Chapter 24

24

“Tahlia!”

“Tahlia, wake up!”

The bed shook as two cannonballs leapt onto it and proceeded to jump around Tahlia, almost bouncing her off the mattress.

“Okay, okay, I’m up!” she exclaimed with a laugh. Maddy and Kaiden collapsed and crawled up to her.

“It’s Christmas, Tahlia!” Kaiden shouted.

“And Santa came!” Maddy squealed. “There are so many presents!”

“I told you,” Tahlia grinned. The night before was like a bad dream in the face of those happy kids. Yes, she would have to deal with telling them she was leaving, but she shoved that aside. Not on Christmas.

“Merry Christmas!” Ophelia’s voice rang out through Tahlia’s open bedroom door. Matt had given his parents a key to the cabin so they could be there early on Christmas. Maddy scurried out to greet her grandparents but Kaiden stayed behind to tug Tahlia out of bed.

“Tahlia, you have presents, too!” he claimed and Tahlia’s brows went up.

“I do?” She shoved the comforter away and pulled her robe on over her green pajamas.

Kaiden smiled shyly. “They’re not from Santa, though.”

“Kaiden,” Tahlia knelt down. “Did you and Maddy get me something?”

“Come and see!” he insisted and grabbed her hand.

She was dragged into the living room, where Jed and Ophelia were already arguing over how best to hand gifts out. When they spotted Tahlia, both reached out but Ophelia was the first to reach Tahlia for a hug.

“Merry Christmas, Tahlia!”

“Mornin’ kid,” Jed said at his turn.

“I brought breakfast from the lodge. Cinnamon rolls, eggs, and sausage,” Ophelia announced. “I’ve already put in the kitchen. You don’t have to do a thing except open your gifts with us!”

“You got me gifts, too?” Tahlia asked stiltedly.

“Of course!” Ophelia snorted. “Alright, alright!” She laughed as the twins came bounding through the adults to push them toward the tree. “We’re coming!”

Tahlia had to bit her lip very hard to keep herself from crying. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and followed the Nelsons. Except for the Parker’s, never had she been so warmly welcomed into a family of relative strangers. Certainly not her employer’s family. She would not break down now, no matter how kind they were or what they bought her. Which was hopefully not much.

“The purse!” she exclaimed, gawking at Jed and Ophelia. Revealed from a holly covered gift bag was a sunny yellow cross- body purse Tahlia had seen in one of the boutiques in Haven. She’d admired it to Ophelia but hadn’t dreamed of hinting anyone should buy it. Tahlia was accustomed to serial window shopping. “But this is too expensive!”

All she’d gotten Jed and Ophelia was a board game she thought they would like.

Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. It wasn’t really.”

“But-” The expression that Ophelia leveled on Tahlia was enough to tell her to simply accept the gift. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, hugging the purse to her chest. “I truly love it.”

“And it suits you so well. It will be darling in the summer!”

A summer Tahlia wouldn’t spend with the Nelsons.

“Open ours, Tahlia!” Maddy shoved a hastily wrapped, rather crumpled lump of Christmas paper at her which had far too much tape on it. They had obviously wrapped it themselves and Tahlia didn’t want to touch it because the image of the two kids working together to do anything for her was gift enough.

But they were waiting and, while loathe to ruin their hard work, Tahlia gingerly pulled the paper apart. Inside were two pieces of craft paper, decorated in marker and glitter with hearts. One had three figures on it, obviously meant to be Tahlia, Kaiden, and Maddy. They had drawn her cards.

“Ohhh,” Tahlia breathed, tears again welling in her eyes as she drew the two cards out. A pile of silver and gold glitter fell off, but most remained on the cards thanks to the piles of glue on their surfaces. “Oh, they’re wonderful, kids. Thank you so much.”

“We couldn’t think of anything to get you,” Kaiden admitted. “Grandma said you’d like it if we made you something.”

Tahlia looked at Ophelia and nodded. “I do. I love them. In fact, I’m going to get them framed!” She pulled Kaiden and Maddy into a tight hug, hiding her face in their mess of dark curls. “I love you, kids.”

"We love you,” Maddy whispered, her little hand patting Tahlia’s shoulder. “Are you crying?”

“Only because I’m happy.” Tahlia sniffed and smiled reassuringly when she released them. “They’re happy tears. Now go on, find yourselves another gift.”

“Hey, there’s another thing here for you, Tahlia.” Jed plucked a small package from within the tree’s branches. “Might be jewelry.”

“No!” Tahlia gasped. “The purse was more than I ever dreamed! You shouldn’t have-”

“It’s not from us,” Jed interrupted and placed the box in Tahlia’s palm. “It’s from Matt.”

“Matt?” Tahlia repeated woodenly. He had bought her a gift? Jewelry? Her fingers shook as she took the little box. On the tag tied to the top was, in Matt’s scrolling penmanship: To Tahlia, From Matt.

Under the red wrapping was indeed a black jewelry box, inside of which was a silver chain with a pair of little skis hanging from it.

“Oh, that’s adorable,” Ophelia said, peering over Tahlia’s shoulder. “Do you like it?”

Tahlia nodded vigorously, unable to say anything. Yes, she liked it. She liked it very much. Thankfully, the kids were ripping into something else - a drone of some kind - and took Jed and Ophelia’s attention away from the distraught nanny. She needed a moment to compose herself. Even before their argument, it hadn’t crossed Tahlia’s mind once that Matt would get her something. Certainly she’d never dreamed it would be something so lovely.

Apparently that day on the mountain had meant something to him, too.

“I’m going to go get some cocoa for us,” Tahlia announced, needing to compose herself before anyone noticed the tears. She jumped up as Jed said they were going outside to play with the new drone. Ophelia offered to help Tahlia, but she managed to stave her off.

While the family got on their coats and traipsed outdoors, Tahlia disappeared into the kitchen. She heard the commotion, the laughter, the excited screeches from the kids, before it all faded to silence and she was alone.

Alone.

She looked at the box she still clutched in her hand and finally let the tears fall.