own son. Rumor had it that there had been a falling out years ago.
Perhaps this was the reason why Phil had been quiet about his connection to them.
Cora considered this new information. Phil’s grandmother loved Christmas! She attended every festival and event in town and always bought a few items from Cora’s store, too. The very last item she bought when she told Cora about the move was a gold-painted serving tray. She said she still planned to make her famous roasted chestnuts for her husband, as she did every year. Didn’t her traditions get passed down to Phil and Georgie?
“Your grandmother was always so proud of you,” Cora said now, and it was true. Mrs. Keaton always lit up like a Christmas tree when she spoke of her only grandchild. How he was handsome, intelligent, thoughtful and kind. She spoke the truth, Cora thought. “How are they doing?”
“As well as can be expected,” Phil said on a sigh. “But they’re getting up there in age, and…I’m not sure they’ll be getting back here anytime soon.” His jaw seemed to clench at that, but he didn’t elaborate.
Cora nodded thoughtfully. It was a shame, but so long as her rent money was directly withdrawn from her account each month, she supposed that their business relationship could withstand the distance.
Phil sucked in a long breath as he rolled back on his heels and stood. Inside the hearth, the fire crackled tentatively, and he crouched again to poke at the logs, until the flames grew stronger.
“There,” he said proudly. He glanced at Georgie and raised his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s beginning to feel like Christmas!” Georgie cried.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?” Phil asked, turning his attention to Cora.
She nodded and followed him into the kitchen, which was as unchanged as the front of the house. A throwback in time, with well-worn wood floors, maple cabinets, and a baker’s rack stuffed with cookbooks, much like the one in the kitchen of her own childhood home.
“So you used to visit then?”
Phil nodded. “Once a year or so, mostly on my own because my parents were busy. My dad had his own law firm. It wasn’t easy to get away.”
“Not even at Christmas?” she asked.
He glanced at her. “Especially at Christmas.”
He opened a few drawers before finding a corkscrew. Cora couldn’t help but realize he might have bought the wine just because of her visit, but then she banished that hope immediately. Nonsense. It was a Saturday night. He worked all day, from what she gathered. It was probably just his first occasion to have any since he arrived.
But when he pulled the bottle from the shelf, she noted the label with a smile. “Conway?” Now she realized with a flutter that he had bought it just for her.
He gave a little smile. “It didn’t seem right to buy anything else, and I couldn’t help noticing that the grocery store gives your family’s wine prominent display.”
Cora laughed as she accepted the glass. It was one of her favorite blends.
“I actually think I remember going to the orchard once on one of my visits,” he said, squinting as if at a memory. “It was summer, and there was some event with cherries.”
“The Cherry Festival!” Cora grinned, pleased that he would have known it and curious if she’d ever seen him there, but never noticed, being a kid at the time. “One of our family’s favorite events of the year.”
“Your family likes its traditions,” he said. He occupied himself twisting the cork, frowning slightly.
Cora fell silent for a moment. It would seem that the same wasn’t to be said for the Keatons. “Well, you’ll have to take Georgie sometime once the weather warms up,” Cora said, and then, realizing that she wasn’t so sure she wanted to hear about Phil’s long-term plans, she took a long sip of the wine, letting it warm her throat.
“This is actually the first time that Georgie’s ever been to Blue Harbor,” Phil said. He gave a little smile. “Between my job, and then Georgie going to live with her mother, the occasion never came along before now, I’m afraid. At least it’s been a success so far.”
“So you’ll admit to enjoying this small-town Christmas?”
His grin was rueful. “It’s made Georgie happy, and…that’s what Christmas is about, right? Kids and presents and all that?”
Cora gaped at him. He couldn’t be serious. “Christmas is about family and hope and creating memories that should last a lifetime!”
He stared at