Page 3 of Christmas Wishes

Going back home is bittersweet. Yes, I've got the day off, but that just means me having to deal with all the debt I have and how I'll have to use Connor's blood money to make a payment to the bank. Fine, I'm being a little melodramatic but how else could a sixteen year old kid make three or four thousand dollars doing a part time job?

I'm pacing in my living room when my phone rings. I hurry to pick it up and notice it is Gene Mitchell calling. Butterflies come alive in my stomach, but I don't hesitate to answer.

"Gene."

"What's wrong, Lilah?"

"Spring Brooks has been trying to contact you. Your mother is declining fast."

"Have you seen her?"

"Yes, I was there this morning…there are a lot more machines in her room now and she's very pale. I think you should come back as soon as possible."

"I'll do that. And Lilah?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you so much for being there for us."

The line goes dead and I realize my heart is beating faster. I look out the window to see the snow falling. This will be a hard Christmas if Mirna Mitchell dies and I'm angry that this bad news is the reason I'm going to see Gene again, but I can't wait.

Chapter 2

Gene

Hearing Lilah's voice over the phone made my heart beat faster. I'm heartbroken that my mother has taken a turn for the worse and the guilt for not being there for her in the past two years is literally eating me alive.

The urgency in Lilah's tone tells me I've got to go back as soon as possible. That means I need to leave my RV here in Texas and take the first plane to Colorado. I'll rent a car there and drive to Woodland Falls. I'm scared I won't get there before my mother passes.

I feel even worse because I want to see Lilah so badly. She's an amazing young woman who has never treated me poorly. Nomatter what the people of Woodland Falls said about me – all of which was true – her demeanor towards me hasn't changed.

The texts started soon after I left my small town. Every time Lilah visited my mother, she'd give me a report of the visit. After a couple of months I started saying good morning and good night everyday. Then we started sharing more information about one another.

What I didn't share with her, though, was why I became such a bad man in the last years I was major of Woodland Falls. It was just a part I couldn't reveal about myself because it's ugly. When my momma got diagnosed with a degenerative disease five years ago, I all about lost it.

I was angry at the world and having to put her in an assisted living facility was a difficult moment for both of us. That anger turned me into a man I didn't recognize and my mind was full of dark thoughts. If god and the universe didn't care about my family, I wouldn't care about the rest of the world either.

As if by magic, I started attracting a dark element into my life and they all wanted something for nothing. Soon I was using people, blackmailing others and manipulating whoever I could with my charm. It worked well until I crossed the wrong family.

The Hoffers are a tight knit clan of brothers who own a handyman and construction business. I stepped on their toes and those of their loved ones once too often and pretty soon they were after my seat as mayor of the town.

I fought dirty during the campaign, but I still lost. Not by much, mind you, but I lost. It takes forever to drive to Woodland Falls. I'm lost in thought but when I see the sign for the town my heart leaps. I go directly to Blooming Blossoms, Lilah's store.

Grabbing a box of chocolates I got at the airport, I leave my car and walk into the store. It's not as packed with flowers as it normally is, but I imagine that's because of the season. Lilah looks up from her spot behind at the counter and is it myimagination or are her eyes sparkling as if she's actually happy to see me?

"Hey, Lilah."

"Gene! You're back."

It feels like a hugging moment, but she's behind the counter and even though we've become close I respect Lilah and don't want to do anything to hurt our friendship. I stand there looking like a fool without saying anything for the longest time.

"Have you seen your mother yet?"

The question nudges me and I come out of my stupor.

"I came here first. Maybe we can go together?"

She looks at me funny and I realize I have the present in front of me.

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