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Pastor Henry waved and opened his arms. “Now I heard that you were in town, missy, and I have a bone to pick with you.”
Liberty hugged him. “Hi there.”
Lily brushed a hand through the air. “Henry, leave the girl alone tonight. It’s Christmas.” She gestured for Liberty to come in for a hug. “We’ve missed you, girl. We’ve missed you so much. And I miss your grandma.”
Liberty held the older lady against her, thinking of the past. When she had come to visit South Port, she’d often found her grandmother and Lily talking on the couch or going down to water aerobics in the ocean or doing so many other things together. An ache hit the center of her chest. “I miss her too.”
Lily pulled back and then gave her a sad smile. “She sure loved you. And she was so upset when everything happened to you and your family with …” She trailed off. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up tonight.”
Part of Liberty was grateful that Lily hadn’t brought up Will’s and Ian’s names. The other part of her was sad that they were kind of disappearing. She hated that part about death. “It’s okay.”
Pastor Henry glanced between the women and then put his arm around Liberty. “The bone I have to pick with you is that you probably haven’t seen the new statue of St. Paul yet. Your grandmother was a huge donor for it.”
This didn’t surprise her. Her grandparents had both loved attending Pastor Henry’s church. “I need to see it.” She grinned at the older gentleman. “I heard you sold your beach house to Tim.”
“It does my heart good to see my nephew raising his family out at the beach.” His tone was soft. “I’m grateful for family here.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and winked, adding, “And friends. It’s what you have here, too.”
The words were like a warm blanket. Yes, maybe this was exactly what had been missing from her life: family and friends. Something to think about. “That’s a good thought.”
He pulled out a present. It looked like a book, but it was flatter and more square. “For you.”
Confused but touched, she took the gift.
His wife, Lily, grinned at her. “Open it, dear.”
Liberty peeled the wrapping paper away, discovering a cross-stitched plaque.
Lily brushed her fingers across it. “Your grandmother gave it to me and Henry a couple years ago, but we thought you should have it.”
The inscription read, Psalms 91:2. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.
Liberty couldn’t help but tear up as goose bumps rose on her skin. “Thank you.” She hugged Lily, then Henry.
Henry held her tightly and whispered, "Remember, that's what you have to do in life; let go of the past and move forward." He pulled back and winked at her.
She didn't want to tell him that she'd been trying to do that, but she wasn't sure how.
The pastor grinned at her and took the gift out of her hands. “We’ll hold this.” He waved her and Trent onto the dance floor. “It’s Christmas. Go dance, young people. Have fun.”
Out of the blue, a little girl ran toward Matt. “Daddy.”
Matt turned and reached out in time for her to bump into his legs. The center of Liberty’s heart ached as his daughter moved beside him, holding a cat.
Matt shook his head. “I told you I didn’t want you to bring your cat to the party.”
The little girl looked up at him, purposefully sticking out her lower lip. It was quite obvious she was playing on his emotion. “Please. I don’t want him to be alone for Christmas.”
Matt gave Trent a weary smile and then asked the little girl, “Tatum, have you met Liberty? She was one of our beach friends a long time ago. She is here as Uncle Trent’s date.”
It was interesting to Liberty that Trent was an uncle. It showed how close knit this group really was.
The little girl turned to her, and then her eyes widened. “I’ve seen you in pictures from the beach when they were little.” She grinned up at her dad. “When you were young and you played on the beach, she was your friend too.”
Matt tentatively patted her head. “You’re right. She’s in some of the pictures in the Stone family library.”
This was a surprise to Liberty. She glanced at Trent.
Trent winked at her. “Yes, she is.”
