Page 5 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“These things happen sometimes,” Mom said lightly. “Not every marriage works out, River, and it’s really none of our business. The point is, yes, your brother will be here. Nora will not.”
“I’ve got to go,” River told her.
“But I can put you down for the chocolates?” Mom asked. “Right?”
“Sure,” River said, hanging up before he exploded and said something he regretted.
Shoving the phone in his pocket, he took off for the farmhouse at a jog, his heart thundering in his chest.
Edward was the oldest, and had always been the unspoken favorite. River was a little on the rambunctious side, but Edward was always focused—on schoolwork when they were kids, and on his career now. From their few phone calls and emails over the years while River was serving, he knew that his brother expected a lot from himself. He figured it made sense that Edward hadn’twanted to muddy his perfect life with the chaos of children.
But River couldn’t believe Edward would actually abandon his wife when she became a caregiver under such sad circumstances.
Poor Nora…
And the idea that Mom and Dad hadn’t pushed Edward to make a better choice was shocking. They had told Edward and River that family was everything no less than a thousand times, so he just didn’t understand how his mom could be so unbothered about this.
He didn’t have a plan as he approached the farmhouse, but he found himself hopping in his truck. The engine roared to life, and as he took off down the gravel drive, past the sleeping fields and toward the main road, a single idea made itself clear.
I’m going to see Nora.
The radio had come on with the engine. WCCR was playing all Christmas music, and the sweet sound of a local children’s choir singing “Silent Night” was at odds with the furious pounding of his heart in his ears.
Breathe,he reminded himself.
As the ribbon of Route One carried him past the patchwork quilt of farmland, he realized he didn’t want to show up empty-handed.
He tried desperately to remember the kids’ ages. He’d gotten a holiday letter from Nora and his brother two years ago, and he seemed to remember photos of her sister, Alma, and a niece and nephew among the shots of vacations and sunsets over the condo balcony. The children had been pretty little at the time, a preschooler anda baby maybe. So would that mean the girl was school age now and the baby boy was around the age the girl had been?
He turned onto Ambler Road and drove under the canopy of bare tree branches, past the beautiful Victorians that lined the way leading down to the village.
Icicle lights hung from roofs, and there were decorations in most front yards and a wreath on nearly every door. Trinity Falls might be a sleepy little town, but it meant that townsfolk really enjoyed their traditions.
If things were the same as when he was a kid, there would be a huge town holiday celebration coming up. And he knew from his contact there that the veterans center was going to be hosting a big event this year too.
Finally, he reached the little town center and parked on Ambler in front of the toy store.
He hopped out of his truck and put a few coins in the meter, noticing how many people were out walking around town with their reusable shopping bags, smiling and waving to each other like characters in a movie or something.
He realized suddenly that he could easily bump into someone he knew from growing up here, and panic started to creep in.
It’s okay. Breathe.
He pushed open the door to the toy store, relieved to step into the smaller space before he bumped into anyone and had to try and have a friendly conversation while his mind was reeling and his blood was boiling.
“How can I help you?” a pretty lady all in pink asked him.
He recognized her right away as Lily Hathaway. She had been so popular in high school, and she always wore pink back then too.
Mercifully, if she recognized him, she didn’t make a thing out of it. Which made sense—they hadn’t been close or anything.
“I’m looking for toys for little kids,” he told her.
“That’s great,” she told him. “Did you have anything particular in mind?”
That stopped him short for a minute as he thought back to when he and Edward were little and what they liked to play with.
“Water pistols,” he said. “Or maybe bubbles, or Frisbees? Do you have hula hoops?”
