Hope rose early the next morning. She kissed Cori good-bye and drove to the Butter Up Bakery in the dark. Edsel was already there, smiling and sweating.
“Do we have orders?” Hope asked as she entered.
“We sure do, Sug,” Edsel said. “It’s too early to start on the New Year’s orders, but you can take a look at them and plan out what you’ll need. And remember, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We’ll close at noon.”
“That works for me,” Hope said. “I can use the extra time.”
Hope started her baking routine and reminded herself to bring the gift for Edsel that was under the tree. Since she’d forgotten to take it with her that morning, working half-day on Christmas Eve worked perfectly. She hummed as she worked. Her first Christmas in her adopted town was turning out to be a good one. She knew her first Christmas without Doug would be difficult, but she thought it would be manageable. That was the word—manageable.
Hope’s arms and hands ached by the end of the day. She waved good-bye to Edsel and drove home happy. She found Cori in her room, laying out the clothes she would take to Hawaii.
“Packing already?”
“We’re leaving the day after Christmas,” Cori answered. “Should I take a sweatshirt?”
“What do you think?”
“Well, Lottie and I were online, and the big island has a park that is thirteen thousand feet high. That will be cold, right?”
“Cool, no doubt.”
“So, a sweatshirt.”
“You got it.” Hope turned from the doorway. “Shorts, tees, jeans, and swimsuit. I don’t think you need much else.”
“Underwear, Mom.”
“That goes without saying.”
“Most days.”
They both laughed, although Hope entertained the smallest fear that her daughter didn’t wear underwear on some days. Was that a thing at school? Hope pushed the idea from her head. She didn’t want to know.
After dinner, Hope went to her office to take a last look at semester grades before she logged into her school account and posted them. She had made few mistakes in her years of teaching, but somehow an occasional error crept in. In the past, she’d blamed ghosts and gremlins. That was before Max showed up, who she found sitting in a chair, reading a journal.
“Good evening,” Max said and stood. “How was your day?”
“Long, Max, long. I see you’ve started on the journals.”
“I have, and I must confess that it’s neither as easy nor as fruitful as I had anticipated. They are handwritten, and deciphering some of the scratches proves difficult at times. Since I hate to think I will miss something, the going is slow. Still, it is insightful. I have already come upon some events that had slipped from my memory.”
“Sometimes, forgetting is a good thing.”
“Indeed, it is.”
“But nothing momentous?”
“Not a thing. But I’ve just begun. What is humorous is that I am not quite the same reader I was a century ago. Since I don’t read on a regular basis, especially handwriting, I find my ability wanting.”
“You’ll get the hang of it.”
“I’m sure I shall.”
“I don’t think I’ll be back in the office this evening,” Hope said. “Enjoy your reading.”
“Have a pleasant evening, Mrs. Herring.”
After dinner, Hope spent two hours helping her daughter pack. Cori had gone online and printed out a travel checklist. Most of the items were standard fare, but there were a few that made them both thankful for the list.
“I’m all packed and ready to go,” Cori said with a smile.
“Almost,” Hope said. “There are still the things you’ll pack right before you leave.”
Cori’s smile vanished. “Wait, I forgot. If I go, you’ll be all alone.”
“I’ll be fine,” Hope said. “There’s a lot of baking to do during the day, and I’ll be able to read at night since there’s no school.”
“You know what I mean. This is the first Christmas without … Dad. I shouldn’t go. I don’t want you to be alone.”
“You’re going and you’re going to have a great time. And you’re not going to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“But all alone.” Cori looked like she might cry.
“Hardly. I’ll see Edsel and Jo Ellen. And you and I will talk or text every day.” Hope held out her arms, and Cori came for a hug. “This is an adventure. Most people will never visit Hawaii. They won’t climb a volcano or see black sand. This is an opportunity, and you have to make the most of it.”
“But—”
“No buts. You’re going and you’ll have the time of your life. But, there is one thing you can do for me.”
“What?”
“You can remember to be polite and clean up after yourself.”
“Mommmm.”
“I mean it. I don’t want Lottie’s parents to think I raised some kind of a savage. Do you understand?”
Cori blinked away some tears. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Before going to bed, Hope checked her phone one last time. She was surprised and disgusted to find a text from Clive Thomas. What in the world did he want? The man was becoming a real pest. She was tempted to skip the message altogether, but she needed to know what he wanted. When she opened the app and read, her heart sank.
WE NEED TO TALK!!!!
11
Hope read the message twice before she deleted it. She was not about to fall for Clive’s demands. They didn’t need to talk. In fact, Hope didn’t need to get within a mile of Clive. It was that simple. For some reason, the man had taken a liking to her, or maybe, he was just one of those that liked to charm a woman long enough to dump her. Hope was not going to fall for that. Shaking her head, she went to bed. She vowed that Clive Thomas was not going to keep her awake. She was too tired.
Christmas Eve morning found Hope sipping coffee and looking at the gift she was taking to Edsel. It wasn’t much, a gift card and a bottle of the woman’s favorite wine, but it was something.
As she sipped, she thought about the text from the night before. She checked her phone to see if Clive had repeated the message. Luckily, he had not. Her phone was clear, as was her conscience. She knew that Clive was just a fisherman hoping to hook the unwary. Not a chance.
Edsel was thrilled to get the presents.
“Sug, you shouldn’t have.”
“I appreciate all you’ve done for me,” Hope said as she hugged the woman. “Merry Christmas.”
“It’s you who have made my life so much better,” Edsel said. “Butter Up has grown substantially since you came on board.”
“I’m very glad of that.”
The morning schedule was not as bad as the day before which was fine with Hope. She finished a little before noon and had a cup of tea with Edsel before leaving the bakery.
“I’ve been wondering. Why’d you bring up Clive Thomas the other day? Is that man bothering you?”
“Hope told the woman about the text she received from Clive last night.