“He’s a pilot? Is that what you said? Who does he fly for?” Nadine asked.
“Um, he’s a helicopter pilot in the navy, stationed in San Diego. Right now he’s sidelined because of an injury, one of the reasons he was able to come to Shelter Springs for the holidays to spend time with his family, but he’s hoping to be flying again soon.”
“Oh, he has family here?” Nona asked.
She really needed to figure out how to change the subject but nothing seemed to come to her.
“Yes. His father and stepmother live here in town,” she said. “Doug and Diane Caldwell.”
“You remember Diane. She used to be Diane Hall before she was married,” Stacy said.
“Oh, she is such a sweetie,” Nadine said. “She was a year behind me in school and the nicest person.”
“She’s still nice,” Stacy said. “She’s on the library board.She also volunteers at the kids’ school and listens to them read to her several times a week.”
Holly seized on the most flimsy of excuses to change the subject.
“Are your kids doing any Christmas shows this year?”
She knew Stacy’s oldest, Ella, was in a children’s choir that usually performed at least a few concerts every year.
“Yes. Several. Ella has to miss one the day of the wedding but she’s performing this week at the Shelter Springs market.”
“Oh, do let me know when and Lydia and I will try to make it.”
“I’ll text you the details.”
To her vast relief, Nancy asked a question about Stacy’s pregnancy and the conversation shifted to other topics.
By the time the shower wrapped up, Holly wasn’t sure who was more exhausted, her or Lydia. Her daughter yawned as they walked to the car.
“Did you have fun with your cousins and the other children?”
Lydia nodded. “Grandma gave me treats.”
She held up a gift bag that Holly could see contained small Christmas-themed party favors. “Oh, how nice. I hope you said thank you.”
She nodded. “I did, Mommy. And Ella let me play with her Barbie. And we played dress-up. I was a cowgirl and Ella was a princess.”
Troy’s family was always so warm and inclusive to Lydia. While Holly would have preferred to maintain a little more distance between them to make things less awkward all the way around, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Lydia needed her father’s family in her life, even if Troy himself had become a distant figure since he moved out of state. Maybe because of that.
A light snowfall had coated the windshield but it was easy to brush it off after she loaded Lydia into her booster seat.
Snowflakes floated through the air as she backed out of the driveway and turned toward Shelter Springs.
“Ooh. That’s pretty,” Lydia said as they passed a park and botanical garden a few blocks from her grandparents’ house. Spruce Creek Park was decorated with vivid LED light displays as well as a huge, brightly colored tree in the center.
“I want to see the lights, Mommy. Can we?”
“Not tonight, honey. We’re both tired.”
“Please oh please oh please?”
She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Lydia’s face glowing with colors reflected from the display. As much as she wanted to go home and put her feet up for a few moments, she found herself pulling into the small, crowded parking area.
Stopping would only take a few moments. And wasn’t this what the holidays were all about? Seizing these priceless, fleeting moments of joy to store up and cherish through the rest of the year?
“We can’t stay long, since we didn’t bring all our warm clothes, okay? Perhaps we can come back another time and be here longer when we’re all bundled up for the cold.”
