Christmas On Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte

under her tree.
    Still, she’d never had any personal qualms about joining the Ferris family at Lydia’s House. And Barbie was right. The decision to send a check instead of visiting in person had been Hank’s decision. Yet she still felt a little apprehensive, and she wasn’t sure why.
    â€œThis Christmas will probably be difficult for you,” Barbie added. “But I think you’ll really like the party. And you’ll probably feel great on the way home. The kids begin decorating the place weeks before, and they’re so excited to have their friends and families join in the fun. The holiday spirit is really contagious.”
    Barbie made it sound like something Susan might enjoy doing, although she still felt leery about committing.
    â€œI really hope you’ll go with us. Honestly, you’ll probably find your attendance at the party a much bigger blessing to you than it is to the kids.”
    The word “blessing” brought Maggie’s treasure chest story to mind, and Susan wondered if Barbie was right. Would she be glad she went? Would she really be blessed by it?
    Deciding to give it a try in spite of her reservations, she asked, “What should I wear?”
    â€œSomething Christmas-y. Dad usually wears a battery-operated Santa Claus hat that lights up and a pair of green polka-dot suspenders.”
    Susan had a red silk vest with a Christmas tree appliqué on the front. And snowman earrings.
    â€œWhat day did you say it was?” Susan asked.
    â€œI don’t think I did.” Barbie chuckled. “It’s at two o’clock on Christmas Eve and runs until about four. Are you free?”
    Susan didn’t even have to check the calendar. Other than her Thursdays with the Lils, she didn’t have anything planned the entire month. “Sure, I’m free. I’ll meet you there.”
    â€œI don’t mind picking you up.”
    Agreeing to go was one thing, but Susan didn’t want to ride with anyone. What if the party wasn’t as much fun as Barbie seemed to think it was? And what if she wanted to cut out early?
    â€œI’ve got another function to attend that day,” she lied. “It really would be best if we drove separately.”
    â€œAll right then. You won’t be sorry. I promise.”
    Susan was already a little uneasy about the commitment, and after they said good-bye and the call ended, she tried to come up with a reason for it.
    Maybe it was because she was subconsciously pulling away from her former in-laws so she would be free to marry another man and bond with his family. It made sense, although she feared it was more than that.
    Either way, she wasn’t going to contemplate it now. Instead, she went back to work on the cookies she planned to deliver to Max Tolliver and Grant Barrows tomorrow afternoon, sure they’d do the trick and at least open up some possibilities.
    After all, she couldn’t very well start thinking about wedding bells until she picked out her future husband.

Chapter 6
    On Wednesday morning, while new storm clouds gathered overhead and threatened to rain on Fairbrook once again, Rosa Alvarado made her way across the soup kitchen to the industrial-size stove that had been donated by one of the wealthy members of Parkside Community Church.
    The soup kitchen, a ministry that provided free meals to the homeless, and to low-income families and seniors, was located in a modular building at the back of the church grounds.
    Normally, Rosa didn’t help out on Wednesdays, but when Carlos, her husband, had heard that Dawn and Joe Randolph, the directors of the kitchen, were taking a family vacation, he volunteered to cover for them. So that, of course, meant that Rosa would be doing the cooking for the next six days straight.
    Today she was making spaghetti, buttered green beans, and garlic bread. Dessert would be chocolate pound cake, which was already cooling on racks near the sink.
    As