Christmas On Main Street Read online

  Jack’s lips gently nudged her mouth. His kiss was as soft as a summer’s breeze and left her wanting more.

  She lifted her hands to Jack’s shoulders and held on tight. For once in her life she was tired of being careful. Even if she totally messed this up, she was ready to take a giant leap of faith. In Jack. In each other. And in the promise of what could be.

  Chapter 7

  Emma pressed ‘Enter’ on her keyboard and gave a satisfied sigh. After two hours, she’d finally finished the last updates on a client’s website.

  As she stretched her arms above her head, she looked through the kitchen window. It was hard to believe that Jack had returned from Evergreen Lake ten days ago. In that time, they’d gone fishing, had lots of family meals together, and laughed so much that her ribs hurt.

  Thankfully, Molly and Dylan enjoyed spending time with him. Whether Jack was hooking fresh worms onto Dylan’s fishing rod, helping them in the vegetable garden, or playing basketball with them, they were happy and content.

  Jack was calm and patient. He knew how to make people laugh and when to simply be there for support.

  Even though he was the most amazing man she’d ever met, they were taking things slowly. One day, in the not too distant future, he would head back to Manhattan. Neither of them wanted a long-distance relationship but, right now, it was the only choice they had.

  She shook away the depressing thought of Jack not being here and opened her email account.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Emma turned and smiled. “Come in, Kylie. I was wondering if you’d be able to make it.”

  “I nearly didn’t. Allan came in just before I closed and wanted an enormous bouquet of flowers for Mabel. It took longer than I thought to make. Where are the twins?”

  “Dylan is playing with his trains and Molly is designing a house.”

  Kylie turned on the coffee pot. “I bet she’ll be an architect when she’s older.”

  “Either that or an artist. She loves drawing more than anything else.”

  “I know what I’m buying her for Christmas. When I was in town the other day, I saw an incredible paint set. She could spend hours creating her own masterpieces.”

  Emma closed the lid of her laptop. “She’d love that. Natalie is organizing a series of children’s art classes at The Welcome Center. Molly has already enrolled.”

  “It sounds exciting. And talking about exciting, a little birdy told me you’ve been a naughty girl.”

  “I have?”

  “When were you going to tell me about you and Jack?”

  “There isn’t much to say. We’ve been on a couple of dates, that’s all.”

  Kylie took two mugs out of a cupboard. “That’s a couple more than you’ve been on in the last three years. He must be special.”

  “He is.” Emma tried not to be gushy or make their relationship into something it wasn’t, but she’d never felt this way about anyone. “Molly and Dylan like him. He even spoke to Mom and Dad on the phone the other day. When he goes back to Manhattan, he’s promised to visit them.”

  Kylie’s eyebrows rose. “That’s awfully brave of him. None of my boyfriends would have visited my parents without me.”

  Emma smiled. “That’s because they’re not Jack. How are the plans going for the Christmas party?”

  “Don’t tell Pastor John, but I haven’t started. I’ve promised myself that by the end of next week I’ll have a venue organized and the tables and chairs booked.”

  “Once you have a short-list of venues, let me know. I heard back from Noah’s company. They expect the Christmas decorations to arrive at the end of next week.”

  “Are they shipping them straight to the church?”

  Emma took a carton of milk out of the refrigerator. “They are. I can’t wait to see them.”

  “Neither can I.” Kylie’s hand froze over the coffee pot. “I almost forgot,” she said excitedly. “A friend of mine lives in New Zealand. I told her about the Christmas train ride we want to organize around Flathead Lake. They do something similar in her town.” She pulled out her cell phone and started typing. “I’ll show you their website.”

  “Use my laptop,” Emma said as she lifted the lid. “The photos will be bigger.”

  “Good idea.” After a quick search, Kylie found the site.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Emma said. “It’s fantastic.”

  The organizing committee called the train the North Pole Express. When everyone was on board, volunteers dressed as elves and fairies, handed out candy and small gifts to each of the passengers. Halfway through the journey, the train stopped at Santa’s secret workshop. The families could meet Santa, sing Christmas carols, enjoy a drink and something to eat, then catch the train home.

  Kylie showed Emma the photos of last year’s event. “Jenny is happy to send us their project plan and a list of the things they’ve tried but haven’t worked.”

  “That would be incredible. I’ve organized a lot of events, but nothing like the train ride.” Emma closed the website. Her email account appeared on the screen. “Sometimes it’s not what you know, but all the things you don’t that make—”

  She stared at the screen. Sitting beneath a message from one of her clients was an email from her ex-husband.

  “Are you okay?” Kylie asked.

  “Mark has sent me a message.”

  Kylie frowned. “You’re ex-husband?”

  Emma nodded.

  “What does he want?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t opened it.” Emma bit her bottom lip. After more than five years of not hearing anything from him, she was terrified of what he’d say.

  Kylie rubbed her shoulder. “If you’d like to read the email without any interruptions, I can say hello to Dylan and Molly.”

  Being alone was the last thing Emma wanted. “I’d like you to stay. In the next few minutes you might be the most rational person in the room.”

  “It won’t be that bad. Jack has already spoken to Mark. He would have told you to be careful if your ex-husband was a weirdo.”

  “Mark isn’t weird.”

  “Perhaps I’m being too harsh,” Kylie muttered. She looked at the laptop, then at Emma. “I thought you wanted him to contact you.”

  “I did. But there’s a big difference between wanting to know if he’s okay and finally hearing from him.” Emma’s heart was racing out of control. She felt as though she was sitting at the start of a giant roller coaster, waiting for the first terrifying drop to the ground. “Mark probably wants to thank me for the photo Jack gave him.”

  “Or he might want to see the twins.”

  Emma chose to remain silent. If Mark wanted to come to Sapphire Bay he would have done it a long time ago.

  “You’ll bite your nails to the quick if you keep nibbling on them.” Kylie sighed. “You won’t know what he has to say until you read his email.”

  She was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to open the message.

  Before Emma had a nervous breakdown, she pulled back her shoulders and sat taller in her seat. With a trembling hand she clicked on the message, praying that whatever Mark wanted wouldn’t change their lives for the worse.

  She focused on the screen, reading each word carefully. When she was finished, she rubbed her eyes, then reread the message.

  “What did he say?” Kylie asked.

  Emma couldn’t believe it. “Mark has changed his mind. He wants to visit Molly and Dylan.”

  Kylie’s sharp, in-drawn breath reflected the way Emma felt. Ten days ago, Mark wanted nothing to do with his children. The complete U-turn was hard to believe.

  “What do you think he wants?”

  Emma frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “If I say what’s on my mind, you’ll think I’m being mean. But I’m worried about you and the twins.”

  “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Kylie leaned her elbows on the table. “You’ve never had a shared custody arrange
ment with Mark. What if he wants to take the twins back to Evergreen?”

  “He hasn’t taken any interest in their lives before now. The Family Court would take that into consideration if he wants Molly and Dylan to live with him.”

  “Maybe. When does Mark want to come here?”

  The headache that had been building behind Emma’s eyes was getting worse. “His flight arrives on Friday afternoon.”

  “That’s two days away. He hasn’t given you much time to get everything ready.”

  “Apart from telling Dylan and Molly, there isn’t a lot to do.” Emma sent a copy of the email to the printer. After Kylie went home she would read it again to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Mark’s reserved a room at a bed and breakfast in town.”

  A knock on the back door made Emma jump.

  “Jack’s here!” Molly shrieked as she thumped down the stairs.

  Emma dropped her chin to her chest. If she’d thought today couldn’t get any worse, she was wrong. Now all she had to do was explain to Jack why she had tears in her eyes, tell her children their dad was on his way to see them, and hope Kylie stayed out of Mark’s way.

  As soon as Jack saw Emma, he knew something was wrong. Her eyes were filled with tears and Kylie was frowning. Molly was the only person in the room who was smiling.

  “Is Dylan all right?” he asked.

  “I’m here.” Dylan ran through the doorway. His smile was just as wide as his sister’s. “Did you bring the book?”

  Jack held a bag in front of him. “It’s in here. How about you go into the living room with Molly and start looking at it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  They didn’t need any extra encouragement. Within seconds, Dylan was leading the way, taking his sister away from whatever was happening in the kitchen.

  “I haven’t seen the twins move so fast in a long time,” Emma said. “You’ll have to tell me your secret.”

  Jack sat on the chair beside her. “The other day I told the twins about a book I borrowed from the library. It has some amazing photos of the Egyptian pyramids. Molly was fascinated by the pharaohs and the hieroglyphics. Dylan loved the mystery surrounding the design of the pyramids. I told them I’d bring the book with me so they could look at the pictures. What’s happened?”

  Emma handed him a sheet of paper. “Mark emailed me. He’s coming to Sapphire Bay on Friday afternoon.”

  Jack read the brief message. He was surprised, but not as shocked as Emma seemed to be. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

  Emma nodded. “I guess I’m a little stunned. I’d resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn’t see him again. And now...”

  “You don’t know what he wants?”

  She nodded.

  Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’d feel the same way if I was in your place.” He read the email again, searching for anything that might hold a deeper meaning. But from his perspective, there was nothing that would worry him. “Do you want me to meet Mark at the airport?”

  “It’s probably better if I pick him up. Kylie has offered to look after the twins while I’m gone.”

  That made sense to Jack. What didn’t make sense was Emma’s reaction to her ex-husband’s unexpected arrival. “Will you be all right?”

  Emma’s big blue eyes stared at him. “I have to be. This is important for Dylan and Molly. It could be the beginning of a relationship with their father.”

  Or it could end in disaster, Jack thought. He hoped Mark’s arrival wouldn’t fall under the heading of being careful what you wished for.

  He kissed the side of Emma’s face. Regardless of what he’d told her, Jack wanted to stay in Sapphire Bay for a lot longer than a few weeks.

  He was falling in love with Emma and the twins and, with Mark’s arrival, he didn’t know what to do about it.

  The next morning, Emma sat at the kitchen table, cradling a cup of hot chocolate. She didn’t know what was worse; telling her children their father was coming to see them or hiding the reason he’d left in the first place.

  When she looked at Dylan and Molly, she was proud of who they were. Sometimes they were so much like their father that it hurt a piece of her heart she’d locked away.

  Molly picked up a knife and spread thick raspberry jam across her toast. “Can I visit Nora today? William made her a playhouse and it’s got pink walls and a big fluffy rug inside.”

  “I’ll call Megan and see if it’s okay. What would you like to do, Dylan?”

  “Can we go to the library? I really liked Jack’s book about the pyramids.”

  “We can do that. After we’ve been to the library, I need to buy some groceries.” Emma watched her children eat their breakfast. “I’ve got something important to tell you.”

  Molly stopped chewing. “Are we getting a kitten?”

  “No, but someone is coming to visit.”

  Dylan’s eyes widened with excitement. “Is it Grandpa and Grandma?”

  Emma’s heart sank. “Your dad is coming to visit us. He’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”

  The frown on Molly and Dylan’s faces was identical.

  “Our real dad?” Molly asked.

  Emma nodded. “How do you feel about seeing him?”

  “Does he like fishing?” Dylan wiped the jam off his mouth with the back of his hand.

  “He lives in a cabin beside a lake, so I imagine he likes fishing.”

  “How come you don’t know?” Molly asked.

  “I haven’t seen your dad in a long time. When we were living in New York City, we didn’t go fishing. But people change.” Hopefully for the best, she thought.

  “We asked Santa if we could see him.” Molly’s eyes were as round as saucers.

  “He saw your Christmas wish. That’s why he’s coming to visit.”

  Molly’s excited gaze darted to her brother. “I told you Santa isn’t make-believe. He found our dad and he’s bringing him home.”

  Dylan didn’t share his sister’s enthusiasm. “What if we don’t like him?”

  Emma moved to the other side of the table and hugged her children. “You don’t have to like everyone, but it would be nice if you spent some time with your dad. He’s coming a long way to see you.”

  “Why didn’t he want to see us before?”

  “’Cos we didn’t ask Santa,” Molly told her brother. “Santa knows everything.”

  “Does not. I bet you Jack knows more than Santa and more than our dad, too.”

  Molly tilted her chin at a determined angle. “No one knows more than Santa.”

  Emma jumped into the conversation before it became too heated. “You can ask your dad that question, Dylan.”

  “You could show him your trains,” Molly said. “I bet he’d like them.”

  Dylan didn’t say anything.

  “It will be all right.” Emma hugged her children. “I’ll be with you the whole time. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time with your dad, that’s fine.”

  “Will he come back another time?” Molly asked.

  Emma sighed. “I don’t know, but we can make the most of this visit. Do you want to have a special dinner with him?”

  “Yes, please.” Molly grinned. “Can we buy an ice cream cake from Megan? The ones with sprinkles and cotton candy on top are amazing.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Emma forced a good dose of excitement into her voice. In all honesty, she felt a lot like Dylan. Mark had let everyone down and it would take time to rebuild that trust. “Let’s finish our breakfast and then go into town. We can go to the library first, then buy our groceries and order a cake. When we get back, I’ll call Megan and ask if Molly can spend time with Nora.”

  “Yeah!” Molly squealed. “Let’s go, Dylan. We’ve got shopping to do.”

  Reluctantly, Dylan picked up his plate and took it across to the dishwasher. It didn’t surprise Emma that he wasn’t the least bit enthusiastic about going shopping.

  It was the last thing she fe
lt like doing, too.

  Chapter 8

  By Friday afternoon, Emma was feeling more than a little stressed.

  Twenty minutes ago, she’d left Molly and Dylan with Kylie and driven to Polson Airport. Apart from the weekends, there was never a lot of traffic, and today there was even less. Which was just as well. Concentrating on the road was difficult when there were so many thoughts racing through her mind.

  What if she didn’t recognize Mark? What if more than one man had red hair and deep blue eyes? She hadn’t thought to ask Jack if he had a recent photo of her ex-husband.

  Mark had always kept in shape. Running helped him deal with what was happening in his life. But five years had gone by and Emma didn’t know what he was doing to help him through the tough times. Or even if there were tough times. He might have a great life with no financial issues or emotional baggage weighing him down.

  He could have remarried, have children of his own.

  A part of her hoped he’d found happiness. The other part was as lost and frightened as the day Mark had left.

  As she drove into the airport, she looked for a parking space close to the terminal. If Mark had changed his mind and decided not to come, she wouldn’t have to walk for miles to go back to the truck. No one would wonder why she was leaving without a suitcase. Or why no one was with her.

  In the end, she had no choice but to take the first parking space she saw. Unlike the roads, the airport was busy.

  Before she got out of her truck, she sniffed the small bouquet of lavender Kylie had given her. Emma couldn’t tell if it was helping her to relax but, at this stage, she was willing to try anything.

  She looked through the windshield and watched a man load his family’s luggage onto a cart. Everyone seemed happy, as if they were going somewhere exciting for a vacation.

  Emma envied them. She would give anything not to be sitting here, putting off the moment when she saw her ex-husband.

  If she was this nervous, she could only imagine how Mark was feeling. Coming to Sapphire Bay was a big decision. He knew how upset she’d been when he left and how hard it would have been for her to raise their children on her own.