Cape Cod Christmas

Published by: eXtasy Books

Author : Kathy Kalmar

ISBN :978-1-4874-4259-0

Page :78

Word Count :20382

Publication Date :2024-12-20

Series : Cape Cod#3

Heat Level :

Available Formats :

Category : Contemporary Romance , Holiday , What's New

Product Code: 978-1-4874-4259-0

Qty

$0.00

0 reviews
Write a review

Everyone has a Christmas Wish List, including two special children. Joel Whittman wants a new Dad. Janie Davies wants her mom back. Seth Bradford wants to be whole and become a family man. Sloane Whittman wants a father for her son. They need a Christmas miracle.

Widowed Sloane Whittman never expects to find love again, but it happens when she meets up with Seth again—the man her dead husband and everyone else on Cape Cod call Joe. Christmas is coming, and Sloane is all for giving her son his Christmas wish for a new dad. The solution seems clear, marry Seth, but several glitches throw a monkey wrench into her plans.

Seth is madly in love with Sloane but worries she might feel he’s less than a man because of his life-changing injuries from a shark attack. His sister is in a coma, and his niece Janie is wishing for her mom to wake up for Christmas. He can only pray for a Christmas miracle.

Will everyone get their Christmas Miracle? Or will the Grinch steal their dreams?

Sunday Before Christmas

Janie glanced out her window, watching the snow fall softly on the boardwalk around her home—the Sail Inn in Truro, Cape Cod. Christmas fairy lights covered the arch trellis that led to the oyster shell parking lot, and the falling snow made the lights twinkle like fireflies in the summer beach grass. They were going to church any minute, so she had to hurry to write her letter to Santa. She decided to mail it from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Surely the church could beat the post office any day and speed it on its way because she was in a hurry.

Since she just got the idea when she woke up, she had to do it now. She tore a page out of her school notebook and began writing as fast as she could. She had to cross out several mistakes and hoped Santa and God wouldn’t mind.

Dear Santa,

I wanna ask you for two things for Christmas. First, will you use your magic and wake Mom up for Christmas, pretty please, with sugar on top. She’s in a coma and has been sleeping for months, but you already know that. Sorry for reminding you. Second, can you share this letter with God? You might need his help to wake Mom. Can you also tell God to say Hi to my daddy while you’re at it? He went to heaven last spring, and I miss him soooo much. Well, I guess that’s it. That’s all I want for Christmas. Forever. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. Please, she’s the bestest Mom ever, and I need her!

Love,

Your friend,

Jane Marie Davies

The next she knew, her Uncle Joe was telling her to shake a leg, or they’d be late for Mass. She folded her note, stuck it in an envelope, and wrote To Santa Clause on the outside.

The ride to St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church took longer because of the snow, but Janie didn’t mind. It was pretty outside, and the snow was sticking, which was a good thing because Santa could use his sleigh and magic reindeer to take her letter straight to heaven.

The streetlights sparkled with the lacey snowflake decorations that hung from them. Uncle Joe put the radio on, and Silent Night was playing. It made her feel warm and happy. She just knew her idea to write to Santa and God had to do the trick to wake her mom up in time for Christmas.

When they arrived at the clapboard church, Janie stopped at Saint Joan’s statue next to the Nativity display. Garland decorated Saint Joan, and a big red felt bow rested on her shoulder. Janie knew St. Joan was a warrior for God, so she asked her to join her mom’s battle to wake up.

She heard the organ playing O Come All Ye Faithful as she entered the church. She quickly pushed her missive through the slot in the box next to the votive candles folks lit to lift their prayers to heaven. She supposed since heat rises—she learned that in science class—the candle smoke would carry her Christmas letter straight to heaven. That oughta do it.

Janie walked down the aisle to join her uncle and forgot to genuflect when she saw Joel and Miss Sloane. She nearly forgot they were coming back to have a Cape Cod Christmas. They’d flown to Michigan with Addie to take care of…something. She wasn’t sure what, but she was happy they were back.

She quickly sent a Snapchat to Joel.

u write your letter?

He responded with a thumbs up.

Sick. U ask for a family for Christmas?

Another thumbs up showed in her feed, followed by a text.

Dad died and broke the fam. I asked God for a new one.

Sick.

Joel scowled when Miss Sloan threw him the side eye and confiscated his phone.

Janie quickly pocketed her phone and slipped into the pew next to her uncle just as the bells rang, signaling the beginning of Mass. She glanced around at all the decorations the church had put up. The beamed ceiling was festooned with fragrant evergreen garlands, and several real trees were strategically placed throughout the church and clustered around another Nativity set. Faux candles and red bows were tied to the aisle end of each pew. The low church lights and twinkling fairy lights created a joyous vibe.

The sermon celebrated Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. Janie had learned that Gaudete means rejoice because the Lord will come soon. Joy filled the church with excitement, expectation, and warmth, giving Janie hope. On that note, she hoped Joel had mailed his letter to Santa and God like they had discussed in earlier conversations. But he was a guy, so she didn’t know if he followed the plan.

Like her, Joel was a half-orphan, too. Joel’s dad had died during the pandemic, and Joel missed him a whole lot. More than anything, he frequently talked about how he wanted to be a real family again. He felt he only had half a family since it was just him and his mom.

Janie figured she had less of a family since her dad died due to an IED explosion, and her mom, a war correspondent, was seriously injured in the same event. That made her wonder. Am I a full orphan? Or a half orphan?

The church choir sang Angels We Have Heard on High, and she let her heart swell with hope again. Aunt Monalisa always tells me to think positive.

Aunt Monalisa had stayed home, still recovering from a heart attack brought on by a fall into the ocean. Even worse, a shark bit into her Uncle Joe’s leg when he rescued Aunt Monalisa. She knew it hurt him like the dickens—whatever that meant—and he hadn’t been the same since.