by Nancy Naigle
* * *
She opened her eyes, feeling as if something magical had just shifted inside her. That robe was as green as the dress that hung upstairs. There wasn’t anything flashy about what she’d just imagined. It was family. It was nature at its most basic.
And she knew exactly what the theme would be for Ruby’s house on the Crystal Christmas Cookie Crawl this year. It had been right in front of her all along.
Nature’s Bounty.
She’d repurpose the peacock feather decorations, bleached pinecones, and the Mason jars she’d found. Along with the scented candles, she’d capture all the senses in the most simple way. Less was more. She said that all the time to her team. Keep it simple, and she had a feeling this was going to simply be the best year ever.
There was no need for Ruby to worry about that Golden Wreath trophy.
First things first. Room to work. With the list of which boxes she needed to keep downstairs for supplies, Joy moved the rest of them out of the way. She’d get those back up in the attic as soon as possible.
As she put all the old journals back that she didn’t plan to use, one of the pictures fluttered to the floor. Its invisible tape had yellowed and lost its adhesive over the years.
She picked it up and looked at the picture of her mother wearing a sweatshirt with birds and a snowy Christmas scene on it. Nature’s Bounty. “Thanks, Mom.” And this time she didn’t cry. She felt a warmth where that cold heavy blackness usually held her hostage.
She grabbed her laptop and started moving all those lists she’d started into a cohesive project plan.
Time to get serious.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning, Joy packed Ruby’s crochet basket with her things to take to Ruby on her next visit. Hopefully, that would keep her occupied until Christmas, and make her stay a little more pleasant.
There was a quick triple-knock at the door. At just barely six in the morning, it was too early for Molly.
Joy opened the door. A young woman stood bouncing, trying to keep warm against the brisk morning breeze. Even in the heavy coat, she appeared slight in stature with skin so pale against her dark hair that she reminded Joy of Snow White.
“Hi,” the young woman said. “I hate to intrude, and I’m sorry I haven’t stopped in to talk to you sooner.”
Joy glanced over the woman’s shoulder, recognizing the car immediately. “You’re Molly’s mom?”
“Ginny,” she said, wringing her hands. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me with her, especially with Ruby hurt. Everyone at church is praying for her speedy recovery. You must think I’m so selfish for not stopping sooner. I—”
Joy placed her hand on Ginny’s arm. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. You don’t owe me an explanation. Come on in out of the cold.” Joy held the door for her, gesturing her inside. “You and Molly are Ruby’s top concern. It’s my pleasure to help out.”
“Molly can’t stop talking about you. Again, I can’t thank you enough. Especially with Ruby hurt. I know you have your hands full already.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I can tell you that Ruby thinks the world of you and Molly. So it’s nice to meet you.”
“I need another favor.” Ginny’s eyes glossed over, and her words tumbled out. “If there were any other option, I promise I wouldn’t bother you.”
“Stop. Slow down. It’s no bother. I’m here. What’s wrong? How can I help?”
The woman’s chin quivered. “Can Molly stay with you after school today and spend the night tonight?”
The thought of taking care of that little girl overnight tossed panic into Joy’s calm demeanor, but the look in Ginny’s eyes told her more than any words could. And Joy was not about to add to whatever was going on in this young woman’s life. “I’m going to admit that I’m no Ruby when it comes to handling children. In fact, I don’t have any experience at all, but I’ll figure it out if you trust me to. Molly will help me. Absolutely. You can count on me.”
“Thank you. She’s a good girl. I don’t think she’ll be any bother.”
“It’ll be fine. Don’t you worry. Do I need to pick her up from school or—?”
Ginny shook her head. “No. The teacher can put her on the bus that stops here at the end of the day, right around three thirty. We’ve done it lots of times before with Ruby.”
“Then we’re all set. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
“I can’t thank you enough.” Ginny hugged Joy with tears flowing down her face, and then turned and left.
Joy closed the door. Don’t worry? Wish she could tell herself that.
An hour later, Molly came through the front door just like any other day, except today a holiday plaid jumper with white tights peeked out from her heavy coat.
“Hey, Molly. You look pretty. How are you doing today?”
“I’m good.” She peeled out of her hat and mittens, then put her coat on the chair. “Is it really okay for me to come here after school and sleep over?”
“Yes! Are you excited?”
The little girl bobbed her head. “I am. It might snow.”
“Really?” Joy hadn’t even bothered to look at the weather forecast. “Well, then we might just have a real magical night, huh?”
“I love snow.”
“Me too, but even if it doesn’t snow, I have something fun planned.”
Molly wiggled in excitement.
“Ruby makes her famous Christmas cookies every year, and she asked me to get started on them. Can you help me?”
“Yes!” She leapt in the air, her little suede boots softly bouncing on the kitchen tile floor.
“Great. So let’s get you ready for school, and then we will have a fun night together.”
* * *
Joy nibbled on the PBJ crusts as she watched Molly hop up the steps onto the big yellow school bus from the front door. When Mom had been sick, Joy could remember how afraid she’d been to get on that bus and go to school, afraid Mom would be gone when she came home. But somehow this farmhouse had been a sanctuary during those days. The one place she’d felt safe. Funny that all these years later, it still was. Just this time, for Molly.
As she shut the door, she could almost smell the blend of sugar and spices from Ruby’s baking all those years ago. Joy hadn’t done a lick of baking since back then. In fact, even her cooking portfolio was rather limited. She opted to eat out more than anything, out of convenience. But she could follow directions, so hopefully it would be as easy as following the recipes that Ruby said were in the kitchen.
She meandered into the kitchen. The first thing in her project plan was to get all the supplies she’d need. At the top of the list were all the ingredients for the cookie dough that she needed to start freezing.
With the old recipe box in hand, Joy thumbed through the cards, retrieving every recipe on Ruby’s list of annual favorites. It took almost an hour to do the math and write up the shopping list for all she’d need to prepare ahead of time. But tonight she’d focus on just one recipe.
Sand tarts.
They’d always been her favorite. And no amount of powdered sugar across the front of her clothes would keep her from sampling them if they were on the tray. She hoped Molly would love them too.
She grabbed her keys and headed for town. The market was bustling, and holiday tunes filled the air. Less than two weeks until Christmas. Endcaps were filled with the essentials for all the traditional recipes. Green bean casserole, candied yams, and candied fruit for those adventurous enough to try making fruitcake. The smell of country ham tickled her nose, teasing memories of Aunt Ruby’s sweet potato biscuits with razor thin slices of salty ham, which were always the tradition on Christmas morning.
Marking items off her list one by one, she’d finally made it nearly two-thirds through the store, and her grocery cart looked pretty impressive. Anyone passing by might think she actually knew what she was going to do with all these i
ngredients. Quite honestly, she still didn’t have a clue what the difference was between baking soda and baking powder, but did anyone really know?
She picked up a bucket of chicken and a container of macaroni and cheese from the deli. She’d heard Renee say her kids could live on chicken and macaroni and cheese. It seemed like a hedged bet. Molly could always eat another PBJ in a pinch. She wouldn’t starve in one night. Oh Lord, what kind of mother would I be, thinking like that?
That little Christmas daydream she’d had taunted her. A boy and a girl, huh? Highly unlikely. Especially seeing as how she was nearly thirty with no prospects.
Joy stood in the shortest checkout line, reading the headlines of the tabloids. Someone pregnant, a couple splitting up, another getting married, a man trying to prove he is the real Santa and over four hundred years old. Go figure. If he was, cookies and milk must be the key to the fountain of youth, because that guy didn’t look a day over fifty.
She lined up all the baking goods on the conveyor and watched the clerk fill bag after bag. The groceries she’d just unloaded from this very basket didn’t seem to want to fit back into the cart. Why was that?
One swipe of her debit card, and she was armed and ready for the next twenty-four hours. If she survived one sleepover with a seven-year-old, then she could make it through the week of cookie preparation.
Loaded as she was with plastic bags on each arm, it still took three trips to get everything into the kitchen. With all the ingredients spread across the kitchen counter, Joy took out her phone and snapped a picture, then shot it off to Ruby, who would be happy to see proof that she was getting busy on the baking.
Kind of made her day too.
She separated out all the items she’d need to make the sand tarts tonight, then put the rest of the ingredients away. She and Molly would make all the dough for the twelve dozen sand tarts as Ruby requested and then bake a couple dozen just for practice—and fun, of course.
A few minutes later, Joy received a text back from Ruby that simply read, Bravo!
Johnny was probably behind that.
She put the phone on the counter and started pulling out pans, bowls, and the mixer so they could get started as soon as Molly arrived.
She picked up her phone and Googled bedtimes for seven-year-olds. She hadn’t even thought to ask Ginny about any of those details. She couldn’t remember what her bedtime schedule had been at that age. There was no shortage of information on the Internet about the subject, but it looked like the majority seemed to settle on 7:30 or 8 P.M. That shortened the length of time to entertain the little munchkin by nearly twelve hours. That wasn’t nearly so intimidating.
I can make it that long.
As soon as she set her phone down, it vibrated against the Formica countertop. She lifted the phone, expecting a text from Renee, but what she saw was a selfie of Ruby and Johnny.
She laughed out loud. Dixon County Rehab Center would never be the same.
Bellissimo, she texted back.
Joy climbed the stairs and made up the twin bed in her old bedroom with fresh sheets from the linen closet. The sheets with princess-like pink hearts had been among her favorites. Molly would sleep in here and Joy would sleep in the guest room. That way if Molly got scared or confused in the night, she’d be right across the hall. Besides, that room was still suited to a young girl, since Ruby hadn’t changed it at all since Joy left.
Plus, she’d much rather sleep in the queen bed.
The hot pink and lime green quilt that Mom and Ruby had made for her was still in the closet. Joy took it out and spread it over the bed, just as she would have twelve years ago.
Joy carefully took her dress from where she’d hung it over the door molding. She held it to her body and swayed. She didn’t have a date for the gala, but Todd never wanted to dance anyway, so he wouldn’t make the evening more fun. She may as well go alone. Besides, he’d just be working angles all night with the MacDonald-Webber clients, and that was just wrong since he was working for another firm now. Not one they really considered competition, but still. It’s the way Todd worked. Always on.
She twirled one more time and then carried the dress over to the guest room. She hung it from the hook on the back of the door and ran her fingers down the fine beading. She’d dreamed of this night for so long. She couldn’t miss it, and things were in good shape here. No reason not to. She hoped the night at the gala would be as magical as this dress seemed to her.
The loud diesel engine of the school bus vibrated against the old wooden-framed windows. Joy looked out the window and saw Molly getting off the bus with her bunny lunch bag.
She ran downstairs to greet her at the door. “How was your day?”
Molly smiled. “I made you something.”
“You did?”
Molly nodded. “It’s a Christmas ornament.” She held up a red circle of paper hanging from a piece of green rickrack. On the ornament in white paint, the letters J O Y stood out.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s your name. And a sentiment.”
“Yes, it is.”
“It doesn’t smell like sentiment.” Molly sniffed at it.
“Do you mean ‘cinnamon’?”
“Yeah. Is that different than sentiment?”
Her heart warmed at the thought of those tiny hands at work on a gift just for her. “It is, but just as nice. I love my present. Thank you, Molly.” She hung the ornament over the hallway doorknob. “We’ll hang it here until we have the Christmas trees up. Okay?” It took all she had to hold back the tears the sweet gesture brought forth.
“Yes.” Molly peeled off her coat and earmuffs.
“Do you want to put those upstairs on your bed?” Joy started for the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you where you’re going to sleep tonight.”
Molly followed her without a word until they reached the landing. “I usually just sleep with Ruby. She snores.”
“She does?”
“Really loud.” Molly fell into a fit of giggles.
Joy couldn’t help but catch them too. “You don’t snore, do you?”
“No-o!”
“Good. I don’t snore, but I thought you could sleep in my old room.” Joy pushed open the door to her brightly colored bedroom. “I’ll be just across the hall. Is that okay?”
Molly’s eyes brightened. “This was your room?”
“Sure was.” Until today, Joy had thought of this room as holding the saddest parts of her life, but seeing her room through Molly’s eyes right now reminded her that there had been good times here once.
Mom kneeling at the side of the bed, reading her a story until she fell asleep. The times when she was sick and Mom had taken care of her. A cold washcloth on her head and the trash can by the bed just in case. Making the bed together. Parachuting the flat sheet in the air at least a dozen times just for fun.
“I love this room,” Molly said. “Look at all those books. Can I sleep with that bear?”
The bear had been a gift from Mom and Dad on her sixth birthday. Joy still remembered clinging to that thing at bedtime as a little girl. It had been a long time since that bear had gotten any love.
“You sure can.” Joy reached up and took the bear from the shelf. He was still just as soft as she’d remembered. That bear had brought her comfort for so long. He’d soaked up many tears and weathered a lot of washings. “I think he might like staying with you.”
“Forever?”
“Sure. He gets lonely in here.” She handed the bear to Molly. Even with all the memories that bear held for her, she knew it would be better for Molly to have it—and to inherit that sense of security Joy got from it during tough times.
“This is the happiest room ever.” Molly tucked the bear under her arm. “I won’t be afraid in here.”
There were a lot of good memories in this room.
Chapter Eighteen
Molly put her things on the chair at the desk in front of the window, and then climbe
d onto the bed. Sitting cross-legged in the middle, she bounced with a smile. “This’ll be fun.”
“I hope so.” She reached out for Molly’s hand, and the little girl slid off the bed. She turned and tucked the bear under the quilt, then folded her hand into Joy’s.
They took the stairs side by side. “I thought we’d get everything measured out and the cookie dough made before dinner. We’ll bake some for dessert afterwards. The dough is easier to work with when it’s chilled.”
“Okay.”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d want for dinner. I got chicken and macaroni and cheese.”
“I love macaroni and cheese.”
Score one for the home team. So far, so good. She could do this.
Together they worked on the cookie dough. After making crushing blows to the pecans Ruby had been cracking for the last month in preparation for this, they measured the pecan pieces out and mixed them in with the butter, flour, confectioners’ sugar, a little vanilla, and an egg, using Ruby’s old Sunbeam mixer to do the hard part. If Joy had done the math right, it would take four of these batches to make enough for the twelve dozen Ruby wanted.
“Okay,” Joy said, opening the pantry and lifting two aprons off the hook. Even after all these years, she knew that they’d be hanging there. She lifted the loop of an apron that was cantaloupe orange with cupcakes embroidered in turquoise and white along the bottom. Joy dropped the top loop over Molly’s head and then gathered the middle section to make it shorter and tied it around Molly’s waist. “Perfect.”
Joy grabbed the green and white striped apron and crossed the long ribbons behind her back, tying them in a big bow in the front. “I think we’re ready for business.” She grabbed the box of wax paper and closed the pantry door. “I need you to cut a really long piece of this wax paper. Be careful of the sharp edge. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” Molly took the box and gently pulled out about ten inches. “This big?”
“Bigger.”