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Chapter One
Becca shivered as she closed the front door behind her. It was cold out there. She’d expected winters here in Napa to be much milder than at home. Everyone kept telling her that this cold snap was unusual, and she could do without it. She checked the thermostat on the wall and decided to leave her coat on for a little while. She was trying to acclimatize to keeping the temperature a bit lower in the townhouse – just like she was trying to do every other little money-saving trick she could think of. It wasn’t going to be enough, she already knew that, but she was hoping that she’d be able to hang in until the lease was up.
She knew that she and Aiden should never have taken this place. It was nice, and having a back yard was a bonus – when the weather was nice enough to be able to enjoy it. But the rent was just too much. She’d wanted to take the one-bedroom apartment that they looked at. It would have been cramped, but it would also have been much more affordable. But no. Aiden had insisted that this place would be worth the extra money and that they could afford it between them.
She blew out a sigh and shrugged out of her coat. They had been able to afford it between them, for the two months that he’d stayed here. But he was long gone, and she was quickly approaching the day when she’d have to admit that she couldn’t afford it by herself. She knew she should try and find out how much it would cost to break the lease, but she kept putting it off because she dreaded finding out that she wouldn’t be able to afford that either.
She set her bag down on the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area and started pulling her books out. She wanted to get some lesson planning done before she had to go out. Once she was settled with a cup of tea beside her and her books and laptop in front of her, she quickly lost track of the time. Life might not be all that rosy at the moment, but she loved her work, and she loved the kids she worked with. The older teachers kept telling her that her enthusiasm would soon wear off, but she didn’t think it would. Most of the teachers at the school had at least fifteen years’ experience under their belts. They looked at her as a newbie. But she wasn’t. She’d taught at home in Kansas for a few years before Aiden had convinced her to come to California with him.
She jumped when her cell phone rang and smiled when she sawDadflash up on the display.
“Hey, Dad! How’s it going?”
“It’s going good, Becca. How about you?”
“I’m fine. I’m just doing some lesson prep for the rest of the week.”
“They still got you working hard, then? I thought you might be winding down for the holidays.”
She laughed. “The kids are winding down on work and getting wound up for Christmas. But I still have some ground to cover with them before we break for the holidays.”
“And you’re going to come home the day after school gets out?”
She forced a smile. “You know I am.”
“I just wanted to make sure. Your brothers and sister will all be here at the house on Christmas day. They’re expecting to see you. And you know it’d break your mom’s heart if you don’t come.”
“I’ll be there, Dad.” They’d had this conversation so many times already.
“Do you have your flight details? I want to make sure that I’m there waiting when that plane lands.”
Becca bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t want to tell him that she hadn’t actually bought the ticket yet. She had a bunch of alerts set up to notify her when – if – prices dropped. But the closer it got to Christmas, the less likely it was that would happen. In fact, at this rate, she’d probably discover that she’d screwed herself over by waiting and hoping, and she’d have to shell out a fortune.
She sighed. “Not yet.”
“I didn’t think so. I know it can’t be easy, Becs. Not after that … Aiden, left you having to pay for everything by yourself. Listen, that’s why I’m calling. Your mom can’t wait to see you, it’d break her heart if you don’t come. And the way you’ve been so edgy about it, I reckoned it might be about the money. So, why don’t you use that credit card I gave you? I can cover it.”
“Aww, Dad. I can’t do that. You’re not exactly flush yourself.” She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
“I can do it, Becs.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean that …”
“It’s okay. I know. Things have been tough on the farm the last couple years. But if I can’t even get my girl home for the holidays, I might as well give up.”
“I know you can do it, Dad. I just mean that I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll get online and find myself a ticket tomorrow and call you when I have the flight details.” She smiled. “And then I’ll be able to look forward to seeing you and Mom waiting for me when I land.”
“You can use the credit card, love. I can cover it.”
“How about if I can’t find a cheap ticket, I’ll use the card and give you as much as I can towards it?”
“Okay. Do that then.” Her dad chuckled. “But don’t you want to get online and do it tonight so that I can tell your mom that you’re definitely coming?”
“I would, but like I said, I’m doing some lesson prep now, and then I’m going out later.”
“You are? Where are you going?”
“There’s a Christmas tree lighting at one of the big wineries.”
