Mistletoe and Magic (11 page)

“Mommy,” Lacey said, full of excitement, “Santa said he was going to try his hardest to give me what I wanted for Christmas. Do you think he will?”

“I’m sure he’ll try his best to give you exactly what you want.” Lacey reached up for AJ’s hand again. “I like him, Mommy,” she said aloud. “Can he come to our Christmas party?”

“You’re having a party?” he asked.

“No. She calls family gatherings a party.”

“So, can he, Mommy?”

“I think Mr. Miller is going to be celebrating with his aunt. Mrs. Miller hasn’t celebrated Christmas in a long time either, so I’m sure they want to celebrate alone.”

“Well…we can invite her too.”

“Lacey,” AJ said, “I think you’re putting Mommy on the spot.”

“Spot? What does that mean?”

“It means you’re making her feel uncomfortable—like she doesn’t know what to say. You haven’t celebrated in a while either, so maybe she just wants to be with you girls and your aunt.”

“Oh.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth than she was off onto another subject. “I really want some hot chocolate. My bones are chilled.” Mallory and AJ laughed.

AJ leaned down. “You see that table over there with a long line of customers?” Lacey nodded. “Can I take her over there, Mom?”

“Sure, you guys go ahead. I’ll get Jenny.”

Jenny was busy talking to her friend when Mallory approached. “Hey, you guys want some hot chocolate?”

“Thanks.” Jenny held up her cup. “We already got some.”

“Oh.” Mallory was slightly disappointed she’d chosen to stay by her friend instead of joining them. “Where’d you get the money?”

“It was my lunch money.”

“Right. I forgot you and Lacey came home early. Okay, I’m sure it’s getting close to the time for the tree. You can bring Cassandra if you want.”

“Mom, don’t be mad, but I really don’t want to do it.”

“That wouldn’t really be very nice, now would it?”

Jenny looked at her friend. “Want to go?”

“Sure. Let’s do it.” The two ran ahead toward the gazebo to wait for the announcement to be made. Mallory followed behind and ambled over to AJ and Lacey.

“We got you some, Mommy.” AJ handed her the cup.

“Thank you very much.”

“How about Jenny? Does she want a cup?” AJ asked.

“She bought herself one with the lunch money she didn’t use today. Hey, listen, do you think Becky will mind that her friend wants to help light the tree?”

“Not a bit.” Seeing his aunt walk up the steps, he turned to Lacey. “I think its show time, young lady. Want me to hold your hot chocolate until you’re done?”

“Yes, please.” Seconds later, she ran to the podium where Becky stood edging her way up close in front of the crowd.

“Welcome to the fifteenth annual Christmas festival. I have some friends here tonight who have agreed to help me light the tree. Can I have Jenny and Lacey Gardner…and…” Jenny leaned over and whispered her friend’s name. “… And Cassandra Lyons.”

Lacey’s excitement had her shaking and she practically tripped walking up the steps to light the tree.

“Okay, girls. I want you each to take a plug and when we count down to number one, I want each of you to plug them into the socket at the same time. Are you ready?” She looked back out at the crowd. “Okay, let’s count backwards from ten.” The crowd began counting and when they got to number one, everyone but Lacey was able to get the plug into the socket. Becky rushed over and helped her. Instantly, the tree lit up as bright as a star. Everyone applauded, and the carolers broke out in song.

Becky handed the girls a huge candy cane. “Merry Christmas,” she said, and thank you for your help.” She admired the tree. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” Lacey and Cassandra said. Jenny didn’t say very much, but she did thank her for the candy cane. When the song was finished, Becky walked back to the podium and thanked everyone who’d helped set up, then wished them a Merry Christmas.

“Well, I guess that’s it,” Mallory said with a yawn. “Girls, it’s time to go home now.”

Lacey grumbled. “Can’t we stay a little longer?”

“I’m afraid not. You have school tomorrow.”

“But maybe the furnace is still crapped out.”

“Lacey, please stop saying that. The furnace was broken, but I’m sure it’s been fixed by now. Besides, you only have a few more days before Christmas, and then you’ll be home for two weeks.” Lacey pouted. “So say goodbye to Mr. Miller.”

She let go of his hand and puckered her lips for a kiss. He leaned down and she planted a big kiss on his cheek. “Bye, AJ. Bye, Aunt Becky,” she waved.

“Lacey, did Mrs. Miller say you could call her Aunt Becky?”

“No, but she’s cool, Mom. I know she won’t be mad.”

Shaking her head, Mallory threw her hands up in the air. “Good manners right down the drain.”

“No bad manners here,” AJ said. “She’s a delightful child, Mal. You’ve done an amazing job with her.”

“Thank you. I guess one out of two isn’t bad.”

“Jenny will be fine. Give her some time.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears.” She motioned for Jenny who had run off with Cassandra again. “We have to go.”

AJ extended his hand when Jenny joined them. “It was nice spending time with you today, Jenny. I hope to see you again.”

“Thank you, Mr. Miller.”

“AJ, please.”

Lacey threw kisses to AJ all the way to the street. When she couldn’t see him anymore, she turned around. “I like that man, Mom!”

“He’s a very nice man, Lacey.”

“You really like him too, don’t you, Mom?” Jenny said.

“How do you mean that?”

“I think you’d like to go out with him.”

Mallory didn’t respond because no matter how she tried to deny it, she’d be lying. Mallory shook her head. “It sounds like you and Aunt Dina are conniving.”

“No. But it might be time for you to go out.”

Mallory’s heart skipped a beat. Unsure of what to make of Jenny’s comment, she ignored it and unlocked the car.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Dinner’s ready, girls,” Mallory announced. “C’mon out. We have a lot of decorating to do tonight.” Lacey was the only one to rush into the kitchen.

“I’m starving, Mommy. What did you make?”

“Pot roast with gravy and mashed potatoes.”

“Yum.” Tapping her fork on the table, Lacey yelled in a deep voice for her sister. “Jenny, c’mon. Dinner’s ready.”

Mallory groaned and walked to the bedroom door. Jenny did not respond. Mallory walked inside. Jenny was crying as she wrote in her journal. She shut the journal when she saw her mother who sat down on the bed and hugged her. “I promise it will get better, Jen.” She hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. “Why don’t you put the journal aside for another time? You don’t have to write everything in one night…or even two nights, sweetie. This is a process, not something that is resolved overnight.”

Lacey rubbed her sister’s arms. “It’s okay,” she said. “There, there, now. Don’t cry.” This made Jenny laugh and cry at the same time. Lacey started giggling.

“You’re a nut, you know that?” Mallory said. Lacey’s big grin said it all. “I think you’re going to be a stand up comedienne.”

“Yep. That’s what I’m gonna be when I grow up.” She tapped her sister’s arm. “Jen, Mom made pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. That’s your favorite meal.” Then she leaned over and whispered into Jenny’s ear that there were cookies too. Lacey hadn’t quite gotten the hang of how to whisper so no one else could hear. Jenny smiled and sat back wiping her eyes with a tissue. “I’m okay now.”

“Good. I’ll bet you’d feel a lot better if you washed your face. We have lots of decorating to do tonight.”

“I told Jenny you baked cookies.” Lacey announced.

“I know. I heard you. I had a batch of dough in the freezer and defrosted it over night so I could bake them. Now, if you guys are feeling up to it after we decorate the tree, we can frost the cookies and make Christmas designs on them. What do you think?” Jenny nodded her agreement, and Lacey danced around the room. “I guess that’s a yes, then?”

Mallory sliced the meat while Jenny put the food on the plate. Dinner was filled with lively conversation. Lacey was the first to finish and stood by the window waiting for her mother and Jenny to finish the dishes. “C’mon, you guys. Let’s decorate,” she said anxiously.

“Well, you could help with the dishes, you know,” Jenny shot back.

“That’s for grown up people, and I’m not a grown up yet, so I get a free pass.”

“Is that a fact?” Mallory said. “Well, I think you could take those few things off the table and help us get done.”

Lacey made a face. Jenny caught her. “See, you have to be careful what you wish for.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t wishing for it. I was only wishing for you guys to hurry up.”

Mallory stood with her hand on her hip, staring at Lacey, waiting for her to move.

“Okay, okay. I’m doing it,” she said.

A few minutes later, she was staring out the window. “Mom, Mom, it’s snowing really hard out there. Do you think we’ll have school tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. But I have to work.”

“We could come to work with you again and maybe see AJ again.” Lacey suggested with a huge grin on her face. “Can we, Mom?”

Mallory’s heart skipped a beat, hearing his name. She’d been trying to make herself busy so she wouldn’t think of him. “If you don’t have school tomorrow, that means you’ll be off until after New Year’s. And I’ve always got plenty of stuff for you to do at the shop—especially the day after Christmas. Everyone will be expecting a sale. You up for that?”

“Yes, Mom,” Lacey said, “But I don’t want to work. I want AJ to take us sleigh riding. Maybe we can build a snowman. Do you think he’ll help us?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask when you see him.” Mallory glanced over to see Jenny’s expression. She was actually smiling and nodding as Lacey spoke about going sleigh riding.

After drying the last dish, Jenny and Mallory walked to the back bedroom to pull the boxes of ornaments into the living room. Lacey was jumping up and down again.

“Lace,” Jenny said, “don’t you ever get tired of jumping?”

“No. I’m practicing to be a cheerleader.”

“You have a long time to wait.”

“Nuh uh,” Lacey shot back with her hands on her hips. “Stefani Sue McQueen said we could next year.”

“The little league team has cheerleaders,” Mallory confirmed.

“Oh, that’s right,” Jenny admitted. “I’d forgotten about them.” She watched Lacey stick her tongue out at her.

“Told ya.” She smirked.

“Lacey, let’s all regroup here and stop bickering. “It’s Christmas, and we want this one to be extra special, don’t we? It’s been two years since we’ve celebrated.” She looked at both girls. “Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

~~~

Mallory woke to Lacey running through the house and yelling, “We don’t have school. Yay. Mommy, get up. We don’t have school.”

Mallory threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood, releasing a groan as she slipped into her bathrobe. “How do you know there’s no school?” Mallory looked outside and saw the mountain of snow. “Hmm, I guess it looks that way. Let me call the school closing number at the school to be sure.”

“Yay,” Lacey yelled, running from one end of the house to the other.

“Lacey, stop! You’re giving me a nosebleed.”

“Your nose doesn’t have any red running down it,” she quipped.

“Go sit in the living room and watch some television.” Mallory tuned in a station and pointed to the sofa. “Sit.”

Lacey jumped up again. Mallory pointed her finger more forcefully at the sofa. “But Mom, I only wanted to see the lights lit on the tree. Can you plug in the lights?”

Mallory continued to groan and told herself Lacey was just excited to be celebrating. “I’ll plug them in if you’ll just sit and be quiet for a little while until I wake up. Okay?” Lacey tightened her lips and pretended to be locking her mouth with a key.

“Good girl.”

By now, Jenny was walking into the room. “What’s all the commotion?”

“Your sister is hoping there’s no school.”

“Oh, good. I guess that means I can go back to bed.” She headed for her bedroom, and Mallory came up behind her, placed her hands on Jenny’s hips, and steered her toward the kitchen. “We’ll be going to the shop today.”

“Can’t I stay home?”

“No, sweetie. I’d prefer that you come into work with me. If you want to take a nap later on the cot in the back, you can, but I really want you to be with me today.”

Jenny sighed and sat down.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Mallory found herself moping around aimlessly in the shop. It had been two days since she’d seen or heard from AJ, and she was completely puzzled by it. What happened? He hadn’t missed a day without calling since they’d met. She racked her brain trying to figure out if she’d said something to offend him? She shrugged. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he went looking for a job. Or maybe he’d just given up on them. The irony of his absence was mind-boggling. She’d been afraid this would happen from the start, but after he had convinced her they could work through anything, she had hope. She threw up her hands determined to stop thinking about it. He was absent—what more did she need to know? They were done! Finished! Kaput!

She slowly made her way over to the Christmas village she’d set up in the front window. Fortunately, the girls were busy making more bows in the back room and wouldn’t see her feeling so down. Right now, she had to focus on planning a celebration for her kids because they were the most important things in her life. She hummed along to a carol playing in an effort to lift her spirits.

Mallory moved the stepping stool close to the window frame, slipped off her shoes and climbed up inside the window when she heard a hard knock on the glass. Her heart escalated. The tension drained from her body. It had to be him. When she turned around and saw it was Dina and Miriam, her heart sunk. She managed a wave and continued her task. Miriam seemed to be talking non-stop when they entered the store. Dina rolled her eyes when she saw Mallory and the two sisters shared a smile.