Christmas on 4th Street

He grimaced. “My mother carted photo albums with her. Last night we relived our childhood, year by year.”

“There had to be happy times.”

“There were. When we were younger, we moved around a lot. Once my dad became a drill sergeant, we settled.”

Which didn’t exactly say when the happy times were. “Camp Pendleton?”

He smiled. “Don’t let my dad hear you say that. That’s in San Diego and it’s the marines. We’re army. We were at Fort Knox, Kentucky.”

Somewhere she had never been. “I’m sure it was lovely.”

“That’s one way to describe it.” The smile faded. “My dad and I were never close. He was a tough guy and I wasn’t a tough kid.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I got through it then and I’ll get through it now. It’s only for a few weeks, right?”

She nodded, thinking how much she wanted to tell him to be grateful he had family at all. She’d never known her dad—he’d run off before she’d been born. But that had been okay because she’d been raised by her grandmother and her mother. The two women had been warm and loving and she’d had a blessed and happy childhood.

Even after she’d moved to Los Angeles for law school, they’d stayed close. The two women had driven out to spend every summer with her. They’d been there to celebrate with her when she’d landed her first real job at a prestigious law firm in Century City and had screamed and celebrated with her when she’d passed the bar.

Only they’d been killed during a twenty-five-car pileup on I-10 while driving back to Florida. Noelle missed them every day of her life and would give anything to have them back.

But she’d also learned that telling people that only made them feel guilty. That Gabriel would have to figure out for himself the need to appreciate what he had, while he had it.

“All right,” she said. “Let’s get you settled. I’ll show you where to put your stuff. I need you to fill out a W-4 for my accountant and then I’ll give you a tour of the store.”

Fifteen minutes later, it was official. Gabriel Boylan was an employee of The Christmas Attic.

She walked him through the basic layout. “I keep baskets up front,” she said, showing him the stack of lightweight oval baskets. “Most of what we carry is small. Encourage the baskets. Otherwise, when a customer gets her hands full, she tends to head for the register.”

“Makes sense.”

“You can see we have sections. Ornaments and home decorating over there, the nativities on that wall.”

“Including gourds?”

“You think I’m kidding. You need to go check it out.”

“I will.”

“The bears are over there, with all the kid stuff close by. We have some books, but mostly send people looking for Christmas books over to Morgan’s.”

“Don’t you want to have Christmas books here?” he asked.

“No. Not with a perfectly good bookstore less than a block away. I’m not stepping on any toes. What if every other store started carrying ornaments and teddy bears?”

“Or this,” Gabriel said, picking up a Santa pin from a display.

She leaned close and moved the hidden switch on the back. Santa’s nose lit up.

Gabriel stared at the bright nose and slowly shook his head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Something along the lines of, ‘Why Mrs. Smith, your mother, aunt, granddaughter will love that pin, I’m sure.’”

He nodded and turned off the switch, then returned the pin to the display. “Point taken.”

She was pleased with his response and even more excited to see there wasn’t any blood on the bandage.

“Then there’s the bear section.”

He followed her around the corner and came to a stop. “I saw this before, but it seems bigger.”

“I’ve put out a few more. Bears sell.”

Three large sets of shelves rose to the faux rafters. Each shelf was crowded with different stuffed animals, mostly bears. Brown bears and white bears, bears that were fuzzy and plaid. Some played music and some you just wanted to squeeze.

“I have a layout in the stockroom,” she said, leading the way. “That will help you when you have to put things out. And now I’ll teach you the mysteries of the cash register.”

Gabriel learned the system quickly. Noelle had chosen a credit card service that didn’t give as many reports, but was a whole lot easier to deal with on a daily basis. Right at ten, she unlocked the front door and let in a couple of waiting customers.

The next few hours passed quickly. There was a steady stream of business. Just before noon, a pretty woman came into the store. She had short brown hair and looked to be in her late fifties. Noelle was about to greet her when she saw Gabriel staring at the woman. Something in his expression told her this wasn’t just any customer.

Noelle walked over. “Hi. Welcome to The Christmas Attic.”

Gabriel glanced between them. “Noelle, this is my mother, Karen Boylan. Mom, this is Noelle Perkins. She owns the store.”

“It’s lovely,” Karen said, unbuttoning her coat. Underneath she wore a bright purple sweatshirt with a shell logo and the words Blackberry Island. In smaller print, the sweatshirt proclaimed Stay for the Wine.

“Great color,” Noelle said. “Where is Blackberry Island?”

“Washington State. Just north and west of Seattle. Norm and I went there a couple of years ago. We did the whole west coast, heading north through the summer. Then we drove home. It was a very nice trip.”

“It sounds like it.”

Karen turned to her son. “Your dad and I sent you a few postcards.”

Gabriel nodded. “Right. They were great.” He looked at Noelle. “I should run those errands now. Before it gets too busy. I’ll be back.”

He was gone before she could ask what on earth he was talking about. Seconds later he was in his jacket and heading out the front door.

She opened her mouth, then closed it when she saw Karen’s face had settled into lines of deep sadness.

“That was my fault,” his mother said. “He’s running away from me. I don’t want you to think badly of him.”

“I won’t,” Noelle said, then glanced around the store. It was quiet, at least for the moment. “Why don’t I fix us both some tea?”

She led Karen into the back room and filled two mugs with water. After putting them in the microwave, she turned to Gabriel’s mother and offered a slight smile.

“How are you settling in for your stay?”

Karen blinked several times and drew a breath. “Fine. It’s beautiful here. What a sweet little town. Norm and I have traveled a lot and we’ve never been anywhere like this. I’m excited about all the festivals.”

“Me, too,” Noelle told her. “I moved here in the spring, so this will be my first Christmas. I hear it’s crazy busy. There’s a parade on Thanksgiving and the day of giving. I plan to throw myself in the center of all of it.”

“That’s a good attitude.”

“Thanks.” Noelle noticed the other woman’s earrings. “Are those garnets?”

“Yes.” Karen touched the earrings. “They’re part of a set that’s been handed down in Norm’s family. There were only boys in his generation so I was fortunate enough to inherit them. There are several other pieces—a necklace, bracelet and ring. I love them.” She twisted her hands together. “Have you known my son long?”

“Not at all. I met him shortly after he arrived.” She thought of the umbrella incident and grinned. “He’s a good guy, though.”

“I think so. His father... Growing up, the boys weren’t as close to Norm as I would have liked. There were a lot of rules. I suppose I should have stepped in more. Been a buffer. Norm tended to run the house the way he ran his recruits.”

The conversation was that awkward combination of vague and intimate, Noelle thought, grateful when the microwave beeped and she could busy herself making tea.

“He’s mellowed,” Karen continued. “But I’m afraid it might be too little, too late. I was hoping this trip would help us reconnect as a family. Gabriel said he wasn’t coming but then he hurt his hand and changed his mind. I took that as a sign.”

She paused. “Sorry. I’m going on and on.”

“It’s fine,” Noelle told her, handing over a mug of tea. “Have you talked to Felicia? She’s great and may know more about where your sons are coming from.”

Karen’s expression relaxed. “I know. She’s wonderful. So intelligent, but still very warm. Being with Gideon can’t be easy—not after all he’s been through. And then dealing with Carter. Not many women would be so accepting of having a thirteen-year-old boy suddenly show up, but she’s embracing it.”

“What do you think of Carter?” Noelle asked.

“I can’t get enough of him. I wish I’d had the chance to meet his mother. Norm is in heaven with Carter. And he’s bonding with Webster, which surprises me. My husband is not a pet person.”

Karen sipped her tea. “So my son is working here?”

“I know, strange, right? It’s just while he’s in town. I think he wants to be distracted.”

“And avoid us,” Karen said, before holding up her hand. “You don’t have to disagree with me. We both know he moved into town to have a little less family time. I accept my part in what happened. Now I have to change it.”

Noelle found herself liking Gabriel’s mother. She’d obviously made some difficult choices and was now accepting the consequences.

“You know,” Karen said slowly, “Gabriel isn’t seeing anyone. At least as far as I know. He’s never married.” She paused. “Oh, dear. I’m turning into a meddling mother. That can’t be good.”

Noelle laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell. And while I appreciate the sales job, I’m not sure Gabriel is my type.”

“You worry he has commitment issues? He’s reached that age where I’m starting to wonder why he’s not married.”

Noelle hadn’t thought of that. “I’m more worried that he’s leaving. I want something more traditional. A husband who plans to stick around.”

Karen nodded. “I understand. Speaking as a woman who’s been married for thirty-five years, when it works, there’s nothing better.”

“And when it doesn’t?”

Karen chuckled. “It helps to have girlfriends who are willing to listen. Are you free for Thanksgiving?”

The change of subject startled Noelle. “What? Yes.” Each of her friends had invited her over, but she’d declined. They were all newly in love and forming family traditions. She wasn’t comfortable being a part of that.

“Please join us for Thanksgiving dinner,” Karen told her. “Felicia is cooking and I’m going to help. It’s just the six of us. Very casual. You seem to understand Gabriel, and I think he would like a friend around.”

Noelle wasn’t sure if she could be considered a friend, but she liked the assumption. With Felicia’s future in-laws and Gabriel in the house, not to mention Carter, Felicia and Gideon weren’t expecting a romantic evening. In truth, Noelle wouldn’t mind being with other people and hanging out with Gabriel would be interesting.

“Thank you,” she said. “That would be nice.”

She made a mental note to call Felicia and let her know about the invitation.

* * *

Gabriel returned about three minutes after his mother left. Noelle put her hands on her hips. “You were lurking.”

“Maybe,” he said, sounding unrepentant.

“She’s your mother and she loves you. Talk to her.”

“We talk.”

“All evidence to the contrary?”

He ignored that and put his coat away. When he returned to the main part of the store, she wanted to say more, but several customers chose that moment to step in from the cold.

A little after noon Ana Raquel Hopkins breezed in with a basket of sandwiches. Ana Raquel, a young and talented chef, had run a food trailer all summer. She’d fed locals and tourists alike out by the park. The changing weather and an unfortunate accident—a car backed into her trailer—had ended her seasonal business prematurely. Now she worked up at the Café with her fiancé and did a sandwich delivery to the local businesses in town.

“So, you’re new,” the petite blonde said as she walked over to Gabriel.

Noelle held in her humor as she watched him deal with the larger-than-life personality that was Ana Raquel.

“Yes,” he said slowly.

“But you look familiar.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, right. You’re that old guy’s brother. The one on the radio. Gideon.”

“We’re twins,” Gabriel said drily.

“I’m one, too.” Ana Raquel apparently missed the point of his tone as she studied his face. “Not identical, right? Because you don’t look alike. Fayrene and I are identical. Less now than when we were little.”

“Because you’re so big now?”

She grinned. “You’re upset because I said you were old. I’m sure your wife thinks you’re totally hot.”

“I’m not married.”

“Huh. Not ever?”

Gabriel drew a deep breath. “No.”