Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher Page B

shelving books, and there were only three patrons in the building, two of whom were nestled in opposite corners of the stacks, reading books. Only the soft clatter of Bill Carter’s typing on the keyboard broke the deep hush. Penny returned to the back side of the checkout counter and began sorting through the paperwork that never ended.
    Sometime later, she felt the whoosh of air that announced the opening of the front entrance doors. A quick glance at herwatch told her that over half an hour had passed. She looked up to see Tess Carter leaning down to kiss her dad’s cheek. Then Tess headed straight for Penny.
    â€œJust the girl I wanted to see,” she said, smiling that unforgettable smile of hers.
    Penny cocked an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.
    â€œA bunch of us are getting together tonight to play board games at my dad’s house. Totally spontaneous and last minute, and it’s up to me to make sure we’ve got plenty of victims. Er . . . I mean guests.” She laughed at her own joke. “Will you come? Eight o’clock. I promise you’ll have a good time. You’ll know everybody who’s there.”
    â€œOh, Tess, I don’t know if I—”
    â€œPlease. We’d really like you to come.”
    â€œPenny,” she heard her dad say, “you should get to be young while you are young.” And maybe he was right. It had been good to return to work. It had been good to see people at the bazaar. It might be just as good to spend an evening with friends playing silly games. She drew in a slow, deep breath. “Okay. I guess I could make it.”
    â€œTerrific!”
    â€œShould I bring anything?”
    â€œNope. Not a thing. Got it covered. I’ve already bought enough snacks and beverages to last all night.”
    All night?
    Tess laughed again. “Don’t look so horrified, Penny. I can’t imagine anybody will last longer than midnight or one. Especially the married ones who have babysitters to pay.”
    Penny released a breath.
    â€œOkay. Gotta run.” Tess waggled her fingers in a mini wave, then in an exaggerated whisper tossed in the direction of the public computers, said, “Bye, Dad. See you later.”
    By the time the doors closed behind Tess, Penny already regretted her decision to go to the Carter home. She’d never been much into board games, although when she and Brad were young, the family had been known to enjoy some rip-roaring card games. Spoons had been their mother’s favorite.
    I could call her and say something came up and Dad needs me at home tonight.
    No. No, she couldn’t say that. It wouldn’t be true, and her dad would hate it if she involved him in such a lie. No, she would go to Tess’s impromptu party. She’d kept too much to herself since Brad’s death. Her father was right about that.
    Tara Welch pushed a now-empty cart from out of the stacks. When she drew close to Penny, she said, “The returns are all shelved, Miss Cartwright.”
    â€œGreat. I’m going into my office to eat my lunch and finish writing my Christmas cards. Call if you need me.”
    â€œSure thing.”
    Penny retrieved her sack lunch from the fridge in the break room—half of a tuna salad sandwich, a dill pickle, a low-fat yogurt, and a diet soda. It didn’t take long to finish her light meal, and as soon as she was done, she got to work addressing envelopes and adding personal notes to the Christmas cards.
    She’d planned to skip sending cards this year. But then Christmas greetings from friends far and near had begun to arrive. They’d collected on a side table in the living room, so many filled with words of love and encouragement, until Penny had known she couldn’t ignore them any longer.
    Her own words were few: Thanks for thinking of us this Christmas and variations on the same theme. A few times, memories of Brad and their childhood Christmases caused