Читать книгу Little Christmas Miracles - Barbara Hannay - Страница 11

RICHARD made arrangements with his friend to pick up a Lab puppy for Toby on Christmas Eve. He hadn’t asked his mother if they wanted a male or a female, so he’d chosen a male.

When Louisa knocked on his door to tell him dinner was served, he followed her into the dining room to discover the other three already at the table.

“You must all be hungry,” he said with a smile as he joined them.

“Yes, we are,” Elizabeth said. “Toby and I napped through our snack today. How about you, Molly?”

Richard raised his eyebrows and stared at Molly, eager to hear her response. She didn’t look up.

“I—I had a snack, Elizabeth. Richard was eating when I, uh, came downstairs, and he insisted I join him.”

“Well, that was nice of you, son.”

“Yes,” Richard said, “but Molly wasn’t—”

“Very hungry!” Molly said a little louder than usual, cutting Richard off before he could say anything else. This time she glared at him.

So what did Molly not want his mother to know? That she’d left the house, or that she’d used Albert? His mother wouldn’t have complained about either of those things. He’d keep her secret…unless he needed something she didn’t want to give him.

He immediately reminded himself he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. But she seemed to be good at keeping secrets. Like her mother in Seattle.

Toby’s question intruded on his thoughts. “Are we going to decorate the tree this evening, Uncle Richard?”

“Yes, of course. Are you excited about that?”

“I can’t wait!”

“Good. Then all we’ll need will be some presents to go under it.”

“Yes, Molly—”

“Needs to take Toby shopping so he can buy some presents for the both of you,” Molly inserted.

Richard could swear her hand was on Toby’s leg, warning him not to speak. He checked with the boy. “Is that what you wanted to say, Toby?”

“Uh, yeah. Uncle Richard, do you like football?”

“As well as the next guy. I watch it on Sunday afternoons sometimes.”

“No, I mean do you like to throw a football?”

“I haven’t done that in a long time, Toby.”

“But he played when he was in high school,” Elizabeth added.

“Really? Could you teach me how to throw a football?” Toby asked with excitement. “My dad didn’t know how.”

“I could if we had a football.”

Molly jumped.

Richard asked, “Are you all right, Molly?”

“Yes. Toby accidentally bumped into me,” she said. “It’s no big deal.”

Richard looked at Toby’s red cheeks. Were they sharing secrets between them? Was that why she’d interrupted Toby earlier? But why would they be arguing about football? That didn’t make any sense.

“Would you like for Santa to bring you a football, dear?” his mother asked Toby.

“That would be great, Grandma,” Toby replied. “You’ll still teach me to throw it, won’t you, Uncle Richard?”

“Sure, buddy, I’ll do that. Unless it’s still this cold outside. If it is, we’ll have to wait for a thaw.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else you think you would like for a present?” his mother asked the boy.

Toby immediately looked at Molly and she shook her head.

“Uh, I’d like, uh, some books.”

“That’s all you can think of?” Richard asked.

“Um, yes. Don’t you like books?”

“Sure, I like to read when I have some spare time. That hasn’t happened for a year or two, but I keep hoping.” He felt Molly staring at him.

“What’s wrong, Molly? Does that make me a bad person?”

“No, not at all. I just feel sorry for people who don’t read for pleasure.”

“Me, too,” he agreed with a wry laugh.

Molly looked away.

“Maybe Santa will bring you a book, Richard,” Toby said with enthusiasm. Again Molly jerked.

“Is anything wrong, Molly?”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong.”

“I don’t think Santa brings adults presents, Toby.”

Toby stared at his uncle. “Really? I don’t think so. Mommy and Daddy always got something from Santa.”

Elizabeth responded when neither of the other adults had anything to say. “I’m sure you’re right, Toby, if the mommy and daddy are true believers.”

“Mommy and Daddy were. And I know Molly believes in Santa. And you do, Grandma, because you asked what Santa should bring me. So that only leaves you, Uncle Richard. If you believe in Santa, he’s sure to come see us.”

“I see. Then I’m sure I believe in Santa, Toby, because I’m sure he’s going to come see you.”

“And you, too, Uncle Richard. I want him to come see all of us, so we’ll all be happy.”

Richard exchanged a look with Molly. He could read the gratitude in her eyes. “That’s very sweet of you, Toby. I’m sure we’ll all receive presents.”

“Good. Grandma, what will he bring you?”

“Oh, probably perfume.”

“What kind do you wear, Grandma?”

“Chanel No 5. It’s terribly expensive, so don’t even think of getting me any,” she said to Toby.

“Okay,” he said with a sigh.

“Is something wrong, dear?”

“No, Grandma. Dinner is really good tonight.”

“I’ll tell Delores you said that, Toby. She’ll be pleased.”

“Grandma and I were talking about some fun things to do for Christmas,” Richard began.

“You mean the horse and buggy ride? We can do that, can’t we?”

“Yes,” Richard replied. “And I thought we should go to the North Park Mall and see the decorations while we shop.”

Molly shot him a look but he ignored it. “We can all go.”

“But how do I buy presents for you guys if you’re all with me?”

“I’ll take you shopping for their presents, Toby,” Molly told the boy, but her eyes never left Richard.

Refusing to back down, Richard said, “We can take turns going with you in the mall, while the others shop. I’d be glad for some all male time.”

Toby’s face lit up. “You mean just you and me?”

Richard smiled, continuing to watch Molly out of the corner of his eye. She seemed a little perturbed about that.

“Okay. We don’t want to go tomorrow because the mall will be jammed on a Saturday. We can go Monday or Tuesday, if you want.”

“That would be great!”

“You know, I think maybe the three of you should go. I might get too tired at the mall,” Elizabeth said suddenly.

Richard frowned. “You’re sure, Mom?”

“Yes, Richard, I’m sure.” She smiled at Molly. “I’m sure the two of you can manage with one little boy.”

“Of course we can, Mom, if you insist.”

Richard looked at Molly. “So is Monday or Tuesday okay with you?”

“Yes, of course, but I can manage with Toby if you have other things to do.”

She even smiled at him, which made Richard suspicious. Suddenly she wanted him to avoid doing anything for Christmas with Toby? Or was it him she was trying to avoid? Either way, she was going. “No, I’m looking forward to shopping with you and Toby.”

“Certainly,” she said, not meeting his glance.

Yep, something was definitely going on.

“Won’t it be fun to go to the mall with Uncle Richard?” Toby asked as he was climbing into bed.

“I guess. But I’ll give you some money beforehand. Don’t spend more than I give you.”

“I couldn’t, could I?”

“Your uncle might offer you some money, but just tell him you have your own.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now hop into bed so I can kiss you good night.”

“Okay.” After he got into bed, he held up his arms. Molly bent down and hugged him.

As he closed his eyes, Molly turned off the overhead light, leaving just the night-light burning, and hurried into her room. She wanted to finish wrapping the gifts she’d bought today.

She was almost finished when someone knocked on her door.

Immediately she began stowing the bags and packages under her bed. The knock came again. “Just a minute. I have to find my robe,” she called. As soon as she had everything out of sight, she hurried to the door.

Richard was standing there. “Nice robe,” he commented, raking his gaze over her.

Molly realized she’d forgotten to don her robe over her clothes. “Um, I forgot I was dressed.”

Richard looked over her shoulder, but he couldn’t see anything suspicious. “What were you doing?”

“I was reading.”

“I don’t see a book out.”

“I—I just finished it.”

He braced a hand against the doorjamb and leaned in. “You just seem awfully nervous about something.”

“Did you come to my room for a purpose, Richard? Or did you just want to harass me?”

He immediately held up his hands, as if surrendering. “I just wanted to let you know that I told Mom your mother lived in Seattle. She was disappointed that you’d lied to her and Toby.”

Molly closed her eyes. Then she opened them. “Fine. Thanks for letting me know.”

“What was going on at dinner?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Toby kept kicking you. And you kept cutting me off.”

“I didn’t want you to tell your mother and Toby that I had gone to the mall today.”

“Why?”

“Toby would be reluctant to take his nap if he thinks I’m going out without him. And your mother might think it was rude of me not to tell her I went out.”

“That’s a plausible answer, but I don’t think it’s the real one.”

And he was right. But how could she tell him she didn’t want anyone knowing about their quiet moments alone? Or, more appropriately, her reaction to those moments? “Think what you like, Richard. I’m tired and I’d like to go to bed now.”

Suddenly his roving eyes caught sight of a piece of red material in the floor. “What’s that?” he asked.

She looked over shoulder and then began closing the door. “I need to go to bed now.”

She forced him out of the doorway and closed it in front of him. He thought about pounding on the door until she opened it again, but his mother or Toby might hear him. Slipping his hands in his slacks pockets, he strolled down the hall, looking over his shoulder to see if she’d open the door, but it remained shut.

Finally he gave up and went into his room. He had a lot to think about. The nurse was being very secretive, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Toby told her first thing the next morning that they’d forgotten to decorate the tree last night.

“You’re right, Toby. We’ll ask Elizabeth if we can do it this morning.”

“Oh, good. Let’s go down to breakfast at once.”

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that the shirt you wore yesterday?”

“Yeah, but I wanted to hurry. It was closest.”

“I think you need to change shirts.”

“But, Molly, it’s hard work changing shirts.”

“I’m here to help you.”

The little boy turned back into his room. “Okay,” he said slowly, indicating how little he liked what he had to do.

It actually didn’t take that long, but they were the last ones down for breakfast. Molly hadn’t thought about the fact that Richard would be there. He and Elizabeth were sitting at the breakfast table, enjoying pancakes.

“Good morning, dear,” Elizabeth said at once. “You, too, Molly. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, Elizabeth. I’m sorry if we’re late.”

“Nonsense, there’s no set time for breakfast, especially not on the weekends.”

“Delores?” Richard called. “You’ve got two hungry customers.”

“You want more, Richard?” Delores asked, coming to the door. “Oh, you mean Toby and Molly. I’ll have your plates right out.”

“Thank you, Delores,” Molly called.

“That looks really good,” Toby said, staring at his grandmother’s plate.

When Elizabeth started to offer him a bite, Molly said, “No, Elizabeth, don’t offer him any. He needs to learn to wait for his food. Or maybe he should learn to fix his own breakfast. It would teach him to be patient.”

“Oh, don’t go that far, Molly. If you do, I’ll have to make mine, too. I’d feel spoiled if I didn’t at least do as much as Toby.” Richard smiled at the little boy.

Toby giggled. “That would be funny, wouldn’t it, Uncle Richard?”

“Yes, it definitely would. And Delores would kill us for messing up her kitchen.”

“What are you talking about?” Delores demanded as she came through the door. “Who’s going to mess up my kitchen?”

“I was wondering if maybe we could make Christmas cookies one afternoon, Delores,” Molly hurriedly said. “But I promise we’d clean up after ourselves.”

“Ah, you are a sweet lady, Molly. I guess Toby would like to do that, wouldn’t you?”

“It would be fun. I—I used to do that with my mommy,” Toby said.

Delores smiled at him. “Of course you can make cookies. I’ll help and do the cleaning up myself.”

“Thank you, Delores,” Molly said softly.

Then Delores set two plates on the table, stacked high with pancakes. “Eat up so you can grow to be a big boy like Richard.”

Molly laughed. “But I don’t want to be a big boy, Delores. Why did I get so many?”

“So you can keep up with both of them.” Delores went back to the kitchen, laughing.

“That’ll teach you to challenge Delores,” Richard said. “I learned that lesson long ago.”

“I’m afraid he’s right, dear,” Elizabeth said, smiling. “She rules this house.”

Having taken her first bite of delicious pancakes, Molly said, “I can see why.”

“They’re good, aren’t they?” Richard asked.

“The best I’ve ever tasted. Do you know how she makes them, Elizabeth?”

“No, she won’t tell me. She doesn’t want me in her kitchen cooking breakfast.”

After Molly turned to her pancakes, Toby said, “We forgot to decorate the tree last night.” He looked at his grandmother, as if knowing he’d get support from her.

“I know, Toby. I realized it last night as I got into bed. But it was too late then. Is this morning all right?”

“Sure. Want to go now?”

“I think you should finish your breakfast first,” Richard said, enjoying his second cup of coffee.

“Oh. I don’t think I can finish all of them.”

“Well, Molly has to finish hers.” He shot her a twinkling look. “If she wants to keep up with us.”

“Be careful, Richard,” Elizabeth called as she stared at her son on the top of a stepladder. Toby and Molly were holding their breaths, too, as Richard put the angel on top of the nine-foot tree.

“I’m fine, Mom. Don’t worry. Albert, is that straight?”

“Yes, sir, it sure is. Good job.”

“Thanks. I’d rather you be up here instead of me, but Toby insisted.”

“Yes, sir, I slipped him a fiver,” Albert said with a laugh.

“What’s a fiver, Molly?” Toby asked.

“He’s teasing, sweetie. He’s saying he gave you money to get Richard up on the top of the ladder instead of him.”

“But I don’t have any money—” Toby said.

Molly hushed him at once. “He’s just teasing.”

“But—”

Clearly the explanation wasn’t working, so Molly tried a diversion. “Have you picked out the first ornament you want to hang, Toby?”

That distracted him, and Molly breathed a sigh of relief. The boy immediately turned to the table with all the decorations. She held her breath, wondering which he would choose. The last Christmas she shared with her parents was the only one she remembered. She’d hung the first ornament, a clear glass ball with the manger scene on it.

Toby had chosen one remarkably like it.

When he picked up that particular ornament, Molly sank her teeth in her lips to keep control of her emotion. Twenty years later and she still got emotional about the holidays.

“You might as well hand me some of the ornaments, Molly, before I get down off this ladder,” Richard said.

“All right.” She picked up several balls and handed them to Richard.

“One at a time, Molly,” Richard said, handing back one of the ornaments.

Which meant she was stuck handing balls to him. Elizabeth and Toby were handling the rest of the tree. Molly said nothing, doing as Richard asked. But she’d hoped to do some decorating herself. She wanted ownership in this tree, too. It had been so long since she’d celebrated a Christmas so gloriously.

“Richard, that’s enough balls up there. Come down off the ladder and let Molly hang some of the ornaments, too.”

“Sorry, Molly, I didn’t think. I would’ve been glad to trade places with you.”

“No, thank you,” she hurriedly said, adding in a low voice, “I’m afraid of heights.”

“Really?” Richard asked in surprise.

“Yes, really.”

“Here, I’ll hand you ornaments, how about that?”

“It’s not necessary, Richard. Toby’s the one who needs to decorate the tree.” She didn’t want anyone to know how important decorating the tree was to her. Several years, she’d considered buying a big tree just because she’d enjoy decorating it, but she’d talked herself out of it. Money hadn’t been plentiful, and in the past couple of years, she’d found other ways of celebrating Christmas. But this year—

“But we want you to have a good Christmas, too. After all, you’re not going home for Christmas, either,” Richard said casually.

Molly quickly looked at Toby, but he was busy putting an ornament on the other side of the tree. “Please don’t say that in front of Toby.”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot. That’s the problem when you start telling stories.”

“The story I told was to you!” she snapped. “I didn’t want to tell you my situation. I knew you would make fun of me!”

Richard narrowed his eyes. “You’re not serious, are you?”

“Yes, I am!”

“Okay. So hang some ornaments on the tree!”

“Thank you, I will.” She blinked rapidly, trying to handle the sudden tears as she helped decorate the beautiful tree.

When they finished decorating, they all stood together, staring at the huge tree.

“It will look even better when we turn the lights on tonight,” Elizabeth said. “It will look magical in the dark.”

“I think it looks wonderful now,” Toby said.

“Me, too,” Molly agreed in an awed voice.

For the first time, Richard believed Molly’s statement that she’d lied to him, not Toby. He thought the tree was nice, but he’d had big trees as a boy every year. His mother had seen to that. His father hadn’t participated in decorating the tree, but his mother and whoever the chauffeur was at the time had helped him and Susan with the tree.

He fought the urge to put his arms around Molly. He’d be crazy if he did such a thing. She’d probably slap his face. His mother would order the wedding invitations.

“Now, Albert, you can put up the other decorations,” Elizabeth said in a soft voice, as if she didn’t want anyone to notice.

“What decorations, Mother?”

“I got Albert to get some lights to go around the room at the top of the wall. They’ll blink like the Christmas tree.”

“Oh, that will be lovely, Elizabeth,” Molly said.

“Don’t you want me to put up these, too?” Albert asked.

He held up some greenery.

Richard recognized it at once as mistletoe.

“Mother!” he exclaimed.