Island Christmas by Kimberly Rose Johnson Read Free Book Online

the door now.”
    With two hands Jason turned the knob and pulled the door toward them. “Granma! Papa!” He lunged at them. “I missed you.”
    Rachel’s dad scooped up her son. “It’s good to see you too, Jasie. Have you been a good boy for your mom?”
    Jason nodded and hugged her dad’s neck. “You live here with us now?”
    Dad chuckled softly and peeled his arms from around his neck. “This home is for you and your mom. Isn’t that exciting?”
    He shrugged. “I like it here, but I miss you.”
    Rachel stepped forward. If she didn’t do something fast, Jason would end up in an all-out tantrum. “I see you brought our stuff. Jason, all your toys are here.” She smiled brightly and took him from her dad’s arms. “Go put on your shoes, and you can help.”
    Jason raced inside.
    “Sorry about that. He’s been missing both of you.”
    Her dad gave her a side hug. “We miss the little fellow too, but this is for the best. You both need a fresh start, and from what I’ve seen of the island this is a good place. Come and grab some boxes. We’ll have you settled in no time.”
    Rachel’s mom flitted around the house. “It’s small, but cute. I see why you chose this place.”
    Rachel stood in the center of the living room trying to imagine what her mother saw. The plain white walls and wood floor were in good condition, and the white cabinets in the kitchen directly off the living room looked decent too, but the home was basic vanilla. She’d add pops of color to cheer the place up.
    Dad walked in with the frame to Jason’s bed. Jason zipped out the door and raced to the truck. “Which box is mine, Mommy?” he shouted the words over his shoulder.
    Rachel jogged over to him and found the box that said ‘Jason’s toys’. “It’s probably heavy. Maybe we can carry it inside together.”
    “Okay.” He took one side and she took the other, and in a matter of minutes, Jason hummed happily on one half of his bedroom while her dad put Jason’s bed together on the other.
    She and her mom worked at bringing in their scant kitchen supplies.
    “Your dad and I know how much you’ve wanted a good set of pots and pans, so we bought you a little house warming present.” She pointed to a butcher-paper wrapped box with a green bow on top sitting on the floor. “Go ahead and open it.”
    Rachel’s insides jumped with excitement. “Okay.” She knelt and tore away the paper to reveal a beautiful set of stainless cookware. She examined each piece as she removed it. “Oh wow. Thank you. These are perfect.” She’d only had a hand-me-down frying pan and pot from her mom’s kitchen.
    “I didn’t bring my old stuff since I knew you’d love these.” Mom’s smile lit her face.
    She and her mom had not always seen eye to eye, and in fact, spent many of her growing up years butting heads, but over the past couple of years, they’d turned a corner and now mostly got along. “This is the best gift. And much needed.” She hugged her mom.
    Never one for sentimentality Mom quickly brushed her aside. “I suppose we’d best get the rest unloaded and washed up. Moving is tiring business, and I want to help as much as possible before we have to leave.” She marched outside and returned with another box.
    The rest of the morning flew by in a blur, but by the time her parents left Rachel felt settled, which wasn’t difficult since she owned so little. Dad had also surprised her with a washer and dryer. She still couldn’t believe they’d spent so much money, but he had said Merry Christmas and happy birthday. She chuckled.
    Rachel stood on her front porch and held Jason in her arms as her parents blew kisses from the moving truck.
    “Today was fun, Mommy.” Jason placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I love you, Mommy, and I love my new room. Can I go play now?”
    “Sure.” She set him down and waved to her parents as they drove away. A cool breeze lifted her hair off her neck. She ran her hands up and