinner to get to so . . .” Lester pressed his lips together. “We should probably get out of your hair.”
“I feel so awful about your having to drive us.”
“Don’t. It would be my pleasure.” He nodded, sliding me a glance.
My grandma reappeared with a plastic baggie full of cookies and handed them to Wilma. “My specialty. Hopefully, your family will enjoy.”
“They’ll love them.” Wilma held onto the bag. “I’m so grateful we ran into such a sweet family to help us out.”
My grandma’s expression turned to pride as I grabbed a coat and headed to the door.
“Are you headed out with Colton?” My grandma asked, and I nodded.
“Don’t need him getting stuck in the snowstorm.” I looked in Colton’s direction, and he smiled as he pulled his knit hat back on before we all trudged out the door and piled into Colton’s SUV.
By the time we found the road we needed, the snow was falling even heavier and the heater was on full blast.
“If memory serves me right, it’s only a little longer down this road. Maybe a minute or two?” Wilma didn’t sound very confident in her estimation, but we kept heading down the narrow, slippery road until a glow of lights hinted that we were headed in the right direction.
“So if you don’t mind me asking,” Wilma began. “If you’re not siblings and you’re not dating, how did you two wind up spending Christmas Eve together?”
I gave Colton a look out of the corner of my eye and saw his smile grow. “I like to think of it as fate.”
“Aww. Destiny,” Lester echoed.
“My car broke down on my way to my grandma’s, and he happened to be driving by. He’s an old high school acquaintance.”
“Interesting,” Wilma cooed.
“We’re almost strangers, really,” I added.
“Oh, I don’t believe that for a minute.” She let out a long, tired sigh. “You two share a connection. It’s plain as day. Don’t they, Lester?”
“Sure do.”
I laughed, and Colton surprisingly slid his hand to mine and held it for a quick second.
“So, is either of you seeing someone?” Wilma continued, and I had to laugh. She certainly was persistent.
“No, I just got out of an awful and long relationship. I’m not looking for anything other than friendship.”
“Friendship is the basis for all solid relationships,” Lester informed us. “That’s how I fell in love with my wife. Friends first and—”
“Not even partially true,” Wilma interrupted, giggling like she was back in high school. “He kept asking me out to every school social, and I kept turning him down until one day, he just showed up at my house with a corsage, spoke to my father, and the next thing I knew, I was at the Snowflake Social with Lester Manning, football player and all-around player that the girls knew to watch out for.”
“Just a harmless flirt was all I was. If I happened to see a pretty girl at the soda stand, you can bet I’d buy her a float.”
Wilma chuckled. “Anyway, that night after the social, he kissed me and I knew he was the one.”
“Just like that?” I asked, turning around in my seat to see Wilma’s eyes sparkling with so much love and admiration for Lester, it made my heart hurt. I quickly glanced at Colton and wondered what he was thinking. He’d gotten awfully quiet.
“Just like that.” She nodded and folded her hands in her lap. “Love doesn’t follow a plan. It can’t be forced and stretched into a mold that you want. Either love works or it doesn’t, and you’ll know pretty quickly.”
“I learned that the hard way,” I muttered to myself more than anyone. “I spent six years trying to pretend love existed when it didn’t.”
“I know, dear. But it’s never too late to open your eyes and accept the idea of true love. You can’t experience it unless you believe it exists. Kind of like Santa.”
“What about you, fella?” Lester asked, and I chuckled. “You spend your life going after the wrong women?”
Colton’s deep laughter made my world spin, and I unexpectedly reached for his hand.
“I’ve spent most of my time working, growing our family business.” He drew a deep breath. “I haven’t really had much time for love or relationships.”
“Everyone has time for relationships,” Wilma said.
“Well, I guess I haven’t made relationships a priority.” He looked over at me, and my insides twisted into a million little knots. There was no denying the chemistry between us, and that kiss . . .
That kiss.
But what did any of it mean? I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me beyond those days in school.
“But maybe I should make it a priority.” Colton straightened up, and his eyes widened as we came upon the house.
I turned my attention back to the road and saw a beautiful home situated at the end of the road that had now funneled into a driveway.
Icicle lights hung from the wraparound porch, and more white lights dangled from the roof, windows, and front door, creating a sparkling radiance that bounced off the snow, making the house look angelic, otherworldly.
“Your son certainly knows how to decorate,” Colton said, nodding. “I’ve never seen a home look this beautiful.”
“Our son is a special boy. He’s been a gift to our family from day one, but sometimes, I’m not sure he sees that no matter what we do.” A sadness tinged Wilma’s words, and I wondered what she meant. “He loves his family more than anything. We’re so happy we were able to make it here this year. Believe it or not, we’re getting up there in age and we don’t know how many more of these we have left.”
“If our car keeps breaking down in the middle of snowstorms, I’d say not many.” Lester chuckled as Colton parked the SUV.
“Well, thank you for all of your insight on relationships, Wilma.” I turned in my seat and smiled, noticing a few tears dotting her lashes. I wanted to reach out to her, but I didn’t think it was my place.
“Don’t waste another second on the wrong love, my dear. Sometimes, things aren’t as complicated as you think.” She dabbed away the tears and glanced at Colton. “That goes for you, too.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Colton smiled.
“But we do appreciate all the work you’ve done for seniors,” Lester added. “So you don’t have to look for love too hard if it will get in the way.”
Wilma smacked him playfully, and they exited the car, waving at us as they made their way to the front door, but Wilma stopped suddenly and turned toward the car, motioning for me to roll down the window.
“And remember, forgiveness goes a long way.” She waved again just as her son opened the front door and welcomed them inside.
“Well, this has been an eventful night.” I drew a breath and looked out the window before returning my attention to him.
There’d always been something odd between us, a chemistry that made no sense and I tried to ignore, which was why I was so crushed when he never showed up all those years ago. I’d let myself believe in the possibility of an us. No matter how young and naïve I was back then, I’d always wanted to believe those feelings had been real, and maybe they had been.
“More than I would ever have imagined.” His eyes stayed locked on mine, and I got the same rush as under the mistletoe. “So maybe after the holidays, we’ll have to keep in touch? You know, like Lester said... destiny.”