Share

Christmas Cove
Christmas Cove
Author: Theresa Oliver

Chapter 1

Author: Theresa Oliver
last update Last Updated: 2022-06-15 14:02:45
VOLUME ONE: Coming Home to Christmas Cove

"Would you like to see your ring again, Mrs. Spencer?" Jocelyn Taylor asked the silver-haired woman. When Mrs. Spencer brought the ring into the jewelry boutique the week before, the staff had dubbed it The Christmas Ring because of the story behind it.

The elder woman nodded, a smile donning her lips. "Yes, if you're sure it's not too much trouble."

Jocelyn smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer used to own the jewelry store, but sold it a few years back. Now, they couldn't seem to stay away. They had been coming into the jewelry store ever since Jocelyn started working there when she graduated from college. Although she had majored in Business Administration, Jocelyn couldn't find a suitable job in the town. Since Roxanne, the new owner, hired her, Jocelyn had worked her way up to manager and helped to turn the store around. Jocelyn had taught Roxanne about business management, and Roxanne, in turn, had taught her the jewelry business. Together, they made a good team in the town where Christmas lived three hundred sixty-five days a year--Christmas Cove, Washington.

"Please, tell us the story again." Kiki, a salesperson and Jocelyn's best friend, leaned onto her elbows on the glass counter, settling in. If Roxanne had been there, she would have thrown a fit.

Mrs. Spencer waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you don't want to hear that old story again, do you? I've told it to you a hundred times."

"Please?" Kiki batted her big, blue eyes and pooched out her lip. Her expression was so comical that Jocelyn had to laugh.

"Well-." Mrs. Spencer folded her hands primly at the edge of the counter. "Long ago, my father bought this ring for my mother while he was stationed in France during WWII. While he was away, he had missed my mother so badly that he swore that he'd propose to her the moment he saw her again."

"And what did she say?" Kiki's eyes were wide, her auburn hair falling over her arms. "Did she say yes?"

Jocelyn gently nudged her shoulder with hers. They had both heard the story many times before, but Jocelyn enjoyed hearing it just as much each time.

"Well, not at first." Mrs. Spencer's eyes danced with excitement. "Although she knew my father before he left, she didn't know him well enough to say yes. So, he asked her out on a date. He had proposed to her for the first time a week before Christmas right here in this town and she turned him down." She leaned in for effect. "But, by the end of the week on Christmas Eve, he proposed to her right there again-." She pointed through the large, plate-glass windows to the gazebo in the town square.

"And she said yes." Kiki's eyes widened as she straightened her posture.

"And she said yes," Mrs. Spencer repeated, as if Kiki hadn't said a thing.

Kiki sighed dreamily. "It's the most romantic story I've ever heard."

"Here at the boutique, we call it The Christmas Ring, you know," Jocelyn interjected, pulling the sparkling ring out from inside the case. The ring was simple, but gorgeous. Out of all the rings that had come through the Christmas Cove Jewelry Store, it was, by far, the most beautiful.

Mrs. Spencer's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really?" She smiled, quickly recovering herself. "Well, it's very fitting, isn't it?"

Kiki sighed, a hopeless romantic. "Someday, my future husband will propose to me on Christmas Eve, too."

"Oh, really," Jocelyn stated in disbelief.

"Are you dating someone, dear?" Mrs. Spencer was a romantic, too. Jocelyn guessed that they all were.

Kiki smiled proudly. "No, ma'am. I'm not even dating anyone." She shrugged. "I guess I just haven't met the right man yet."

Mrs. Spencer gave her hand a gentle pat. "There, there. Give it time. When you meet the right man, you'll know it." Her voice was filled with pity, as if being single was an affliction.

"But how do you know?" Kiki asked like a small child as she folded her arms at the edge of the counter.

"Well-" Mrs. Spencer's eyes lit up, clearly enjoying herself. "You get a fluttering in your stomach and your heart beats ridiculously fast at just the mere mention of him. So much so that you think it'll burst-."

"Really?" Kiki was leaning against the counter again, her eyes wide.

Mrs. Spencer nodded. "But how you really know is when you can't live one more day without him in your life."

Jocelyn stopped cleaning and leaned against the counter, caught up in the older woman's romanticism. "How many years have you been married, Mrs. Spencer?"

She sighed. "Too many to count, I'm afraid."

"We've been married for forty-eight years this Valentine's Day." Mr. Spencer walked in at the tail end of the conversation. Then he reached over and took her hand in his. "She was twenty-three, and was so beautiful she took my breath away." He raised her withered hand to his lips and kissed it, never taking his eyes from hers. "And she still is."

"Oh, you ol' smoothie." Mrs. Spencer blushed as everyone laughed.

"No, I'm truthful," Mr. Spencer corrected, and then turned his attention to Jocelyn and Kiki. "She's the most beautiful woman I ever saw." Then he looked into her eyes and smiled.

That was what Jocelyn wanted one day. A love to last the ages, a lifetime love, but she feared that it just wasn't meant to be.

"Well, now-." Mrs. Spencer patted her husband's hand and then looked up at Jocelyn. "I think we've taken up enough of these young people's time."

Jocelyn walked around the counter, tucked the woman's hand into her arm, and walked her toward the door. "Never. You come in any time you like. It's always a pleasure to see you." At the risk of shooting herself in the foot, she had to ask, "But are you absolutely certain you want to sell the ring? I mean, it's been in your family a very long time."

The elder woman nodded. "Yes, I am. We never had children and I want it to go to someone who will cherish it the way I have. It'll bring good luck to a deserving couple, I'm sure.

Jocelyn could only wish for such a love, but love like that was only found in fairy tales.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 111

    The fresh aroma of flowers wafted toward her as Kiki walked into the doorway of the ballroom in The North Pole Lodge. She wrung her silk-gloved hands as she looked around the room. All eyes were on her, but there was only one person she wanted to see. Then she looked over at a group of people and her heart stopped. For standing beside his coworker was Taren, looking dashing in a black tuxedo, white shirt, and black bowtie, his dark blond-streaked hair combed to perfection, looking as if he had stepped out of a fashion magazine or a fireman's calendar.Kiki's heart leapt when their eyes met, but his expression was unreadable as he crossed the room to her. Taren stopped in front of her, and she could smell the fresh scent of his cologne, his muscles bulging beneath his tux."Why are you here?" he asked, his eyes soft and kind.Of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn't it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come." She turned to leave, but he caught her hand."No- please stay."

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 110

    Taren stepped out of her reach and adjusted his tux. "What are you doing here?"Through the doors to the ballroom, Dylan, Patrick, Erica, and other firefighters watched, ready if he needed them. Although he appreciated their concern, he just wished they would stay out of it."You invited me." Scarlett pushed out her lower lip. But he was no longer a child, and her silly games no longer worked on him."No, I didn't." Taren shrugged out of her grasp and tried to walk past her, headed toward the ballroom, but she grabbed his arm and swung him around. "Scarlett, just leave. No one wants you here." He turned to walk away."I'll go to court for Abby!" she shouted behind him.Taren stopped and slowly turned around. He walked toward her and stopped just inches from her. "Never threaten me with my daughter again."Scarlett smirked as she folded her arms across her chest. "Besides, my lawyer says we have a good chance of winning the case.""Oh yeah, Scarlett? What lawyer?" He waited for a

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 109

    Later that night, Taren looked into the full-length mirror in his room, adjusting his bowtie once again. Then he smoothed a hand over his tux and pulled the vest down into place. Although he had given her a ticket, his heart sank, knowing that Kiki probably wouldn't be there. After brushing his hair into place, he laid the brush down onto the counter."Well, I guess this is as good as it's going to get."If it wasn't for the fact that he was obligated to go because it was his turn to host, he wouldn't be going. He just hoped that Scarlett wouldn't make too big of a scene. Although his friends and coworkers knew what kind of person she was, he still didn't want her to embarrass him in front of them. He sighed, knowing it was inevitable. But this time, he wasn't going to let her hold his daughter over his head to get what she wanted."Daddy!" Abby ran to him when he walked into the living room and he scooped her into his arms. "You look nice! Are you going to see Kiki?"Pain gripped

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 108

    "Okay. What's wrong?" Jocelyn asked, her arms folded across her chest."Nothing." Kiki went back to rearranging the case. But she knew that Jocelyn wouldn't let up until she told her. She was a bulldog when she suspected that something was wrong.Jocelyn's hand appeared in front of her and slid the door of the case shut, the engagement ring prominent on her hand. "Come on. Spill."Kiki leaned against the glass case, her back toward the door. "Jocelyn, I'm fine.""No, you're not."Kiki let out a deep breath, letting her hands fall to her sides. "What do you want from me, Joce? I screwed up and I don't know what to do about it! I jumped to conclusions when I saw Taren with Scarlett, and I hurt him. You should have seen the look on his face." Kiki's eyes filled with tears, threatening to spill over. "He even said 'as for how I feel about you, I guess you'll never know'.""I can tell you right now that he cares deeply for you," a voice came from behind them.Jocelyn turned around an

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 107

    At work the next day, Kiki held a set of rings that a young couple had been looking at."Are you sure this is the one you want?" the young man asked his future bride.She nodded, but bit her lip and released it. "Yes, but it's too much.""Would you like to see another set?" Kiki asked the young woman.The woman nodded, smiling. "Yes, please.""No, this is the one," the young man interrupted. "Could you hold them for me? Then I'll come by and make payments on them until they're paid off."Kiki looked between them and smiled. "Yes, of course." Kiki let out a deep breath. "I'll tell you what. Ten dollars should hold it for now. That is, unless you'd like another amount?"The young man returned her smile. "No, that will be fine. Thank you." He opened his wallet and handed her a ten dollar bill. "Thank you.""What's your name?" Kiki asked."Jared. Jared Thomas." Then he looked over at his fiancée. "And this is Rochelle Hall."Kiki smiled as she wrote down their names. "So, when's

  • Christmas Cove   Chapter 106

    "Daddy! You're here!" Abby yelled as he walked into the house the next morning, New Year's Eve. She ran toward him and he scooped her up into his arms. "Want to go sled riding?"He gave her a smile. Abby was the one thing that he and Scarlett had done right, and he was grateful for every second he had with her."We will in a little while. It's a little too early yet. Let Daddy rest for a bit." He carried her into the living room and sat with her on his lap as the bright morning sunshine streamed in through the windows. It was rare that the sun was so bright this time of year.She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Daddy."His mother walked in, carrying a cup of coffee and sat on the chair kitty-corner from them.Taren pulled his daughter close and gave her a hug. "I love you, too, pumpkin." Then he set her on her feet. "Now, go play and I'll take you sled riding in a little while.""Yeah!" she shouted, running off to her room to play.His mot

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status