Just as he’d decided to discuss the problem with Craig, Nolan spotted a little tree a few yards away. Barely over three feet tall, it looked perfect for the top of his coffee table. He hadn’t planned to purchase a tree; he had no decorations, but the idea warmed him, and he decided to jump into the holiday spirit with both feet.
~*~*~*~
“Craig, I need to talk to Grace alone—sounds like a sermon by Luther, doesn’t it? Do you think you can keep everyone from bothering us for a few? I may need back up. Grace is being very stubborn about her money situation, and I’m going to confront it now or it’ll always hang over us.”
Craig knew what Nolan was up against. He’d spoken to his sister time and again about laying down her pride, but to no avail. The idea of Nolan succeeding where he’d failed left a bad taste into his mouth but also knew the bad taste was really pride.
Nolan asked Grace to help him set up his tree on the table in his living room while the others argued over the proper angle of her tree in its base. “They’ll be there for hours, are you willing to have mercy and help me?”
As they wrestled with the clumsy, too-small tree stand, they laughed and joked as if no uncomfortable words had passed between them. “Grace, I have to admit, I asked you to help me because I think we need to talk.”
Grace looked up at him and tried to read his expression. “What about?”
“The conversation we had at the tree farm.”
Grace stood, ready to walk back home. “I am not going to—”
“You are just being stubborn—allowing your pride to override your common sense. Please listen to me for a minute.”
Grace wanted to run. Instinctively, she knew that she was being unreasonable, but with all the opposition that she’d faced for her experiment, the last thing she wanted was proof for the naysayers. She sat down in Nolan’s most comfortable chair and prepared to hear the worst. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
Not knowing where to sit, not wanting to seem to distance himself, Nolan finally sat at her feet, Indian style. “Grace. As Christians, we are called to serve one another. You’ve read the scriptures; I don’t need to give you book, chapter, and verse. You know that we are called to do this. Hypocrisy comes to mind. You want the privilege of serving but deny others the ability to serve you, and it’s wrong.” Through great control, he appeared to be outwardly calm; inside, his irritation was becoming difficult to control. As he spoke, he was reminded of why he avoided women.
She seemed to crumple. An expression of triumph lit his eyes, and he quickly masked it, but not swiftly enough that it missed her detection. Her chin drew up as she stood. “I’ll consider what you’ve said. I think you’d be wise to remember that I am not your personal charity case.”
Grace turned to leave the house, but he stepped in front of the doorway. Not amused, she stood facing him with arms folded across her chest. “This isn’t about me wanting to be right. This is about me caring enough about a dear friend to speak the truth in love. ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.’ Proverbs something, something else.”
As Grace considered the wounds her friend had inflicted, Nolan was briefly distracted at the idea of kisses. All kisses weren’t considered of the enemy and his certainly wouldn’t be deceitful. Grace’s swift hug brought him back from his musings, and she walked home alone.
“What was that about?” He chuckled as he realized how often he talked to himself these days. His intriguing friend had already rubbed off on him in many ways.
An hour later, while Grace and Paige threaded popcorn and cranberries at a marathon pace, the men argued about the proper placement of lights. Nolan’s frustration slowly dissipated. Grace didn’t act upset at him, and the family seemed oblivious to the previous tension. Just as he completely relaxed and fully entered into the festivities, Rolex entered the scene, yapping and tearing among the boxes, playing tug of war with anything he could get into his minuscule snout.
“Grab him, Grace! He’s going to ruin something.” Melanie’s cry of distress woke the baby.
As Grace jumped about trying to grab Rolex, Nolan picked up an exquisite hand-blown glass star and carefully fastened it to the top of the tree. Seeing the lights dance about the base of the star, gave him an idea. While the rest of the crew tried to save ornaments from imminent destruction, Nolan found a short string of all white lights and nestled them all into the base of the star. The effect was breathtaking. Light appeared to radiate from the tree-topper.
As Nolan stood back to admire the effect, a wail of frustration came from the kitchen. “Rolex got the angel! What will we do? I—”
The room grew quiet. The measured ticking of the Grandfather clock mingled with the low tones of cheerful Christmas carols. All other sounds ceased as the group stared in disbelief at the top of Grace’s tree. Nathan and Nolan looked at each other, bewildered. The effect was lovely, but it wasn’t worthy of all the attention.
Nathan finally broke the silence after a moment’s pause. “Did I miss something?”
Grace picked up Rolex and left the room. Craig sat in the nearest chair and watched the play of lights on the star. Melanie, after a glance around the room, took it upon herself to explain. “That star has been absent from the tree for a long time. Craig and Grace’s parents bought it on their honeymoon. Grace bought an angel the year after Mom Buscher died, because none of them could look at the tree without seeing her there placing it at the top and fiddling with the lights, just as you have done. From the way that Craig has described it, I think you’ve managed to make it look as good as she used to, and none of them have been able to accomplish that.”
Concern shrouded Nolan’s face. “Should I remove it? I had no idea…”
Craig shook his head. “No. It’s time. It’s a perfect year, too, with baby Gracie and all. I’m glad you did it. If you’d known, you wouldn’t have, and we would have continued to be held captive in the past.”
Grace returned minus the critter and singing with the CD, placed the cranberry-popcorn strings on the tree. Although with less jocularity than previously displayed, everyone enjoyed trimming the tree while singing
Silent Night.
In grand Buscher tradition, they stashed the boxes in the closet and dimmed the lights in order to admire the tree at its best advantage.
The moment passed too quickly, and with a little hop of anticipation, Grace shouted, “Presents!” and gleefully rummaged through the hall closet for her box of gift-wrapping supplies.
A few others produced new wrapping paper and bows, and each person carefully separated their bags of gifts into ones that could be wrapped in the room and others that needed to be secreted into another room out of sight of nosy onlookers. “There are different sized boxes in my coat closet. Just help yourself! I added some bags of beans, wood pieces, and a few rocks if you want to add weight to anything!”
Paper crackled and ribbon curled as a wrapping frenzy began. Graceanna cooed and kicked from her infant seat at the sights around her. Paige noted the different way that everyone wrapped presents, especially Nolan and Nathan. Nathan took the scissors and whacked off a piece of paper no matter what the size, and if it wouldn’t work one way, he’d find another. Nolan was methodical and precise, with no ornamentation. His packages looked like they had been wrapped by a professional wrapper, but the packages were sterile and void of all trimming.
Everyone dug through bags for their next item and wrapped amid songs and jokes. Occasionally, someone would stand, grab the wrapping paper and a roll of ribbon and a spool of tape, and dash into another room to wrap. The pile of gifts grew, both under the tree, and by their owners.
Paige was a whirlwind. Her business as a personal shopper ensured that she had more packages than everyone in the room combined. The deft way that she would wrap, tie, ribbon, bow, and label before going onto the next item amazed everyone, including those who had previously watched her.
“Look at this. Do you think this guy’s wife will like it? I was told to get the largest sapphire that I could find, surrounded by a gaudy group of diamonds—he actually said that. ‘Gaudy group of diamonds.’ Think this cuts it?” Paige looked disgustedly at the very large display of gemstones.
“Eeeeewwwwwww! Is that for real? Why would anyone want something that
huge
and for a ring? That’d be better as a pendant.” Grace paused for a moment and then whispered. “Well… the operative word there is
better
.”
The group howled. Grace flipped through Paige’s pile of gifts and found another jewelers box. “Is this one as bad?”
Paige’s face lit up. “No! That one—oh, my! I got a call from a man who had a huge business loss this year. He has a tradition of buying a new piece of jewelry for his wife every year at Christmas, but this year he just couldn’t go shopping. He said it was too painful to look when the things that he wanted the most, he couldn’t afford. He gave me two hundred dollars and asked me to do my best. I found this for one seventy-five.”
Paige opened the box and revealed an exquisite emerald flanked by two diamonds on a pendant. There was no chain, but Paige explained that she was certain that the woman would have enough chains that could be used, and her husband could buy her another one later after they were financially back on their feet.
Grace fingered the trinket in its box. “Isn’t it gorgeous? Look how the light catches that emerald and makes it look like the center is glowing. I never knew stones could be so pretty!”
Paige wrapped the jeweler’s box inside a sweater box and laid plain white flannel around it to muffle any shifting sounds and to add weight. “She’ll think she’s not going to get one this year. I hope Mr. Axell doesn’t mind. He can rewrap if he does. I just thought it would be a nice surprise for both.”
Grace brought out hot chocolate and chocolate dinner mints on a tray along with puffed rice treats and encouraged everyone to take a break. Nathan watched as Paige recorded each purchase and wrapping in her organizer, and Nolan watched Grace. None of them were aware of the way that Craig and Melanie looked on the entire group with parental eyes. Little personality quirks were noted with elbow jabs and raised eyebrows.
At the end of the evening, bright and beautifully wrapped packages sat in the back seats of Nathan’s car as he and Paige drove away, while Grace helped Nolan to carry the few packages that he had to bring home. “Ok, Nolan. I see that there isn’t a single package here to ‘Grace.’ Having trouble choosing, or do you have something hidden at home? Come on, you can tell me!”
She sounded almost giddy with excitement. Nolan looked at her surprised, but amused. “Too prideful to let me buy you a Christmas tree, but you want to know where your Christmas present is?” he teased.
Grace’s laughter rang down the street, into Verily’s living room and warmed the elderly man’s heart. “I am an enigma, Nolan Burke! I love presents and surprises—the anticipation—and I am extremely obnoxious about trying to find out what you’ve gotten me. Ask Craig.”
Nolan’s expression gave him away. “You do have something for me! Come on. What is it?”
They bantered back and forth for a while until Nolan threw up his hands and said, “I give up! I’ll never get a moment’s rest. I got you a mouse. Are you satisfied?”
Grace arranged the packages under Nolan’s little tree and with a little wave dashed back across the street and into the warmth of her own home. Her giggle told him that she hadn’t believed his assertion of a forthcoming rodent. Reaching one hand into his pocket, he pulled out a little charm from its wrapping. In his palm lay a silver charm of a comical little mouse running up a clock reminiscent of the children’s nursery rhyme.
“I hope you like him, Grace. I hope this little mousie is one you’ll let live in your house,” he murmured to himself as he watched her slip inside her house and sweep up her little niece in her arms. From his vantage point, he could see her pointing out packages and imagined Grace telling the baby all about each one.
Chapter Seventeen
As Nolan pulled into his driveway, Grace hurried across the street. “Do you need help?”
“London, Mickey, this is my friend, Grace.” He smiled at her as he unbuckled Parker from his car seat. “And this is Parker! Guys, this is Miss…”
“Grace. I’m Miss Grace. We’re making personal pizzas for dinner. Who wants to help me put toppings on?”
By the time Mike and Traci arrived to take their children “home” to Nolan’s house, Grace had established a genuine friendship with all of them. London whined and wailed when her mother told her to put away the game they’d been playing, and Traci’s eyes widened in shock as Grace stopped the tantrum with a single word, “London!”
“Sorry, Miss Grace,” the child apologized, chagrined.
“Don’t apologize to me. Your mother deserves the apology.”
To Nolan’s surprise, Grace turned away from the child and helped gather jackets and shoes for Mike. London paused as her mother led her and Mickey out the door. “Are you mad at me?”
“I’m disappointed in you, but you’ll obey better next time.”
“Grace, do you want to come have hot chocolate with us?” Nolan prayed she’d join them.
“I’d love to, but I’m exhausted. Why don’t you all come over for breakfast? I have muffins made, and I can scramble some eggs and cook some sausage.”
Nolan scooped Parker up and carried him to the door. “Thanks for helping me.”
“I enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing.”
Traci watched the exchange with a fascinated eye. Grace was genuinely happy to have spent the evening with her children. Even
she
wasn’t always happy for an evening with her own children. Instantly, she saw some of the attraction Nolan felt for the woman. “It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you in the morning and thanks for everything.”
Once the children were snuggled in beds and Parker in his playpen, Traci curled up in Nolan’s most comfortable chair, crossed her arms, and demanded, “Out with it.”
“With what?” Mike and Nolan spoke in unison.