“Who doesn’t love a holiday event? I think it’s a great idea,” Braden said, nodding his approval. Christmas in Owl Creek was the happiest time of the year without exception.
Braden could see the enthusiasm bubbling up inside Piper. “I think we’d have a nice turnout if we held it the night of the holiday stroll. That way customers can come inside from the cold, get some hot cocoa, sit down for a meal and then help us decorate the tree. And I can figure out a great promo for the pies.” She quickly told her mom about Braden’s idea to offer more of a pie selection, especially for the season.
“Speaking of pies, I want to order some from you for the inn. My guests are clamoring for some more.” Trudy winked at her daughter. “I told them I have an in with the pie maker so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Braden saw the look of pleasure etched on Piper’s face. He knew it must be gratifying to receive such validation, especially when things were in such turmoil with her business.
“See, Piper? The demand for your pies is increasing every day. You can really spark something if we can figure out how to increase production so they can be a staple at the diner.” Braden knew Piper needed to be encouraged in order for her to believe in the potential success of her pies. She wasn’t a risk taker by nature, so he wanted to show her what was possible if she stepped out on a limb of faith.
“We? Are you helping Piper with the diner and this pie enterprise?” Trudy asked, turning toward Braden. “If you are, I think it’s great. You’re one of her closest and most trusted friends.” She put her arm around Piper. “This young lady has absorbed a lot of responsibility in the last four years. Sometimes I wonder if we should have stepped in to help out with the running of the place. So much has been placed on her shoulders.”
Piper shook her head. “I wouldn’t have let you, Mama. You have the inn to run and Hank is town sheriff with a new wife and toddler. From the very start I was eager to carry on Daddy’s legacy. That hasn’t changed one bit.”
“In case I haven’t said it lately, your brother and I are very proud of you. I know it hasn’t been easy with memories of Jack everywhere in this place.” She took a deep breath as she looked around the diner. “It’s as if he’s in the very air around us.”
Braden wanted to say a hundred things or more about Jack, but he felt as if his mouth was filled with cotton. He didn’t trust himself to say anything without blurting out the awful truth. Jack Miller had been an upstanding husband and father who had been a huge presence in Owl Creek. Seeing the tears in Piper’s eyes caused a groundswell of emotion to rise up inside him. For the first time since Jack’s death, Braden’s desire to soothe Piper and Trudy seemed more important than his own need to mask his responsibility for the snowmobile accident.
“He is here,” Braden said. “In every booth and crevice. He made this place his own. He put his heart and soul as a stamp on the Snowy Owl. I don’t think a single person could ever walk through these doors and not remember him.” He let out a deep chuckle that emanated from way down in his belly. “I remember how he used to wear those ugly Christmas sweaters every year. He had dozens of them! And each one was uglier than the last.”
Piper sniffed back tears. He knew the memory had caught her off guard. His mother had once told him that even when you lost a person you loved, memories of them were everywhere you turned. She’d been referencing his sister, Sage, at the time. Even though baby Lily had been taken from them, the memory of her still remained in their hearts and minds, never to be forgotten.
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“You’re right, Braden. Although it’s particularly painful during the holidays, Daddy’s presence is always surrounding us. Some days it feels like a warm, cozy blanket while on others it’s just a deep gaping hole.” Piper’s voice broke, and he watched as she blinked back tears.
“I wish that I could go back to four years ago and tell him not to ride that snowmobile,” Trudy said tearfully. Her tone was full of regret. Braden had harbored similar thoughts, always asking himself what if. What if he hadn’t argued with Jack before his run? What if he’d apologized and tried to make things right between them? He’d been angry at Jack for accusing him of something he hadn’t done, so smoothing things over hadn’t been his main priority. Pride had allowed the chance to slip through his fingers.
“He was a grown man who made his own choices,” Piper reminded Trudy in a gentle voice. “And like Rachel told me, there’s some comfort in the fact that he died doing something he loved.”
Rachel had recently married Gabriel Lawson, a local pilot and one of Owl Creek’s favorite sons. When she was a teenager, Rachel’s father, Lance, had died when the small plane he was piloting crashed. It had only been recently that Rachel had managed to come to terms with the monumental loss. She’d said on many occasions that she would always mourn him, but she wouldn’t allow her father to be defined by the manner in which he died. Braden knew how profoundly that knowledge had helped Rachel heal.
Trudy’s lips quivered and she inhaled deeply. “Okay, I didn’t mean to be a downer. It just hits me sometimes that he isn’t here with us. I know that Jack of all people would want us to carry on and enjoy a spectacular holiday season.”
“He sure would,” Piper agreed, smiling. “He was all about celebrating Christmas and spending time with the ones you love.”
Suddenly, Braden felt inspired. There was something he could do to help the Millers. He could make sure they enjoyed a wonderful holiday season filled with cheer and goodwill. In addition to helping Piper increase business at the Snowy Owl, he would ensure that this Christmas was a memorable one for all of them. A part of him was being self-serving since he knew seeing them reveling in the joy of the season might ease his own suffering. But, in truth, he cared deeply about all of them, especially Piper.
“And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Braden chimed in. “We’re going to bake holiday pies and hang up holly and mistletoe. And we’re all going to wear ugly Christmas sweaters to the holiday stroll and drink peppermint hot cocoa till our stomachs burst. And I just might break out into song. You know I love ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’”
“That’s the Christmas spirit!” Trudy exclaimed.
Piper’s eyes lit up. “You know how much I love peppermint hot cocoa with those little marshmallows.”
He did indeed. It was one of the things he loved most about her. She got really excited over the small things like hot cocoa and catching snowflakes on her tongue. “We’ll stock up on tiny marshmallows,” he said, smiling.
From the time they were small kids, Piper had loved all things related to Christmas, especially the food and drinks her father served up at the Snowy Owl. Braden had never seen anyone get more of a kick out of decorating sugar cookies, building gingerbread houses and wrapping presents. This year he wanted her to experience all those cherished holiday memories all over again, to get some relief from all the stress and strain of running a struggling establishment.
It was nice to focus on happy things, Braden realized. For so long now it had been doom and gloom. It didn’t assuage his guilt completely regarding Jack’s death, but it made him feel a small glimmer of hope. The Snowy Owl could come back from this slump better than ever. After all, Christmas was a time of love and light. And hope! His faith told him he needed to believe in things he couldn’t see and that others might not think were even possible.
“I’d hold off on the singing though,” Piper teased. “Christmas carols aren’t your strong suit.”
“Ouch!” Braden said, lifting his hand over his heart. “I’ll have you know I’ve been singing since I was a little tyke.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “I know. We stood right next to each other in the church choir. A majority of the time you were warbling off-key.”
Braden couldn’t help but sputter with laughter. They both knew he had a strong singing voice while Piper’s was a bit more problematic. It had been a running theme in their childhood. The choir director had always singled Braden out for praise and solos while Piper had been relegated to the back row. One year during their Christmas concert, Braden had invited Piper to sing his solo with him, leading to a hilarious rendition of “Joy to the World.” The choir director had not been pleased by their surprise.
Trudy shook her head at the two of them. “You guys are so silly. It’s a good thing you speak the same language.”
