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He wanted to kiss her, but he knew it would be too fast too soon. He needed to fully gain her trust before he made such a move.
“So, Miss Eden Lassiter, would you like to come see the Christmas fireworks with me this evening? I’ve been looking forward to this event ever since I hit town. We can grab something to eat and then head to the town green by dusk.”
Eden nodded. “I’d love to go with you. I just need to call my father and let him know I won’t be home until later.”
Brady frowned. “Will he be okay by himself?”
She grinned. “He’ll be fine. He got reacquainted with some of his lady friends at the festival the other night. He invited one over for dinner, so he won’t be alone.” Eden dug her cell phone out of her purse and quickly made the phone call to her father. Eden let out a chuckle as she ended the call.
“What’s so funny?” Brady asked. “You seem highly amused.”
Eden shook her head, her long dark hair curling around her shoulders. “I might be mistaken, but he sounded awfully happy to be getting some alone time at the house with his lady friend, Maria.”
“I guess three is a crowd,” Brady said, joining in on the laughter.
“Shall we?” Brady said, motioning with his hand toward the door. Once he locked up the place they headed off in Brady’s car toward town and the best pizza joint in town. Over pepperoni pizza, a garden salad and two sodas, Brady and Eden enjoyed a nice meal over casual conversation. They talked about California and veterinary school and huge student loans and life in Celebration. Brady couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so at ease on a date with someone. Everything just flowed so naturally between them. It was a huge blessing to have come back to Celebration and developed such an easy rapport with Eden.
By the time dusk rolled around they had made their way to the town green. It was packed with townsfolk, all of whom wanted to enjoy the popular Christmas fireworks.
Brady had taken a blanket out of the back of Vicky’s truck and tucked it under his arm. With Eden’s help, he laid it out on the grass so they could sit down comfortably and watch the pyrotechnic display. On impulse, Brady reached for Eden’s hand and entwined it with his own. For a moment she looked surprised, then she seemed to settle in to it. She sent him a sweet smile that made his heart thump wildly within his chest. They sat shoulder to shoulder as the Christmas fireworks display lit up the Texas night sky. The burst of colors shot through the heavens like a comet exploding. Reds. Greens. Purples. Whites.
He turned to look at Eden. Her face was luminous, set off by the glow from the fireworks. Afterwards, they walked by the gazebo and enjoyed the holiday lights shimmering and twinkling on every lamp post and tree.
“You confound me a little bit, Miss Lassiter.”
She turned to look at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“When I was at your house I noticed your totally barren Christmas tree. And there wasn’t so much as a wreath on your door or a holiday figurine on your mantel. No holly. No nice smelling decorative pine combs. Yet you are leading a very successful candy cane fundraiser to help abandoned animals. And you thoroughly enjoyed these holiday fireworks.”
“Is there a question in there somewhere?” Her eyes were wide in her heart-shaped face.
“Is there a reason you seem to downplay Christmas at your house? Is it because of your grandmother?” He tried to ask the question as gently as possible. Brady couldn’t contain his curiosity, and his questions to his own grandmother about Eden fell on deaf ears. She had told him to ask Eden herself if he wanted answers about her life.
“There’s something I’d like to tell you.” Eden stopped walking and turned to look at him face-to-face.
“Okay. Shoot. I’m listening. You can tell me anything.” Brady could tell by the intense expression on her face that whatever she wanted to tell him was serious.
“Remember when I told you about the hold-up at the diner the night Gran died?” Her lips trembled. She began to fidget with her fingers. “The person who held up the diner was my ex-boyfriend, Derek. He had been spiraling downward ever since I broke up with him. One of the reasons I ended things was because of his violent behavior.” Eden shuddered. “When he burst into the diner that night he was high and desperate and waving a gun around. I stood up and tried to talk to him…talk him out of hurting anyone or getting a criminal record, but he pointed the gun at me and starting ranting. Gran was so upset. I know she wanted to protect me like always. She stood up, but she clutched her chest and fell to the floor.” Tears flowed down Eden’s cheeks. “It all happened so fast. She was dead before the ambulance came to get her. And ever since that night I’ve blamed myself.”
“Why?” Brady asked in a raised voice. “You were a victim yourself. And you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I dated Derek. And she died trying to protect me.”
“So? That has nothing to do with it being your fault. Only one person was responsible, Eden. And that was Derek. He made choices and he followed through with them, with tragic results. That’s not your doing.”
“I know. Finally, it dawned on me that I’m not to blame. I just felt guilty because Gran died and my sister left town because she couldn’t deal with the pain. And we couldn’t seem to get past our grief and lean on each other as sisters.” Tears slid down Eden’s cheeks. “It’s hard to lose so much all at once. It made me crawl into a shell and just hide away from the world.”
“So you wouldn’t get hurt again?” Brady asked, his voice rich with emotion.
“Yes,” she said in a soft voice. “It felt as if I might just crack in two if that happened.”
Eden continued. “That Christmas tree at the house keeps taunting me. Every time I look at it I think Gran should be here. She should be decorating the tree and pulling out her stash of ornaments and her one-of-a-kind stars. She should be here with us.”
Brady reached out and brushed away a tear from her cheek. “I can’t blame you for feeling that way. It’s hard to understand why things happen the way they do. The truth is, only God knows. His plan for your grandmother is one of the divine mysteries of life.”
“I believe in Him. There was a time when I turned away from God, but I soon realized I need Him in my life.”
“I know one thing with absolute certainty,” Brady said. “Your gran would want you to live life to the fullest. She wouldn’t want you to have a naked tree sitting in your house. And she certainly wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for what happened to her.” Brady shook his head. “That’s not truly living.”
