“Let me take those.”He took the plates from her, and she refilled her coffee mug and grabbed his.
She’d set the dining room table with a dark blue tablecloth covered in silver snowflakes.Silver candlesticks held white candles.She’d filled a glass bowl with glittery silver pinecones.A silver butter dish sat next to a silver bowl filled with homemade strawberry jam.She had orange juice in a glass carafe on the sideboard and water in the glasses on the table.
“This looks wonderful,” Jerry said as he placed the white plates on top of silver chargers.“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”Her nerves had started to settle once they took their seats.“Would you pray?”
He held his hand out and she folded her fingers into his.His strong, warm fingertips closed over hers as she bowed her head.She could feel the callouses on his palms.“Father, thank You for the promises of this day, the gift of Your Son, safe travels, this great company, and this food.Please bless us and bless this meal and this time we share.”
She offered him a biscuit, then split one open with a fork.Steam rose up, and the warm, bready smell filled her nose.“What would your day have been like yesterday if you’d been home?”she asked.
He smiled in a way that tugged at her heart.“My mom loved holidays.She taught elementary school, so her life kind of moved from one holiday to the next.And my sister, Mabel, always makes it easy to celebrate.”
“Oh?”She cut into an egg, pleased that the over-medium yolk spilled out perfectly.“How old is Mabel?”
“Two years older than me, but she could be ten.She loves every holiday.On the first of every month, she decorates her bedroom door.”He pulled out his phone, tapped it, then swiped through it, and held it out.She saw the red and green wrapped door, tinsel creating a sparkly chevron pattern.Next to it, a dark-haired woman stood.She clearly had Down Syndrome.That explained why Jerry’s older sister still lived at home.
Olive grinned and handed the phone back to him.“That’s so fun.I love that she uses her door.”
“Mom did that with her for her entire life.She said that way everyone can see it.”He turned the phone screen back off, pocketed it, and smeared jam on his biscuit.“My mom would have made her traditional eggnog pancakes, and my dad would tolerate it all with a big smile and few words.”
“You’re talking about your mom in the past tense.”
He nodded.“She passed three years ago today.”
“I’m so sorry,” Olive gasped.She wondered if his heart was truly here with her in Clarksville, or back home in South Dakota with his grieving father and sister.“That must kind of throw a wet blanket on Christmas.”
He shrugged.“Not really.We knew it was coming.Just wish I had more time.We left some things unsaid.”He cleared his throat.“Mable loves Christmas.You know?”
“Sounds like you miss home.”
He washed a biscuit bite down with coffee.“Never actually lived in South Dakota.I was an Army brat, born in one country, graduated high school in another, and grew up mostly between Benning and McDill.But I miss them.Colonel released us last night through next week.I bought plane tickets to go visit this morning.Didn’t want to risk Space-A to Ellsworth Air Force Base during the holidays.”
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.As much as she hated to see him leave again, she didn’t begrudge his opportunity to see his family.“‘Middle of nowhere,’ South Dakota?”
“Midland, South Dakota,” he confirmed.
“Brr.”
“Yep,” He laughed.“Rapid City got snow yesterday, as a matter of fact.Nearest decent airport.About two hours out,” He shook his head.“Our family text was filled with Mabel’s photos in the snow.”
“Do you need a ride to the airport?”
He shook his head.“Oh, no thanks.I’ll only be gone three days.Just a quick trip.I’ll park in the long-term lot in Nashville.”
“I’d love to drop you off and pick you up.”
He smiled and his eyes lidded slightly, considering the offer.“I would love that, but I checked the schedule you sent me.You’ll be in the middle of your shift when I get back.”
They spent the next two hours chatting about families, sharing stories about parents and siblings.Eventually, they moved from the table to the living room and sat on either end of the couch facing each other.His presence filled the room, and he fit in her home perfectly—like a final missing piece clicking into place and solving the entire puzzle.
He set his water glass on a coaster on the coffee table and said, “I have to get to the airport.My flight leaves at three.”
She stood and crossed the room to where she’d set the presents.“Well, you can’t go until you open your gift.”
The nerves had returned.She held out the gift bag to him, trying to keep her hand from trembling.“You first,” he said.
With a grin, she said, “If you insist.”The first bag contained a travel mug with a drawing of a nurse with crazy red hair and wild eyes.“Be a nurse, they said,” it read at the top, “it will be fun, they said.”It made her laugh.
