ERIK
On Christmas morning, Erik stood behind a plastic folding table in the reception room of the Center, scooping fruit onto plates as he took in the delicious scents of the homemade breakfast, and the happy faces of the gathered crowd.
Of course he and the other veterans were there, that had always been the plan. What he hadn’t anticipated was the crew of volunteers who had taken time out of their own family holiday traditions to help out.
Betty Ann Eustace had come by with her great-nephew, Fisher. Betty Ann was one of the pillars of the town, responsible for planning so many of the bigger events. It was touching to see her here on Christmas morning, scrambling eggs and frying up fragrant strips of bacon on hot plates, with Fisher dishing them out as fast as the guys could step up. There seemed to be notask, however humble, that Mrs. Eustace wouldn’t undertake for her community. And she always brought at least one extra pair of hands along.
A couple of the Cassidy boys had already dropped off pies for tonight, along with hot cocoa kits and a massive pan of lasagna to put in the fridge and heat up later in the week.
Annabelle Williams, who always ran the book sale at the Winter Wonderland Festival, had come by with two big canvas bags of used bestsellers that she had pulled specially to donate to the Center. They were spread out on Erik’s desk now, and the vets were taking turns looking through the cache of mysteries, thrillers, and even a few romances, each choosing a book or two to enjoy.
There were also trays of cheese and salami from Mal over at the bakery, and sandwiches from the Co-op’s deli. They had run out of Mal’s doughnuts first thing, but with so much other food, he was hoping that no one missed the sweets too much.
The gift exchange this morning had been a hoot. In addition to the gifts from Erik, the other vets had done a white elephant exchange. The whole building practically shook with their laughter as silly gifts were opened and passed around.
Everything was much better than Erik had expected, honestly.
Well, almost everything.
He still hadn’t heard a peep from Jenny.
Sighing lightly, he willed himself not to check his phone again.
“You okay, Cap?” one of the younger guys asked.
“Sure, Steven,” Erik told him, shaking himself out of his thoughts and spooning a scoop of cut fruit onto the man’s plate. “Sorry, just daydreaming.”
“We know you’re dreaming about Goldilocks,” Steven teased him, winking before he walked off with his brunch.
Oddly, it hurt more that Jenny and Gael hadn’t decided to be here than it did that the real Goldilocks had dumped him.
But hurt or not, he was going to have to come clean with the guys, and the sooner the better.
The last few vets in the line for food moved through and left with plates piled high with bacon, eggs, and fruit. They sat in the folding chairs that had been arranged in a big circle around the room.
“Hey everyone,” Erik said, stepping out from behind the table, ready to face the music.
His own voice sounded too loud in his ears. Looking around at the expectant faces, he had no idea how he was going to disappoint them all at once.
“There’s something I need to tell you about my fiancée…” he began.
There was a flash of movement in the doorway assomeone stepped inside. Erik glanced over to see that it was actually two someones.
Jenny and Gael.
Erik’s heart pounded, pumping a dose of fresh optimism through his veins.
“There she is,” someone pointed out. There was gentle laughter in response.
Erik looked to Jenny, silently asking if she was really here for the reason he hoped she was.
She nodded her head almost imperceptibly, a tiny smile on her lips.
“Some of you know my fiancée by her nickname, Goldilocks,” he said, improvising. “Well, she normally goes by Jenny with her friends, and this is her son, Gael.”
There were smiles and shouts ofhelloandwelcomeas Erik moved to the back corner that bordered the hallway, where there would be enough room for the three of them to stand together.
“Thank you all for having us,” Jenny said, looking around with a warm smile.
