Sweet Christmas Kisses by Ginny Baird, Grace Greene, Donna Fasano, Helen Scott Taylor, Beate Boeker, Melinda Curtis, Denise Devine, Raine English, Aileen Fish, Patricia Forsythe, Mona Risk, Roxanne Rustand, Magdalena Scott, Kristin Wallace Page A
Authors: Ginny Baird, Grace Greene, Donna Fasano, Helen Scott Taylor, Beate Boeker, Melinda Curtis, Denise Devine, Raine English, Aileen Fish, Patricia Forsythe, Mona Risk, Roxanne Rustand, Magdalena Scott, Kristin Wallace
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Will’s jaw dropped, but Ashley didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah,” the little girl crowed. “We’re staying in a
big
house that’s sixteen stories tall! On the top floor even! We’re going dog sledding and everything!”
“Dog sledding? In Maine? Imagine that.” He slowly shook his head. “Your mom always was one for crazy ideas.” He handed one of his two small gifts to Ashley. “This one’s for you, sweetheart.”
She accepted the flat, square box with a hopeful grin. “You want me to open it now?”
Jim nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Carol could ask him to remove his coat and invite Brenda into the house. She could check herself into the insanity ward at the local hospital too, but she wasn’t close to doing either.
Ashley eagerly unwrapped the small package and studied it with a wrinkled brow.
Oh no
, Carol thought,
not another one of Jim’s homemade DVDs
.
“It’s a picture story album,” he told his daughter. “Complete compilation of all my trips.”
Will glanced at Carol, and she knew what he was thinking. He’d likely gotten one too. Jim was nothing if not unoriginal in his gift giving. He handed a second package to Will that looked to be identical. The boy unwrapped it, seeing he’d received the same thing as his sister. “Thanks, Dad,” he said with a tight smile.
“Wait!” Ashley spouted. “Don’t go anywhere! We’ve got something for you.”
She returned with a couple of boxes. Jim opened hers first, extracting a handmade tree ornament. “It’s beautiful. Real special, sugarplum.”
Ashley beamed while Will shifted uneasily on his feet. How Carol hated this for her children, the way Jim just popped in and out of their lives. If only she could figure a way to give them a better, more consistent one, she would.
Jim opened Will’s gift and hooted, holding up the expensive, patterned tie. “Well, I’ll be! I sure as heck won’t be wearing
this
down in St. John!”
Carol shot him a look, and he self-corrected.
“Oh, right. Right,” he said, softening his tone toward his son. “Very nice, Will. Ultra sharp. I’ll be using it a bunch, I’m certain.”
Carol followed Jim onto the porch as thunder boomed. “You can’t keep doing this,” she said as rain poured down all around them. “It’s been two months—
two months
—since you’ve seen them.”
He averted her gaze. “Brenda and I’ve been busy. We’re building the new house and—”
“So busy you missed your own son’s birthday? Again?” She felt fire welling in her throat but spoke past it. “He sat around all day, jumped up every time the telephone rang…” The memory of that day haunted her still. Though he was a young teen now, in his heart, Will was still that tender little boy his dad had walked out on. For Jim hadn’t just left her; in many ways, in his midlife rush to find himself, he’d abandoned all of them.
Jim pursed his lips and turned toward her, rain splattering the back of his coat. There was a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen there before, something akin to remorse. “I’m sorry, Carol,” he said hoarsely. “Sorry about a lot of things.”
Then he turned toward the car and walked away through the drowning rain.
In a faraway corner of northwestern Maine, Paul Love steadied the ladder in front of the Christmas tree and directed his son. “A little more that way. Yeah.”
Daniel leaned back, appraising his handiwork. “I think the star’s straight now.”
Paul tried to deflect the deep sadness taking hold. Something about this time of year always left a raw ache in his heart. “Somehow this doesn’t seem right without your mom here.”
Daniel stepped down from the ladder and stood beside him. “I know it’s still hard, Dad.”
Paul thoughtfully studied his son. Though he was only seventeen, he looked just like Nancy in so many ways. He clearly had her bright blue eyes, but they were offset by Paul’s dark hair. “When did you get to be
Will’s jaw dropped, but Ashley didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah,” the little girl crowed. “We’re staying in a
big
house that’s sixteen stories tall! On the top floor even! We’re going dog sledding and everything!”
“Dog sledding? In Maine? Imagine that.” He slowly shook his head. “Your mom always was one for crazy ideas.” He handed one of his two small gifts to Ashley. “This one’s for you, sweetheart.”
She accepted the flat, square box with a hopeful grin. “You want me to open it now?”
Jim nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Carol could ask him to remove his coat and invite Brenda into the house. She could check herself into the insanity ward at the local hospital too, but she wasn’t close to doing either.
Ashley eagerly unwrapped the small package and studied it with a wrinkled brow.
Oh no
, Carol thought,
not another one of Jim’s homemade DVDs
.
“It’s a picture story album,” he told his daughter. “Complete compilation of all my trips.”
Will glanced at Carol, and she knew what he was thinking. He’d likely gotten one too. Jim was nothing if not unoriginal in his gift giving. He handed a second package to Will that looked to be identical. The boy unwrapped it, seeing he’d received the same thing as his sister. “Thanks, Dad,” he said with a tight smile.
“Wait!” Ashley spouted. “Don’t go anywhere! We’ve got something for you.”
She returned with a couple of boxes. Jim opened hers first, extracting a handmade tree ornament. “It’s beautiful. Real special, sugarplum.”
Ashley beamed while Will shifted uneasily on his feet. How Carol hated this for her children, the way Jim just popped in and out of their lives. If only she could figure a way to give them a better, more consistent one, she would.
Jim opened Will’s gift and hooted, holding up the expensive, patterned tie. “Well, I’ll be! I sure as heck won’t be wearing
this
down in St. John!”
Carol shot him a look, and he self-corrected.
“Oh, right. Right,” he said, softening his tone toward his son. “Very nice, Will. Ultra sharp. I’ll be using it a bunch, I’m certain.”
Carol followed Jim onto the porch as thunder boomed. “You can’t keep doing this,” she said as rain poured down all around them. “It’s been two months—
two months
—since you’ve seen them.”
He averted her gaze. “Brenda and I’ve been busy. We’re building the new house and—”
“So busy you missed your own son’s birthday? Again?” She felt fire welling in her throat but spoke past it. “He sat around all day, jumped up every time the telephone rang…” The memory of that day haunted her still. Though he was a young teen now, in his heart, Will was still that tender little boy his dad had walked out on. For Jim hadn’t just left her; in many ways, in his midlife rush to find himself, he’d abandoned all of them.
Jim pursed his lips and turned toward her, rain splattering the back of his coat. There was a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen there before, something akin to remorse. “I’m sorry, Carol,” he said hoarsely. “Sorry about a lot of things.”
Then he turned toward the car and walked away through the drowning rain.
In a faraway corner of northwestern Maine, Paul Love steadied the ladder in front of the Christmas tree and directed his son. “A little more that way. Yeah.”
Daniel leaned back, appraising his handiwork. “I think the star’s straight now.”
Paul tried to deflect the deep sadness taking hold. Something about this time of year always left a raw ache in his heart. “Somehow this doesn’t seem right without your mom here.”
Daniel stepped down from the ladder and stood beside him. “I know it’s still hard, Dad.”
Paul thoughtfully studied his son. Though he was only seventeen, he looked just like Nancy in so many ways. He clearly had her bright blue eyes, but they were offset by Paul’s dark hair. “When did you get to be
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