They continued to plan out their weekend before heading off to work.
The restof the week sped by, and before Will knew it, it was Friday morning.A whole weekend off, and I get to spend it with Tom!Will bounded out of bed and made his way to thebathroom to get ready. He practically flew down the stairs and greeted his mom, who was sitting in the kitchen sipping her coffee, with a hug and kiss before pouring a cup of his own dark brew.
“My, aren’t you in a good mood today!” Emily exclaimed, laughing.
“Of course, I am, Mom!” he replied, face beaming. “My exams are over, YuleFest starts today, I’m off work for three whole days, and I get to spend them with Tom!” The day was cold but clear, perfect for walking around YuleFest with one’s boyfriend.
“You’ve grown quite fond of him, haven’t you?” she asked.
“I have, Mom.” Butterflies seemed to dance in his belly just from thinking about Tom. “Remember when I went out last Sunday? Well, Tom had texted me and needed to talk. His mom is laying some heavy stuff on him, and he needed to vent. He’s thinking of getting his own apartment so that he’s not constantly subjected to the things she’s saying.”
Will paused to sip his coffee, considering what to say next. “Anyway, we chatted about that for a while, and then we talked about us. We agreed that we think of each other as boyfriends, so here we are.”
“Something tells me there’s more,” his mom said.
“I know I can trust you not to share this, Mom,” Will began. When Emily nodded, he went on. “Tom’s dad left when he was just a kid, and his mom’s been bitter about it ever since. She’s constantly telling him that relationships never work out, and that he’d be better off alone, so he’s never had a boyfriend for any length of time. I think he unconsciously sabotages any chance of anything good happening because he’s convinced himself—or his mom has convinced him—that it’s eventually gonna end anyway.”
“That’s awful.” Emily shook her head. “Why would a mother do that to her child?”
“I dunno, Mom, but I told him I wasn’t going anywhere, and that we’d figure it out together. I just hope he believes me, ’cause I really like him. It might even be more than just ‘like,’” Will admitted.
“You’re a good man, Will. You need to invite him over for dinner soon. I want to get to know him, seeing as you’re getting serious about him.”
Just then there was a knock on the back door. Tom was standing there, looking as handsome as ever. “Hey,” Will said. “Come in.”
“I, um, well ...” Tom stammered.
“Come in, Tom,” Emily said from inside. Her voice was warm and friendly.
Tom stepped in and said, “Hello, Mrs. Hargrove. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Tom,” she said. “And please, call me Emily. Will and I were just talking about you.”
“You were?” Color rose in Tom’s cheeks.
“Nothing bad, silly,” Will said, hugging Tom. “Mom just told me that I need to invite you to dinner soon.”
“Oh, um, sure.”
“I’d like to get to know the guy that’s dating my son.” Emily smiled.
“That would be nice, Mrs. Ha—um, Emily. I’d love to,” Tom said as Will shrugged into his winter jacket.
“Perfect. Now you boys go on and have fun. I have a few things to do here, but Melissa’s coming over this afternoon, and we’ll go out and see some of the sights at YuleFest, too, so I may see you later.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tom
It was justthe 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 dollarsin 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.
