Debbie Macomber - Home for Christmas

“Mary was worried sick about Cal,” Dovie murmured, missing her dearest friend more than ever. Cal’s mother had died almost three years ago, and not a day passed that Dovie didn’t think of her in one way or another.

“I know it was painful at the time, but Jennifer’s leaving was probably a lucky break.”

Dovie agreed with him. “I’m sure Jane thinks so, too.”

Frank generally didn’t pay much attention to other women. His noticing Nicole was unusual enough, but it was the intensity of his focus that perturbed her.

She studied Nicole. Dovie had to admit that the years had been good to Jennifer’s friend. Nicole had been lovely before, but immature. Time had seasoned her beauty and given her an air of casual sophistication. Even the way she dressed had changed. Her hair, too.

“She’s a real looker,” Frank commented.

Dovie saw that her husband wasn’t the only man with his eye on this woman; half the men in the store noticed her—and Nicole was well aware of it.

“I’ll admit she looks attractive,” Dovie said with a certain reluctance.

Frank turned back to her. She didn’t realize right away that he was frowning. “What is it?” she asked.

“What she looks like to me,” he said, ushering her down the aisle, “is trouble.“

Cal had lived in this ranch house his entire life, and the place had never seemed as big or as empty as it did now. Jane hadn’t been gone a week and already the silence was driving him to wander aimlessly from room to room. Exhausted from a day that had started before dawn, he’d come home and once again experienced a sharp pang of loneliness.

Normally when Cal got back to the house, Paul rushed outside to greet him. The little boy always launched himself off the porch steps into his father’s waiting arms as if he’d waited for this moment the entire day. Later, after Cal had showered and Jane dealt with getting dinner on the table, he spent time with his daughter. As young as Mary Ann was, she already had a dynamic personality and persuasive powers to match. Cal knew she was going to be a beauty when she grew up—and he’d be warding off boys. Mary Ann was like her mother in her loveliness, energy…and her stubborn nature.

Cal’s life had changed forever the day he married Jane. Marriage was more than the smartest move of his life; it was the most comfortable. Being temporarily on his own made him appreciate what he had. He’d gotten used to a great many things, most of which he hadn’t stopped to consider for a long time: shared passion, the gentle companionship of the woman he loved, a family that gave him a sense of purpose and belonging. In addition, Jane ran their household with efficiency and competence, and he’d grown used to the work she did for her family—meals, laundry, cleaning. He sighed. To say he missed Jane and the kids was an understatement.

He showered, changed clothes and dragged himself into the kitchen. His lunch had been skimpy and his stomach felt hollow, but he wasn’t in the mood to cook. Had there been time before she left, Jane would have filled the freezer with precooked dinners he could pop into the microwave. When they heard he was a temporary bachelor, Frank and Dovie had dropped off a meal, but that was long gone. The cupboards were full, the refrigerator, too, but nothing seemed easy or appealing. Because he didn’t want to bother with anything more complicated, he reached for a bag of microwave popcorn. That would take the edge off his hunger, he decided. Maybe later he’d feel like putting together a proper meal.

The scent of popped corn enticed him, but just as he was about to start eating it, the phone rang. Cal grabbed the receiver instantly, thinking it might be Jane.

“Pattersons’,” he said eagerly.

“Cal, it’s Annie.”

Annie. Cal couldn’t squelch the letdown feeling that settled over him. Annie Porter was his wife’s best friend and a woman he liked very much. She’d moved to Promise a few years back and had quickly become part of the community. The town had needed a bookstore and Annie had needed Promise. It wasn’t long before she’d married the local vet. Cal vaguely recalled Jane asking him to phone Annie. He’d forgotten.

“I just heard about Jane’s dad. What happened? Dovie was in and mentioned that Jane went to stay with her parents—she assumed I knew. I wish someone had told me.”

“That’s my fault,” Cal said. “I’m sorry, Annie. On the way to the airport, Jane asked me to call…” He let his words drift off.

“What happened?” Annie asked again, clearly upset. Cal knew she was close to Jane’s parents and considered them a second family.

Cal told her everything he could and apologized a second time for not contacting her earlier. He hoped Annie would see that the slight hadn’t been intentional; the fact was, he hated to make phone calls. Always had.

“I can’t imagine why Jane hasn’t called me herself,” she said in a worried voice.

Cal had assumed she would, too, which only went to show how hectic Jane’s days must be with her parents and the children.

“Jane will be home in a week,” Cal said, trying to sound hopeful and reassuring—although a week seemed like an eternity. He pushed the thought from his mind and forced himself to focus on their reunion. “Why don’t you give her a call?” he suggested, knowing Annie was going to want more details. “She’d love to hear from you, I’m sure.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Great… Well, it’s been good talking to you,” he said, anxious to get off the phone.

“Before we hang up, I want to ask you about Nicole Nelson.”

“Who?” Cal had no idea who she was talking about.

“You don’t know Nicole? She came into the bookstore this afternoon and applied for a job. She put you and the bank down as references.”

“Nicole Nelson,” he repeated. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

“I saw you talking to her at the rodeo,” Annie said, obviously surprised that he didn’t remember the other woman.

“Oh, yeah—her,” he said, finally recalling the incident. Then he realized how he knew Nicole. She’d been a good friend of Jennifer’s. In fact, they’d been roommates at the time he and Jennifer were engaged. “She put my name down as a job reference?” He found that hard to believe.

“She said she’s known you for a number of years,” Annie added.

“Really?” To be fair, Cal’s problem hadn’t been with Nicole but with Jennifer, who’d played him for a fool. He’d been too blinded by his first encounter with love to notice the kind of woman she was.

“Nicole said if I had any questions I should ask you.”

“It’s been years since I saw her—other than at the rodeo last week.” He did remember talking to her briefly. She’d said something about how good it was to be back in Promise, how nice to see him, that sort of thing. At the time Cal had been distracted. He’d been more interested in watching the rodeo and cheering on his friends than in having a conversation with a woman he’d had trouble recognizing. Besides, Jane was upset with him and appeasing her had been paramount. He’d barely noticed Nicole.

“Did she list any other personal references?” he asked.

“No, I told her you and the bank were the only ones I needed,” Annie continued. “So you do remember her?”

“Sure. It’s just that it was a long time ago.”

“You went out with her?”

Leave it to Annie to ask a question like that. “No, with her best friend. We almost got married.” No need to go into details. Jennifer had taught him one of the most valuable lessons of his life. The worth of that experience could be measured in the pain and embarrassment that resulted when she’d callously canceled the wedding. He could’ve lived with her breaking their engagement—but why did she have to wait till they were practically at the altar?