Page 5 of The White Chocolate Christmas Wish

Finally, we managed to wrangle both the lights and Gertie. Hope held onto the goat’s makeshift collar while I quickly wrapped up the remaining strands, placing them out of reach.

“Well,” I panted, running a hand through my hair, “that was... something.”

Hope nodded, still catching her breath as she sat on the porch steps next to a now-calmed-down Gertie. “Never a dull moment with this one around.”

“I didn’t even know shewasaround.”

“Probably followed you from the Wilson’s place.”

I nodded at the sense she made, but as the adrenaline faded, there was a shift in Hope’s demeanor. Her smile had dimmed, and she seemed lost in thought as she absently stroked Gertie’s head.

“You okay?” I asked gently, sitting on the porch steps beside her.

She sighed, her gaze fixed on the trees that surrounded her house. “Yeah, it’s just... all this Christmas stuff, I guess.”

“That bad?”

Her lips pulled over to one side. “Not everyone has to celebrate it, ya know.”

“Yeah, of course.”

She sighed. “You really wanna know?”

I nodded.

“My grandma,” Hope said softly, “I was little when she passed... but that’s why my mom and I left Charlotte Oaks. And my grandpa was crushed, losin’ us right after losin’ the love of his life. But my mom always wanted to leave this town, and when her mama passed on, she said she was just done.”

My heart ached for her. I still wasn’t sure what this had to do with Christmas, but I felt her pain deep in my bones. I wanted to pull her close and shield her from it. But something told me that wasn’t what she needed right now, so instead, I listened.

“We came back to see my grandpa in the summers… but never at Christmas. He didn’t celebrate it anymore, and neither did we.”

Hope’s eyes shone with unshed tears, and without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand over hers, squeezing gently. “I’m so sorry, Hope. Did it… uh, did your grandma pass right around Christmas?”

“Yeah, and she was as much of a Christmas lover as you seem to be,” she said, bumping my shoulder with a tiny lift of her lips. It wasn’t quite a smile,but it was close.

“Losing someone is never easy, especially around the holidays,” I started, then broke off as I gazed around the half-decorated porch. “But did you ever think maybe she’d want you to celebrate her favorite holiday in her memory?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Of course. But when you grow up with a mama who’s actively tryin’ to protect her own heart by puttin’ down Christmas, it’s not that easy. She was always talkin’ about how commercialized it was, how the reason for the season is lost these days, and so on.”

I nodded, considering her words as I pulled out the Charlotte Oaks Christmas list. “Well, will you let me—and our list—bring back some of the fun for you? There’s not much on here that screamscommercializedChristmas. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite.”

“How so?”

“For one thing, we’re supposed to make a Christmas wish after each item we check off. It says Christmas magic is the most powerful of all. And there’s a lot of stuff worth wishing for that has nothing to do with commercial stuff.”

She didn’t look convinced.

I pressed on. “What’s your first wish?”

“I thought we were supposed to wait until we finished each item.”

I waved a hand. “Eh, during, after. I’m sure it’s fine.”

She stared off into the trees. “I have no idea. Let’s finish up while I think about it.”

Sensing it was important not to rush her, I agreed, andthings got a lot lighter as we finished up inside the house. But if she thought I would forget about the wish thing… nope. I asked again as soon as the last bit of garland was secured.

She hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was a vulnerability there that took my breath away.

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