Small Town Christmas (Blue Harbor #4) - Olivia Miles Page 0,38
gesture toward the doors. “People come early to get a good station.”
That they did. No one wanted to be stuck too close to the front doors, where a draft could blow in from the stairwell, or too far from the kitchen, where the ovens needed to be watched. But Cora couldn’t think about claiming a prime spot just now. She hurried across the floor toward the kitchen, nearly out of breath by the time she found Amelia near the sink, washing her hands.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said. When Amelia gave her a quizzical look, she added, “For the tree. I knew it had to be from you—”
But Amelia was shaking her head. “Tree?”
“You didn’t send me a Christmas tree?” Cora picked up a bowl of dough along with Amelia and followed her to the door. “I guess I assumed because of Christmas Eve…” She trailed off when she saw the dismay in her sister’s eyes.
“I’m really sorry, Cora. And Britt is, too. I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you today. The holidays are special, but they can’t be the same every year, can they? It’s fun to try new things and have some new celebrations.” She gave her a smile of encouragement.
Cora didn’t want to get into that conversation just now, not with the event about to start. Not with her feelings still sore. “So, you didn’t send the tree?”
“I’m sorry, Cora, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t send you a Christmas tree. Now I sort of wish I had, though.” She gave her an apologetic smile.
Cora made a mental list of all of her family members, wondering who might have sent one and why now of all years. Her cousins cared, but not enough to be bothered pushing something on her that she hadn’t asked for, and Britt and Maddie were too busy with their new business ventures these past few months to take on much more.
“But if it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
Amelia shrugged and flashed Cora a smile. “Sounds like you have a secret admirer.”
A secret admirer. Wouldn’t that be nice?
“This has Candy written all over it,” Cora sighed, thinking again of the tension the other night over the tree topper. “Maybe it’s her way of letting me know it’s time to have my own tree to decorate.”
“You could ask her,” Amelia said, as she set the bowl down on a table that was quickly descended upon by Keira and a friend. “But isn’t it fun to think that it could be from someone else?”
Cora thought about Candy and shook her head. As much as she could dream of something as romantic as a secret admirer, she lived in Blue Harbor, where everyone knew everyone, and the only eligible suitor in town was leaving in a matter of weeks.
Candy didn’t like tension. She would want to smooth things over for the night.
It was sweet. A relief in many ways because now Cora might not need to worry too much about Candy overstepping any more traditions—not if she felt repentant.
“Oh, Cora, good, there you are!” Maddie came over to her with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back off her face, but a few wisps had come undone.
“Do you need some help?” Cora was happy to tend to any last-minute decorations.
Maddie’s expression looked pained, and she didn’t need to say anything for Cora to know what was coming.
“Don’t tell me,” she groaned.
“Don’t be mad!” Maddie blinked rapidly. “It’s just that Cole doesn’t have any family, and our family is…well, a lot. And we did Thanksgiving at the house, and we’ll be there Christmas Day. I just thought that if Amelia and Britt weren’t going to be there, that the whole thing would sort of be…cancelled.” Maddie winced.
Cora gaped at her sister. “Cancelled? And what about me?”
“You’re upset.”
Clearly! Cora thought back on Amelia’s words as she pushed back the disappointment that tugged at her chest. “No, you’re right. We’ll have Christmas. And it makes sense for you to do something special with Cole on Christmas Eve.”
Maddie reached in and gave Cora a quick squeeze before dashing off. “I knew you’d understand!”
Yes, Cora understood, all right. Her sisters were moving on with their lives. They were starting new traditions of their own.
She blinked back tears and took a steadying breath, just in time to see Phil and Georgie arrive in the doorway across the hall.