It's a Wonderful Holiday by Heidi McLaughlin

Author:Heidi McLaughlin [McLaughlin, Heidi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 48771921
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2019-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Gwen

I shoulder my bag and hold on to the strap tightly as I rush across the street toward the clothing store. The ground is slick with a combination of slush, freshly falling snow, and salt to try to melt the ice.

My first stop, though, is the coffee shop. I’ve had a craving for their peppermint mocha since I woke this morning, and thankfully there isn’t a line. With the warm cup nestled between my hands, I bring it to my face and inhale the wintery scent, but before I can take a sip, my eyes land on the homeless man my daughter has befriended. Gabe’s standing under the awning of a store a few doors down with a cup in his hand. I can’t tell from here if he’s asking anyone for change or if he’s just holding it out, hoping someone will be kind enough to drop a few coins in there for him.

“I’d like another cup,” I say to the barista. “And a small assortment of your pastries.”

“Sure thing,” the young girl says. Within minutes, I’m juggling two cups and a bag of freshly made goodies, which are causing my stomach to growl.

“Hello.” I stop in front of the man. He smiles and continues to shake his cup as people walk by, and much to my surprise, he’s wishing them a Merry Christmas even though they’re ignoring him. “How are you, Gabe?”

“I’m well, ma’am.”

I smile at his politeness and hold out the extra coffee and bag of sweet treats. “These are for you.” He looks at me and then to the bag. I can sense some hesitation, and it saddens me. Surely, he’s hungry and would want the food. He wasn’t like this the other night, and it makes me wonder if someone in town has said something to him.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do this.” He opens the bag immediately and if I’m not mistaken, inhales deeply.

“I know, but my daughter thinks of you as her friend, and I’d like to … Well I don’t know what I’d like right now.”

“Happiness,” he says, but I’m not sure if he’s talking about what I want or the fact that he’s bitten into what I would call one of the best apple cider doughnuts in New England.

“I’m glad you like it.” I point to the half-eaten pastry in his hand. Never mind the crumbs sticking to his face.

“You have hope,” he says. “I can see it in your eyes.”

My head cocks to the side as I study him. “For what?” I ask.

Gabe looks at a few passersby, making he wonder if he’s ignoring me. Maybe he’d rather stand here and be by himself, or maybe he’s not right in his mind or suffers from posttraumatic stress and I’m only hearing what I want, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Love has a funny way of making people unhappy. Yet you seem to have a spark. I can see it,” he says calmly.

I want to call him crazy and tell him he has no idea what he’s talking about, but he’s right.

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