Her Christmas Secret
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Gabrielle Meyer
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16
Chapter One
If Valerie Wilmington wasn’t so happy to finally have her own house, she would have dreaded the fall cleanup. Her new yard was bigger than she had anticipated when she saw the pictures online, but it was beautiful and full of trees—which meant there were a lot of leaves. Red oak, orange maple, and yellow ash littered her yard and offered a mosaic of autumn colors. The late November weather was cold, and she should have had the leaves picked up sooner, but she’d been too busy adjusting to her new job as the principal at the Timber Falls Christian School.
A sharp wind blew against her as she put the last pile of leaves in the garbage bin she’d been using to haul to the city compost pile. The sun was starting to fall toward the horizon, prompting her to pull her phone out of her back pocket and look at the time.
Twenty minutes to three.
Good. Just enough time to change and get to the school to meet with the contractor about the leak that had ruined the kindergarten classroom.
She put away her rake, shovel and garbage bin in the detached garage at the back of her property and then went into the house. It was Saturday, but it was the only day the contractor could meet with her. She didn’t mind. She’d probably end up at the school sometime today anyway. There was always something that needed to be done.
Her house was an American Foursquare with white siding, a covered front porch and a third-floor dormer. It was over a hundred and thirty years old and full of so much charm, she had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it online. She’d purchased it sight unseen and was so thankful she loved it even more in person. The previous owners had done a lot of work to modernize the kitchen and bathroom, but the rest of the house looked original. One of her favorite features was a small fireplace in the cozy little den, tucked into the corner of the main floor. On cold evenings like this one, she loved to light a fire, fill up a mug of steaming tea or hot chocolate and read for hours on end.
Her toy poodle, Annabelle, greeted her at the back door with an excited wag of her tail. “I’m going to be late,” she said to Annabelle as she stopped to pet the three-year-old dog. “And Mr. Griffin won’t like that.”
Valerie went up the steps to the second floor and was just slipping into a clean pair of jeans and a blouse when the front doorbell rang. She wished there was someone else to get the door, but since she lived alone, there was no one else but her.
With a sigh, she left her bedroom and went back down the steps, taking her blond hair out of the ponytail it had been in. The front door opened onto the covered porch, but her visitors had let themselves into the porch and were standing on the other side of the door. A window at the top of the door let Valerie know who had arrived—and her heart fell.
She pulled the door open and stared at her mother—and her ten-year-old daughter, Hailey.
A dozen different emotions fought for attention. Surprise, fear, uncertainty...and joy.
“Mom,” Valerie said, breathless from surprise. “What are you doing here?”
She hadn’t seen her mom since last Christmas—almost a year ago. It was the only time that she saw her mom and Hailey. It had been the simplest way to deal with the situation since Hailey had been born—though it had never been easy. The only way her mom would agree to raise Hailey when Valerie gave birth to her at the age of eighteen was to say that Hailey was her child.
To this day, Hailey believed Valerie was her sister—not her mother.
“Hello, Valerie,” her mom said. “May we come in?”
“Yes.” Valerie moved aside, and for the first time, she noticed the four large suitcases on the porch with them. “What’s going on?”
Hailey was ten years old and looked just like Valerie had at that age. Straight blond hair, big blue eyes and a button nose. She didn’t look anything like Valerie’s high school boyfriend, Soren. He had dark brown hair and eyes.
But Valerie pushed thoughts of Soren away. She hadn’t seen him in ten years. He’d broken up with her the moment he learned she was pregnant and refused to even discuss the baby. He had wanted nothing to do with her or Hailey. In the moment when she needed him most, he’d broken her heart and abandoned her.
“Hi, Hailey,” Valerie said, offering a smile, though her heart was pounding.
“Hi.” Hailey glanced up at Valerie, shy and uncertain. She held her mom’s hand and stood close to her side. They’d only seen each other ten times in Hailey’s life—the day she was born and at each Christmas holiday since then. No wonder the little girl was nervous to be at Valerie’s house for the first time.
Her mom had worked two jobs as a single parent while raising Valerie. Thankfully, Valerie had flourished as a student and had been the valedictorian of her class—but what none of her classmates knew was that she was six months pregnant with Hailey under her graduation gown. She’d done a good job hiding the pregnancy until summer break and then she and her mom had left their small suburban town in Minnesota and moved to Saint Paul. It had been easy enough for her mom to say that Hailey was her baby and for Hailey to head away to college in Wisconsin.
What had been hard was living with the ache of guilt and shame Valerie had felt.
“You have a beautiful home, Valerie,” her mom said as she looked around the spacious living room with its tall windows, arched doorways and hardwood floors. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Valerie frowned. Her mom was acting like they were just in the neighborhood and decided to stop in. Yet—her mom and Hailey lived in Saint Paul, which was over a hundred miles southeast of Timber Falls. This visit had to be deliberate. But why? Her mom had never sought her out without warning before—and never with four suitcases. “What’s going on, Mom?”
“Can we have a seat?”
Valerie glanced at the wall clock. It was three, which meant she would be late to meet the contractor—something she hated. Being late meant being selfish of someone else’s time. His number was on a piece of paper on her desk at work, so she had no way of contacting him.
She’d have to apologize later.
Valerie motioned to the two couches facing each other. “Sit wherever you’d like.”
Her mom took a seat and Hailey sat close by her side.
Valerie sat on the opposite couch with the coffee table between them and clasped her hands, waiting.
The quiet in the room lengthened as her mom studied Valerie. Finally, her mom said, “I told Hailey the truth.”
Valerie stared at her mom, unsure she’d heard her correctly. “The truth?”
“Yes. About you—and her—and us.”
“What are you saying?” Panic raced through Valerie, making her heart pound. Had her mom told Hailey that Valerie was her biological mother? But why would she do that without consulting Valerie? Why would she do it at all?
Her mom took her time to answer and finally said, “I met someone.”
A strange quiet filled the air. Valerie shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m getting remarried—tomorrow, in Las Vegas,” her mom said. “Lyle and I met a couple months ago at the grocery store, and we started to date. He is a retiree and spends his summers in Minnesota and his winters in Arizona at a gated retirement community. When he asked me to marry him, I knew I had to decide.” Her blue eyes, so much like Valerie’s and Hailey’s, were filled with pain. “I’ve spent my entire life sacrificing for others. And I haven’t complained. It’s been a fulfilling and rewarding life. But I’m tired, Valerie. And I don’t want to be lonely for the rest of my life. Lyle is a good man, and he wants to make me happy.”
“What are you saying?” Valerie asked again, trying to understand as Hailey’s gaze was on her. Everything felt like it was suffocating her. Her clothes, the air—the look in Hailey’s eyes.
“I’m saying that children cannot live in the retirement community, and, to be honest, Lyle isn’t in a position to help raise Hailey. He’s ten years older than me.” She paused for a heartbeat and then continued. “A few weeks ago, I told Hailey the truth. We’ve been working through the pain that she has had to deal with, but she understands why we chose to tell her that I was her mother and not her grandmother. And she understands that it’s best for her to live with you now.”
“Live with me?” Valerie felt like she was dreaming—like she was sitting outside herself watching all of this unfold.
“That’s why I’ve brought all her things—at least, most of them.” Her mom offered a sad smile. “I know I shouldn’t have sprung this on you, but I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of it. This will be best for all of us. Maybe a little hard in the beginning, but in the end, we’ll realize it was supposed to work out this way.”
“Work out?” Valerie felt silly, as if she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
“I explained to Hailey that you gave birth to her right after you graduated high school,” her mom said. “And I wanted you to go to college and make something of yourself, because I was never given that option since I had you at the age of eighteen. When she was born, I thought I was doing the best thing for all of us, but I didn’t realize that I was keeping both of you from the most important relationship of your life. You two need to know each other—so that’s why I brought Hailey here.”
Valerie scooted to the edge of her couch, feeling desperate. When she had found out she was pregnant, her world had crashed down around her. But when her mom offered her a new start, she had promised herself she’d never make the same mistake again. She kept her boyfriends at a distance—which meant they didn’t stick around for long. But that was for the best. Nothing was out of place in her life. She was disciplined, organized and diligent. She had set goals for herself and stuck to them. A five-year plan and then a ten-year plan—which had included becoming a principal. But her fifteen-year plan didn’t involve raising a daughter. “I—I just started a new job. No one knows I have a daughter. What will I tell them?”
Her mom stood and put her hand on Valerie’s cheek. “You’ll figure it out, honey. I should have let you figure it out ten years ago.”
Anger and fear tore at Valerie’s chest. Her mother should have at least given her time to process this before bringing Hailey. “How could you do this to us?”
Tears fell down her mom’s cheeks as she shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt either of you—but there’s no other way.” She turned to Hailey, who was crying, though she seemed resigned. She’d had time to accept this. “I’m leaving now,” her mom said as she reached for Hailey to give her a hug.
“Wait.” Valerie was trying to get her thoughts to catch up. “I don’t have a room set up for her, I don’t know what kind of food she likes, or her medical information, or anything.”
“I wrote everything down,” her mom said as she pulled away from Hailey. “I have her medical and school records in a folder in one of the suitcases. Whatever I haven’t covered, she can tell you. She’s smart and confident and knows what she likes and dislikes—just like you.”
Valerie stared at her daughter and Hailey stared back.
“Mom,” Valerie tried again as her mother moved to the front door. “You’re leaving? Just like that?”
“I don’t want to make this harder on Hailey than it needs to be. We said our goodbyes and she understands what’s happening.”
“What about me?” Valerie asked, feeling like a helpless ten-year-old herself. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
Her mom leaned forward and kissed Valerie’s cheek. “You’re a smart, educated woman. You deal with children for a living. You’ll figure it out. Goodbye, Valerie. I love you.” She looked at Hailey. “And I love you, too.”
“Bye,” Hailey said, quietly.
Valerie couldn’t process what was happening as her mother opened the front door and slipped outside, closing it behind her.
For a heartbeat, Valerie just stared at the door. But then she opened it and walked out onto the porch.
Her mom was already on the sidewalk, moving toward a pickup truck where a man waited for her.
“That’s Lyle,” Hailey said beside Valerie. “They’re flying to Las Vegas tonight to get married and then he’s taking her to Arizona.”
Valerie looked down at Hailey and she looked back at Valerie.
What in the world were they going to do?
Wade Griffin was rarely on time for anything in his life—but he had made sure he was at the Timber Falls Christian School a few minutes before three, because he knew the principal was a stickler for punctuality.
Yet, as Wade sat in his truck in the parking lot with his ten-year-old daughter, Isabel, and his seven-year-old son, Brayden, Miss Wilmington was nowhere to be found. She was already twenty minutes late.
Maybe she forgot, though he doubted it. He’d met her at his kids’ open house and spoken to her once about the project at the school, but both times he had sensed that she was disciplined and precise. Not someone who would be late.
“I’m hungry,” Brayden said from the back seat of the king cab.
“We just ate lunch a couple hours ago,” Wade told him. “You can hold out for supper, buddy.”
“But I don’t like supper.”
“You don’t know what we’re having.”
“I don’t like anything we have for supper.”
Wade glanced in the rearview mirror and said, “What if I told you Grammy is coming over and she’s bringing your favorite?”
“Lasagna?” Brayden asked with a big grin.
“Yep.”
“Yay!” Both Issy and Brayden cheered.
Issy was sitting next to Brayden. Her dark brown hair and brown eyes reminded him of his ex-wife, Amber. Issy was a miniature version of her mom who was now living in Los Angeles with her new boyfriend, trying to break into the movies.
Wade didn’t let himself think about Amber often. The lies she had told him had nearly destroyed him. She’d been gone for six years, and he still struggled to trust people and let them get close. It was easier to focus on being a dad and working for his father’s construction company than it was to think about all the disappointments in his thirty-two years of life.
“Where is the principal?” Wade asked as he looked out the window of his truck at the empty parking lot. “Does she think my time isn’t as valuable as hers?”
“Daddy,” Issy said in a singsong voice. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Wade briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re right, Issy. Thanks for the reminder.”
His kids often reminded him of the lessons he was trying to teach them.
“Maybe she forgot,” Brayden offered.
“Maybe.” Wade looked at the clock again. “I need to get into the school to look at the damage from the broken pipe if I’m going to start working on it on Monday.”
“Let’s go to her house,” Issy suggested. “And see why she’s not here.”
“Even if I knew where she lived—” Wade paused as he saw a car pull into the parking lot. “It looks like she just got here.”
He didn’t usually take his kids to jobsites with him, but this was their school, and it was Saturday. As a single dad, he had little choice.
The black Toyota Camry pulled into the spot next to him and Miss Wilmington got out of the driver’s side, looking frazzled and panicky.
Wade frowned. Every time he’d seen her, she was composed, confident and calm.
One of the back doors of the Camry opened and a little girl got out. She had blond hair and looked like a miniature version of the principal.
“Does your principal have a daughter?” he asked Issy and Brayden.
“No,” Issy said. “I don’t think so.”
Wade got out of his truck with a pad of paper and a pencil, trying not to let his frustration show.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Miss Wilmington said as she pulled a set of keys from her purse and started to move toward the school door, barely looking at him. “A—a family emergency came up.”
Any irritation Wade felt vanished when he saw the turmoil in her gaze. He had a feeling that family emergency was an understatement. She looked distressed. “It’s okay,” he said. “The kids and I were fine waiting.”
“Daddy,” Issy said—but he put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder to silence her. She was probably going to say it wasn’t okay to tell a fib.
“Thank you,” Miss Wilmington said as she fumbled with the keys and then glanced at the little girl.
Issy and the girl looked each other over. They were complete opposites in looks but were about the same height and age.
“This is my—ahh—” Miss Wilmington paused.
“I’m her sister,” the little girl said. “I’m Hailey.”
Sister? Wade frowned. The age gap was remarkable, but their looks were so similar, he wasn’t surprised they were related.
“I’m Isabel,” Issy said. “Will you come to school here?”
Hailey looked at Miss Wilmington with a question in her eyes.
“Yes,” Miss Wilmington said without hesitation. “She’ll start Monday. Her arrival was very unexpected, so we have a lot of decisions to make—but we know she’ll go to school here.”
Was that the family emergency? The unexpected arrival of her little sister? No wonder the principal was frazzled. Had something horrible happened to her parents?
“I hope everything’s okay with your family,” Wade said.
Miss Wilmington nodded. “Everything’s fine. We just have some adjusting to do. Let’s get into the building so you can get on with your day.”
Wade and the kids followed her into the school. The large building had been added to the back of the Timber Falls Community Church three years ago and was a perfect addition to their small town. Wade hadn’t hesitated to enroll Issy for second grade when the school opened. He’d appreciated her teachers and the last principal—but this new one was still a mystery to him. She seemed kind and caring—but she was also distant and a little cold.
“The water pipe broke in the kindergarten classroom on Thursday night,” Miss Wilmington said as she turned on the lights and led the way. “We were able to get all the furniture and school supplies out yesterday, but the carpet and some of the Sheetrock will need to be replaced. We’re hoping the project won’t take too long, since the kindergartners will be using the staff conference room until they can get back into their classroom.”
“It shouldn’t take more than a week or two,” he said. “Though that’s only a guess, since I haven’t seen the room yet.”
The kindergarten classroom was the closest to the main office, which was near the front door. Miss Wilmington unlocked the classroom door and flipped on the lights.
“We had a cleaning service come in yesterday and suck up all the water,” she said. “But we’ll need your crew to remove the carpet and the damaged Sheetrock. I’m not even sure what else needs to happen.”
Wade entered and looked around. “The cabinets on the floor might need to be replaced, too.”
Miss Wilmington sighed. “I hadn’t noticed that.”
“They look like they’re standard size. We should be able to replace them without any trouble. Might take a little more time, though.”
“That’s what I don’t want to hear.” Every time Wade had seen the principal, she’d been in business attire. Skirts, suit coats, high heels, button-down shirts. Now, she was wearing jeans and a blouse with a wool jacket that tied at the waist. She was pretty, in a kind of girl-next-door way. He’d noticed right away, but her cool exterior had made him push aside those thoughts.
Now, frazzled, in casual clothes, with her hair in kind of a mess around her face, she looked cute. Approachable.
Hailey was quiet as she looked around the room and then studied her older sister. There was something about the pair that struck him as strange. Did they know each other very well? They almost appeared like strangers.
Or was that just Miss Wilmington’s personality? Was she cool and aloof with her sister, too?
“I’ll take a few pictures and get some measurements,” Wade said, looking back at the room. “I’ll plan to be here by six thirty on Monday morning. My crew will get here by seven.”
“Wonderful. I’ll be here at six thirty to open the school for you. Thank you for the quick action. I’m sure we probably pulled you off another job to do this one.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Which wasn’t exactly true. He was a contractor for his dad’s company—and his dad had several crews. When Wade said the kids’ school needed help, his dad had shifted some things around and given the job to Wade—though there had been a lot of grumbling and complaining on his dad’s part. They were busy this time of year, trying to wrap up projects before the snow started to fall. It was harder to come by work in the winter, though, so they would take what they could get now.
“Can we play on the playground while we wait?” Brayden asked Wade.
“I don’t see why not,” he said.
“Want to come with us?” Issy asked Hailey.
Hailey glanced at Miss Wilmington, a shy curiosity in her gaze.
“Go ahead,” the principal said. “But stick together.”
“Come on.” Issy took Hailey’s hand and said, “I think we’re going to be good friends.”
Hailey smiled and nodded, a bit of the shyness wearing off.
“Keep your coat buttoned up,” Miss Wilmington said. “And be careful on the monkey bars. Don’t talk to any strangers.” She followed the kids out into the hallway, calling orders as they went.
Wade started to take pictures of the damage as Miss Wilmington came back into the room and walked to the window where she had a view of the playground.
“I take it her arrival was a surprise?” he asked.
He wasn’t sure if she was going to answer, but then she finally said, “The biggest surprise of my life.”
There was something deep and complicated in her simple response.
He’d had a few of those kind of surprises in his life as well.
