Susan Mallery - Kiss Me At Christmas

As they did each Thanksgiving, her mother and father, brother and niece returned to Fool’s Gold. Like migrating birds, she thought with a grin as she grabbed her handbag and called out that she was leaving.

Once she was outside, she breathed in the chilly air. It even smelled like a holiday. The streets were more crowded than usual, with people running last-minute errands. There were plenty of tourists, as well, in town for the festivities.

The holiday season bonanza of activities started with the Thanksgiving parade tomorrow afternoon. That was followed by the official tree lighting on Saturday and so on, right up through New Year’s. Madeline enjoyed all of it. She was on the committee for the Live Nativity, which was exactly how it sounded, live animals and all.

For the most part the committee work was easy enough. There were some unusual choices such as Priscilla the elephant and her pony, Reno. The only disagreement had been when someone had suggested a toy poodle stand in for the Baby Jesus. But what was life without controversy?

Not that she had to worry about her committee today. Instead, she would be spending time with her family.

She walked the ten blocks to her small house, then smiled when she saw the rental car in her driveway. Her parents had flown in from their place in Florida while her brother and niece would be arriving from O’Hare. Jasmine was a sophomore at Northwestern, while Robbie, Madeline’s brother, was a pediatrician in Saint Paul.

She ran up the three steps to her porch, then opened the front door and stepped inside.

“I’m home,” she called.

Her parents stepped out of the kitchen and hurried toward her. “My darling Maddie,” her mother said, her arms open, her smile welcoming. “How are you?”

Her dad grinned. “She looks good, Loretta. She looks good.”

Madeline was captured in their embrace. She hugged them back, letting the love wash over her.

She’d been lucky, she thought to herself. Lucky to be born into such a loving family. While she’d always known that her parents were older than her friends’, she’d been okay with that. Loretta and Joseph had nurtured her, encouraging her to believe in herself and follow her dreams. The only flaw in their plan had been how long it had taken Madeline to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.

It hadn’t helped to have such a successful older brother. By the time she entered first grade, Robbie was already in medical school. But he’d always taken time to pay attention to her, and while they hadn’t grown up together, they’d been close.

Now she smiled at her parents. “How was your flight?”

“Excellent,” her father said. “Your mother fretted the whole way.”

“I didn’t fret,” Loretta said with a laugh. “I thought they were flying too slow. I couldn’t wait to get here.”

Her parents had arrived in Sacramento late the previous evening. With her dad pushing seventy-five, they preferred to wait until morning to make the drive to Fool’s Gold.

“Did you check into the hotel?” Madeline asked. “If you didn’t, you can still change your minds and stay here.”

Her mother touched her cheek. “You’re sweet to offer, but you need your space and so do we.”

Because Madeline’s house was charming, but only had two bedrooms and a single bathroom. She’d chosen it because the living area was large, as was the kitchen. But the spare room was practically closet-size.

“I’d sleep on the futon,” she pointed out.

“We’re fine at the lodge,” her father said, hugging her again. “We always run into old friends there.”

They went into the kitchen. Her mother already had peanut butter cookies in the oven and fresh coffee in the pot.

“Did you check everything?” Madeline asked. “I went over the list a couple of times and I’m pretty sure it’s all here.”

Her mother laughed. “You did an excellent job. I did check and you remembered everything.”

The Krug family had a Thanksgiving tradition. The parade, followed by dinner, followed by an open house that lasted well into the night. Friends and neighbors dropped in to visit. There were cakes and cookies and pies, along with good conversation and plenty of laughter. It was one of her favorite memories from childhood.

When her parents had moved to Florida, the tradition had been dropped. Madeline had gone to visit them for the holiday. But when she’d bought her place a couple of years ago, her parents had wanted to spend Thanksgiving in Fool’s Gold and she’d found herself hosting the annual open house.

“I brought you something,” her mother said, going to her handbag and pulling out a red box. “For Christmas.”

Madeline stared at the box and knew exactly what was inside. They were a family tradition and had been on the Christmas dinner table her entire life.

Her mother’s smile faded. “Was I wrong to bring them? Are you sad? Oh, Joseph, did we make a mistake, booking the cruise over Christmas?”

Madeline took the small box and opened it. She pulled out the cardinal salt and pepper shakers and placed them on the counter. “They’re beautiful. Thank you for bringing them to me. I’ll use them, I promise. As for you making a mistake, you didn’t. You’re going to have a good time.”

“But you’ll be by yourself.” Her mother’s brows drew together. “We worry about you.”

Because for the first time they wouldn’t be spending Christmas together. Robbie and Jasmine would be with Robbie’s in-laws and her parents had booked a holiday cruise with two other couples.

When they’d first told Madeline, she’d felt a little twinge. But then she’d reminded herself that they’d worked hard all their lives and they deserved to enjoy their retirement.

“I’ll be fine,” she told them. “I have lots of friends. You know that. The big question is which invitation to accept for dinner.” Her parents didn’t look that reassured.

She searched for something else to say—something that would reassure them. She brightened. “Besides, I’m going to be so swamped. I’m planning a wedding.”

“Who’s getting married? Why didn’t I know one of your friends had gotten engaged?”

Madeline chuckled. “Mom, you have to brace yourself. I’m not helping a friend. Do you know who Jonny Blaze is?”

“The actor?” her mother asked.

“I enjoy his movies,” her father added. “Amish Revenge is one of my favorites. We have the DVD.”

“He’s getting married?” Her mother shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s not him, it’s his sister.”

Madeline explained about Mayor Marsha and the request, along with the subsequent conversations. “You can’t tell anyone,” she added. “It’s a private thing.”

“Of course,” her mother said. “You’re very sweet to help him out.” Her mouth curved into a teasing smile. “Is he just as handsome in person?”

“You know it.”

Her father cleared his throat. “Loretta, do I have to worry about you?”

His wife laughed. “Hardly. Jonny Blaze is young enough to be my son.”

“That doesn’t matter. You’re a beautiful woman and he’d be lucky to have you. What I want to know is how hard I have to fight to keep you.”

Their teasing warmed Madeline from the inside out. Her parents were loving, in love and just plain good people.

She worried about them because of their ages. She wasn’t ready to lose either of them. But they were both healthy and Robbie assured her they should live well into their nineties. While she would like them around forever, she would take what she could get.

A car pulled into the driveway. Her mother clapped and her father headed to the front door.

“Right on time,” Madeline said, just as excited to see the rest of her family.