Carolina Christmas

by Sherryl Woods

  “While buying a present is a thoughtful thing to do, running away to do it is not. A policeman and an entire mall security team have been searching for you for more than an hour,” she responded.

  For the first time, Josh seemed to grasp the magnitude of what he’d done. “Uh-oh,” he whispered. “Are they gonna be mad at me?”

  “I think they’re going to be relieved that you’re okay,” she said. “And I know they’ll appreciate it when you apologize to each and every one of them.”

  “Okay,” he said meekly. “I’ll tell ’em I’m really sorry. Maybe we could go home and get some Christmas cookies for them.”

  Her point seemed to have sunk in, at least enough for now. She’d spend the next ten years driving it home. With a boy this precocious, she was sure she’d have lots of opportunities.

  “Now that you understand that what you did was wrong, I think there’s somebody here you might want to meet. He needs to see for himself that you’re safe and then let everyone know we’ve found you. Put those panties back, and let’s go.”

  Josh parted with the panties reluctantly, then dutifully took the hand she held out.

  “Who is it?” he asked as they walked through the store. “Who wants to see me?” His eyes widened. “Is it Dad? Did Dad come for Christmas?”

  She was seized by momentary anger at her ex, who hadn’t even made a phone call to Josh for over a week now. But what was the point? Ned was Ned. She was tired of covering for his lack of consideration.

  “No, sweetie,” she consoled Josh, biting back the desire to make excuses. “It’s not your father.”

  “Oh,” he said, his tone flat with disappointment.

  “Come on now. I think this will be just as good,” she told him.

  “Grandma and Grandpa?” he asked, but without as much enthusiasm.

  Before Amy could reply, Josh spotted Santa holding Emma. His cheeks turned pink and his eyes lit up. Whatever disappointment he’d felt that it wasn’t his dad vanished in a split second of recognition.

  “Santa!” he shouted, clearly thrilled. “You brought me Santa!”

  For the second time that day he jerked free of Amy’s grip and made a dash for it, but this time Santa was right there to scoop him close in a hug.

  CHAPTER 7

  Nick’s gaze had locked on Amy as she’d traveled through the store and reunited with her son. Emma had laughed and pointed, clearly recognizing her big brother and delighted to see him. Something inside Nick melted as he watched the reunion.

  This was what should have happened with Tyler Hamilton. His mom should have had a joyous moment just like this, but she hadn’t. Instead, there had been only the awful news that her boy was dead, news Nick had insisted on delivering himself. He had to stand by helplessly as the color had drained from her face. He’d caught her as her knees gave way and she’d been racked by grief-stricken sobs. He couldn’t imagine that memory ever fading, not even with this far happier memory to replace it.

  When Josh spotted him, whooped joyously, and let loose of Amy’s hand, Nick dropped to his knees so he could catch the boy as he barreled straight into his knees. For at least a fraction of a second, all he felt was relief. This search had ended well. This boy was back with his mother and Nick had played at least a small part in making it happen.

  His gaze stayed on Amy’s. She looked as if she’d been given the very best Christmas present ever.

  “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  Before Nick could respond, Josh wiggled free and studied him intently. “I met Santa last year,” he said. “You don’t look like him.”

  Nick bit back a smile. “Santa had a rough year. I’m older.”

  Josh didn’t look convinced. “You don’t sound like him, either. You sound funny, like you live around here instead of at the North Pole.”

  “Well, you see, Josh, that’s the thing. Santa has to adapt to his environment,” Nick improvised as Amy chuckled. “I’ve been here at this mall for a while now and everyone talks like this. They expect me to sound just like them.”

  “I guess,” Josh said doubtfully. Then his expression brightened. “Can I tell you what I want for Christmas right now? That way I won’t have to wait forever in line. That’s how come I got lost, ’cause the line was too long and I didn’t want to wait in it.”

  Nick exchanged a glance with Amy, who looked as if she’d give the boy the sun, moon and stars now that he was safely back with her. He wasn’t inclined to be as lenient.

  “Let’s talk about this,” he suggested to Josh. “Man to man.”

  “Okay,” Josh said eagerly.

  Nick barely contained a grin. “I’m not so sure little boys who run away and scare their moms ought to be getting presents from Santa,” he said. “What do you think?”

  “You’re asking me to decide if I should get presents?” Josh asked incredulously.

  “Yep.”

  Josh’s expression turned serious as he pondered Nick’s—Santa’s—question. “Okay, here’s what I think,” he told Nick earnestly. “I didn’t mean to scare Mom. And I only went to buy her a present. That’s a good thing, right? Mad as she was, even Mom said I was amazing.”

  Nick swallowed a laugh. Amy must have her hands full with this one. He had well-developed reasoning powers for a boy his age, or else it was just a strong sense of self-preservation. Nick had been very much like that as a kid, able to fast-talk himself out of most trouble. And his mother had been every bit as tolerant as Amy. His father had been the disciplinarian. Josh didn’t have anyone around to fill that role. For today, at least, maybe Nick could do it.

  He looked Josh in the eye. “It was a very unselfish thing to want to do,” he agreed. “So, yes, that does count as a good thing. But running away, even with the best intentions, is never good. Lots of people have been very worried about you.”

  The boy regarded him with genuine dismay. “I know. Mom said.” Then his expression brightened with hope. “But I’m going to apologize, so it’ll be okay.”

  Nick glanced up at Amy. “I’m sure an apology will be appreciated, but I want to be sure you understand why what you did was wrong.”

  “Because I scared Mom,” Josh said at once.

  “That’s one reason,” Nick confirmed.

  He tried to find a way to drive his point home without scaring Josh and robbing him of his astonishing fearlessness. It would be a good trait later in life, though in the meantime it was likely to give Amy frequent anxiety attacks.

  He regarded Josh with a somber expression. “But there’s another one and it’s just as important. It’s very dangerous for someone your age to be alone in a crowd like this. All sorts of things can happen to children when there’s not an adult around to keep an eye on them.”

  Josh studied him intently, absorbing his words, but clearly not ready to take them at face value. “Like what?”

  Nick debated how specific to get, then decided on another tack. “You believe in Santa, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, Santa sees a lot of things, like when boys and girls are good and bad.”

  Josh nodded. “That’s why I’m really, really good.” He glanced at his mom, then amended, “Well, most of the time, anyway. Until today.”

  Nick hid a grin. “Okay, then, if you understand that Santa knows a lot about what happens all over the world, then could you just take my word for it that it’s dangerous for you not to be with an adult in a busy mall like this?”

  Josh still looked vaguely skeptical. “But nothing bad happened,” he protested.

  “This time,” Nick emphasized. “You were very lucky today, Josh, but it’s not a chance you should ever take again. Do you understand that?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Then here’s the deal. If you want Santa to recon
sider discussing presents with you, you have to promise never to do anything like this again.”

  With presents on the line, Josh nodded solemnly. “Okay. I promise.” He turned to his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “Santa will know if you go back on your word,” Nick warned him. “So you have to keep that promise forever.”

  Josh gazed at him with dismay. “Like, till I’m a teenager or something?”

  “No, forever is even longer than that. It’s till you’re all grown-up and even then you should never do anything that might make your mom worry. Okay?”

  “I guess,” Josh said. “I’ll try, but that sounds like a long time to be good.” He studied Nick closely. “Do you have a mom?”

  Nick nodded.

  “Does she still worry about you?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Nick said fervently. And unfortunately he worried her all the time, though he wasn’t about to tell Josh that.

  “But you’re Santa!”

  “Moms never stop worrying, no matter who you are or how old you get,” Nick told him. “I know forever seems like way too long, but I think you can do it.”

  “Maybe,” Josh said, his voice filled with doubt.

  “Why don’t you think about it for a while and we’ll talk about it again when you come through the line to tell me what you want for Christmas?”

  Josh started to break away. “I’ll get in line right now,” he said, clearly about to make a dash for Santa’s village.

  Nick snagged his hand. “Hey there, what did we just talk about?”

  Josh winced. “Oh, yeah. Mom, can we get in line now?”

  Before Amy could reply, Nick glanced at the endless line. He figured if he was going to have to deal with all these kids who’d been waiting patiently to see him for more than an hour, there should be a reward for him at the end of it. Besides, something compelled him to make sure he had a chance to spend more time with this family. He wanted time to persuade Amy to go to church with his family this evening. He sensed that with them beside him tonight, he might start down the path to something special.

  “Tell you what,” he said to Josh. “Since the line’s so long, why don’t you, your mom and Emma here, go grab a snack and then come back? Then you can tell me what you want for Christmas.”

  “Will there still be time?” Josh asked worriedly.

  “I won’t leave till you’ve come back,” Nick promised. He glanced at Amy. “Is that okay with you? You look as if you could use something to eat. The food court’s right across the way. I highly recommend the pizza.”

  She seemed uncertain for a moment, then her expression brightened. “Actually I’m starving. I had a touch of the flu earlier, but it seems to be gone. To my amazement, pizza sounds great. Can we bring you anything?”

  Nick shook his head.

  “Then we’ll see you in a little while,” Amy concluded.

  She started away with Emma in one arm and Josh holding her other hand, then turned and came back. Before Nick realized her intention, she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

  “Thank you for helping me find Josh,” she whispered, her eyes damp with tears. “You have no idea…” Her voice broke.

  He touched a finger to her cheek, wiped away a single tear. “I think I do,” he responded. “And I’m glad I was able to help.”

  Her gaze locked with his. “I’ll never forget what you did for us.” Then her lips slowly curved. “Or all the unanswered questions I asked you.”

  Nick knew she’d meant it as a mild threat, but he couldn’t help chuckling. “You may be the most persistent person I know.”

  She grinned. “Remember that. Now, are you sure you don’t want me to bring something back for you? A soda? A slice of pizza?”

  “Nothing,” he said again.

  Not until she was moving through the crowd did he murmur, “Just yourselves.”

  He uttered the telling words just in time for Trish to overhear them.

  “Find something more than a lost boy, big brother?” she taunted.

  “Who knows?” he said, sounding only slightly defensive. “I might have.”

  “I saw the kiss, by the way. And I couldn’t miss the thunderstruck expression on your face.” She smiled. “Apparently, it’s a season for miracles, after all.”

  Just then their mother, Laura DiCaprio, rushed through the crowd and joined them. “There you are,” she said, sounding slightly winded as if she’d run through the mall. She looked Nick over from head to toe. “Nicky, you make a wonderful Santa,” she said approvingly.

  His mother’s arrival was not a development he’d anticipated. Nor was he particularly overjoyed to see her. He couldn’t help wondering what had brought her here, especially since she looked as if she’d interrupted her Christmas baking to come. He frowned at his sister, convinced she was somehow behind this, but Trish merely shrugged.

  “Don’t look at me,” she said. “I haven’t spoken to her all day.”

  He turned back to his mother. “What are you doing here, Mom? Don’t tell me it’s a coincidence, because I know you finished your Christmas shopping a month ago.”

  “I finished in September, as a matter of fact,” she informed him.

  “Not a direct answer,” he accused.

  “And I’m not some suspect,” she retorted.

  “Mother!”

  “Okay, if you must know, Maylene Kinney called me. She told me about the missing boy…” Her voice trailed off as she studied him intently. “Well, I’m sure you understand why I had to come, Nicky. I wanted to see for myself that you’re okay. Your father’s outside cruising around looking for a parking place. I imagine he’ll be in here eventually.” She regarded him hesitantly. “Is it over? Is the boy okay?”

  “He’s fine,” Nick said tersely.

  None of this was good, Nick thought wearily. If news of another missing boy, even one that had been found already, got out, the mall was going to be crawling with reporters. He pinned his sister with a look. “If any of the media show up, keep them away from me, okay? Tell them it was a false alarm. Or tell them the truth, that Josh is back with his mom and it’s all over, but leave me out of it.”

  Trish regarded him with dismay. “I’ll do my best, but, Nicky, there’s a reporter here already, doing a story about the last-minute holiday shoppers. I’ll talk to her, but you know she may not give up easily. It’s a great story. Family reunited by Santa on Christmas Eve.”

  “If that’s all there was to it, it would be one thing, but we both know better,” he said.

  “But, Nicky you’ll be a hero,” his mom spoke. “Wouldn’t that be a good thing after…well, after what happened before?”

  “I don’t want to be a hero and it would take more than this to turn me into one. Hell, I don’t even want to be Santa.” He shook his head. “I never should have answered my phone this morning.”

  Then he thought of meeting Amy and that precocious boy of hers. He remembered how it felt to have sweet Emma in his arms. He wouldn’t have missed that for anything.

  He caught the expression in his sister’s eyes and knew she understood. “I’m going back to work before these kids start a riot,” he said grimly.

  Then he was struck by another thought. “Trish, maybe you ought to find Amy and warn her about that reporter. I don’t know if anyone would recognize her or Josh and point them out, but she ought to be prepared. Tell her to stay in the food court till you come back for her. I promised Josh he could visit with Santa before the mall closes.”

  His mother’s eyes brightened with curiosity. “Amy? Is that the woman whose boy you found? Maylene said she was lovely and that she’s new in town and a single mom. And Josh must be her son.”

  “That’s right,” Nick said, aware of the matchmaking wheels spinning into a
ction.

  “I’ll go with you, Trish,” his mother declared. “I’d like to meet her. Maybe she’d like to bring her family to Christmas dinner tomorrow.”

  Trish couldn’t seem to hide her amusement. He doubted she’d even tried.

  “Any comment, big brother?” she inquired.

  He sighed. “What would be the point? You two never listen to a word I say, anyway.”

  “That is not true, Nicholas DiCaprio,” his mother scolded, then winked. “Sometimes we just read between the lines, too. Come, Trish. Let’s go find this woman. Nicky, when your father turns up, you tell him where to find me.”

  Nick watched them go. He swallowed hard. If it weren’t for the jostling throng of kids waiting for him, he would have tried to stop his mom and sister, or at least gone with them to protect Amy. He had a hunch she’d be safer with a whole battalion of news-hungry reporters than she would be with his mom and sister when they were on a mission to give him the priceless Christmas gift of a new romance.

  * * *

  Amy bought slices of pizza and soft drinks for herself and Josh, then searched for a place to sit. Every table was jammed with shoppers taking a break from the frenzy. She could barely maneuver Emma’s stroller between the chairs. She watched with her heart in her throat as Josh tried to balance the tray with their food.

  “Over here,” Trish said, waving and greeting her with a smile. “My mom’s holding a table for you.”

  “Thank you so much,” Amy said, relieved. “Did Nick get back on Santa duty okay?”

  “He’s on the job, but he wanted me to warn you to stay put here till I come back for you.”

  Amy paused in midstride. “Oh?”

  “I’m so sorry,” Trish apologized. “We think word may have gotten out about the missing child. Because of Nick’s involvement, it could turn into kind of a big story. I’m going to do what I can to fend off any reporters, including the one who’s already here on a different assignment, but Nick didn’t want you guys to get dragged into the middle of it.” She gave Amy a questioning look. “I’m assuming he’s right, that you’d prefer not to be interviewed?”