“That’s not a character flaw,” Catherine said gently.
“Only when it comes to picking the right woman.” Athena shook her head and set the incense burner back down. “I guess it’s understandable. If you could have seen how miserable he was after Mom died.”
“I can imagine,” Catherine said. “I’ve been there.”
“I think he still misses her. I know I do.” She pulled a tissue from her coat pocket and dabbed at her eyes.
“It’s only natural that you would,” Catherine said. “I remember when I lost my mother. It was a year before I could think about her without crying. I miss her to this day.”
“He’s all I have left.” Athena frowned. “All right, that’s not true. I have a son, and he’s the best. But he’s busy with school.”
Yes, busy, thought Catherine. It was what happened when children grew up. They found lives of their own.
“And parents are different,” Athena continued. She chewed on her lip a moment. “I worry about him. I really don’t want to see him hurt.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Catherine assured her.
“You wouldn’t intentionally.”
Catherine knew exactly where she was going. Rudy had already buried one wife. He wouldn’t want to bury another. Cancer was still one of the scariest words in the English language.
“Your father will find someone perfect for both of you eventually, I’m sure,” she said.
Under different circumstances she’d liked to have been that someone. But there was no sense going there. Much better to keep living in the moment.
Sierra was done with her purchase and Catherine picked up another little cottage. “I’d better get one of these for my daughter-in-law, too. I wouldn’t want her to feel left out.”
“You’re a kind woman, Catherine,” Athena said. “My mother would have liked you.”
Surely the highest praise one woman could give another. Catherine decided she liked living in the moment because this was certainly a good one.
It was even better when Rudy gifted her with a charm for her bracelet shaped like a beer stein. “You really shouldn’t,” she scolded, but it was half-hearted.
“If you’re going to have a charm bracelet you have to have charms to go on it,” he said.
Sound reasoning. She looked to where Athena stood with Sierra, checking out a booth displaying all manner of honey and beeswax products. Hopefully, Athena would approve of her father buying Catherine yet another gift now that she knew Catherine wasn’t a threat.
Rudy followed her gaze. “Don’t worry. I got my daughter one also. I would never want her to feel left out.”
“Were you concerned about that?” Catherine asked.
“I guess maybe I have been. She’d been acting a little, well...” He stopped, obviously not wanting to say anything bad about his daughter.
“Not jealous, I assure you,” Catherine said in case he’d been thinking that was the case. “I think she just wants to look out for her daddy.”
He smiled ruefully. “I know she does. She’s a good daughter. And I have to admit, I’ve given her cause for worry in the past. My second wife was...a mistake.”
“We all make mistakes,” Catherine said.
“Some of us make dumber ones than others.” He shrugged. “But water under the bridge, as they say.”
Athena and Sierra returned to them, both bearing little gift bags. “We each got beeswax lotion bars,” Athena said. “They’re supposed to be great for dry skin. I think Aunt Millie will really like this,” she said to her father. “She’s always having trouble with cracked heels.”
“So’s my mom,” Sierra said. “This will make a nice Christmas present for her.”
“Did you girls get anything for yourselves?” Rudy asked.
“This is all about Christmas shopping,” Sierra said, then added, “Now,” and her smile lost its shine.
“Hey, we’re going to make the most of it,” Athena said to her, and Catherine wondered if Sierra had confided some of her troubles to the other woman. They’d been spending a lot of time together that day.
Maybe the two of them would become friends. California wasn’t that far from Washington, and these days it was a small world thanks to social media. She quickly veered away from applying that to her and Rudy. In the moment, in the moment.
How she wished the moment could last forever.
Denise, Charlie and Arnold came into sight as Catherine was finishing up buying some spiced almonds for her son at another booth. Denise was looking elegant in her formfitting black parka, leggings and boots, the red scarf Charlie had bought her around her neck. She was carrying a little