“I’ve missed you too, Bec.”
“You come home for the holidays? You haven’t been here for Christmas in forever. Aunt Clara said you never get time off this time of year. I guess the nightclubs and bars are busy during the holidays, huh?”
“Well, I, uh… I have the time this year.”
“Good for you for making it a priority.” Becky Lee gave Missy one more hug. “I gotta get back to work. Grab a table by the window. Just a couple of tables left over from the lunch crowd and I’ll be able to sit for a bit.”
Missy shrugged off her jacket and sat at a table by the window looking out on Main Street. Shoppers hustled by, laden with packages. Which reminded her she still needed to find a gift for her mother and Dwayne. An inexpensive gift.
Becky Lee swung by the table. “Pecan pie and coffee? You haven’t gone all diet-y on me, have you?”
“Pecan pie for sure. No one makes pecan pie like Magnolia Cafe.”
Becky dropped off the pie and coffee at the table. “Be finished in a sec.”
Missy took a bite of the pie, savoring it. She’d missed this pie and she’d missed her cousin. She’d avoided coming home for the holidays for too long. Oh, she knew why she hadn’t come home. Everyone always asked about her music. Where she was playing now. Thinking she had some glamorous life in Nashville, playing in trendy bars and nightclubs. She hadn’t bothered to mention to anyone that her main income was a series of low paying clerical jobs and waitressing.
Becky Lee came over and plopped into the seat across from Missy. “Going to have a cup of coffee with you before I start in on the after-lunch chores. So, catch me up on your life.”
“Not much to say, really.”
Becky Lee cocked her head to one side. “You okay?”
“Sure, I’m fine. Just a bit tired from the drive here, I guess.”
“So, how did you like your mom’s kitchen? Pretty great, isn’t it?”
“It is. Dwayne sure knows how to make Mom happy, give her a nice kitchen to bake in. I bet she’s barely had that oven off since the kitchen was finished.”
“She’s probably busy making cookies for the tree lighting ceremony, isn’t she? She always helps out with that.”
“She is. She was making oatmeal cookies when I was there and was headed into making chocolate chip.”
“That’s my Aunt Clara. I think I must have gotten my baking genes from her. I sure didn’t get them from my mom.”
Missy glanced out the window just then and saw him. Shawn Poole.
Becky Lee must have seen the surprise on her face because she looked out the window to see what Missy was staring at. “Ah, Shawn.”
Missy cleared her throat. “What’s he up to these days?”
“He works with his dad at the landscape business. They’ve got some big contracts now with the school and two of the plantations right out of town. Their company does landscaping and lawn care now. They still have the Christmas tree lot every year, too.”
“He always did like working outside with his dad.”
Just then a little boy came running up to Shawn and he scooped him up in his arms. The little boy smothered him with kisses.
Becky Lee looked over at Missy then back out on the street to Shawn. “That’s his son.”
Missy caught her breath. His son. Shawn had a son.
“He married Belinda Rider.”
Her thoughts were a riotous mess of memories and feelings. “Really? Belinda? Wasn’t she a year behind me in school?”
“I think so. Anyway, they started dating after you left. Got married about four years ago. Their son is about three now, I think.”
“Wow. Somehow I just never pictured Shawn as the settling-down-having-a-kid type.”
“Well, he is now. They seem really happy.”
Good for Shawn. He was happy now. That was just great. Great.
Of course he’d always said he’d be happy in Nashville with her. Until he said he wasn’t going with her the night before they were set to leave.
“You okay?” Becky Lee set down her coffee and reached across the table to touch Missy’s hand.
“I’m just… surprised. A lot has changed here, hasn’t it?”
“Some things change here, some things stay the same. Like your love for our pecan pie.” Becky Lee smiled and nodded toward the empty pie plate.
“That won’t ever change. Love that pie.”
“So, I bet your mom was glad to see you.”
“She was, though I guess I should have called first. She’s going to have a houseful of Dwayne’s family for Christmas.”
“Well, then you should stay with me.” Becky Lee’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to have someone for the holidays. Heck, I’m just around the corner from your mom’s place. You can go over there for whatever festivities you want to, but have an actual room and bed at my place. What do you say?”