Page 7 of The Christmas Ring
“It’s a funny story.” Sadie sat on the edge of her bed, too,so she was facing her new friend. Vanessa took the spot beside her daughter.
Sadie held the framed photo of her and Hudson and looked at it. “I’ve known Hudson since I was a little girl. His sister and I became best friends in third grade. Hudson was in sixth. I never thought of him as more than my friend’s big brother until last Christmas. He had time at home after becoming a Ranger, and we hung out practically every day.”
Vanessa smiled listening to Sadie talk about Hudson. The chemistry between the two was something that had grown over time, an attraction Vanessa and Hudson’s mother, Peggy, had seen years ago. Hudson was older than Sadie, and very careful with her young heart. He was deployed now, but they talked often. Details Sadie still shared with her.
Of course, Sadie knew the risk of Hudson’s job. She knew it better than anyone, and she loved him more because of it. That made the two an almost perfect pair.
Vanessa had a feeling Sadie and Hudson would stay together and that sometime after her college graduation the two would marry. Not that they were talking about that. Not yet. But again, Vanessa had a feeling. She could see it in the way Hudson looked at Sadie.
It was the same way Alan had looked at her.
Just after two o’clock it was time for Vanessa to leave. The girls had a welcome party at the gathering room, and parents weren’t invited. Which made sense. Vanessa bid goodbye to Bella first. “I hope to meet your parents next time.”
“My mom said the same thing. And she told me to thank you for helping me get things in order.”
Sadie walked Vanessa out to her car, and for a moment Vanessa saw her daughter’s entire life run through her heart in slow motion. Her infant days and baby stages, the time she learned to walk and go to school and say her prayers. The day she was baptized and her first week of middle school. Shopping trips and sing-alongs and dance parties in the kitchen.
And the terrible news of losing Alan. The trying to figure out how to live again that followed and the way his death had only made Vanessa and Sadie closer.
Vanessa could see it all. For what felt like forever, Sadie had been a part of Vanessa’s every day, her very life, her constant thought. Until now.
From the time Sadie was born, Vanessa had prayed for her daughter to fly. And now it was time for God to answer those prayers. Time to let her go.
“Don’t cry, Mom.” Sadie slipped her arms around Vanessa’s waist and laid her head on her shoulder. “I’ll see you at Christmastime.”
The hot Georgia sun pounded the pavement around them as the two held on to each other. Vanessa tried, but there was no stopping her tears. Finally, she put her hands on either side of Sadie’s face. “I love you, Sadie girl. I’m a phone call away.”
Tears filled Sadie’s eyes, too. She nodded, and her sob became a laugh. “Maybe I’ll just go with you. Forget the whole thing.”
Everything in Vanessa wanted to agree with the idea,grab Sadie’s things, and take her back home. Instead, she kissed Sadie’s forehead. “You’re going to love it, honey. You will.”
“I’ll call you tonight.” Sadie’s eyes held hers. “Thanks, Mom. You’re still my best friend.”
“And you’re mine.”
With that, Vanessa hugged Sadie once more, climbed into her SUV, and drove off. The last thing she saw before turning onto the main road was Sadie. Still standing there, hand raised, waving goodbye.
Keep her safe, Lord.Vanessa turned her eyes to the road ahead of her.Please protect her. Let her excel and grow and learn.She blinked back fresh tears.And help us both make our way to whatever is next.
Not till she was on the highway halfway to Atlanta did she realize she was nearly out of gas. Vanessa dried her eyes and pulled off at the next exit. The one that readMarietta, Georgia. She had been to the charming town a few times before—always with Sadie. The city was great for mother-daughter trips and boutique shopping.
Down the street from the gas station Vanessa saw a store she hadn’t seen before.
Millers’ Antiques.
The shop had a welcoming front porch and windows that looked like they belonged in a house from a hundred years ago. Then she saw the sign:Christmas-in-July Sale. Vanessa pondered the idea.Christmas in July. She smiled and wiped her cheeks again.Sure. Why not?
This was her new life. Vanessa mustered her joy. She might as well make a memory out of the afternoon. Besides,maybe she would find her Christmas ring. Wouldn’t that be something? She looked at her empty right hand. Back in the beginning, Vanessa stopped at every antique store and thrift shop she came across. Not so much lately. But why not?
What a Christmas-in-July miracle that would be.
She smiled. With God all things were possible, right?
Chapter 4
Their Christmas-in-July sale was something Ben Miller and his dad, Howard, did every year. Their nod to the memory of Ben’s mom, who had been gone five Christmases this coming December. Word spread after the first few years, and now people came from all over Georgia to take part in the event.
The draw wasn’t just that the vintage store items were on sale. Millers’ collected Christmas antiques all year in anticipation of this event, so customers had come to expect they would find not only the best objects from the past, but also the best pieces from Christmases gone by.
