Sheila Roberts - Three Christmas Wishes

She entered Emily’s room to find her friend perched on her desk, looking gorgeous in a red knit dress and high boots, talking on her cell phone. Her cardboard Pilgrims and turkey were still hanging on the wall, and there was no sign that Christmas was right around the corner. Good thing Riley had stopped in.

Emily gave a start at the sight of her and said to her phone, “I’ve got to go.”

“Sorry. Did I interrupt something?” Riley asked.

“Oh. No. I’m just, um, getting ready for the weekend.”

“I thought you might be in a hurry to get on the road so I came by to see if you needed any help setting your room up for Christmas,” Riley said.

“Oh. Well. Thanks.” Emily seemed distracted.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes. Um, everything’s fine.”

Poor Emily. She was obviously trying to make the best of her upcoming family visit. “Must be hard having to go home and try to keep everyone happy,” Riley said.

Emily nodded.

“I wish you were going to be around. I’d sucker you into going out and getting something to eat tonight. Sean has to work at the gym.” Sean owned a Fit and Fine franchise, and when you owned a business, it actually owned you. Of course, once they were married it would own both of them. Sean was giving Riley a membership as a wedding present. She could think of better ways to work up a sweat together but oh, well. She’d learn to love treadmills. Maybe someday she, too, would be a size four.

“Yeah, I’m afraid I’ll be busy tonight,” Emily said.

“I hope your mom doesn’t try to match you up with someone again.”

According to Emily, last Thanksgiving her mom had tried to set her up with her yoga instructor. Emily had just broken up with her boyfriend and had been in no frame of mind for a new man. The fact that the man had been fifteen years older could’ve had something to do with it. Emily’s mom wasn’t a very good matchmaker.

Neither was Riley. She kept trying, though. “Sean’s friend Guy is going to be in town this weekend,” she said casually. Maybe Emily would like to come back early. They could all go out on Saturday night.

Emily was already shaking her head. “I appreciate the thought, but...”

Riley sighed. “I know. You’re not interested. But, Em, you don’t want to wind up alone, do you?” Honestly, Emily wasn’t even trying to fix her love life.

Emily blushed and bit her lip.

Now Riley had made her uncomfortable. “Sorry,” she said. “I guess I just want to see everyone as happy as I am.” Maybe Noel and Guy would hit it off. Noel needed someone new in her life.

“You’re such a good friend,” Emily said, her pretty blue eyes filling with tears. “I don’t deserve you.”

That seemed a little over-the-top but it was Thanksgiving. Everyone got sentimental at Thanksgiving. “You’re right,” Riley joked. “Come on. I’ll help you get your Christmas stuff up. Then you can enjoy yourself this weekend without that hanging over you.”

Emily stood up. “Thanks, but I need to get going.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

Emily nodded. “I’m sure.”

They walked to the parking lot where a few of the teachers’ cars were still parked, and Emily got into her snazzy Honda Fit (even her car was fit!) and zoomed away. Riley got into her Toyota and went home by way of her sister’s house.

She found Jo busy putting together a cranberry salad for the family gathering.

“That’s enough to feed a multitude,” Riley said after they’d hugged (not easy to do around Jo’s current baby belly).

“We are a multitude,” Jo said.

Yes, it would be a big gathering. In addition to a couple of aunts and uncles, some cousins and a grandma, Riley’s brother, Harold, would be there with his wife and daughter. And, of course, so would Jo, a Wilton by marriage but forever an Erickson at heart. However, she’d be minus her husband. Mike was in the navy, stationed on a sub, which was out at sea.

Jo rubbed her back. “This kid needs to come soon.”

It was her constant lament lately. Understandable, though. The baby was due any day.

“First babies take their time,” Mom liked to say.

“Well, this one’s taking enough time for two babies,” Jo would respond. “At the rate I’m going, it’ll be Valentine’s Day before I have this kid.”

Then Mom would say, “Maybe she’s waiting until her daddy comes home.”

Jo never found that remark cute. “Mike won’t be here until the middle of December. Don’t say stuff like that, Mom! If I don’t have this baby pretty soon, I’m going to explode.” Jo was a little dramatic these days.

But Riley wasn’t going to point fingers. She’d spent some time on the drama-queen throne a few months ago when Jo backed out of being her matron of honor. “Thanks a lot,” she’d grumbled like a true loving sister. “You couldn’t have waited a few months to get pregnant?” She’d been all excited about the baby—until Annabelle Rose upset her wedding plans. Not one of her finer moments, she had to admit. It became easy to kill her inner Bridezilla, though, after Jo asked how she’d like it if her matron of honor went into labor in the middle of the wedding ceremony.

Everything had worked out just fine, anyway, and she had her two BFFs to stand up with her.

“Have you made your pies yet?” Jo asked her.

Riley shook her head. “I’m doing them tomorrow so they’ll be fresh.”

“Ms. Organized,” Jo teased.

“I want them to be good.”

“They will be. You’re the queen of the kitchen, for crying out loud.”

“We all have to be the queen of something,” Riley said. As a personal stylist, her sister had the clothes market cornered. She claimed that since this was her business she had to look good. But really, she’d look ready for an ad in Vogue no matter what she did. Jo had flair.

“So, are you and Sean doing anything tonight?” Jo asked.

“No.” Riley shrugged. “He has to work at the gym.”

Jo frowned. “He sure seems to work a lot of overtime lately.”

“He has his own business,” Riley reminded her. “You know what that’s like.”

“I do, but I still make time for the important people in my life.”

“Sean makes plenty of time for me,” Riley insisted.

Jo shrugged and changed the subject. “Want to stay for dinner?”

“What are you making?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Jo said with a grin.

“I should’ve known there was a catch,” Riley said, but she was grinning, too.

She dug a couple of frozen chicken breasts out of Jo’s freezer and baked them with an orange sauce, then put together a tossed salad to go with them. It was what she’d planned to make for Sean. Before he informed her he had to stay at the gym. Sigh.

After dinner the sisters watched a movie. Actually, Riley watched it and Jo napped through most of it.

In spite of her evening nap, Jo was looking pooped so Riley cleaned up the kitchen then said her goodbyes and went home to her apartment. It wasn’t all that late. Maybe Sean would like to come over for a while now. Surely he could leave the gym by nine.

She tried his cell but it went to voice mail. Double sigh.

“Hi. It’s me. Just thought you might like to come over when you’re done working. Call me,” she added.

He didn’t.

She tried again an hour later and got his voice mail. “Oh, well. I’ll see you tomorrow. Mom wants us there at three so we’ll need to leave by ten to. Love you.”

She ended the call with a frown and plugged her phone in to recharge. Leaving a voice mail was so unsatisfying when you were in love. She turned on her electric fireplace and plunked down on the couch. A fire in the fireplace was romantic, even if the fireplace was electric and mainly for show. Too bad Sean wasn’t here to cuddle with her and enjoy it. Well, tomorrow night he would be. The gym would be closed on Thanksgiving, and she’d have him all to herself. Tomorrow was going to be wonderful.