Home > A Seagrove Christmas(9)

A Seagrove Christmas(9)
Author: Rachel Hanna

So far, all she knew about Tina was that she was in her early thirties, unmarried and was born in north Georgia. She’d worked in a retail store that sold women’s clothing for several years, and now she was unemployed.

“Good morning. If you’d like some coffee, I have a pot in the kitchen,” Julie offered, starting to stand up.

Tina held up her hand. “No, but thank you. Caffeine gives me migraines.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I can ask Lucy to brew some decaf…”

“It’s fine. Really. But thanks.” Tina walked over to the Christmas tree and touched an ornament. “Did Dylan make this?”

Julie laughed. Dylan had made a hand painted snowman ornament at school, but he’d painted each snowball a different color so it looked like the colors for his favorite team. “Yes. Dylan is very into sports.”

She turned around and smiled. “He’s a cute kid. He must keep you on your toes.”

“Oh, he does. To be honest, we just adopted him from foster care a few months ago.”

“He seems really happy here.”

“I hope so. We adore him. I always wanted a son, and now I have one. So, do you have kids?”

Tina looked uncomfortable, and Julie immediately regretted her question. “I was never blessed to become a mother.”

“I’m so sorry I asked you that, Tina. It was none of my business. I hope I didn’t bring up any pain…”

She walked to the chair and sat down. “It’s okay. Really, it is. It’s just that being here with your family has shown me what I’ve missed out on. As a kid, all I ever wanted to be was a mother. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“It’s not too late, you know. Plus, there’s always adoption. I never thought I’d become a mother again in my mid-forties, yet here I am.”

As if on cue, Dylan came bounding down the stairs. He was so full of energy from the time he awoke until Julie forced him to go to bed. She didn’t remember her daughters being nearly as energetic as her new son.

“Good morning!” he said, almost yelling.

“Good morning. Inside voice, though,” Julie said, smiling.

“Sorry.”

“Say good morning to Miss Tina too.”

He looked at her and smiled, his missing front teeth his most prominent feature at the moment. “Good morning, Miss Tina.”

She smiled. “Good morning, Dylan.”

“I think Lucy cooked you some biscuits and bacon in the kitchen.”

“Yay!” he shrieked before running through the door to the kitchen. The boy had an appetite, she’d give him that.

“I wish I had his energy,” Tina said, laughing.

“Same here. I never realized how exhausting it would be to become a mother again at my age.”

“That must be a challenge.”

“It is, but he’s so worth it.”

“Do you mind if I ask what happened to his parents?”

Julie sighed. She didn’t want to violate Dylan’s privacy, so she decided to just hit the highlights. “His father recently passed away, which landed Dylan in foster care.”

“Oh wow. That’s so sad. Were they close?”

“Honestly, I don’t know much about that, and I’ve never asked Dylan. If he wants to talk about it, I’m sure he will one day.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No worries.”

“I assume they contacted Dylan’s mother before he went to foster care?”

“I’m not sure. Unfortunately, she left a long time ago, when Dylan was very young.”

“Oh. That’s terrible. A boy needs his mother.”

Julie smiled. “Well, thankfully, he has his mother now. Love is way more important than blood.”

Tina nodded. “You’re right. I can see he’s well loved here.”

Dylan came bounding back out of the kitchen, a biscuit in one hand and a piece of bacon in the other. Of course, no napkin.

“Young man, you get back in the kitchen and get a plate. We’re not eating like animals around here!” Julie said, pointing him back to the kitchen door. Before he could make it there, Lucy came walking out.

“I told you not to run out there,” she said, shaking her head and laughing. “I’ve never seen a kid get so excited about biscuits and bacon.”

She ushered him back into the kitchen.

Julie and Tina both laughed.

“Listen, I’m not sure what you’re planning to do today, but I’m going with my daughters and some friends to do a little Christmas shopping at the mall if you’d like to join us.” Tina looked surprised. “Really? That would be amazing. I haven’t been to the mall in a long time. Of course, I don’t really have anyone to buy for this year.”

Julie cocked her head a bit. “I thought you said you were here to visit family?”

Tina cleared her throat. “Yes. Extended family, though. Not anyone I would buy Christmas presents for.”

“Oh. I see. Well, you’re still welcome to join us.”

“I’d love to. Maybe it will put me in the Christmas spirit.”

* * *

Tucker sat at the table, enjoying a sandwich. Colleen was with her mom and sister doing some Christmas shopping at the mall. A part of him was glad to have a bit of time alone to clear his head.

He was really excited and nervous about the new partnership with Jamison O’Malley. It had grown from one toy to possibly an entire line of toys that would come out during the next Christmas season. Never in his dreams did he think he would have an opportunity for something like that.

But, if he was honest, he was questioning himself. Was he really ready for this? Was he good enough? What would happen to his name in the toy invention business if everything he created flopped?

“Hello,” Christian said, standing in front of him. He was waving his hand in front of Tucker’s face.

“Oh, hey, man. Sorry. I didn’t see you standing there.”

Christian laughed. He towered above Tucker by what seemed like ten feet. Tall and lanky, and with his thick French accent, he stuck out like a sore thumb around Seagrove.

“You looked very lost in thought.”

“I was. Please, sit down.”

Christian sat down across from him, setting his briefcase on the ground. As a college professor, he always looked the part. Dress pants, a button up dress shirt and even a sweater vest today because it was cold.

“Can I get you anything?” The server said when she walked over to the table.

“Sure. I’ll have a Cobb salad and water with lemon.”

As the server walked away, Tucker laughed. “No sweet tea?”

“Don’t tell Meg, but I still can’t get a taste for the stuff. I’ve tried, believe me.”

“I’ll keep the secret,” Tucker said, laughing.

He enjoyed spending time with Christian. Since they were dating sisters, and would hopefully one day marry them, they might even end up being brothers. Christian was a good guy, and he adored Meg.

“So, I understand the ladies have gone Christmas shopping today.”

“Yes, and I shudder to think how many packages Meg is going to come back with. She doesn’t understand that Vivi is a year old and doesn’t need fifty presents on Christmas,” Christian said, chuckling.

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