When he entered the apartment, he was hit with the delicious scent of vegetable soup and a whole lot of Christmas décor. The living space was small, warm, and cozy, with a dove-gray love seat and leather recliner situated in the middle of the room around an oval wooden coffee table. A modest tree loaded with vintage ornaments was in the corner, and the dining area was separated from the kitchen by a bar with three stools in front.
“Nice place,” he said, taking off his coat.
“Thanks.” She entered the kitchen. “We’re plumb out of castles around here.”
He chuckled. “A pity, that. The Ozarks could use a few palaces among the mountains.” A coatrack was near the door, and he hung his coat on it and looked around the room again. There were several pictures on the wall, mostly of a school-aged Carina. Two graduation pictures took pride of place, and he assumed one was from high school and the other university. Then he saw a collage on the opposite wall filled with candid pictures of Emmy and Carina, along with a few with Emmy’s parents.
Not a single one with a man, other than Emmy’s father.
Emmy set two bowls on the four-seater table in the dining room. “Do you take crackers with your soup?”
“Please.”
Moments later they were seated with a package of crackers between them and glasses of ice water near the bowls. They took amoment to pray over the meal; then he picked up his spoon. “This looks great,” he said.
“I don’t know what I’d do without my Crock-Pot.” She crumbled a few crackers into her bowl. “I use it several times a week. Just toss in some ingredients, and when I get home from work, it’s done.”
He noticed there were more pictures on the dining room wall. Again, of Carina. “You must be proud of her,” he said, nodding toward one of the two of them grinning in front of her store, a Grand Opening banner above them.
She glanced at the pictures, then back at him. “I suppose you have some questions.”
“I am curious.”
“Most everyone is when they first meet us.” Emmy stirred her soup. “About twelve years after high school I went to work at Beacon Middle School as a teacher’s aide. It’s about half an hour from Mistletoe. Carina was in foster care at the time, and it was an awful situation. When I met her, I wanted to help her. Ihadto help her.”
She didn’t go into any detail, but from her shadowed expression he could tell that Carina had been in a tragic situation.
“I became a foster parent and took her in. She was eleven, and I adopted her when she was twelve.”
“Wow,” he said. “That had to be difficult.”
“It was, especially at first. It’s not easy being a single parent. And Carina was a preteen, so there was a big adjustment period. I am proud of what she’s overcome and the young woman she is now. I couldn’t run the store without her.”
“That’s amazing, Emmy,” he said. “Raising a daughter, running your own business. You’ve done well for yourself.”
“So have you. You’re the only person I know who owns a castle.”
“Owned,” he corrected. And while he had traveled many miles and seen many things, plus had a full bank account ready to beinvested, he realized he had little else to show for himself. No wife, no children, no permanent connections other than his mother and sister. For years that was how he wanted his life. He had the freedom to do what he wanted—to live for himself.
He watched Emmy as she ate a spoonful of the piping hot soup filled with carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, and seasonings. A warm, restful feeling came over him, one he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Sharing a simple meal with Emmy Banks, surrounded by her obvious love for her daughter—not to mention Christmas décor—he felt grounded. And it was satisfying.
She looked at him. “Is the soup okay?”
“Perfect.” He dipped in his spoon, and for the rest of the meal he answered more of her questions about Ireland and the UK, her eyes wide with curiosity. When they were finished and he helped her clear the table, he asked, “Have you ever thought about travelin’?”
“Every once in a while.” She turned on the faucet and put the bowls in the sink. “I’ve got a lot of responsibility here, though. But I have to admit... it would be nice to get away.” She turned to him. “Maybe someday. Right now I’m working toward buying the building next door.”
“Do you plan to open another business?”
“Sort of.”
He listened as she told him her idea to put a café in the space. “Sounds brilliant,” he said. “When will you start?”
She shrugged, her mouth tugging into a frown. “It’s a pipe dream right now. I can’t afford it, thanks to a bad decision.”
“Well, runnin’ a business isn’t easy. Mistakes happen.”
“This was a personal mistake.” Glancing at her watch, her brows lifted. “I didn’t realize what time it is. I’ve got to get downstairs.”
