An Unexpected Christmas

To Cheryl Watkins, daytime cashier at Chester's Crab Shack, decorating the restaurant's Christmas tree is the first step in a steady progression of expected and treasured givens that all add to the comfort of a good old-fashioned Christmas. Wrapping gifts, singing carols, even the children's pageant, all signify that Christmas, as she knows and wants it, is on the right track.

Suddenly, though, a series of events turns her whole world topsy-turvy. Young love, the loss of an old friend and a...