Page 63 of The Christmas Box

The shop is quiet. Most people have holiday gatherings, but I don’t, so I’ve opened and will stay that way until six, for anyone’s last minute needs.

Dara is with her family, driving her mom to her sister’s house in Louisville. Sometimes I envy Dara for getting all this time with her mother, the kind I didn’t get to have—I left for college assuming, as anyone would, that I’d have countless more years with her. But now I wonder if it’s harder to lose one’s parent suddenly, without warning, as I did, or if it’s more difficult to watch them slowly fade.

For Travis’s dad, it’s just a matter of waiting now. I’ve been feeding the dog and keeping her company—and feeling sad about what Travis is going through. When I texted him my support, he replied with something more…well,honestthan I’m used to from him when talking about his dad:I should have been here long before I was. Years ago.

My heart breaks for him. I texted back:You have nothing to feel bad about.They had a fraught relationship and Travis felt driven away—that wasn’t his fault. And he didn’t know that Tom became a kinder, gentler man with age. That wasn’t his fault either.

As the day passes, I’m surprised with more shoppers than I expected, and everyone’s moods are so festive that it cheers me up.

A neighbor of Mikayla’s even mentions that the Watkins kids are having a much better holiday than expected “because some good Samaritan left a tree and presents on her porch! I haven’t seen her this happy since Danny flew the coop.”

“How wonderful!” I say, elated to hear our gesture was well-received.

Soon after that, Nick from Winterburger steps through the door, bundled up in coat, scarf, and gloves, toting a small bag from the Country Creamery next door. “Merry Christmas, Lexi!”

“Merry Christmas to you, too. Peppermint ice cream?” I ask, pointing to the sack. It’s Carl’s flavor of the month each December.

He nods, flashing a big smile. “Goes great with Linda’s chocolate cake. Speaking of which, she says you’re holding a serving bowl for her.”

“Ah, yes,” I say. “It’s wrapped up behind the counter, and she already paid over the phone.”

“You oughta see Carl today,” he tells me, seeming uncharacteristically chatty. “The man’s downright chipper. Until just now, I didn’t even know he could smile. Was bragging he bought Gina a diamond bracelet for their anniversary and looking proud as a peacock.”

It’s all I can do not to gasp. “You don’t say.” As I pass him the bag, I observe out loud, “Seems like you’re in the Christmas spirit, too, Nick.” He’s usually a pretty low-key guy.

“You better believe it,” he confirms. “Cash is finally going to ask Marissa to marry him—at our family gathering tonight! It’s gonna be a very good Christmas for us!”

This time, I do gasp with joy. “Nick, that’s such great news!”

“Tell Travis I said thanks, by the way.”

“For...?” I prod.

He gives his head a short, uncertain shake. “We had a weird conversation last week that led me to sit Cash down and have a heart-to-heart. Next thing I know, Cash tells me he’s ready to step up and be the man Marissa needs him to be. And between me and you, it’s about time. His mother and I are over the moon.”

So yet another wish successfully granted, all because Travis did his part in one I’d somehow forgotten about along the way.

And then, still more Christmas magic happens. Other people stop in to tell me their wishes came true!

“Lexi, I couldn’t believe it when my son walked through the door—he originally had to work through the holidays, but I put a wish in your box that he could come home, and he showed up on my doorstep this morning!”

“My mother got the word that her scans came back clear! That’s what I wished for, in the pretty box—for my mom to be cancer-free, and it happened!”

“Lexi, my husband surprised me with a new car. Well, a used car. But our old clunker was barely hanging on, and money’s tight these days, so I had no idea what we were gonna do. A fella Bob knows was selling this real nice SUV at a good price because he needed the money before Christmas. And it’s exactly what I asked for in the box.”

And finally comes Greg, a big smile plastered across his face. “Your little box made a dream come true, Lex. Tony agreed to look into adoption. He even brought it up himself! I can’t imagine a better Christmas gift.”

I remember Janet’s wish for a new car—one of the many Travis and I set aside in lieu of those we could more easily deliver. But as for Marla’s mother and Kim’s son, those are wishes I never saw—they must have come in later. And as for Greg, I totally dropped the ball on that one—I missed Tony’s UPS deliveries with so much going on.

But they all came true anyway!

And my wish for the shop came true, too, with Travis’s help.

Which can only mean…the wishing box reallyiskind of magic!

Even if Travis just speedily built it in his father’s workshop. Even if some of the wishes needed a little help from us.

As I stand there in the stillness of the shop after everyone’s gone, listening to Michael Buble dream of a white Christmas, my head is spinning. Both in joy for everyone whose wish came true…and in a bit of more self-centered speculation.

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