Sometimes she thought back to her life in California as an attorney and wondered how she had ended up in a small town in South Carolina working for a toy inventor. Things had really changed in such a short time, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Excuse me? Is this where I’m supposed to drop off a toy donation?”
Colleen looked up and saw Tina standing there holding a small plastic bag.
“Oh, hi, Tina! I’m Colleen. I was at the mall when we went shopping.”
“I remember you. Julie’s daughter, right?”
“Right. We didn’t have time to talk much, but I’m glad you could join us.”
“Me too. It was a lot of fun. Julie told me about the toy drive, so I went to buy something I could donate. It’s not much, but hopefully it will help,” she said, holding out the bag.
“Any donation is welcome,” Tucker said, offering up his most genuine smile.
“I wish I could do more. I know these kids need toys for the holidays. It’s just a little toy car, but I hope one of them will enjoy it.”
Colleen was struck by how quiet and almost sad she seemed. Christmas time in Seagrove was magical, with all the lights and sounds and decorations. All of that was right behind where Tina was standing, but she seemed like a lost soul. Colleen could see why her mother had taken her in for the holidays.
“Some little kid is going to really love this car. I can promise you that,” Tucker said.
“Well, I better get back. I’ve been helping your mom make Christmas wreaths for the festival.”
“I’m sure she really appreciates that! She’s not the most crafty person I know,” Colleen said, laughing.
Tina waved goodbye and walked out the door, pretty much as quietly as she had walked in.
“She seems really sad,” Tucker said.
“I know. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think she must’ve had a really difficult past. I mean, she was staying at the worst motel in the area. I just hope she has a good Christmas.”
“Me too. Hopefully she finds that the magic of Seagrove will change her life like it has for so many other people.”
* * *
Janine stood on the platform of the boat. She knew that Dawson was a great woodworker, but she sure hoped that his handiwork withstood the entire boat parade or she was going to fall in front of everybody.
Dressed as an elf, she was standing next to William, who was all made up as the perfect Santa Claus. It had taken some negotiation to get him to agree to dress up, but he finally relented for the good of the children in the community.
With everybody’s help, they had gotten the boat to look as festive as possible, and she was sure that he had a great chance of winning the competition. Even though he got nothing special, other than a Christmas stocking with “first place” embroidered on it, it was the principle of the matter. Any time William did something, he wanted to be the best at it.
They covered the boat in garland and tinsel and all things Christmas. Of course, they had made it a beach theme as well by painting some plastic crabs red and green and peppering them throughout the decor.
It was much like a moving department store window that one would see in a big city. Except this one was floating on water. As they came around the bend, she could see that the crowds that had formed on all the little docks that were dotting the shoreline.
“Do you have the candy ready?” she asked William. He was having a hard time maneuvering himself much, what with the big pillow belted around his midsection. Always in good shape, she found it funny to see him look so portly.
“I’ve got it. You’ve asked me that three times,” he said, shaking his head.
“Well, I’m sorry. There’re dozens of little kids up there who would be very sad if you didn’t throw some candy at them.”
William laughed. “This is supposed to be fun, Janine. Put a smile on your face and stop worrying so much.”
She knew he was right. All the yoga in the world didn’t help her when she was under a stressful situation. She could meditate until the cows came home, but anytime she did something outside of her normal box, she got anxiety. It was just a part of the fabric of who she was.
“Look at them. All those grinning faces and people waving.”
William raised up his white gloved hand and started waving back at the crowd. Every so often he would yell out “ho ho ho” in his deepest voice. It made Janine giggle, but she turned her head.
“Merry Christmas!” she yelled as they passed the first part of the crowd. She tossed a handful of red and white curved candy canes into the crowd, hoping most of them didn’t fall to the ground and shatter at the feet of the children.
She could see Julie and Dawson waving and grinning. Of course Dylan was right up at the water’s edge trying to catch all the candy he could. He had his old Halloween container in his hand and was steadily grabbing pieces as the boat went by and tossing them into the bucket.
She could see her mother waving as well as Dixie and Harry. There were just so many faces she recognized in the crowd, and it made her happy. The people of Seagrove had become her extended family.
All of those years of traveling around the world teaching yoga, Janine had been searching for something. Part of it was searching for herself and who she really was. But the other part had been searching for an anchor. Roots. A place where she felt like she was at home. Seagrove was that place, and the people in it meant more to her than anything in the world.
As she watched William continue to yell ho ho ho and Merry Christmas over and over, she marveled at how much he had changed since she’d met him. When he had first come back to town, he was at odds with his mother and really conflicted within himself. There were so many things that he was holding in and not dealing with, but now he was more open and honest than ever. He seemed happy. Running his own business and being outdoors had changed him in ways she had not expected.
They spent more time together, often out on the boat, winding their way through the marshes full of seagrass and local wildlife. They studied the flora and the fauna and kept their eyes open for alligators, of course. Some of her happiest moments had been out on those marshes with William, the sun setting in the distance and providing a spectacle of orange and pink in the sky.
For the next thirty minutes, they wound their way through the marshes, waving at people and throwing candy before finally coming to the end. When they pulled up to the dock and stopped the boat, William sighed with relief.
“So, do you think we did enough to win this thing?”
She took off her elf hat and kicked off the curly shoes, moving her toes around since they had been way too small. “I think we have a great chance. That was a lot of fun!”
He unbuttoned his Santa suit and pulled the pillow out, waving his hand in front of his stomach to get a breeze. “Never let me get that chubby. I didn’t know how hard that would be.”
Janine laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re dating a yoga instructor, so I will always make sure to keep you flexible and lean.”
He smiled and pulled her into a hug, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for being my elf today.”
“No problem, Santa.”
* * *
Tina had decided not to go to the boat parade. Today, she was just feeling a little melancholy. Christmas was coming, and she longed so much to have a family of her own to share it with. She relished the alone time this morning while everyone was at the parade so she could wallow in her feelings.