Chapter 24

"What's wrong?" Caden asked, his eyebrows pulling together in concern.
Jocelyn shook her head. "Nothing."
He reached across the table for her hand, but she pulled back, leaning back casually. "Oh, come on. What is it?"
"Caden, why did you go away?" she asked, ignoring his question.
Caden sighed as he leaned back against his seat, sitting across from her. "To serve my country."
She raised her eyebrows. "Is that the only reason?"
"Here you go!" Angela chirped, setting down two cups of coffee in front of them. Then she pulled out a pencil and sketchpad. "What can I get you for dinner?"
Jocelyn forced herself to look at the menu, even though she had it memorized. "I'll have the Rudolph burger and some fries."
Caden closed his menu. "I'll have the same."
"Okay!" She shoved the pencil back into her pocket. "I'll have those out to you in a jiff!" She walked away with an actual bounce in her step. Viewing her personality, Jocelyn could see why she got the job at Santa's Café, where everyone was always happy. Jocelyn looked over at Caden expectantly, not letting him off the hook. "Is that the only reason why you left? To serve your country?"
He let out a deep breath and looked out the window, watching the snow fall. "Growing up here, Christmas was shoved down my throat every day of the year. I couldn't wait to get away to see what it was like to live in a normal town." Then he looked into her eyes. "But while I was away, I realized how much I missed it. And now that I'm back, I can't imagine why I ever left. While I was away, I missed this town, and the people, especially during the holidays."
She nodded in understanding. "Do you regret leaving?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't regret it at all." He let out a deep breath. "But now that I'm back, I'm thinking about things in a different way. And now, this place doesn't seem so bad."
"Do you think you might want to stay?" Even though she knew he was Mallory's ex-boyfriend and that they might get back together, she had to know.
He let out a deep breath and bit his lower lip, as if wondering how much to tell her. "I didn't want to say anything just yet, but my enlistment is up and I have to decide if I'm going to re-up or leave the Navy." Caden looked down at his hands and then into her eyes. "But the Navy is the only thing I've ever known. If I leave, it'll take me a while to figure out what I'm meant to do next."
Jocelyn nodded, her heart going up into her throat. There was a possibility that he might stay. "You could always work with your parents at the tree lot while you're deciding."
Caden nodded. "But if I do that, I'll never leave. My mother had a stroke while I was away, and they didn't tell me." He bit his lower lip and then released it. "I guess I spent too much time away. I should have come back to visit sooner--"
"Ssshhhh-." Jocelyn cooed. "Don't beat yourself up over it. The most important thing is that you're here now."
He gave her a weak smile. "But I'm not sure for how long."
"Well then, make the most of it while you're here." She shrugged. "Maybe work at the tree lot and see if you'd like it before committing to it."
He sighed. "I guess you're right. But things will be different if I do that."
"How?" She found herself leaning forward, intrigued.
"Well, like actually celebrating Christmas."
"What? I thought you were sick of Christmas being shoved down your throat while you were growing up."
He shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. Every year, we celebrated Christmas at the tree lot on Christmas Eve. We never had a tree of our own at home, because we were at the tree lot. We never bought each other presents, because we were too busy working at the tree lot." He let out a deep breath. "I guess my parents let the tree lot consume our lives." He let out a deep breath. "I don't want to do that."
"Here you go!" Angela stood by the table, holding two plates with burgers and fries.
Jocelyn sat back, so intrigued with Caden's story that she didn't realize she had been leaning forward.
Angela set the plates on the table and then looked back and forth between them. "Can I get you anything else?"
Jocelyn shook her head. "No, this is great. Thank you."
Angela's lips curled into an even bigger smile. "Well, just holler if you need anything!"
"Thank you," Caden replied as he started doctoring his burger.
Jocelyn squirted some ketchup on her plate beside her fries and some on her burger, along with mustard, too. "So, if you ran the tree lot, what would you do differently?"
"You're not going to let me off the hook, are you?"
"Nope."
"I didn't think so." He picked up his burger, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. "I would close down the tree lot at six o'clock on Christmas Eve and would leave the rest of the trees for anyone who wants one. I'd let my employees go home and celebrate with their families, and then I'd go home to a house with a tree and presents. Then we'd open presents under the tree on Christmas Eve and then Santa would come for the children on Christmas Day."
Jocelyn stopped in mid bite. "Children?"
He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Wouldn't you like to have children some day?"
"Yes, I would- with the right man." This line of conversation was dangerous. He probably would have run for the hills screaming if he knew the "right man" was him.
A devilish smile lit his lips. "So, do you know who this 'right man' is yet?"
She laughed, almost choking on her burger. "Nope, but I'll know when I meet him."
Caden raised an eyebrow. "Love at first sight?"
"You're teasing me."
He lifted his shoulders. "Why not?"