Page 34 of Stuck in Christmas

“One Christmas, a friend was having a holiday party and hired this young woman to cater it. It was the first time this young woman had catered anything, but she knew it would be her big break - since the movers and shakers in town would be at this party. She prepared her best appetizers, put together a sparkling punch, and set up the buffet piled high with roast meats and vegetables and the piece de resistance - a three-tier Christmas cake. There was only one problem.”

“No peach pie?” I helpfully added.

“I save that for special people.” She winked atme. “No, the problem was - this fabulous young woman had forgotten to hire people to help her serve the dishes and pass the appetizers. With hours to go before the party, she was desperate. She called everyone she knew and begged them for help - offering to pay them,somehow. Her last call was to an almost stranger, someone she had met at the Christmas carnival a few times.”

Understanding dawned. “Kris.”

Bonnie nodded. “He knew many people, and maybe he knew someone who could help. And he did. He told this young woman he was sending her the perfect person.”

“This is going to be an awkward story if that wasn’t Joe,” I teased.

“Right? Joe did show up. I thought he was a waiter. Boy, was I wrong. He messed up so many things I thought Kris was crazy for sending this terrible waiter to me. How could he be the perfect person? But the more the party went on, the more I realized he was perfect. He thankfully didn’t drop any food or punch on the movers and shakers. And they didn’t seem to mind his mess-ups because he was so charming. He told stories that made them laugh and enjoy my food much more.

“Later, when it was all said and done, I was called out of the kitchen. The host applauded my catering and told everyone he discovered me, and if they were smart, they’d start booking me now for their spring and summer gatherings because I was going to be too busy to take last-minute reservations.”

My heart swelled for her. “And Joe?”

Bonnie’s grin was infectious. “While I was outin the main room collecting reservations for the next year, Joe cleaned up every dish and glass in the kitchen. Every. Single. One.”

“That would be enough for me to fall in love with someone,” I agreed. “I hate washing dishes.”

“Definitely enough for me. I didn’t mind doing the dishes. It’s part of being a chef. The important part about this was how Joe was there to back me up. He came to the rescue to be a waiter - for the first time in his life. My guests applauded me for hiring someone with such charm to dole out my amazing cooking. And while I was getting applause and pats on the back, he was backing me up again, cleaning up all of the catering pans and dishes so my day didn’t have to be any longer than it was. He was the perfect personfor me. I knew then that I would marry that man, and I did.”

My eyes stung, and my nose itched. I coughed a few times to clear the lump in my throat. “And you both knew right away that you were in love?”

“Yes.”

I thought about that for a moment. “It must be nice being married so long to your first love.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Who said we were each others’ first loves?”

My brain hurt from the math of it.

“We both had our hearts broken before,” Bonnie admitted.

“After all that, you were willing to fall in love with someone new? Take a chance?” I asked.

“That’s what love is.” Bonnie clasped my hand. “Handing over your heart to someone who could completely crush it and doing it anyway, hoping that person won’t.”

I loved this woman but wasn’t sure I was buying what she was selling. “That’s easy for you to say after decades of marriage.”

“Maybe, but I’ve always been so thankful for my broken heart before I met Joe.”

Now I knew she was full of dookie. Dang it. I’d be glad to get out of this non-cursing hell. “You were thankful for a broken heart?”

“If it weren’t for the broken heart from the guys before Joe, I wouldn’t have appreciated him as much as I did,” Bonnie said. “Let’s put it this way. Do you like movies?”

I shrugged. “Of course.”

“And when you go to the theater, do you get there in time to watch the coming attractions?”

“That’s part of the fun for me,” I said.

“Right. Well, I always think of those first relationships as the ‘coming attractions’ to the love of my life. I had several close calls with love - twoalmost rightmen, but they weren’t quite right for me. We broke it off, and although it hurt for a while, I realized I didn’t love them the way I wanted to love my soulmate. And quite frankly, those other guys didn’t love me how I wanted to be loved. When I realized that, it made it easier to let them go - because someone better was on the way.” Bonnie stared at the photographs on the wall of the diner.

I followed her gaze to see a faded photo of young Bonnie and Joe holding each other in a tight embrace outside the Inn. “Joe.”

“Yes. And he was even better than I ever could have dreamed. He was the perfect person for me,” Bonnie said.

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