Sweet Christmas Kisses (5 page)

Christy crossed the room and squatted next to Izzie. “I’ve never seen anything quite as pretty.”

Cathy offered him a silent apology and then said, “Everyone, this is my new friend, Izzie. This is her mom and dad, and I invited them in for some apple cider by the fire so they could warm up a bit.”

Introductions were made; there was Heather, who owned the Lonely Loon, and Sara, who ran the sweet shop downstairs, and Sara’s friend, Greg. And then there was a quiet man who sat in the corner whose name Aaron wasn’t able to decipher above all the chatter.

Cups of cider were served from the crock pot that kept it steamy. Aaron sipped, relishing the warm taste of cinnamon and the sweet tang of apples. He looked over at Izzie who was happily munching a wreath-shaped cookie.

They sang carols and told funny tales on each other. Apparently, the three women had been life-long friends who had grown up here in Ocean City. About twenty minutes into the visit, Christy signaled Aaron and pointed at Izzie who had fallen asleep on the sofa.

“Thank you so much for inviting us in,” Aaron told Cathy and the others. “But we’d better get Izzie home.”

As gently as possible, he and Christy got Izzie bundled up, and with his sleeping daughter cradled in his arms, they said their good-byes.

“God bless you,” Heather said, giving Christy a hug.

Cathy and Sara took turns doing the same.

“We’ll keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers,” Cathy said.

“Happy Christmas to your beautiful family,” Sara murmured.

When Aaron and Christy were back on the boardwalk, he could barely breathe around the huge lump of emotion sitting like a fist in the center of his chest.

“They were nice people,” Christy said softly.

He nodded. “They thought we were a family.” The words came out sounding rusty. “It’s what Izzie’s been wanting. To be a family again. Thank you for not correcting them when they called you Izzie’s mom.”

Christy just smiled, and Aaron’s heart thudded in his chest. This flood of emotions was almost more than he could bear. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything more. She just grasped his forearm and leaned her head on his shoulder as they slowly made their way back to the car.

Just like a family.

Christmas morning arrived under a lead gray sky. The presents had been opened and wrapping paper littered the living room which Aaron promised to clean up after his shower. Christy was standing at the stove, waiting to flip the chocolate chip pancakes that Izzie had requested. The smoky scent of bacon filled the air. Izzie was at the sink, her hands covered in soapy water, as she carefully washed the porcelain saucers, cups, and pot that Christy had given her.

“I love my tea set,” Izzie said for what must have been the tenth time.

“I’m happy you like it. We’ll have a tea party this afternoon.” She’d stayed up late last night baking more cookies. Not that cookies were scarce in the house. No, there were plenty. But she’d needed something to fill the time after they’d returned home from the boardwalk. After Aaron had put Izzie into bed, he’d come back to the kitchen to help. Christy couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt that something had changed between them. Their conversation was easier, and they’d even found an occasion or two to laugh, once when the canister slipped out of her grasp and she’d spilled sugar across the counter, and again when she noticed a mound of dough was missing from the cookie sheet and he’d fessed up to popping it into his mouth.

She’d learned a lot about him last night. He owned a franchise of twenty-four hour gyms. In the early years, he’d done a lot of traveling in order to help new licensees find locations and set up their facilities, to attend openings, and troubleshoot problems that arose. But once Izzie had been diagnosed, he’d hired a manager to travel so he could be home where he was needed. 

Christy slid the spatula under a pancake and quickly turned it over. “Did Santa bring you everything you asked for?”

Izzie shrugged. “I dunno yet.”

“What do you mean? All the gifts have been opened, haven’t they?”

Another shrug. “Yeah, but… you never know when a special gift might show up.”

Guessing what Izzie had asked for wasn’t difficult. Sick children and their parents might know what lay ahead in the future, but that didn’t stop them from hoping and praying and wishing. Hard. Christy had been there.

“You know, Izzie, some things are out of Santa’s hands.”

The child frowned. “You think so? But… he’s magical. And if I’ve learned anything it’s that you have to ask. If you don’t ask, you won’t get what you want. So I asked. Santa knows what I want. Besides what I asked for can’t be put under the tree.”

Christy slid a pancake onto the stack she’d already cooked, and as she ladled more batter into the pan, she said, “Miracles do happen, honey. And one might happen for you. I’m just saying that you… you know…”

She let the rest of the thought fade into oblivion. There was no need to snuff out Izzie’s hope. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that the child’s mind was churning.

After several minutes, Christy couldn’t take the quiet any longer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just thinkin’ about something, is all.” Izzie rinsed a teacup and set it in the dish drainer.

“You want to talk some more?”

For several seconds, Izzie remained silent. Just when Christy decided she wasn’t going to confide in her about her thoughts, Izzie asked an unexpected question.

“Do you have any secrets?”

Focusing on flipping the remaining pancakes gave Christy time to digest the question. She lifted a shoulder. “Everyone has a secret or two.”

“I have a secret.”

Christy turned down the burner on the stove, set the spatula down, and swung around to face Izzie. “Want to tell me?”

“You tell me your secret first.”

Laughter bubbled up from Christy’s throat. “Now that’s a challenge if ever I heard one. Okay, let’s see. Hmmm.” She lowered her tone. “I don’t like my name.”

Izzie looked surprised. “But Christy is a pretty name.”

“Christy is a nickname. Everyone thinks it’s short for Christine, but it’s not. My parents named me Christmas.” Christy grimaced.

“Were you born on Christmas?” Izzie’s gaze widened. “Is today your birthday?”

“No, that’s another reason why my name is so silly. I was born in July.”

“But that’s summer time.”

Christy nodded miserably and Izzie giggled. The utter glee on her face made Christy laugh too.

“Okay, your turn,” Christy said. “Spill.”

Izzie steeled herself with a deep breath. “Promise not to tell?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t want me to.” She probably shouldn’t have made such a promise, but it seemed important.

“I’m worried about my daddy.” The lightness that had permeated the kitchen just a moment before evaporated. Izzie picked up the kitchen towel that hung on the cabinet knob. “When I…go away, he’ll be all alone.”

“Honey, your daddy is a very strong man.” Christy turned the stove burner off and moved closer to Izzie.

This wasn’t the first time she’d had this kind of talk with a child she took care of. More times than not, terminally ill children were more worried about their parents than they were for themselves.

“He’ll be sad,” Christy said. “Very much so. That’s only natural. He loves you very much. But he’ll be okay. Honestly, he will.”

Although Izzie remained dry-eyed, the magnitude of her agitation showed in the now-tightly-coiled towel she held in her hands.

“What did you do?” Izzie asked. “When Danielle went away. How were you? Did you cry? Were you lonely?”

Christy nodded. “I cried. I cried a lot.” She thought about the questions, wanting to give Izzie careful answers that would alleviate her fears. “I kept myself busy. I went back to school. I already had my degree, but I decided to become a registered nurse. And after I accomplished that, I started working. After that, I focused on all the kids at the hospital. And I have friends, and the nurses and doctors at the hospital.” She tilted her head to one side. “I have a good life, Izzie. And your father will too.”

Izzie’s voice lowered to a mere whisper. “I’ve only seen Daddy cry once. And that was at Mommy’s funeral. I don’t want him to cry anymore.”

Emotion welled in her eyes and fat tears rolled down her creamy cheeks.

Christy got down on her knees and hugged Izzie tightly. “Honey, please don’t worry. It’s going to be all right.”

“Will you watch over my daddy? Will you be his friend?”

Without hesitation, Christy promised, “Of course, I will.”

****

Hours later, Christy came into the living room, carrying a tray filled with Izzie’s teapot, cups, saucers, and a plate of Christmas cookies. The three of them had just finished watching Miracle on 34 Street and Christy thought a snack was in order.

“How about that tea party we talked about, Izzie?” she said.

Izzie set her dad’s iPad on the sofa cushion beside her. “That would be fun.”

Aaron, who’d been reading a book, got up to clear off the coffee table. He glanced at the iPad and asked, “What are you looking at there, Izzie?”

“Wedding dresses.”

Aaron caught Christy’s eye and she offered a little shrug to let him know she was as clueless as he over Izzie’s choice of iPad entertainment.

Izzie snatched up a cookie that had red sprinkles on top. “These are pretty, Christy. Are these the sour cookies?”

“Southern Sour Cream Cookies, yes.” Christy picked up the pot and poured tea into three cups.

“Mmmm.” Izzie smacked her lips. “They’re soft and sweet. Not sour at all.”

Christy chuckled. “I’m glad you like them.”

Aaron picked up the small teacup between his index finger and thumb. “So… why are you looking at wedding gowns.”

Izzie looked at the iPad and then up at her dad. “I’ve been thinking.”

This child has been doing a lot of that today. “About weddings?” Christy asked.

“Yeah, and other stuff,” she admitted.

Aaron took two cookies from the plate and sat down in the easy chair. Until this moment, Christy would never have thought that a man could sip tea from a child-sized teacup and retain his masculinity. He was doing a fine job of it.

He caught her pressing her lips together at the sight of him and he gave her a quick wink. Warm tendrils curled in the pit of her belly.

“I wish I had a pony,” Izzie said. “I was looking at pictures of horses. They’re so pretty. And… and I wish I had a puppy. Did you know there are about a zillion kinds of dogs? And I wish I had a boat. Wouldn’t it be fun to ride a boat whenever you want to?” Then her words came a little faster. “I was thinking about weddings ‘cause brides are so beautiful. I’ve never been to a wedding. I’ve never seen a real bride up close.” Then she lifted both shoulders. “Or a groom, either.”

Aaron chewed a bite of cookie then swallowed. “So all of this thinking that you’re doing… does this mean you’re adding to your wish list?”

Christy could almost hear Aaron’s thoughts. How do I buy this child of mine a pony? A dog? A boat? A wedding?

“No, not really.” Izzie shook her head. “We’d need a farm for a pony. And a puppy would be lonely at home if I have to go to the hospital. And I’m too little to drive a boat.”

Relief lightened Aaron’s chuckle. “Yes, all those things are true.”

Izzie turned her head and stared at the white, lacy gown on the iPad. “But we could have a wedding. It would be pretend, of course. We just need a bride and a groom. A pretty dress. Big and poofy, like Princess Belle would wear. Some flowers. A ring.” She gazed across the room at her father, blinking. “We could do it.”

Aaron’s moment of relief vanished and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. Funny how talk of frilly dresses and flowers and rings did that to a man. Christy decided to save him.

“I’m sure I could find something around here that could serve as your wedding gown. A white sheet, maybe? And I could dress it up with something fancy…” The rest of her sentence trailed as she thought about making a dress.

“I… yeah, I could be the groom.” Aaron nodded.

Christy was pleased that he recovered so quickly.

“Ew! Daddy!” Izzie’s face squished at the idea. “That would be too weird.”

“Oh.” He actually looked disappointed.

But Izzie brightened. “But you could be the groom. If Christy was the bride.”

Izzie looked to be holding her breath as she awaited Christy response.

Now it was Christy’s turn to suffer a momentary bout of muteness. Then she saw Aaron offering her an I’m-game-if-you-are grin. There was nothing else for Christy to do but lift her hands and say, “Okay.”

Although finding items to create her bridal costume had taken longer than she’d expected, Christy thought she was ready for the pretend wedding. At first, she brought each item as she found it to ask Aaron if it was okay to cut it apart and shape it into something new. He’d finally given her carte blanche, and she and Izzie had gone wild. She hadn’t played dress-up in years, since the days she and Danielle had donned boas and wide-brimmed hats before strutting around the living room. Christy had forgotten how much fun little girls could be when they were excited about pretty clothes.

After the “dress” was complete, Christy had shooed Izzie out of the bedroom so she could make a veil.

“But you might need my help,” Izzie complained.

Christy insisted. “I want you to be surprised by
something
.”

“Oh, all right.” Then her face brightened. “I’ll go work on the ceremony. And a certificate! We need an official paper.” And she rushed out the door in search of her art pad and markers. “Hurry up!” Izzie called from the hallway. “It’s almost time!”

Chuckling, Christy took the small circle she’d cut from the center of the round, damask tablecloth she’d used as the skirt of her gown. She folded the fabric in little pleats and bobby-pinned it at a jaunty angle on her head. Then she pinned some netting she’d found in the kitchen so it draped over her eyes. Too bad it was red, but it did lend her outfit a more Christmassy feel. There. Almost perfect. It wasn’t like the long, traditional veils Izzie had called up on the iPad, but it would do just fine.