A Christmas Legacy 4

Thanks for stopping by. This is day four of my Christmas gift to you this year. It's a short story based on characters from my book, An Unexpected Legacy.​ If you missed day three, you can go catch up here.

     ​Where was that boy? Chad wasn’t in the living room with Dad, Brittney and Trevor. He wasn’t in the dining room. His car was still in the drive. She wandered closer to the kitchen, pausing as she heard the murmur of voices. One sounded like Aunt Ruth. Surely, he wouldn’t be in there with her.
     She pushed against the door and a flurry of movement on the other side made her flinch back once more before trying again. Aunt Ruth and Chad both stood on opposite sides of the room, slightly guilty expressions on their faces. Jessica glanced between the two of them, completely perplexed. This day continued to grow stranger the longer it went on.
     “Hey.” She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “What’s going on?”
     “Your aunt was just showing me something for later.” Chad’s grin looked forced.
     “Later? Like a present? Because we don’t usually open gifts until tomorrow.”
     “Did you see the forecast for tomorrow?” Aunt Ruth opened the fridge and started digging around.           “They say we might actually get a white Christmas this year.”
     That was a random subject change. Jessica studied Chad once more, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Something was definitely going on.
     “Snow, huh?” Jessica tapped her foot. “Do we need to run and get some salt for your porch steps and driveway?”
     “Oh, no, honey. It’s not like we’re planning to go anywhere tomorrow.” Ruth straightened, setting a ham on the counter. “We can just hunker down and enjoy the time together.”
     Jessica pursed her lips, but it looked like no one was going to ‘fess up. “Okay, then. Mom said she’ll be in from the porch in a few minutes. She was looking through old family photos.”
     “Which album?” Ruth glanced around.
     ​“The one with Grandma’s wedding photos. I didn’t realize she had such a pretty dress.”
     Ruth let loose a rare smile. “I used to dream of getting married in that dress. I think it’s still up in the attic somewhere.”
     “That’s what Mom said, too.”
     “Maybe one of you girls can use it instead. Assuming it’s still in any kind of good condition.” Ruth dug some potatoes from the cabinet.
     “I bet Jessica will look great in whatever she chooses to get married in.” Chad’s voice held all the warmth of his grin. She had forgotten he was there.
     “And just who am I supposed to be marrying?” Jessica lifted an eyebrow.
     “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” He winked. “I’m going to go check out what your Dad and Brittney are up to. I’ll only be in the way in here.”
     Not the answer she had been expecting. Not that she knew exactly what he was supposed to say to that question. After all, they’d been dating for almost a year and a half, but only mentioned the future every now and then, and never with any surety. But wasn’t it strange for a boyfriend to not suppose himself to be the groom?

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Come back tomorrow for day five (the end)! And if this has made you want to check out these characters in their original setting, you can find that story here.

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