Page 2 of Mistletoe and Blue Jeans

At the front door, Phyllis suddenly turned. She ran her dusty hand across Amanda’s urn. “I know the past eighteen months have been difficult, but don’t you think it’s time you bury her and give us all somewhere to visit?”

Josh drew in a deep breath. “I know. Problem is the boys can’t sleep without her in the room. They settle down knowing she’s there.”

Phyllis gasped. “Oh, those babes. Still, sounds to me like they’re taking on some bad habits.”

Josh eyed Phyllis and wondered how much he should reveal.

“They’re forgetting her, Phyllis.” Josh’s hushed words stopped his mother-in-law mid-stride. After a beat she nodded.

He reached out and held open the screen door. “Being here for Christmas is giving me the perfect excuse for the boys to discover Amanda. We’ll be checking out Amanda’s school, where she played sport, where I proposed,” Josh paused. “Any childhood photos?”

She reached out and gave his upper arm a quick squeeze. “Understood. I’ll pull out the albums.”

She rubbed her chin. “There’s another thing I’m disappointed in.”

“You’ve got a list?” he asked.

Phyllis nodded. “Why aren’t you staying here at the house with us? Why with Allan and Susan Barnes? That cubby house he’s now calling a B&B was where he used to mix his potting mixes and heaven knows what else.”

Josh let out a laugh. “We’re here for two weeks. You know what they say about guests staying more than three days.”

“You and the boys would be the exception.”

He wouldn’t mind if it were just Phyllis and Roger, but on Christmas Eve the rest of the Waterford clan were due to arrive and stay over for a few days at the family home. As an only child, he found Amanda’s large noisy family overwhelming. They were great one on one, but her two older brothers, their wives and children, and one younger sister arriving home with her latest boyfriend, did not conjure up a quiet Christmas break.

He followed Phyllis down the darkened hallway that led to their family room. They found Roger Waterford sitting in his armchair threading a fishing line through a reel on his fishing rod. On either side sat a fascinated Blaydon and Jaiden, who didn’t notice Josh had entered the room.

A huge relief lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t made a mistake in coming back. Josh moved across to the mantelpiece at the end of the room, shifted the small vase of roses to the nearest coffee table and replaced them with Amanda’s urn.

He stood back, satisfied, and then he walked into the kitchen for a bite to eat.

In the doorway stood Phyllis, a smile quivering on her lips. “I’ve got a little job for you.”

Josh pulled out the nearest chair under the kitchen table and slumped into it. “Hit me with it.”

“We need a ‘live’ Christmas tree and you know who’s growing them, don’t you? I know Kristy’d love to see you and the boys.”

He sat up.

Kristy Holloway?

“I thought she was training horses?”

Phyllis stood by the kitchen sink as she filled the kettle. “That’s right. She still trains the foals and gets them ready for the next stage in their training.”

Josh bit his bottom lip. He’d hoped to go under the radar and stay close to Amanda’s family during their stay. He ran an agitated hand through his hair. He’d done his level best to avoid Kristy over the years. Her probing question the day before his marriage still irked him and he’d spent too many hours mulling over it.

He cringed whenever he thought about that morning and the way he’d turned on Kristy by raising all sorts of questions about her own life. What a nightmare. Kristy, who had an answer for everything, who loved to debate a good argument never said a word. She’d simply walked away from him.

Despite that, she’d been a great friend to Amanda.

Josh looked across at Phyllis. “Kristy’s growing Christmas trees?”

Phyllis grinned. “Unbelievable, isn’t it? She planted them some years back and they eventually grew. This is her first year selling and she’s doing well from what I’ve heard.”

He sat back, stunned that Kristy had gone ahead with her little side hustle. People rarely surprised him.

Agitated, he stood up and walked back into the lounge room. He straightened Amanda’s urn, glanced across at Roger going through his fishing bag with the boys, and all the while his mind churned. Kristy Holloway’s side hustle made a solid statement. The woman he met all those years ago did not think long term, she lived for the moment. What had changed? For most people the sacrifice to set something up for a long-term gain was too high.

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