“Good,” Ginger said. “Let’s pull out everything this year. What we don’t use, and you girls don’t want, we can give away. I have accumulated far too much over the years.”
“Maybe we could sell some at the holiday market,” Heather said. “Your vintage ornaments are beautiful. They’d fit right in.”
Marina smiled at her daughter’s entrepreneurial enthusiasm. This year, Marina’s youngest sister, Kai, was helping manage a new holiday market extension to the farmers market. Locals were selling beautiful, handcrafted items.
“If you like them, they would be lovely on your tree after you and Blake marry.” Ginger motioned to another carton. “Rather than selling anything, I prefer to donate items so other families can enjoy some holiday sparkle. That goes for anything else I no longer need or use.”
Heather beamed. “I’d love that. Thank you.”
Marina opened a box to reveal vintage ornaments she’d packed last year. “Do you want to keep these?”
Ginger peered over her shoulder with a fond sigh. “Bertrand and I collected those while we lived in Europe. They’re beautiful, aren’t they? Each one has a story.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Marina began to unpack them.
She wasn’t surprised at her grandmother’s practicality.I’m being sensible, Ginger once told Marina when she appointed her as executor of her will.I want to make the process easy for everyone whenever my time comes, and you’re the most suited to the task.
As she extracted the delicate ornaments, Marina chewed her lip. Was Ginger simply decluttering, or was there another reason behind her actions?
Then, considering how happy Ginger looked lately, Marina had another thought.Perhaps she and Oliver are making plans for their future.
She couldn’t imagine Ginger giving up the Coral Cottage. Her husband Bertrand had given it to her as a wedding gift. Marina and her sisters had spent much of their lives here, especially after their parents died. Yet, she could understand Ginger’s actions. Many of her grandmother’s friends were downsizing or had moved to be close to their children.
Such was life, Marina knew. Still, Ginger was active, in excellent health, and even more vibrant with a new man in her life. Oliver wasn’t exactly new, though; Ginger had known him for years. After his wife passed away and his brother Kurt reconnected them, their friendship evolved.
Ginger and Oliver were sweet together, and he was a welcome addition to the family. Still, there was more going on that Ginger had confided to her.
Behind her, a scream pierced the air, and Marina jerked her head up.
Kai stood in the doorway with little Stella, who wasn’t quite a year old yet. Her sister looked perplexed, unable to soothe her. “I don’t know what’s suddenly gotten into her. Somebody, please help.”
“My word,” Ginger said after another earsplitting shriek hit a high note. “Stella has your voice, dear. Have you tried singing to her?”
“That usually works, but not this time,” Kai said, raising her voice over Stella’s. “When we walked through the door, she started her blood-curdling screams again.”
“We noticed,” Marina said, grinning.
Brooke reached for the squirming child. “I’ll bet she wants to play with Clover.” After placing her in the playpen with her little girl, Stella calmed down. The two cooed at each other as if admiring their similar outfits of red and green.
“Wow,” Kai said, drawing her hands over her face in relief. “How did you know what to do?”
“I had plenty of practice with her brothers,” Brooke replied. “They seem to have their own baby language. You’ll learn to discern it.”
Marina wiggled her fingers at her little nieces. Since they shared a birthday, she often bought them matching outfits. This time, she’d coordinated them with the same outfit in holiday colors. Their knit leggings were candy cane stripes, and their tops sported reindeer and snowflakes.
“They missed each other,” Kai said, watching them. “Were we ever like that as kids?”
“Sort of.” Marina shook a rattle at the girls, who crawled to investigate. “You used to follow Brooke and me everywhere.”
“And we hid from you,” Brooke added with a guilty grin.
Kai crossed her arms with mild indignation. “All this time I thought we were playing hide-and-seek. I swear, the stories that come out during the holidays. Go figure.”
Heather lifted a pair of wooden soldiers from a box. “Where do the nutcrackers go?”
“Let’s have them flanking the fireplace this year,” Ginger replied. “Not too close, of course. Place them on the other side of the Talavera pots.”
While Heather positioned the hand painted nutcracker soldiers, Marina reached into a large carton and lifted out the wreath on top. Another one lay beneath it. She recalled making both with her sisters and Ginger in years past.
