Starlight in Her Eyes (20 page)

An hour later, Serena tucked Lily in her bed. “Will you sing to me, Mommy? Like Mr. Colin did?”

Serena tilted her head. “That was the night of the ball. I thought you were asleep. Were you playing possum?”

Lily gave her a cute smile. “Maybe.”

“I don't know the song Colin sang to you.”

“Can you make one up?”

Serena's mind whirled as Lily snuggled beneath the covers. Reading a book would be so much easier, but she'd try to come up with a song. “Please, Mommy? I like to hear you sing.”

“Very well.” Serena sat on the edge of the bed and sang a lullaby she'd learned a long time ago. Her grandmother used to sing it to her. As she sang softly to her daughter, the lyrics coming back to her without faltering, Serena recalled Colin telling her about his fond memories of his Grandmother Nell. Families were all about spending time together. Making memories. Being there for one another. Loving one another unconditionally.

“Mommy, I want to pray.”

Serena swallowed. “Of course.” They'd prayed every night since they'd picked up the Christmas tree and Colin helped them bring it inside.

“Dear Jesus,” Lily said, clasping her hands together. “Please be with Mr. Colin wherever he is. I hope he's happy. I love him, and Mommy does, too. I hope he can be with us at Christmas, but if not, please take good care of him. And be with Truffle and Danica, too. I hope they have a nice Christmas. I hope her daddy loves her and makes her feel special.”

Serena added to the prayer, but after Lily's sentiments, her words seemed woefully inadequate. Through the eyes and the words of a child indeed. “Sleep well, Lily.”

Lily rolled toward her. “I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you, too, sweetie. See you in the morning.”

As Serena went back downstairs, an idea formulated in her mind. Something inside her had shifted while she'd listened to her child's simple heartfelt prayer. She loved Colin. Colin loved her. They both loved Lily, and Lily loved them. In many ways, the three of them had become a family in the last few weeks. Families should spend the holidays together.

Serena went in search of her cellphone. Whatever possessed her to send away the man she loved? Her only excuse was being overwhelmed by Gabrielle's revelation. She and Lily were both miserable, and Colin hadn't been happy since she'd told him to go to Starlight alone. “Lord, what have I done? How can our being apart for Christmas possibly make any of us happy?”

After grabbing her purse in the living room, Serena retrieved her cellphone and scanned through the contacts. She clicked on the phone number for the one person who might be able to help make her plan become a reality. If that didn't work, she'd be packing up the car for a road trip. A seventeen-hour, thousand-mile road trip. She'd checked the distance at one point, and the thought of such a long trip alone with a small child—through snow, ice, and who knows what else—sent her reeling.

Please, Lord, let this work.

“Jack Preston here.”

“Hi, Jack. It's Serena. I'm sorry to call you so late, but I have a huge favor to ask, if you're willing.”

“Of course. Anything for you and my granddaughter. What can I do?”

19

Thursday Evening, Christmas Eve

“Mommy, I'm hungry. Are we almost there?”

As if in agreement with Lily's words, Serena's stomach growled. She darted a glance at Lily in the backseat of the rental car. She'd been a trouper on the plane flight. Thank goodness neither one of them had issues with the inevitable bumps of a private plane when it hit an air pocket.

“I just checked the GPS. We should be there very soon.”

“There's a sign for someplace to eat! Can we go there?”

Almost too late, Serena caught the sign for Barney's Diner as she sailed past the highway billboard. A shiver of anticipation ran through her. Maybe even a little tingle. “Barney's Diner is the place in Starlight that Mr. Colin told me about. If they're still open, we'll stop in there for a bite to eat.” She doubted they'd be open on Christmas Eve, but she'd pray for the best and figure out an alternative plan if necessary.

After the events of Monday afternoon, she'd never asked Colin about his final plans for Christmas. What would have been the point? That would only make a bad situation worse for both of them. Wouldn't the joke be on her if he'd decided to jet off to a tropical island instead? No, no. She wasn't thinking straight. Nikki, Colin's closest friend, was in Starlight. He'd be there.

Please, Lord, let him be there.

She needed to figure out a plan. Was there a hotel nearby where they could stay for the night? The original plan was for all three of them to stay with Nikki and Alex. No doubt, Colin was with them tonight. She was dying to see Colin, rush into his arms, and kiss him silly. Tell him she loved him and ask him to forgive her for not coming to Starlight with him.

Showing up on Nikki and Alex's doorstep without any warning didn't seem advisable. Doing such a thing wouldn't give her hosts the best impression, and Serena wanted them to approve of her since she hoped to be important in Colin's life for a very long time. The better plan was to wait until the morning.

As soon as Serena told Lily they were going to see Colin, the child had talked almost nonstop. She'd asked all kinds of questions about Starlight that Serena couldn't answer. While it served as a distraction, Lily's constant chatter was beginning to wear on Serena's nerves. For a woman who prided herself on being organized, once again she hadn't planned well.

But they'd arrived safely in Starlight, Iowa, courtesy of Jack Preston's generosity and the use of his private jet.

“I hope we see Mr. Colin soon,” Lily said. “Do you think the restaurant has mashed potatoes?”

“At this time of the evening on Christmas Eve, if they're open and have anything left to eat at all, we should be grateful.” Seeing the sign for the road that led into Starlight, Serena's pulse picked up speed. She pushed herself up in the seat and rotated her neck to ease out the kinks.

Ten minutes later, Serena drove into town. Slowing the car almost to a crawl, she stared out the front and side windows. What a charming place. She'd thought Colin had exaggerated, but based on what she could see, he was right. Maybe she was dreaming. Starlight looked as if it belonged in the past, a town where everyone knew everyone else and cared about their neighbors.

A thick blanket of snow covered the ground, but it was light and pretty, not ugly gray slush. Lights twinkled in the trees and Christmas carols played over loudspeakers. Most of the quaint shops and restaurants in the center of town were closed, but a few of the workers could be seen sweeping the floor or turning off the lights. A quaint stone church sat in the center square of the town. What a picturesque scene.

“Look! It's a manger with Baby Jesus, and there's Mary and Joseph!”

Serena read from the sign sticking up out of the snow in the churchyard. “It says they're having a live nativity pageant tomorrow night.”

“Can we go? I want to go.” Lily started bouncing on her seat. “Is this Heaven?”

Glancing in the rearview mirror, Serena smiled at her daughter. With her nose scrunched up against the back passenger window, Lily fogged up the glass and then wiped away the moisture with her mitten-covered hand.

“Starlight might be as close as you can get this side of Heaven.”

“What's that mean?” Lily asked.

“It means this isn't Heaven, but I have the feeling a lot of the people in this town might know Jesus.”

Lily's curls bobbed beneath her knit cap as she nodded. “I love it here, Mommy.”

“I do, too,” Serena murmured. Spotting Barney's Diner, Serena pulled the car to the front curb, but she left the car idling. An older woman with silver-white hair approached the front door and rotated the
OPEN
sign to
CLOSED
. Serena's heart sank and she wanted to groan.

“Oh no! Don't let her close the restaurant. I want mashed potatoes!”

Serena lowered her head and closed her eyes. “Lord, help keep me sane.”

A few seconds later, Serena startled when she heard a rap on her window. Putting one hand over her chest, she glanced up to see the woman from the diner.

She wasn't wearing a coat but she didn't appear chilled in the least.

Serena lowered the window.

“Honey, would you and your little girl like to come inside for a bite to eat? I was closing up for the night, but I still have plenty to do. You're welcome to come in, and I can warm up plates of food for you. I had a turkey dinner special tonight with all the fixings. How does that sound?”

Serena blinked back tears. “That's very kind, but I'm sure you need to get home to your family.”

“Don't you worry about that. I'll get home eventually. Right now, I think it's more important to be here. I'm Caroline Picasso.” She peered past Serena to the backseat. “What's this pretty girl's name?”

Lily had released her seat belt and crawled up into the front passenger seat. “I'm Lily. Do you have mashed potatoes, Miss Caroline? With gravy?”

“Lily, honey—” Serena started to protest.

“I sure do, young lady.” The woman's blue eyes twinkled as she moved her gaze back to Serena. “I take it you're Lily's mother?”

“Yes. I'm Serena Monroe. It's very nice to meet you, Caroline. A hot meal sounds wonderful if you're sure you don't mind. I promise we won't be any trouble and we won't stay long.”

“I've heard that before.” With a wry smile, Caroline tapped the window ledge. “You stay as long as you'd like. I'll leave the front door unlocked. Come on inside and warm up while I get your dinners.”

Lily ran into the diner ahead of Serena, and squeals of delight carried back to Serena as she reached the door.

“This place is great!” Lily scrambled onto a seat at the counter. Wiggling on the red vinyl, she swung her legs back and forth. Just as quickly, she slid down to the black-and-white checkerboard floor and then started to hop and skip across the tiles.

Serena hung their coats on a hook at the end of one of the nearby booths. Then she stretched her arms high above her head and stood in front of the large picture window of the diner. The snow was lightly falling and she gasped when she spied a red sleigh, drawn by a majestic white horse.

“Lily, come look!” She motioned to her daughter.

Lily bounced over to her. “That's so beautiful, Mommy! This is the best place ever!”

For the moment, Serena had to agree. When she heard jingle bells, her smile grew wider at the reminder of Colin.

Caroline emerged from behind a swinging door. “Any allergies I should know about before I bring your meals?”

“No, but thanks for asking,” Serena said, turning away from the window. “We were just admiring the beautiful, horse-drawn sleigh.”

The other woman nodded. “One of our newest couples in town got engaged in that sleigh on Christmas Day last year. The romantic gesture caught the imagination of the townsfolk, so it's a regular thing here now.”

Serena returned to the counter seat.

“You look like you could use a hot cup of coffee. I still have some I made in the last half hour, if that's all right. Would you like a cup?” Caroline motioned to the coffee maker.

“That sounds great, with a little cream if it's not too much trouble. If you have milk, that'll be fine for Lily to have with her dinner.”

“Sure thing. Coming right up.” Caroline poured steaming coffee into a red mug and set it on the counter in front of Serena. After pulling out a container of creamer from a small refrigerator beneath the counter, she poured it into a pewter pitcher. On her way back to Serena, Caroline grabbed a small basket of sweeteners. “If you don't mind my asking, are you passing through Starlight on your way to somewhere else for Christmas?”

Serena hesitated, uncertain what to say.

“We've come here to see Mr. Colin!” Lily called from across the diner.

“Honey, maybe you shouldn't be jumping,” Serena cautioned.

“She's fine.” Caroline waved her hand. “I imagine Lily's got pent-up energy stored up if you've traveled all the way from Philadelphia.”

Serena snapped her gaze to Caroline's. “How did you—?”

“We flew on my grandpa's airplane and then Mommy rented a car and drove us here from De…De…what is that city called again?”

“Des Moines,” Serena said. Based on her comment, Caroline seemed to know who she was. She'd take that as a good sign.

“I think the world of Colin,” Caroline said as if she'd read her mind. “He's visited Starlight a few times since Nikki and Alex moved here.” The woman's piercing blue eyes met hers. “Colin was here in the diner for lunch today, as a matter of fact.”

Serena's heart raced. “He was? So he is here.” Oh, she was anxious to see him. Waiting until tomorrow would be one of the hardest things she'd ever done. It made her feel like a child again, waiting for Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve. Waiting to hear jingle bells and the arrival of a sleigh.
Hmm…
She'd already seen a sleigh tonight. And heard bells jingling.

“If you ask me, Colin is missing his other half,” Caroline said with a kind smile. “That sweet man shared enough for me to know he's crazy in love with a woman named Serena who has a precious daughter named Lily.” Caroline darted a glance to where Lily continued her hopscotch game on the black-and-white checkerboard floor. “Does Colin know you're here in town, honey?”

Serena's cheeks warmed. “Not yet. It's…a surprise. I don't always plan things very well, Caroline. I thought I'd wait until tomorrow morning to call him. I didn't think it was appropriate to show up on Nikki and Alex's doorstep tonight without any advance warning.” She glanced at her wrinkled sweater and jeans and frowned. “I'd also prefer to look more presentable.”