Page 3 of A Perfectly Splendid Christmas (On the Way to Christmas)

“Have a good night,” Kacey called when Colleen climbed out of the back seat of her mint-green Prius.

Colleen waved. “Thank you, MissKacey. Bye, Riley!” The little girl bolted toward the front door of her house with her wavy

black ponytail flowing behind her sparkly purple backpack and her yellow coat.

Kacey turned toward her niece. “So, how are you going to behave at choir next week?”

“I won’t chat or giggle.”

“Promise?”

Riley held up her pinky, and Kacey linked hers with it. “Pinky promise, Aunt Kacey.”

“Perfect.” Kacey smiled. “I’ll make you a deal. If you behave, I won’t tell your parents that Mr.Murphy had to talk to you

and Colleen.”

Her niece’s expression brightened. “You promise?”

“Cross my heart.” Kacey drew an X over her chest.

“Deal!” Riley shook Kacey’s hand.

Kacey backed her car out of the Parker family’s driveway and headed down the street.

“Was Mr.Murphy your boyfriend?”

Kacey gave her niece a sideways glance. “No. We were just friends.” Unfortunately . “Why?”

“You seemed really happy to see each other.”

Kacey stared out the windshield, pondering her niece’s observation. At one point, she had been certain Drew cared for her

in high school, and she was sure he’d ask her to prom. But he never asked her, and only a week before, his best friend, Bennett,

asked, which seemed better than staying home or going alone. To her surprise, Bennett also asked her to be his girlfriend,

and she said yes, even though her heart still belonged to Drew. Soon after, her friendship with Drew was strained, and they

barely spoke until graduation when they said good-bye and wished each other luck at college.

“Aunt Kacey...” Riley sang. “Did you hear me?”

Kacey slowed to a stop at an intersection and faced her niece, who was studying her, her blue eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you saved me any of those strawberry frosted cookies.”

“Actually, yes, there were two left, so I brought them home for you.” She reached back and touched Riley’s nose.

“Thank you.”

Kacey turned left onto Maple Avenue and then steered her Prius into Dani’s driveway, parking behind her mother’s burgundy

Subaru Outback. She gathered up her purse and the bakery box while Riley shouldered her backpack.

They walked up the short driveway to the front porch of her sister’s modest, three-bedroom brick ranch home.

When they reached the door, Riley pulled it open and rushed inside, announcing, “I’m home!”

Kacey chuckled to herself while following her into the family room, where Travis sat on a recliner. The delicious aroma of

garlic bread filled the room and her stomach growled with delight at the thought of her sister’s scrumptious spaghetti and

meatballs.

“Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!” Riley yelled as she sprinted toward her room.

Dani appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Hi, Riley! I made your favorite.”

“Yay!” Riley called before disappearing into her bedroom.

Travis shook his head and smiled at Kacey. “I wish I had half her energy.”

“Me too. How was your day?” Kacey set her purse on the sofa.

Travis shrugged, his smile fading. “It was about the same as all the other days lately. Disappointing. The interview didn’t

go that great.” He picked up a can of Coke from the end table beside him and took a long gulp.

“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?” Kacey set the bakery box on the coffee table, shucked her teal coat, and set it on

the sofa beside her purse.

He raked his hand through his short, light-brown hair. “I think I’m overqualified. Everyone is looking to fill entry-level

positions that they can pay less for these days.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I know Dani is going crazy with

worry, and I’ve been telling her it’s going to work out. But honestly, I’m starting to lose hope. I just feel like such a

failure. I’ve let her down.”

“No, you haven’t.” Kacey walked over to him and sat on a love seat beside his recliner. “You’re doing the best you can, and

she knows that. It will work out. Until then I’ll help you as much I can.”

His smile was sad. “We’re both so grateful.”

Kacey’s heart broke for her sister and brother-in-law and their situation. Travis had been a part of her life for as long

she could remember.

Dani and Travis met their first year of high school when he and his parents moved to Splendid Lake, and they’d been inseparable

since. They even weathered a long-distance relationship when he attended Appalachian State University, and then they married

soon after he graduated.

Kacey was grateful her sister had married such a good man. He always worked hard for his family, and his love for his wife

and daughters was apparent in the gleam of his hazel eyes when he gazed at them.

“How was your day?” he asked before taking another sip of his drink.

“Busy. Dani is going to have a lot of baking to do tomorrow morning.”

“Well, at least there’s some good news today.”

“Auntie!” Kelly came romping down the hallway, her curly blonde pigtails bouncing and her arms up in the air, waving above

her head.

Kacey’s mother followed her younger granddaughter, grinning down at the little girl. “Slow down, Kelly. You’re going to trip

and go boom.”

Mom’s light-brown hair was threaded with gray, and her beautiful pale-blue eyes sparkled with love for her children and grandchildren.

Mom seemed much younger than her true age of fifty-seven. Kacey had always thought Dani resembled a younger version of Mom

since they shared the same eye and hair color, while Kacey’s hair was blonde and her eyes a deeper shade of blue, like her

father’s.

Scooping her four-year-old niece into her arms, Kacey kissed her little head. “Hey, snuggle bug!” Then she smiled at her mother.

“How were things at the elementary school today?”

“The front office was busy as usual,” Mom said. “I heard you tell Travis that the bakery kept you hopping too.”

“Kace,” Dani called from the kitchen, “could you please help me?”

“Of course.” Kacey handed Kelly to her mother and then slipped into the kitchen, where Dani stood at the sink, pouring a large

pot of spaghetti into a colander. “Put me to work.”

Dani shook the colander and then poured the pasta into a large bowl. “So the bakery was busy today?”

“I ran out of cupcakes, most of the cookies, and almost all the cakes.” Kacey scrubbed her hands at the sink.

Dani handed her a large bowl of salad and the bowl of pasta. “Can you take these to the table?”

Kacey walked into the dining room, where Travis and the girls had gathered around the table. Then she returned to the kitchen

and found Mom scooping meatballs and tomato sauce from a double boiler into a large serving bowl, and Dani standing at the

refrigerator retrieving a can of Parmesan cheese.

Kacey leaned against the counter next to her sister. “Why didn’t you tell me that Drew Murphy was the choir director?”

“Drew Murphy?” Mom spun toward her with her blue eyes wide.

Dani’s brow puckered. “I thought Mrs.Hansen was the director.”

“Apparently her mother had emergency surgery, and she had to go to Florida to take care of her,” Kacey said, folding her arms

over her waist. “Since Drew is the music teacher at the middle school, Mrs.Hansen asked him to fill in this year.”

“Oh dear,” Mom said. “I hope Dana’s mother is okay.”

Dani nodded. “Me too.”

“I’m sure he’s a wonderful teacher.” Mom smiled. “I remember how talented he was. Couldn’t he play several instruments?”

“That’s right. He could figure out any song on the piano. Then he also learned how to play clarinet, trumpet, and French horn.

He was like a one-man band.” Kacey pushed off the counter and picked up the basket of garlic bread. She couldn’t help but

wonder if he was single, but she shook off her curiosity. After all, she was planning to go back to her life in Charlotte,

and he had built a life here.

Dani touched Kacey’s arm, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “What did he say to you?”

“Not a whole lot.” Kacey gave a brief overview of her conversation with Drew, leaving out the part about Riley and Colleen’s

behavior.

Mom’s smile was wide. “I think he’s still single.”

“Ooooh,” Dani sang. “That’s right. You two were always so close. I’m surprised you never dated.”

Me too. “That was a long time ago.”

“But you’re here now,” her sister continued.

Kacey waved her off and carried the bread to the dining room, where she placed it in the center of the long oak table. “It

would never work out between us. His life is here, and mine is in Charlotte.”

“You don’t have to go back to Charlotte.” Mom set four bottles of salad dressing next to the salad. “You’re teleworking here

now. Why not continue to do it?”

“Exactly.” Dani set the Parmesan cheese beside the bowl of meatballs and then took her usual spot across from Travis.

Kacey sank down on a chair beside Riley. “Because I love Charlotte.”

“What’s wrong with Splendid Lake?” Dani’s expression matched her challenge.

Travis looked back and forth between his wife and Kacey. “What are we talking about?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Splendid Lake,” Kacey said. “I love it here, and it will always be my home. But I’ve always dreamed

of owning a place in a city.”

“Would someone please clue me in on what we’re discussing?” Travis asked.

“Hang on. I need to make a point,” Dani told Travis, and he blew out a puff of air. “But what if Drew is your future?”

“Drew who? Murphy?” Travis asked.

Mom wagged a finger. “Or your Christmas miracle.”

“Christmas miracle?” Kacey snorted. “Seriously, Mom? My love life is so pathetic that I need a miracle? Thanks so much.”

Riley yanked the sleeve of Kacey’s long-sleeved white blouse. “May I please have a piece of bread and some spaghetti and meatballs?”

“Bread, peeease!” Kelly announced from her booster seat beside Mom.

Kacey lifted Riley’s plate and added a small pile of spaghetti, a couple of meatballs and sauce, and a piece of garlic bread

to it before handing it back to her. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Riley smiled up at her.

Across the table, Mom made a small plate for Kelly.

Dani added some salad to a bowl and then passed it Kacey. “Well, you’re going to be seeing Drew on Tuesdays and Thursdays

after Riley’s choir practice.” Her expression was smug.

“So Drew is the choir director?” Travis began putting the pieces of the conversation together. “And he’s the same Drew that

Kacey was friends with in school.”

Kacey forked some salad into a bowl before passing it to her mother. “Yes. Now let’s change the subject. Riley needs to tell

you about choir practice.”

Her niece shot her a panicked expression.

“Tell them what song you sang,” Kacey said, her words measured.

“Oh.” Riley’s expression relaxed. “‘Joy to the World.’”

Kacey shook her head. “Yes, over and over again. I heard every word in the bakery.”

“Oh, I know what you mean.” Dani swirled her fork in the air. “You should have been there when the Zumba class was going on

last spring. I was dancing around the bakery along with the pop music.”

Travis snickered. “I’m sorry I missed that.”

All the adults laughed, and Kacey glanced around the table as her heart warmed. She simply adored her family.

“So you like choir?” Mom asked.

Riley nodded while eating a meatball. “It’s fun.”

“I can’t believe the Christmas Tree Lighting Festival is only a month away,” Mom said. “Before you know it Christmas will

be here. Where has the year gone?”

“That means Santa will be coming soon, Kelly.” Riley grinned at her baby sister.

“I like Santa,” Kelly announced, and everyone laughed.

Dani lifted her glass of water. “Thanksgiving is three weeks from today.”

“That’s right,” Kacey said, forking more salad. “I feel like we were just at church for Easter.”

Dani looked at Mom. “Are we going to your house for Thanksgiving again this year?”

Mom nodded. “Sure.”

“I’ll help cook,” Kacey volunteered.

“Oh, don’t do us any favors.” Travis held his hands up in mock horror.

Kacey pointed her fork at her brother-in-law. “That’s not nice.”

“But it’s true,” Mom said as everyone laughed.

Kacey settled back in her chair and laughed along with them.

Yes, it was great to be back in Splendid Lake.

Later, Kacey parked behind her mother’s Subaru at the small house her mother had purchased shortly after her father passed

away. While it was painful for Mom, Dani, and Kacey to say good-bye to the four-bedroom, two-story home closer to the lake,

Mom had explained that they needed to downsize so she could manage the bills without Dad’s income.

Located a few blocks from Dani’s home, the house had a similar floor plan to her sister’s house with its moderate-size primary

bedroom, two small bedrooms, two bathrooms, and small kitchen, family room, and dining room.

Once inside, Mom went to take a shower while Kacey retired to the guest bedroom, which had once been Dani’s bedroom since

Kacey’s bedroom was now Mom’s craft and sewing room.

Kacey sat at the desk, powered up her computer, and perused her work email. She clicked through messages from her supervisor,

coworkers, and customers, responding when necessary. Then she checked her calendar and created a list of projects she needed

to address tomorrow.

While she worked, her mind replayed her brief conversation with Drew, and his face filled her mind. She pondered what her

mother and sister had said about her and Drew—that perhaps their time together would happen now, so many years after they’d

last spoken in person. Yet, it seemed impossible that Drew would suddenly be interested after so many years. If he hadn’t

liked her as more than a friend back in high school, it seemed preposterous that he would now.

Against her better judgment, Kacey popped over to Facebook and found his profile. She browsed photos of him conducting the

middle school band in the auditorium, smiling with students holding their instruments, laughing with friends, and then photos

of two cats—one fat orange tabby and a gray cat that seemed to always have a look of disdain.

Her eyes flitted to where he’d listed himself as single, and her pulse fluttered.

She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. Who was she kidding? Drew Murphy was handsome, single, outgoing, friendly,

and funny. There was no way he’d ever want to get involved with Kacey, his buddy from school. If they hadn’t had a spark back

then, why would they have one now?

But they had both grown and matured. Things might be different. What if Drew’s feelings for her changed? What would she do

about it when her life and her career were back in Charlotte?