Over the next few days, Charlotte finds out a lot about Jamie. How Jamie’s father was a worker at the local burial vault company. How her mother worked as a maid for a company called Service Master Cleaning. Her mother worked nights and barely made enough to support the family and pay for her father’s medical bills. Neither company her parents worked for had any decent health plans for their workers.

The guy Jamie fell in love with was nice at first, but soon afterward she started learning things about him. How he was involved with some unsavory people and committing crimes. When she confronted him about it, they got into an argument and then into a fight.

Jamie managed to knock her boyfriend out and press charges against him. As for where Jamie had been living, Charlotte learned Jamie’s boyfriend never paid their rent or any of the utility bills they had and Jamie was forced out of the apartment. As for Jamie’s grandmother who lived here in Rexburg.

Jamie’s grandmother died a few weeks ago from cancer, unlike her grandmother who died of a heart attack. Her grandmother passed away in her sleep. The only reason anyone knew about her grandmother’s death, was because of the private nurse Charlotte paid to look after her grandmother.

“How many cookies are we going to make, Charlotte?” Jamie couldn’t believe how much baking they had been doing since she moved in with Charlotte.

She loved the new clothes and hairstyle she got after she moved in with Charlotte. They had gone shopping to pick out some new clothes for her and afterwards, they went to the saloon. After the saloon, Charlotte treated her to a nice meal at one of her favorite restaurants.

Charlotte even took her Christmas shopping to buy gifts for her parents. Jamie found out that Charlotte was a lesbian and was married to a woman named Stella Bounty. Charlotte informed her that she couldn’t go into what her wife did for a living.

Charlotte looks towards Jamie “What, aren’t you having fun?”

Charlotte had gone through her grandmother’s recipes and was baking all her favorites to send to people. She already bought Christmas gifts for her brothers and their families. As for her parents, she invited them to dinner, but she was turned down. They didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

Her other relatives didn’t feel the same way. Her aunt and uncle who she first encountered when she arrived, came by while Jamie was out. She spoke to them and explained everything to them. Her aunt told her, that it would take her a while to accept what she did. Her uncle, on the other hand, was impressed by what she did and the courage it took. He was also proud of her when she told him, that she looked after his mother/her grandmother.

They all wondered where the money had been coming in for the private nurse and the medical bills being paid. He knew something was up when his mother avoided where the money was coming from.

“It’s not I don’t enjoy all the cooking we are doing, but what are we going to do with all these cookies?” Jamie thought they had a lot of cookies.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. So, what do you want for Christmas?” Charlotte already had some of what Jamie wanted.

“A nice job and a place to live.” Jamie felt guilty letting Charlotte take care of her.

“Well, I’ve been thinking since I’m heading back to England after New Year’s. Why don’t you stay here and look after my grandmother’s house?
I’ll establish a fund for repairs and keep a handyman on call for you to call and fix anything that breaks.”

“I couldn’t do that, Charlotte. I feel guilty for everything you are already doing for me.” Jamie didn’t want to feel she was taking advantage of Charlotte.

Charlotte looks seriously at Jamie “You shouldn’t feel guilty about anything I do for you, Jamie. Like I told you before, I’m repaying what people did for me. You know those truckers I told you about?”

“Yeah, the ones you said that you hitched hike with.”

“If they hadn’t taken me in and bought me clothes, meals, and let me travel with them to learn a trade. I wouldn’t be where I am today. It was because of what they did for me, that I’m doing for you. As you know, I’m heading back to England after New Year. I have a family there and a job. I don’t mind you living here and looking after the place after I go back to England.”

“What if I decide to get a place of my own?” Jamie knew taking care of a place like Charlotte’s grandmother’s was a lot of work.

“Then, I’ll either rent it out or let my uncle buy the place from me. He has been hinting that he wants to buy the place and keep it in the family.” Charlotte also thought about letting her brother live here with his family.

“Alright, but at least let me pay you something for letting me live here.” Jamie felt that it would be fair.

“Okay, so what type of work do you want to do?” Charlotte would be willing to send Jamie to school for training.

“I don’t know. How did you decide to become a musician?” Jamie cuts out some more cookies from the dough they made.

“That’s a good question. I would have to say the first time I heard my friend sing an old trucking song. A bunch of truckers I knew and traveled with live a lonely life and sometimes they are away from their families for long periods. So, they create music to express how they feel. I guess it awoke something in me, that I didn’t know I had.” Charlotte had to think about that question.

“That’s something to think about.” Jamie thinks about what she wants to do before Charlotte leaves.

Once Charlotte decided they had enough cookies and small cakes. They pack them in decorated cookie tins they bought yesterday and seal them up. While Charlotte wrote out tags for who the tins were for. Jamie orders them some dinner. The kitchen was still messy from their baking.
Charlotte looks at all the tins and starts packing them into boxes to be shipped off. She knew her bandmates were going to get a kick out of the cookies she made and her wife as well. She watches as Jamie comes back into the kitchen and helps clean up.

“Charlotte, I was thinking would it be okay to decorate the place for Christmas?” Jamie saw several of the other houses on the block decorating their homes.

“Sounds like a good idea. When do you want to go and buy a Christmas tree?” Charlotte liked helping her grandmother decorate her house for Christmas.

“How about tomorrow, morning?” Jamie wanted to get the tree early.

“Okay, we’ll go out first thing in the morning.” Charlotte wishes her wife was here with her.

The doorbell rings “I got it.”

Jamie heads towards the front door looks threw the peep hole and spots the delivery driver. She opens the door and hands the driver a tip, after
receiving the food. She knew Charlotte already paid for the meal when she ordered it.

“Foods here.”

“Cool, let's sit down and enjoy it.” Charlotte pours them two glasses of sweet iced tea.

After dinner, Jamie and Charlotte spend in the living room watching holiday movies. Charlotte texts for a while with her wife, before she goes to bed.