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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tom

It was just the two of them today. Cee Cee had to work in the afternoon, so she and Char would try to catch a few things in Hawthorne Bluff that evening. But they hoped to meet up tomorrow and hang out together for at least part of the time.

Tom and Will hadn’t planned anything specific for their morning in Plymouth; they just wanted to walk around and see what was happening. “Oh, look,” Tom said, pulling a flyer out of his pocket. “Let’s head to the library.” In the vestibule there, which was festively decorated with boughs of greenery strung with white lights and festooned with deep-red ribbons, a group of small children were singing a variety of holiday songs, so they stood watching them for a while.

“I love seeing the little kids and the expressions on their faces at this time of year,” Will said as they wandered away after about fifteen minutes.

“I know,” Tom agreed. “It’s so magical.” The coffee shop had set up a table outside, handing out coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, so they each accepted a cup of cocoa and, tossing a few dollars in the tip jar, moved on. They walked hand in hand through the Brewster Gardens, where members of the historical society were reading various holiday stories and poems near the Pilgrim Maiden statue.

“Oh, let’s stop for a minute. I love this story,” Will said. Tom recognized it as “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry and remembered Will telling him it was one of his favorites. They stood and listened all the way to the end, then stayed for the next person, who read “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. Tom wasn’t a huge fan of poetry, but he really enjoyed that one.

“That story always gets to me,” Will said, and they continued on their way. “The unselfish love that each has for the other.”

At that moment, Tom realized just how special Will was. He was different, no matter what his mom might think or say. Tom finally believed that this could actually work between the two of them.

“You’re so very special, Will,” Tom said. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met before.” He stopped walking so he could lean over and kiss Will. “Thank you for taking a chance on me,” he added sincerely.

Will kissed him back. “I think you’re pretty special too.”

Tom smiled shyly, and as they continued along the walkway, he asked, “Okay, whaddaya wanna do next?”

Suddenly, Will stopped, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Oh my God,” he cried out. “I completely forgot to tell you!”

“Tell me what?” Tom stared at him.

“I finally got a chance to talk to Clay yesterday and told him about your plans to look for an apartment right after Christmas. I asked him if he knew of anyone who might have something affordable for rent, and he said he might.”

“Really? That’s great. Did he say who?” Tom asked, excitement building in his tone.

“No. He just said to give him a couple of days. He needed to talk to someone and would let me know.”

“That’s okay,” Tom said. “Hopefully he’ll know something when you go back to work on Monday. Thank you for talking to him.”

“Of course.”

That afternoon, after walking around Plymouth for a while longer, Will and Tom stopped by the Plimoth Patuxet Museums, formerly the Plimoth Plantations, for their presentation on early winter in Plymouth Colony. Tom found the museum fascinating—he’d been visiting since he was a kid, usually with school groups—but learning about how the early settlers survived in the early 1600s was sobering. Public Christmas celebrations were, in fact, outlawed until 1681.

“Wow,” Tom said as they strolled back to his truck, “I can’t imagine living back then. It was such a difficult life.”

“I know,” Will agreed. “Imagine being fined for celebrating Christmas.” He shook his head. “Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Char says she and Cee Cee are heading to the Whale for a drink as soon as Cee Cee gets out of work. Wanna join them?”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

The parking lot wasn’t too crowded when Tom pulled in, and he easily found a space to park along the back. When they entered the bar, Tom waved at Joe, who was working behind the bar along with Cliff. Everything looked festive, with red and gold ornaments hanging from the ceiling above the bar and a large Christmas tree gracing the far corner of the seating area.

Dani, one of the bar servers who’d worked with Tom for a few years, walked by carrying a large tray and said, “Hey, Tom. You need a table, or are you going to the bar?”

“A table, please, Dani. And there’s gonna be four. Char and Cee Cee are joining us.”

“That four top”—she nodded toward a table in the corner—“should be heading out shortly. No one else is waiting, so it’s yours as soon as they leave.”

“Thanks, Dani.”

Sure enough, a few moments later, the group stood and made their way to the door. Tom grabbed a tray from the service bar and began bussing the table.

“You don’t need to do that on your day off,” Dani said as she came up behind him.

“That’s okay,” Tom told her. “I don’t mind helping out.” Dani took over filling the tray with used glasses, and Tom said, “Dani, do you know my boyfriend, Will? He works over at Bradley House. Will, this is Dani.”

“Oh, sure, I’ve seen you around. Nice to officially meet you, Will. So … you’re dating this guy, huh? Well, I guess you could do worse!” she said, laughing.

“Thanks a lot, Dani.” Tom chuckled.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Will replied. “And frankly, I think I’m pretty lucky, snagging this guy.”

Dani wiped down the table, lifted the tray, and said, “I’ll be back in a few with some menus.”

They were sipping some local craft beer when Char and Cee Cee showed up. After greeting each other with hugs, Tom said, “How was work today, Cee Cee?”

“It was busy for my entire shift,” she replied. “In fact, I left a few minutes late because I had a line at the cash register.”

“That’s good. It’s nice to see businesses doing well during YuleFest,” Will said. “Clay told me that the B and B is completely sold out for the weekend.”

“What did you guys see today?” Char asked after she and Cee Cee placed their drink orders with Dani.

Tom and Will took turns relaying their day so far. Will ended by saying, “And now we’re here with you. Did you guys want to do something after we eat?”

“There’s a gingerbread contest going on. All the entries are on display in the Hawthorne Bank and Trust lobby. Cee Cee and I were thinking of going to check it out,” Char said. “Wanna join us?”

Tom looked at Will, who nodded. “Sure, that sounds like fun.”

“Okay,” Cee Cee said, picking up her menu. “Let’s order some food.”