Page 94 of Ten Christmases Without You
Emmy scanned the tables, imagining her mom’s sketchbooks spread out on one of them. Which one had her mother been sitting at when her dad walked in?
They ordered and found a table just outside the propped-open door.
The woman brought out their espressos and croissants, and Emmy sighed. Smiling softly to herself, she took a deep breath, comforted by the rich smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries.
“This is like a dream,” Emmy said. “My mom got to sit here daily. I’d be so incredibly creative here.”
“Well, maybe we could make it a yearly trip. It would give us the opportunity to be together on a regular schedule.”
Now was the time to tell him her secret.
“I adore designing,” she said.
He blinked at the change in subject, but she was going somewhere with the conversation.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” he said. “I’ve been wondering when you were going to figure that out.” He smiled.
“This past Fashion Week was my final show in New York.”
His brows pulled together. “What?”
“I wanted to put myself first and do things my way.”
He lifted his espresso but didn’t drink it, all his attention on Emmy.
“I started researching Wyoming with an emphasis on clothing lines. I made a few western-inspired designs and then reached out to a few people. I found a high-end local boutique in downtown Jackson Hole. They love my style and my background with Harlow and Ash. I’m going to partner with them to sell unique, small-batch fashion pieces.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, his delighted surprise filling his features.
“Yep. I’m not renewing my lease, and I’ll need you to help me find somewhere to live. You know all the good spots, right?”
Charlie jumped out of his chair and whooped, causing everyone to turn his way. “Sorry,” he said, tugging on his shirttail and smoothing it out. “I just got the best news of my life.Excellente nouvelle,” he clarified in French. The crowd didn’tseem receptive, but nothing mattered except the two of them at that moment.
“When do you start?” he asked.
“In two months.”
“I don’t think life could get any better than this day.”
Emmy couldn’t help but notice that, just as her mom’s life had changed in an instant at this café, so had hers. And just like her mom, she knew that this one moment would lead to a lifetime. She couldn’t wait to get started.
EPILOGUE
THE TENTH CHRISTMAS
December 17, 2025
“I’ve never seen so much snow in my life,” Aunt Charlotte said, thrusting a bottle of wine into Emmy’s hand as she walked into Emmy and Charlie’s Wyoming home. Her aunt spun around. “This house is gorgeous!”
Emmy patted her protruding belly. “Well, we had to have a bigger space with the baby coming.” She kissed Charlotte on the cheek.
Aunt Elsie, Uncle Stephen, and Uncle Brian entered with Jack. Charlie clapped both of her uncles and her brother-in-law on the back, in turn, and took them into the family room, where he put the game on their big-screen television.
Emmy’s dad and Madison were the last ones to enter the house. Emmy took them down the hardwood, two-story hallway and into the airy family room. Her western-style Christmas tree glittered in the corner, next to a stone fireplace that stretched up to the wooden beams in the vaulted ceiling. The mantle was draped in fresh pine.
“Tell me all about your new shop,” Madison said over the announcers’ chatter of the TV, sitting down on the leather sofa and snagging a Christmas cookie from the platter on the table.
