Christmas in Miracle Cove Read online

  Christmas in Miracle Cove

  Mary Manners

  Copyright 2019

  Mary Manners

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover Art by German Creative

  This book is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, places, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Warning: No part of this book may be copied, scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means without the express, written permission of the author. Unauthorized duplication and/or distribution is illegal. Please purchase only authorized editions and do not participate in the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Published by Sweet Dreams Publications

  First Edition, 2019

  Published in the United States of America

  Contact information:

  Mary Manners: [email protected]

  Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV®

  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  ~ Dedication ~

  To everyone searching for a Christmas miracle.

  ~ About Christmas in Miracle Cove ~

  TWO BRUISED HEARTS SEARCHING FOR A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE…

  Down on her luck after budget cuts claim her job, art teacher Hope Casey returns to Miracle Cove to raise her five-year-old daughter, Sydney. While working at the local diner, Hope is befriended by Noah Armstrong, the youth director at Miracle Cove's Community Church.

  Noah is dealing with issues of his own—a painful divorce following confirmation that he'll never be able to father a child. Noah longs for a family of his own, but fears it may never come to pass.

  When Noah and Hope team up to direct Miracle Cove's Christmas Pageant, they are both searching for a little holiday cheer. What they discover is truly a Christmas miracle.

  ~ Key Verse ~

  Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.

  ~1 John 3:18~

  Chapter 1

  HOPE CASEY JUGGLED A FULL tray of breakfast platters in one hand and a coffee carafe in the other as she bustled along the crowded booths at Sam’s Diner. Outside, dark clouds lowered over the horizon like a blanket of lamb’s wool. Snow was imminent. Hope thought of the bald tires on her weather-beaten sedan and cringed. She’d meant to have them replaced with last month’s tips, but then Sydney came down with bronchitis, and the doctor bills had drained just about every cent she’d earned. Maybe she’d win the lottery…if only she had the cash—and the inclination—to play.

  “Miss, can I get a refill over here?”

  Hope turned to find Mr. Suttleman rapping his coffee cup with the tines of a fork. He arrived at the diner like clockwork, the same time every afternoon, and Hope was sure his purpose in life was to make her miserable. Despite her irritation, she plastered on a smile and nodded. “Decaf, right?”

  “That’s right.” His watery gaze narrowed as he removed a battered leather hat from his head and set it on the seat beside him. “And, if it’s not too much trouble, sometime in this decade would be nice.”

  “Of course.” Ugh. There was always one impatient customer who pushed to make her day miserable. Hope struggled to hold a pleasant tone of voice. “Coming right up.”

  “I’m not getting any younger.” No, he wasn’t. The thinning, grizzled hair, complete with a carefully orchestrated comb-over, was proof. Hope huffed out a breath and gritted her teeth as she turned away. How many more hours ’til she could head home to Sydney? She glanced at the clock on the wall above the cash register as she blew a stray wisp of hair from her eyes…still another two hours—two long hours.

  Her feet screamed, her lower back wailed, and she felt the gnarled kink in her neck creeping up to invade her brain. It was barely noon, and already she’d put in half-a-dozen non-stop hours.

  The diner’s door flew open, ushering in a frigid gust of wind along with a trio of women carting shopping bags.

  Black Friday. Ugh and double ugh! Didn’t all these people have anything better to do than rush through crowded stores and throw their money at overworked cashiers?

  But then Hope felt the heaviness that filled the pockets of her grease-splattered apron…cash tips— enough to replace the sedan’s tires and pay off the rest of Sydney’s doctor bill, with perhaps a bit left for a special treat for Sydney. She thought of the Christmas list she’d helped her daughter write just last night. There were only a few things Sydney wanted, but even those were more than Hope could afford on her meager salary and tips from the diner. If only she hadn’t deviated from Mama Cantori’s teachings during college.

  If only she’d stayed closer to home and been a bit less foolish.

  If only…

  Coins jangled in Hope’s pockets, drawing her back to the crowded diner. Maybe the day wasn’t such a waste after all. A bell in the order window chimed, signaling another round of meals ready for pick-up. She nodded to Sam, the rotund owner and head cook, and held up a finger to let him know she was on her way. He offered his signature wink, coupled with a hearty gap-toothed smile, in reply.

  She delivered the platters in her hands and filled half-a-dozen coffee mugs as she made her way back to the service counter, thanking God along the way for Sam’s generosity. The kindly man had offered her a job when she needed it most.

  “Busy day, huh?” Sam spoke in a thick, southern accent distinctive of someone who’d spent his entire life in the Appalachian area. He’d run the diner for nearly a decade, and could have retired as head cook years ago, but he loved keeping his hands busy. So he continued to lift a spatula and man the grill several times a week. Now, he smiled as he took the order receipt Hope offered and clipped it along the wall above the serving line.

  “Crazy busy.” Hope grabbed the tray of meals and a carafe of decaf coffee. “And some people seriously lack the Christmas spirit.”

  “Oh, don’t let Joe Suttleman get the best of you. His bark is worse than his bite.”

  “If you say so.” Hope nodded and flashed Sam a weary smile before doubling back to fill the cantankerous old gentleman’s mug. She leaned into the booth, careful not to splatter coffee on the table as it splashed into the ceramic mug. “Can I get you anything else, sir?”

  “No, but I think Noah’s trying to get your attention.”

  “Noah?” Hope turned toward the windows, where snow had indeed begun to fall in fat, sloppy flakes that blanketed the parking lot. A guy who sat tucked into the last booth in the corner motioned with a single finger raised into the air. He offered a slight grin as if apologizing for interrupting her rhythm, and slipped from his jacket, setting it on the seat beside him. She tried not to notice the way his navy polo shirt hugged a terrain of muscles across the wide breadth of his shoulders. He sported disheveled dark hair, just long enough to make him look a bit dangerous, and eyes the color of blue topaz.

  “Oh, thanks for the heads-up. I don’t know how I missed him.” Hope padded in his direction, her tennis shoes squeaking across the polished tile. As she approached his booth, she grimaced. “I’m so sorry—”

  “Don’t be.” He brushed her off with a wave of his hand. “I see you’re packed to the proverbial gills in here. Just coffee, please. Make it strong and black.”

  “Decaf okay?”

  “For this round, if that’s all you’ve got. But I’d be beyond appreciative if you’d bring the next round fully loaded.”

  “Sure.” She splashed a hit of coffee into his cup. For some reason her hands trembled as his eyes stud
ied her, and her pulse raced like she was the one downing gallons of caffeine. She chastised herself as she bumped the creamer, splattering the table. She sopped up the mess as she distracted him with small talk. “Been shopping?”

  “No.” He lifted the cup to his lips, drew a long gulp, then tilted his head and offered her a sidelong glance. “I wouldn’t be caught dead out there with all those bargain-hungry vultures.”

  “Sorry for assuming.” Hope’s mouth curled into a slight smile at his offhanded remark. Until now, she’d felt as though she was the only one who avoided the annual sale-hungry mobs.

  “You just look…”

  “What?” He leaned back in the booth, his gaze slipping over her as he waited for her to finish.

  “I mean, you seem a bit tired and…frazzled.”

  “That so?” He scratched a spatter of stubble across the length of his jaw. His fingers, Hope noticed, were long and strong—and lacking a wedding ring. “So, now the coffee comes with a therapy session?”

  “No.” Hope backpedaled, stumbling over a chair. The coffee carafe bobbled in her hand, and she was glad she had a tight grip on the handle or the guy— Noah—may have been gifted with a scalding coffee shower. The song on the radio segued into a festive Christmas tune as she stuttered, “I’ll, um…refill your cup. Would you like anything else?”

  “Nothing I can find in here.” He drew another gulp of coffee, his gaze drifting to the snow that began to engulf the parking lot and the quiet, two-lane road beyond. “So, no, thank you.”

  The aroma of french fries mingled with coffee and grilled chicken, making Noah Armstrong’s stomach lurch as he watched the harried woman juggle a tray filled with lunch plates. She wove her way along the string of booths, her cheeks flushed from the exertion. He hadn’t been by the diner in a while, but he knew Sam always scheduled at least three hostesses on a busy day such as this.

  Where had the others gone?

  The woman was smaller than average, her hands petite and delicate. But she seemed to have no trouble juggling a quartet of plates. Steam drifted from a meatloaf dinner, filling the diner with the aroma of rich ground beef and brown sugar. Usually the meatloaf was Noah’s favorite. But not today—no, he couldn’t imagine trying to eat anything with his gut wound so tight.

  Something about the woman seemed incongruous to their surroundings. She was too polished for the greasy diner, with a sassy blunt cut that skimmed her shoulders when she crossed by the wall of windows overlooking the snow-covered parking lot. Her eyes were a rich mahogany—a near reflection of her hair color—and he imagined she had a bite of temper to match the dark red hair. He’d noticed the look she’d given Joe Suttleman, the old codger, when he clinked his mug and demanded more coffee in an overly-gruff tone. Yes, Miss Hostess could surely hold her own.

  Noah hadn’t seen her here—or anywhere else in Miracle Cove, for that matter—before. She must be new in town. He watched her rush back to Mr. Hoffman’s table for the third time in less than a dozen minutes. Why didn’t she just leave the old guy his own personal coffee carafe and let him serve himself?

  Coffee…ahh. The muddy liquid warmed Noah’s belly, chasing away nausea. This morning had been less than smooth, and the afternoon didn’t look much better. Now, the snow falling like a burst of confetti from a dark, ominous sky just further complicated things.

  Mrs. Donaldson, his volunteer to help coordinate the church’s Christmas pageant, had been rushed to the hospital with a gall bladder attack just after midnight. He’d been to visit her, and though the surgery was deemed successful, she’d be off her feet for the next few weeks. And there wasn’t another volunteer on the docket. It had taken Noah a full week to persuade Mrs. Donaldson to take the job in the first place. She was an expert at set design and had a way with the kids, too. The prospect of finding someone to replace her was less than bleak.

  “Here you go.”

  Noah glanced up to see the hostess staring at him with voluminous eyes. She slipped a slice of warm apple pie, buried in a mound of vanilla ice cream, onto the table. Steam curled, carrying the rich aroma of cinnamon. The knot in his belly eased slightly as his gaze held hers.

  “But I didn’t order that.”

  “On the house.” She smiled. “You look like you can use a little pick-me-up.”

  Apples mingled with vanilla and Noah breathed deeply, feeling his blood pressure slack just a bit. Maybe the day would be okay after all. Maybe…

  “That’s really nice of you.” He nodded, splaying a hand across his belly as it rumbled. Mortified, he glanced up to see her staring at him. “Sorry about that.”

  “No problem.” She laughed and dimples deepened at the corners of her mouth. Noah noticed a cute little smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, too. Suddenly his pulse kicked up a notch.

  What the heck…

  “You’ll need this.”

  As she handed him a spoon, he caught the scent of her perfume…something subtle and lightly floral.

  “And I think you’ll need more than coffee, too.”

  “I guess so.” Five minutes earlier, his stomach had balked at the idea of food. Now, he found himself ravenous. He struggled to draw his gaze from her, and failed miserably. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” She nodded, and a few strands of hair skimmed her cheek. “It just came out of the oven. Enjoy.”

  Noah watched her retreat as he dug into the sweet confection, her hair swishing along her shoulders in time to the music that sang overhead. He didn’t know which was more appealing…her or the pie. Of course, the pie was delicious with warm apples and a perfect blend of the cool vanilla bean ice cream. But she was an appealing mystery, as well.

  Noah shook the thought from his head as he washed down apples with a sip of coffee. What had gotten into him? He refocused on the task at hand— finding a replacement for Mrs. Donaldson. He took out his day planner and went through the list of contacts once more. There had to be someone who could help him out…someone who enjoyed being around kids and was willing to carry an extra load for the next month.

  Someone who knew the true meaning of Christmas held more than the thrill of hunting for the best deal on Black Friday.

  Chapter 2

  HOPE STOMPED ACROSS THE PARKING lot toward her sedan. Wet, cold snow seeped into her sensible tennis shoes to chill her feet, and sloppy flakes caught in her hair. They melted and slipped beneath the collar of her coat to trace a shiver down her back.

  She opened the driver’s door and scooted into the seat, fumbling for her keys. Mama Cantori was expecting her home by two, but the crowd inside the diner—and now the snow, as well—were sure to make her late.

  Hope prayed the car’s balding tires would get her home, and vowed to replace them with the tips in her pockets—even if it took every cent.

  At least, right after she paid the electric bill and stocked the pantry. And bought one or two of the gifts on Sydney’s Christmas list.

  Hope slipped the key into the ignition and turned. The ominous, clicking noise that followed made her blood run cold.

  “No!” She smoothed a hand over the dashboard, caressing the weathered plastic as if it were a sick child. “C’mon, baby, don’t do this to me now. Please, you have to start.”

  Another turn, another series of the dreaded click, click, click, then nothing but looming silence.

  Hope pounded the dash and then slumped back in the seat, tears stinging her eyes. The effect of several sleepless nights, a string of double-shifts, and worry over Sydney’s bout of bronchitis suddenly caught up with her, and she felt as if she was drowning.

  Now, she could add to the list a lifeless car…the traitorous beast. How would she ever get home?

  A tap on the window startled her. She glanced up to find the guy from the diner staring at her. She rolled down the window, swiping tears from her cheeks as the cold wind swirled in to bite her. She cleared the lump from her throat as she spoke. “Was there something wrong with your pie?�
�

  “No.” He laughed. “Nothing wrong with that, but you seem to be having a bit of trouble.”

  “Yes.” She sighed and let her hands fall to her lap. “I think the battery’s dead.”

  He leaned into the open window and glanced at the dash. “Let’s see. Give it a crank.”

  “I did. It just clicks.” She lifted her right hand to give the key a turn in the ignition. “See?”

  “Yeah, it’s dead.” He nodded. “Hang on. I’ll get my cables and pull over here. Maybe a jump will get her going.”

  “I don’t want to trouble you.” Snowflakes littered his dark hair. Christmas music drifted across the parking lot from the diner. The lot was full, and Hope wondered if she was the only one who had trouble navigating the snow. She wasn’t used to cold winters, though, having spent the past several years in Jacksonville.

  “Oh, it’s no trouble.” He gathered the collar of his jacket and yanked up the zipper. “Just give me a minute, okay?”

  “Sure. I guess I don’t have a choice.”

  As he shuffled across the snow-swept asphalt, Hope could have kicked herself for sounding so unappreciative. She’d let her frustration get the best of her again.

  When he returned to park his car on the median facing hers, and then produced a set of jumper cables, she slipped from the car and started around to the driver’s side of the SUV to meet him.

  As soon as he caught sight of her, he held up a hand to stop her. “It’s cold out here, and there’s no need for you to be chilled. Stay in the driver’s seat. Keep the door closed and crack the window just slightly so you can hear me.” He motioned her back to the sedan before she’d taken half-a-dozen steps. “The wind will bite off your nose, and it won’t do either of us any good for you to freeze.”

  So, Hope returned to the car and settled into the seat while he opened the sedan’s hood and fiddled beneath it. Her breath curled around the car’s cab and her toes numbed. She gnawed a fingernail and grew more and more anxious with each passing minute. She should call Mama Cantori and inform her of the delay, but one glance at the cell phone told Hope its battery was dead again, too. She could always head back into the diner and use the phone, but was it wise—or polite—to just leave this stranger alone in the storm while he was trying to get her car breathing again?