The Best of Times: A Dicken's Inn Novel (32 page)

“Thank you,” Chas and Jackson both said at the same time.

The conversation lightened with some small talk that eased any residue of awkwardness over the difficult topic. After they walked the bishop to the door, Jackson went back to the parlor and sat down. Chas sat beside him and waited for him to say something. When minutes passed and he didn’t, she finally said, “Well, what do you think?”

She was aching to hear his thoughts regarding the entire conversation, and the outpouring of spiritual information. He just smiled and said, “Will you marry me?”

“I already said yes.”

“Then, I guess we’re set.”

He made no further comment, and she didn’t bring it up again. She knew that the blessings and the bishop’s kindness and compassion had left a deep impression on him, but he was keeping it to himself. Perhaps he feared that if they talked about it too much, she might get pushy with religion. Perhaps he just needed time to mull it around in his mind. Whatever the reason, she respected where he stood and knew that he would do the same for her.

The following morning at breakfast she felt the need to clarify thoughts that wouldn’t leave her. She reached across the table and took his hand before she said, “I need to make something perfectly clear.”

“Okay,” he said and took a sip of coffee.

“We talked about it a little when we started seeing each other, but a lot’s happened, and I don’t ever want discord between us over it.”

“It?”

“Religion.”

“Did you think there would be?”

“I hope not, but I want to be clear where I stand.”

“I know where you stand,” he said. “And you made it clear that you wanted your children to be—”

“Our children.”

“Our
children to be raised in this church, and that you would appreciate my being actively involved, as opposed to not being involved at all. I’m fine with that.”

“I’m grateful for that. I really am. That’s just it. I want you to know that I
am
grateful. I respect your beliefs, except that I’m not quite sure what they are exactly.”

“I’m not quite sure myself, but I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is . . . I’ll be happy to answer any questions, or talk about anything you want to talk about . . . and I promise to never be pushy about it or make it an issue in our relationship. I won’t pretend that it wouldn’t mean a great deal to me to see you become a member of the Church for many reasons, but you will never get pressure from me. Never.”

She saw him thinking about it, then he smiled. “I know,” he said, “but I appreciate the clarification. Truthfully, if I’d had the slightest notion that you
would
get pushy about it, I don’t know if we could have made it work.”

Chas thought of how many times she’d felt strongly about holding back; now she had to believe such feelings were inspired. “It would really bother you that much?”

“I’m afraid it would,” he said. “It’s probably residue from my childhood in one way or another; most of my issues are. But I have to do things in my own time and in my own way. It’s just who I am.”

“I know,” she said. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“Then I guess we should get married.”

“I think we should,” she said, and he stood up to lean over the table and kiss her.

Later that day, with all of the plans for the wedding completely taken care of, Jackson and Chas drove to the airport in Butte to pick up his mother and sister. His sister’s son, Brian, was also coming.

“I could get used to this,” Chas said, holding Jackson’s hand.

“What?”

“Being with you . . . all the time.”

“Yeah,” he said and kissed her hand. “I could definitely get used to this.”

“So, you really think you’re ready to take up the life of an innkeeper?”

“I am so ready,” he said and chuckled.

“Good, because I fired the snow guy; he’s had his two-week notice. Next week you’d better go buy something you can drive to move all that snow.”

He laughed at the thought of such a task in contrast to his former life. “I’d be happy to . . . but not next week. After I get back from my honeymoon I’ll take care of it.”

“Deal,” she said. “And then I have a whole list of things that need to be done around the house. Guy chores, you know. Just pretend you’re going undercover as a fix-it man, and we’ll be set.”

He laughed again. “How delightful.”

She laughed too. “That’s easy for you to say. You haven’t seen the list.”

At the airport, Melva and Melinda both started to cry when they saw Jackson. After a ridiculous amount of hugs, Melinda introduced them to her son, who had been born after Jackson had left home twenty-seven years earlier.

“I understand you’re in the Reserves,” Jackson said to him.

“Yes, sir, I am. I understand you were in the Marines.”

“I was.”

“I’d love to talk to you about that, sir.”

“Not sir,” Jackson said. “And yes, I would love to talk to you about that.”

The drive back to the inn went quickly with all they had to talk about, and the evening went well with a festive anticipation in the air. Thanksgiving Day proved to be one of the best Chas had ever enjoyed. If not for Granny’s absence, it would have been perfect. But in her heart she knew that Granny surely had to be aware of the joy Chas was feeling.

During the meal Melva suggested they go around the table and say at least one thing they were grateful for. She got emotional as she volunteered to start, and expressed her gratitude to not only have her son back in her life, but to have him safe and well. By the time everyone had taken a turn, they were all emotional. Jackson concluded that it was great to be alive.

The following day Polly helped Chas into the dress that had been pulled out of storage just a few days earlier. When Chas had married Martin, Granny had suggested that Chas wear the gown she had worn when she got married. At the time, Chas had been unable to appreciate the antique beauty of the gown, or how much it would mean to her grandmother, who had taken great care to preserve the gown well. Now it had been professionally cleaned, and the fit made it evident that Granny had once been exactly the same size as Chas was now. Chas looked at herself in the mirror and knew it was the perfect dress for her, and for a wedding at the Dickensian Inn. She felt taken back in time, certain that Granny was looking over her shoulder, telling her she looked dandy.

When she was ready, Chas stepped into the hallway and found Jackson waiting for her, wearing a classic black tux, with a tailcoat and an old-fashioned cut to it. They both smiled while appraising each other. She said, “Mr. Dickens would definitely approve.”

“Yes, he would,” Jackson said and took her hand. They walked together into the parlor where a small group of family and friends was gathered for a simple wedding. Bishop Wegg made some lovely comments prior to the ceremony, and the vows were spoken with conviction. The moment that Jackson kissed her to seal their marriage, she knew in her heart they would be together forever; that the joy she felt now was only the beginning. She wasn’t naive enough to believe that the years ahead would be perfect or free of struggle, but she knew they were on the right path, and they were on that path together.

When the ceremony was over, they had a formal wedding portrait taken in the parlor, which Chas intended to have enlarged in brown tones and hung over the fireplace as part of the decor. They spent their wedding night in the Carol, and Chas admitted to her husband that it was about time
she,
of all people, was able to enjoy a romantic getaway at the Dickensian Inn.

The following morning, Jackson came awake to daylight and felt the same relief he felt each time he woke up with no memory of bad dreams. He felt rested and content, then he remembered that he was married, and his contentment deepened. He turned over to find his wife sleeping beside him, and he watched her for several minutes, in awe of the miracle she was in his life. When she came awake and saw him there, she laughed softly before she eased closer and kissed him.

“Is something funny?” he asked.

“No,” she said, “I’m just . . . happy.”

“Amen,” he said and kissed her again.

Following a honeymoon in Florida, they settled into a life they’d shared briefly the previous year, except that now as husband and wife the fulfillment and joy of that life was greatly magnified. Jackson loved being an official part of running the inn, and each day seemed to put the horrors of
the incident
further behind him. Occasionally he did have nightmares or panic attacks—always at night—but with Chas there it
did
make it easier to calm down more quickly and not allow it to affect him so deeply.

Preparations for Christmas were even more magical than they had been the year before. Jackson felt as if he’d come home, and realized that never before in his life had he enjoyed such a feeling. He’d never felt so content or fulfilled.

They spent Christmas Eve in the Carol, deciding to make it a tradition. They were, after all, celebrating nearly a month of wedded bliss. Jackson had settled so naturally into life at the inn that Chas couldn’t imagine what those weeks and months without him had been like. Now that he actually lived there, he worked himself easily into being involved with the business, helping in the kitchen here and there, and working away at the list Chas had made—even though she kept adding things to the bottom as he crossed things off the top.

It snowed hard on Christmas Day, not unlike the day when Jackson had first come to the inn. But they stayed inside and enjoyed the storm, reminding each other frequently that neither had ever had a Christmas so fine. With a bottle of sparkling apple juice and two beautiful goblets, Jackson told his wife that he would like to propose a toast. With the lights on the Christmas tree twinkling, and the fire ablaze, Jackson clinked his glass to hers and said, “God bless us, every one!”

“Amen,” Chas said and kissed him.

Epilogue

The Sunday before Thanksgiving

Chas woke up to see snow falling outside. She groaned and rolled onto her back, wishing she’d gotten more sleep. Jackson eased next to her and snuggled up close. “You okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m fine,” he said, wanting to ignore the nightmare he’d had that had awakened them both. They didn’t happen often these days, but often enough to be upsetting. It was a perfect distraction to rub his hand over her rounded belly and ask, “How’s my son?”

“He was kicking me all night, if you must know.” She then let out a little gasp and said, “Hey, I just remembered what today is.”

Jackson wanted to say that it had been fourteen years ago today that she’d gotten news that her first husband had been killed. But she smiled brightly and said, “We met two years ago today!”

“Yes, we did,” he said and kissed her. “And after church we’re going to celebrate.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“I don’t know. We could turn off the lights and pretend the power is out and make a sandwich, or something.”

“How romantic,” she said and giggled.

“Okay,” he said and got out of bed, “I’ll check with Polly and Jen and make sure everything’s under control. You get yourself ready for church. We’ll go as soon as we get some breakfast.”

“You’re so good to me,” she said, certain the remaining weeks of the pregnancy were going to kill her. She felt so fat and awkward and useless. But Jackson had been nothing but doting and helpful, and the girls kept everything under control. She got to a sitting position on the edge of the bed before Jackson had his shirt buttoned. And a moment later she said, “I think you’d better rework our plans for the day.”

“Why?” he asked, wondering what she might have forgotten.

“My water just broke,” she said, then she laughed at the way he panicked. She might have felt panicked herself, except that they had known for certain many weeks ago that this baby had a good, strong heart, and all was well. With every reason to believe they were going to have a healthy baby, what she had to go through today didn’t seem so bad. And Jackson would be with her. The last time she’d done this, the baby’s father had been dead, and the future had been difficult to face. Now she had nothing but happiness in front of her.

It was snowing hard by the time they got to the hospital, and the storm settled in deeply during the course of Chas’s labor. But with the help of modern medicine, her pain was minimal, and the process went smoothly. The sun was going down when she gave birth to a healthy boy with dark hair.

“Happy anniversary,” she said to Jackson when the baby was laid in his arms and their eyes connected. She saw tears there and silently thanked God for giving her so much.

Later that evening a nurse came in to check on Chas and motioned toward the baby that Jackson was holding. “He sure is a cutey,” she said. “What will his name be?”

“Charles,” Jackson said matter-of-factly, “after his mother.”

About the Author

Anita Stansfield began writing at the age of sixteen, and her first novel was published sixteen years later. Her novels range from historical to contemporary and cover a wide gamut of social and emotional issues that explore the human experience through memorable characters and unpredictable plots. She has received many awards, including a special award for pioneering new ground in LDS fiction, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Whitney Academy for LDS Literature. Anita is the mother of five, and has one adorable grandson. Her husband, Vince, is her greatest hero.

To receive regular updates from Anita, go to anitastansfield.com and subscribe.

Other books and audio books by Anita Stansfield:

First Love and Forever

First Love, Second Chances

Now and Forever

By Love and Grace

A Promise of Forever

When Forever Comes

For Love Alone

The Three Gifts of Christmas

Towers of Brierley

Where the Heart Leads

When Hearts Meet

Someone to Hold

Reflections: A Collection of Personal Essays

Gables of Legacy Series, Six Volumes

Timeless Waltz

A Time to Dance

Dancing in the Light

A Dance to Remember

The Barrington Family Saga, Four Volumes

Emma: Woman of Faith

The Sound of Rain

A Distant Thunder

Winds of Hope

Shelter from the Storm

The Silence of Snow