Page 5 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)

“Maybe you could ask your mom for some advice on how I could get along with my mom.”

“It’s probably easier if you ask her yourself.”

“Oh, are you inviting me over?”

Rosie gave him a look.

“Can I?” He tried again.

“I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Let me ask Mom. See when she’s free.” Rosie thought for a little bit.

“To be honest, you know that every family is different. I just happen to have great parents. They weren’t perfect and then Dad died before I graduated.

He wasn’t there for my commencement. So each family has its own woes, you know. ”

“I know. Sorry I brought it up.”

“No, no. You felt comfortable enough to tell me.”

“Where did you go to college?” Evan changed the subject.

“UGA. Go Dawgs!” She hadn’t been back to the University of Georgia campus in Athens since she graduated nine years ago, but always cheered for them when she had time to watch college football on television. “Where did you go to college?”

He hesitated.

“Is it a secret?”

“No. I went to Vanderbilt.” He paused. “Did my undergraduate and MBA there.”

A Master’s in Business Administration.

“Which begs the question why you’re now a seasonal worker being paid a minimum wage when you have an MBA.”

“I’ll tell you.”

“I don’t need to know.” Rosie meant it.

Evan had probably not heard her because he kept on talking. “Seasonal work is flexible for me. If I need to leave after Christmas, then it won’t look bad on my resume because I finished the work. It wouldn’t be like I quit, you know.”

“I guess.”

“What about you? Do you only work at Christmas?” Evan asked.

“No. I work all year round.”

“You like it?”

Rosie nodded. “It has flexible hours.”

“That’s useful in case you need to deal with family issues, like health.”

“Yes, like when Mom was undergoing chemo. I was grateful to be able to take time off during the off-season.”

“She’s fine now, I hear.”

“Yes. She survived Stage 4, but the cancer might return at any time. When that happens, at least we’ll have health insurance—even though Mom has decided that if the cancer returns, she doesn’t want any more treatment.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s her choice. It’s a miracle already that she was one of the thirty-some percent of cancer patients who made it out of Stage 4 alive.”

Rosie could be mistaken, but was that a tear in Evan’s eyes? Or had he been stifling a yawn because she’d bored him with her sad family stories? Cancer was serious but also sad because time was running out for Mom. If her cancer came back, it was all over for them.

In times like this, Rosie wished that she had siblings to share the caregiving burden with. Mom knew how hard she struggled when she had to juggle work and care. However, she was happier now at Christmastown where every day was Christmas.

“Anyhow, it was difficult enough for me to be Mom’s sole caregiver.

I don’t need more stress from work, you know?

I love gardening—got that from Dad—and working in a nursery is relaxing for me.

As long as I stay away from office politics and bickering, I’m fine at Christmastown.

I don’t need a lot of income to live well. ”

Evan nodded. “What was your major in college?”

“Plant biology for both bachelor’s and master’s.”

“They sound like a great fit for a tree farm.”

“Well, most of my time is spent managing the farm, so it’s not especially scientific.”

“I hear you. However, it’s not as stressful, right?”

“I love my job, love the people I work with, love the environment. What’s not to love about Christmas all year round?” Rosie smiled.

Evan didn’t answer. In fact, he looked a bit surprised and astounded.

“What?”

“I wasn’t sure it’s possible to find a job you love, even if it doesn’t exactly match your major, but here you are, a living example of such a thing.”

“Not only a job I love, but also can support my mom and me. Christmastown provides great healthcare and benefits. If I need to take Mom to the doctor’s office, it’s no problem for me to take the time off.

We have plenty of overtime during our busiest season.

In fact, I have enough time off to not work the week after Christmas, but I probably won’t. ”

“Sounds like a low-stress job.”

“Stress is everywhere, Evan. It’s hard to avoid that in the marketplace.”

Evan nodded. Said nothing.

“Why are you in Savannah, Evan?” Rosie asked. “Are you really here to work for Christmastown or is this just a pit stop to somewhere else?”

“May I take a raincheck? I will answer your questions when I’m ready. For now, I’ll just say that I’m single and unattached, so I can go anywhere I want. I’m exploring my career options.”

Single and unattached.

He said it himself.

“Sorry for prying.” Rosie could be curious sometimes, but this time, Evan had told her a lot about himself.

“You’re not. I wanted you to ask me that so that I can tell you more about myself. I want you to know me more, but I don’t want you to reject me after you find out all about me.”

“Reject you? What are you talking about?” Rosie’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you’re a convict or something and you’ve served time and you don’t want me to know?”

“If corporate prison can be considered a form of incarceration…”

Rosie raised a hand. “Someday, your psychological mask will come off, and then you can be honest with yourself before God. Remember that God already knows all about you.”

“What do you think I should do to get to that point?”

“After Dad died, I was devastated. He was only in his sixties. It was a workplace accident. They compensated us, but Dad was still dead, you know? I was a junior in college and I could barely attend class. I was crying all the time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was angry and hurt. I stopped going to church. I was just upset.” Rosie wondered how to phrase it.

“I didn’t stay there. It has been eleven years, and I came out of the funk.

I had great friends at church who reached out to me and invited me back to church.

They never gave up on me. Some of them have moved out of town, but some of them are still here. You’ll meet them tomorrow.”

“I have no real friends, except for my brother, who is a Christian also. However, we both work at the family business, run by my parents—two non-Christians whose religion is probably work.” He paused, apparently to collect his thoughts.

“Their lives revolve around the company and its success. Even at home, my parents were all business. I don’t recall a single family dinner in which we just chatted about life and such. It was always business.”

“You can find Christian friends at church, right?” Rosie asked.

“I attended church back home, but I didn’t go to Sunday school,” Evan said.

“My work required me to travel a lot all over the country, and most of the time I ended up live-streaming church from my hotel room on Sunday mornings because I had to catch a flight that afternoon to go to the next place. I spent eighty percent of my time at work.”

“Some people enjoy that, but it can get old for others.”

“It got old for me. I quit last week and left town.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t know why I was in that job that required so much traveling.

When I asked for a change of position, they told me that if we hired another person to do all the work I was doing, then why was I there at all?

They said I had to either stay put or quit.

I’m a homebody and I prefer to stay at home. ”

“Me too.” That was one thing they had in common. “Frankly, I didn’t want to come here tonight. I’d rather be at home right now.”

“Home. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a real home?”

Rosie tapped his shoulder. “If you keep saying that, my mom will end up adopting you.”

“Do I sound like a stray cat?” Evan laughed.

Rosie realized then the reason he had let his guard down and shared about his personal feelings to her was due to the mask he wore on his face.

That mask was similar to a virtual shield found on social media online.

If they had both taken their masks off, Rosie suspected that Evan wouldn’t be so forthcoming.

A server came to take away their small plates.

“Would you like something to drink?” the same server asked.

“Do you have sparkling water?” Rosie asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Evan. “For you, sir?”

“I’ll just have a glass of water, please. Thank you.”

It was interesting to Rosie that Evan hadn’t asked for any alcoholic beverages. She knew Christians who drank wine and beer, but she herself did not. Evan hadn’t tonight. Why?

“You don’t drink?” Rosie pried.

“Actually, I don’t. My favorite uncle died of acute alcohol poisoning when I was in high school, and I made up my mind never to drink. My family does, though.”

“Neither Mom nor I drink. I just believe that it’s so much better for me that I don’t.

I can take care of Mom better when I have full control of my faculties, you know?

I have to be alert twenty-four-seven. Imagine if Mom needed me in the middle of the night and I’m passed out from having too much to drink.

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Because I like to have clear thinking. ”

Evan leaned toward her. “Do you have clear thinking about me?”

“We just met.” He’d be leaving town when the season work was over. What was there to think about?

“Remember what you said yesterday?” Evan asked.

“What did I say?”

“My reward for rescuing you was to work at the tree farm with you.”

That took Rosie by surprise. “I was being sarcastic, dude. We needed volunteers. You wanted a reward. I have none to give you. So I offered you a job. You’re a floater, so you go to whichever Christmastown department needs you.”

“Are you saying you need me?”

“The poinsettias and Christmas trees need you, not me. The company needs you. It’s not personal.”

“I know. Was only kidding.”

Were you?

He looked lonely.

“I’ve already contacted HR to transfer me to the tree farm,” Evan continued. “That way, Bellina can stop training me, and I can see you every day.”

“You will see everyone at the nursery, not just me. There are nine of us—now ten—working there until two days before Christmas.” Rosie prayed that Evan wouldn’t get too attached to her. She had family obligations and could not be the friend he was looking for.

However, somewhere in her heart, she felt sorry for him. He seemed to be running away from something.

Right then and there, Rosie prayed silently for him. Perhaps that was why God had brought him to her sphere of influence—so that she could pray for him.

Pray for what exactly?

She was sure that God would show her by and by.