Debbie Macomber - Home for Christmas

“I don’t want you to argue with me, either.”

Jane grinned, sorely tempted to follow her mother’s suggestion. Why not? she decided. She’d love to see her friends. “I’ll try to set something up with Julie this week.”

“Good.” Her mother gently stroked Jane’s cheek. “You’re pale and exhausted.”

The comment brought tears to her eyes. She wasn’t the one suffering pain and trauma, like her father, who’d broken his hip, or her mother who’d been left to deal with the paramedics, the hospital, the surgeon and all the stress.

“I came here to help you,” Jane reiterated.

“You have, don’t you see?” Her mother hugged Paul. “It’s time with my precious grandbabies that’s helping me deal with all this. I don’t see nearly enough of them. Having the grandkids with me is a rare treat, and I fully intend to take advantage of it.”

Jane headed for the shower, looking forward to visiting with her friends. She missed Cal and Promise, but it was good to be in California, too.

The metallic whine of the can opener made Cal grit his teeth. This was the third night in a row that he’d eaten soup and crackers for dinner. The one night he’d fried himself a steak, he’d overcooked it. A few years back he’d been a pretty decent cook, but his skills had gotten rusty since his marriage. He dumped the ready-to-heat soup into the pan and stared at it, finding it utterly unappetizing.

Naturally he could always invite himself to his brother’s house for dinner. Glen and Ellie would gladly set an extra plate at their table. He’d do that when he got desperate, but he wasn’t, at least not yet. For that matter, he could call his father. Phil would welcome the company, but by the time Cal was finished with his chores on the ranch and showered, dinner had already been served at the seniors’ center.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he was in the mood for Mexican food, and no place served it better than Promise’s own Mexican Lindo. Already his mouth was watering for his favorite enchiladas, dripping with melted cheese. He could almost taste them. Needing no other incentive, he set the soup, pan and all directly inside the refrigerator and grabbed his hat.

If he hurried, he decided, he’d be back in time for Jane’s phone call. Her spirits had seemed better these past few days. Her father was improving, and today she’d met a couple of high-school friends for lunch.

Soon Harry would be released from the hospital, and once his father-in-law was home, Jane and the children would return to Texas. Cal sincerely wished Jane’s father a speedy recovery—and his good wishes weren’t entirely selfish. He liked Harry Dickinson, despite their arguments and despite his father-in-law’s reservations about Jane’s choice in a husband. He’d never come right out and said anything, but Cal knew. It was impossible not to. Still, Harry’s attitude had gotten a bit friendlier, especially after the children were born.

Promise was bustling when Cal drove up Main Street. All the activity surprised him, although it shouldn’t have. It was a Thursday night, after all, and there’d been strong economic growth in the past few years. New businesses abounded, an area on the outskirts of town had been made into a golf course, and the city park had added a year-round swimming pool. Ellie’s feed store had been remodeled, but it remained the friendly place it’d always been. She’d kept the wooden rockers out front and his own father was among the retired men who met there to talk politics or play a game of chess. The tall white steeple of the church showed prominently in the distance. Cal reflected that it’d been a long time since he’d attended services. Life just seemed to get in the way. Too bad, because he genuinely enjoyed Wade McMillen’s sermons.

The familiar tantalizing aroma of Texas barbecue from the Chili Pepper teased his nostrils, and for a moment Cal hesitated. He could do with a thick barbecue sandwich just as easily as his favorite enchiladas, but in the end he stuck with his original decision.

When he walked into the stucco-walled restaurant, he was immediately led to a booth. He’d barely had time to remove his hat before the waitress brought him a bowl of corn chips and a dish of extra-hot salsa. His mouth was full when Nicole Nelson stepped into the room, eyed him boldly and smiled. After only the slightest pause, she approached his table.

“Hello, Cal.” Her voice was low and throaty.

Cal quickly swallowed the chip, almost choking as he did so. The attractive woman standing there wasn’t the kid he’d known all those years ago. Her jeans fit her like a second skin, and unless he missed his guess, her blouse was one of those designer numbers that cost more than he took to the bank in an average month. If her tastes ran to expensive clothes like that, Cal couldn’t imagine how she intended to live on the amount of money Annie Porter could afford to pay her.

“Nicole,” he managed. “Uh, hi. How’re you doing?”

“Great, thanks.” She peered over her shoulder as though expecting to meet someone. “Do you have a couple of minutes?”

“Uh…sure.” He glanced around, grateful no one was watching.

Before he realized what she intended, Nicole slid into the booth opposite him. Her smile was bright enough to make him blink.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again,” she said, sounding genuine.

“You, too,” he muttered, although if he’d passed her in the street, he probably wouldn’t have recognized her.

“I imagine you’re surprised I’m back in Promise.”

“Yeah,” he said. “What brings you to town?” He already knew she’d made the move without having a job lined up.

She reached for a chip, then shrugged. “A number of reasons. The year I lived in Promise was one of the best of my life. I really did grow to love this town. Jennifer and I got transferred here around the same time, but she never felt about Promise the way I did.”

“Jennifer,” he said aloud. Cal couldn’t help wondering what had become of his ex-fiancée. “Are you still in touch with her?”

“Oh, sure. We were best friends for a lot of years.”

“How is she?”

“Good,” Nicole told him, offering no details.

“Did she ever marry?” He was a fool for asking, but he wanted to know.

Nicole dipped the chip in his salsa and laughed lightly. “She’s been married twice.”

“Twice?” Cal could believe it. “Last I heard she was living with a computer salesman in Houston.” He’d heard that from Glen, who’d heard it from Ellie, who’d heard it from Janice at the bank.

“She married him first, but they’ve been divorced longer than they were ever married.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He wasn’t really, but it seemed like something he should say.

“Then she met Mick. It wasn’t his real name, but she called him that because he was from Australia.”

“Why Mick?”

“Mick Dundee.”

“Oh,” he said, and remembered that was a character in a popular movie from the 1980s.

“Jennifer thought Mick was hot stuff,” Nicole continued. “They had a whirlwind courtship, married in Vegas and divorced a year later.”

“I imagine she was upset about that,” Cal said, mainly because he didn’t know how else to comment.

“With Jennifer it’s hard to tell,” Nicole said, leaning forward.

The waitress approached the table and Nicole declined a menu, but asked for a strawberry margarita. “Actually I’m meeting someone later, but I saw you and I thought this was a good opportunity to catch up on old times.”

“Sure.” Not that they’d had any “old times.” Then, because he wasn’t sure she realized he was married, he added, “I could use the company. My wife and kids are in California with her family for the next week or so.”