A Bramble House Christmas Page #5

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Now?

Please, Mom, can I stay?

Look, I'll stay with him.

No...

No, I'd like to.

Yeah, we'll skate around

for a bit,

and then I'll take him

through town.

You take some time

for yourself.

A mom's vacation,

you don't get.

- Go.

- Okay.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Great.

- Okay!

Yeah.

There you go.

Look at this.

Look at your mom!

That's pretty good, huh?

[doorbell rings]

Hi!

Hi!

Sage!

Thank you.

Where's Aunt Mable?

She's in town.

What are you doing here?

She forgot

about the cookie bake?

Hmm.

Well, it's our annual tradition

to make cookies

for the book reading

on Christmas Eve.

It's also our tradition

to eat several dozen

while we make them,

but no Mable?

That's on me.

I sent her off

to have her annual

coffee with Ken.

Santa Ken, huh?

Okay, wait...

you see it too?

He's had a crush on my aunt

for 20 years.

She has no idea?

I don't think Ken's

ever worked the nerve up

to tell her.

Or maybe your aunt's too scary.

[laughs]

Savannah's coming over later.

Where's Scout?

With Finn.

In fact,

they are probably

at your chocolate shop

right now.

With Finn, huh?

How do you draw

those things in the books?

How do I draw

those things in books?

Well...

I learned a few secrets

a long time ago

from a very special teacher.

Basically,

all it is,

is modified shapes, okay?

So if I'm doing a face,

we start off

with, like, a nice...

just rough in an oval

like that.

Two little ovals

for the eyes,

and then an open triangle

for the nose,

and then a little line

for the mouth, and then...

you kind of just go all crazy

for the hair, like that,

and then...

here it is!

Give it a title.

Every piece of art

has a title or a caption,

so, what do you think

it should be called?

Hmm...

"Scout Loves Chocolate?"

Scout Loves Chocolate!

Truth in art!

Sounds perfect.

There you go. All done.

Whoop!

Whoa!

There you go.

For me?

You bet.

Can you do another one?

Sure.

What would

you like to see?

How about...

me skating?

You skating?

Sounds good.

Why did you want to

learn about skating?

Was it because of

talking to Mr. Conrad?

Well, I've always

wanted to learn,

but he told me

a lot about it,

and he was really smart,

and he told me funny stories.

Yeah?

What kind of stories?

About places he went,

people he met...

and funny things his kids did

when they were my age.

Yeah, like what?

What kind of things?

He showed me

some ornaments they made...

but I think

Christmas made him sad.

Oh yeah?

Why do you think that is?

Do you know?

'Cause...

even though they were grown up,

I think he wanted to have

another Christmas with them.

[clears throat]

Okay, I think...

one very last piece.

We've got to get in there.

WILLA:
I've just been

so focused on Scout

these last few years,

I barely even remember

what it's like

to have a conversation

with a man,

let alone date one.

Then it's time.

Why are we even talking

about this?

Nothing's happened.

Except you're

thinking about it.

I had a patient who gave me

an extraordinary gift.

He challenged me

to live the life I dream of.

So?

The problem is,

I don't remember

what my dreams are,

and I don't want

to just get by...

but what do you do

when you've been given

a second chance at life,

and you don't know

what to do with it?

Well, what if you just took

one step,

and then another,

and then another?

All you have to do

is ask yourself,

What's step one?

Okay.

FINN:
"Scout..."

SCOUT:
Scout Loves Skating!

Scout Loves Skating!

Okay, the "Scout Loves"

series, we'll call it.

You are my new

copywriter.

Done!

Maybe I could

put these together,

like a present

for my mom.

Your drawings and my captions.

I could also write

a story around them.

Hm.

Or...

we don't have to.

I could do something else.

No, no...

I'm sure she

would love it,

and maybe someday,

you'll even write

your own book.

Me?

Write a book?

Why not? You've

read so many.

I bet you'd make

a great writer.

Is that what you want

to be when you grow up?

I.. I didn't... um...

I was really sick

the last two years.

They thought I might die.

S...

Scout, is...

So everyone stopped asking

what I wanted to be

when I grew up.

I had this operation

on my heart last May.

It was a new kind of operation

that they didn't

have before,

so I was real lucky.

Yeah, that's, um...

Wow, I had...

That's amazing.

My mom says

we both got a second chance,

so...

maybe I could be a writer.

[phone vibrates]

All right, one sec.

Maybe that's your...

Yep.

What is it?

Oh, your mom says

that she and Sage

are making a lot of cookies.

Really? Let's go!

Let's go! I agree.

You know,

we have a lot in common.

We both like skating

and Everyday Sam,

and our fathers weren't here

for Christmas.

Thanks, Finn!

Yeah.

Cookies!

Just in time!

Want to help decorate?

Here, let me get these off.

Welcome back!

Hey.

Um...

Willa, can I talk to you

for a sec?

Of course.

Be right back.

Let's decorate!

Hey.

Is everything okay?

Scout wasn't a

problem, was he?

No, no, no.

He's amazing.

He's, uh...

he's an incredible kid.

Thanks.

So is there

anything wrong?

He almost died?

What did he tell you?

He told me

he had a heart operation,

and that for two years...

For two years,

we weren't sure

he was going to make it...

but now,

he's just a regular kid.

That's

what you've been dealing with

for the last two years.

Mm-hm.

And his dad...?

Well, he doesn't

really pitch in,

so as the medical

bills mounted,

Scout and I have had

to live week-to-week.

And so this holiday is...

This holiday...

this is a dream,

given what we've been through.

And your...

Mr. Conrad...

he knew that.

And it's more than that.

He left us enough money

to pay

all of Scout's medical bills...

a hundred thousand dollars.

For the operation.

And I don't know

how I can ever repay that,

except to make sure

that Scout has the best life

he possibly can,

and to take this chance

to find

what I'm meant to be doing too.

That's, uh...

That's an incredible gift.

I just wish

I could tell his children

what he's done...

you know, how much he changed

at the end of his life.

When he was younger,

he worked hard,

but he felt he was a constant

source of disappointment

to his family

and, for some reason,

thought they would be better off

without him,

that if he left,

his wife could find

someone else to love her

and raise his kids

the way he thought

they deserved.

But then, in the end, he...?

Well, at the end of his life,

he felt it was the biggest

mistake he'd ever made,

but it was too late

to change it.

Leaving his children

was the biggest regret

of his life.

Mr. Conrad...

his family...

they are so lucky

that you were there for him.

Anybody would be lucky

to have you in their life,

and it's no wonder.

It's no wonder

he wanted you to thrive,

to have a second chance.

Willa...

I need to tell you something,

and I should have told you

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