A CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

by Wilton, Patrice

  He clapped his hands. “I want to be a Santa helper when I get big.”

  “You’re already getting too darn big for me to pick up these days.” She plopped him on the stool. “What would my big boy like for breakfast? Chocolate chip pancakes? Egg on an English muffin?”

  “How about sunflower cookies? They are yummy in my tummy.”

  “You are yummy in my tummy,” she said, tickling him.

  He giggled. “Can we go look at puppies today? They have them at the mall.”

  “No, they don’t,” she said, shaking her head. “But they do at Pet Smart.” She got the pan out to make pancakes. “I wouldn’t mind taking a look myself.”

  A few hours later, Cindy and Tyler were in Princeton at the Pet Smart store. Perhaps it was because of Christmas, but the streets had been busy, and the parking lot was a zoo. Snow was falling lightly, and brown slush lined the streets and the parking lot.

  She would be glad when the winter was over, including the busy, expensive holiday season. It was different when David had shared in the magic of Christmas, but with him gone, there was less joy left in her world.

  She climbed out of her Honda and met Tyler on the other side. She took his hand as the traffic was busy, and cars were backing up and fighting for parking spots. They might not see a little boy.

  Inside the store and near the large front window were the cages with the puppies. Tyler squealed with delight as he saw them. They were not alone, as many children with parents were competing for the little pup’s attention.

  She kept a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “They are adorable, aren’t they?”

  “Can I hold one?” he asked.

  “I don’t think they want to take them out of the cage. There are so many people about.”

  “Do they all want a puppy for Christmas, like I do?”

  “Probably. But Santa has thousands to give away, I’m sure.”

  “If he runs out, can you buy me one? Please, Mommy?” Tyler lifted his face and she saw tears sparkling in his eyes.

  “Of course, Ty. I think you should have a dog to grow up with. I did. And your daddy too.”

  “What else did Daddy have? Did he have kittens?”

  “I bet he did.” She smiled. “But no kangaroos. No alligators either.”

  “Why not?” he asked, wrinkling his nose up at her.

  “His mom and dad didn’t think they’d made very good pets. And they eat a lot.”

  “Can I have one?” he asked.

  “Nope. I feel the same as Daddy’s parents. But a puppy, yes! They don’t eat much, and they don’t take up too much space either.”

  “Goodie. ’Cus, that’s what I want.”

  “Look at that tiny pup in the back. The black and white one with the long ears,” she said softly. “Isn’t he cute? Nobody’s paying attention to him.”

  She knew the dog was probably a Cavalier Spaniel and way out of her price range, especially if he were a purebred or a designer hybrid mix. With her finances, the most she could afford would be a run-of-the-mill mutt.

  “Can we take him home?” Tyler asked.

  “I’m afraid not,” she replied. “Christmas is only ten days away.” She took his hand. “Why don’t we go to a movie this afternoon? There’s a new show that you haven’t seen. It’s got baby dragons and some kids that help save it. You’re going to love it.”

  His face brightened up. “Cool.” He turned back to the puppy. “Bye, little guy. Cheer up. It’s almost Christmas. Some nice kid will give you a good home and love you a whole bunch.”

  When Cindy and Tyler got back to the car, she saw another vehicle speeding away. She unlocked the door, and helped Ty inside, then scooted around to the driver side. She paused, glancing at her back fender. It was dangling half off, and there was a big dent in her rear door.

  Sonofabeetch! Some creep had smashed into her Honda and driven off.

  There would be no Cavalier Spaniel on her doorstep this Christmas. They’d be lucky to have any dog at all.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Brad had an active week showing homes, and although he hadn’t closed any, he knew he’d more than make up for it in the new year. On a whim, he decided to give his clients—Kevin and Nikki—a call to see how they were getting along.

  Kevin answered right away. “Nikki delivered a healthy baby two days ago. She’s a beautiful little girl but has to stay in the hospital a few more days, until she reaches a certain weight. We named her Angel, because she’s very special to us.”

  “Congratulations! That’s wonderful. Is Nikki home, or are they keeping her too?” A baby, to add to their family.

  “She was discharged yesterday, but it was a C section, so she’s in considerable pain and is mainly on bed rest. Again,” he added.

  “Will you have Angel home by Christmas?”

  “That’s our goal and the doctors are optimistic.” He rushed on. “So, with all the extra time on my hands lately, I’ve got the crib waiting for her, and I stocked our house full of diapers, bottles, formula, everything a newborn might need.” Kevin took a deep breath. “Nikki won’t be able to do much at first so I figure I’ll give most of the feedings.”

  “I have a hunch that you’ll handle it all in stride. You’re going to make a great daddy.” Brad spoke with confidence, believing every word.

  “Truthfully, I’m scared to death.”

  Brad laughed. “I haven’t had any practice, so don’t ask me.”

  “Well, I’m glad that you called. Nikki and I talked about it last night and decided that we’d like to put an offer in on that house we saw.” He chuckled. “Nikki kind of feels like we anointed the place, and it’s already brought us good luck.”

  “Seriously?” Brad had expected the opposite reaction.

  “Yes, we are. The house had good vibes, and we loved everything about it—the neighborhood, the schools close by. And did you get a look at that backyard? There’s even a tree house! Plenty of room for more brothers and sisters for Angel.”

  “Hey! You just had one. Hang on before you start planning more.”

  “We want at least three,” Kevin said. “We both had lots of siblings and like the idea of a big family.”

  Surprised and pleased, Brad said, “Well then, this is the perfect home for you. How soon might you want it?”

  “End of February, if that works for the lady and her son.”

  “I’m sure it can be arranged.”

  “That’s good then.” Kevin sounded relieved. “We thought she might have changed her mind since we didn’t see it advertised lately.”

  “I decided to wait until January so she wouldn’t have continuous traffic over the holidays.”

  “Makes sense. Glad someone else didn’t snap it up while we were snoozing.”

  “I’d hardly call you snoozing.” Brad chuckled. “If you’d like I can drop by later—we can discuss the offer and sign the papers.”

  They arranged a time, and by the time he left their apartment, it was after five. He knew Cindy would be home from school, busy getting Tyler dinner and ready for bed. He’d give her a couple of hours before calling with the startling news.

  He rushed home, his mind on business, and didn’t even notice that the lights were on until he heard the TV set.

  He walked past the kitchen into the small living room. “Regan! What the hell.”

  Emotions flooded through him, too many to decipher all at once. Relief that his brother was still in one piece, anger that he’d hadn’t thought to call, regret that he’d laid down an ultimatum forcing his brother out.

  “Yo.” Regan struggled into a sitting position on the couch, wincing as he did so.

  Brad could see the flicker of pain cross Regan’s face, and him doing his best not to acknowledge it.

  “So. Where’ve you been?” Brad asked casually.

  “Look, I know I don’t deserve a second, or third, or whatever the hell chance it is, but I’ve got no place else to go. I’ve straightened out. Off pa
in meds too.” He ran a hand over his face. “Went straight to rehab after leaving here, and I’m clean. I intend to stay that way.”

  Brad sat down beside him. “For how long?”

  “One day at a time. That’s the best I can promise. Might need your help with that.”

  Brad gave his brother a long look. He loved him more than anything, and couldn’t, wouldn’t, turn his back on him again. “You’ve got it. I’m sorry I kicked you out.”

  “You didn’t kick me out. You just made it easy to leave.” Regan grinned and punched Brad lightly on the arm. “I abused your hospitality, man, and I’ll try not to make the same mistake again.”

  “They teach you words like that at rehab? Hospitality? Heck. You’re my kid brother. My home is your home, for as long as you want to stay. Clean, that is.”

  Regan’s eyes misted, and he opened his mouth but couldn’t speak. He threw his arms around Brad and sobbed.

  “It won’t be easy. I just never expected coming home from overseas to be so hard.”

  “One day at a time. We’ll get through this together.” Brad wiped tears off his own face. “I just need to know that you’ll keep trying.”

  “I will. Scout’s honor.”

  “That’s good enough for me. Let’s celebrate.” He stood up. “How about some Thai food? I’ve got a big hunger on for that.”

  “Sounds better than the crap they’ve been feeding me at rehab.” He pointed to the corner of the room. “I know you never decorate for the holidays, so I picked something up for us.”

  There stood a small, ragged, pathetic looking Charlie Brown tree. The limbs were straggly and limp, and it leaned crookedly in the flimsy stand. But it was a real tree, and his brother had brought it as a peace offering.

  Brad grinned. “Wow, you certainly did. Tomorrow, I’ll buy some lights and some bulbs, and plenty of tinsel,” he joked. “We’ll have a mighty fine Christmas after all.”

  Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Regan was the best gift he’d ever received.

  “We’ll even cook a turkey with all the trimmings. Can’t remember the last time I did that.”

  “You don’t need to go to all that trouble for me. I know a good place where they serve the homeless for free,” Regan answered. “Maybe they’ll let me bring a guest.”

  “Not this year, Regan boy, and hopefully never again.” He rubbed his hands together, reining in his excitement. “I’ve been doing a little thinking while you’ve been gone. I have more business than I can handle, and I expect the next year will be tougher still. I sure could use an assistant.”

  “What kind of an assistant?”

  “Someone to do my grunt work. Advertise, take care of my website, do a lot of my paperwork. Nothing you couldn’t handle.” He glanced at his brother. “So what do you think?

  Regan didn’t look enthused, which irritated Brad a little. Not that he expected gratitude, but this was a decent offer.

  “I don’t want to be a charity case,” Regan said. “You can do that stuff yourself.”

  “I can, but I’d rather be out selling, handling my clients. This is tedious work and I’ve never been a techie kind of guy. You’re good with that stuff, and you’re also a darn good photographer. I need someone to be able to stage a place and take photos for the brochures. I pay another guy to do that. You’d be saving me money.”

  “We’ll talk about it,” Regan said, “but I was thinking about doing something with Wounded Warriors. If they could use me.”

  Brad knew about this worthy organization who helped vets adapt after coming home, and it occurred to him that they might help Regan too. Another win-win. “That’s great, man. Of course they can use you.”

  He shrugged and rubbed his belly. “We’ll see. Right now, I have a hole to fill. How about some Shrimp Penang and green chicken curry?”

  “You got it, bro.”

  Over dinner the two men talked, but Brad let Regan set the pace, and didn’t question him on where exactly he’d been, and why he hadn’t called. He wanted to trust his brother, and he was grateful to have him back. He’d happily take one day at a time.

  It wasn’t until he was getting ready for bed that night that he remembered to call Cindy. She sounded sleepy when she answered.

  “Brad here. Sorry to be calling so late, but I spoke with Kevin and Nikki this afternoon. They had a healthy baby girl. Named her Angel.”

  “Oh, that’s terrific. I’m so happy for them.” She sighed. “Such a sweet name.”

  “I knew you were worried, and I meant to call earlier.”

  “Yes, well, I’m sure you have a busy schedule. Parties and such. You’ve got a busy social life, no doubt.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, but I have more news.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Nikki and Kevin want to put an offer on your house.” He said it quickly, as if it might have less impact that way.

  “What?” Her voice squeaked. “Why my place? With what they went through, don’t they think it was a bad omen or something?”

  “No. Quite the opposite. They took it as a positive sign. Said it’s where they would like to see their daughter grow up. Nikki said she anointed the place already, and feels connected. And Kevin is excited about the tree house, and wants lot of children to fill the bedrooms, and play in the big backyard. They are good people, Cindy. And they really want your house.”

  “How much do they want it?” He could hear her holding her breath.

  “They are willing to pay the full asking price.”

  “Oh, my gosh. That’s amazing.” She sounded breathless. “Can I give you my answer in the morning?”

  “How about if I come over at a decent time. Say ten o’clock? School’s out, right?”

  “Right. Tyler and I will be home most of the day—until around four. We’re going to my parent’s to celebrate Christmas Eve with them.”

  “Sounds good. I think you’ll have a lot to celebrate.”

  “I hope so. It’s just so sudden…you know?”

  “I didn’t see it coming, either. But it’s a really good deal. I wouldn’t encourage you to sell if it wasn’t.”

  “Thanks, Brad. I feel confident that you’re looking out for our best interests.” She hesitated, as if she wanted to say more, but didn’t. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Cindy. Sleep well.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Cindy was up early, wrapping a few last minute presents to take over to her parents, and tidying up around the place. She hadn’t gone crazy this year with decorations, not like when David had been alive. Then, the hall would be decked out in holly entwined all the way along the staircase to the upstairs bedrooms. But it was too much work for just her. She’d bought a wreath for the front door, and had dragged home a live tree, and hung cards on a string across the family room wall.

  There were Christmas candles laid about, and a large bowl filled with red and gold baubles, and huge baskets of yellow and red Poinsettias outside the front door, and in the entranceway. The rest of the Christmas decorations remained in boxes in the garage, waiting for a happier time.

  Still, she walked around her home, admiring the simple touches, reminiscing on past years and joyful memories, welcoming each and every one. This would be the last Christmas here. In a few short months, she’d be handing over the keys and saying good-bye to everything that she and David had shared.

  It was hard. It would hurt. But it had to be done.

  Feeling restless, and with Tyler still sleeping, Cindy got her mixing bowl out and decided to make a batch of Spiced Eggnog cookies. She took a half cup of butter, added some sugar, and beat it with a hand mixer until creamed, then added eggnog, vanilla and an egg yolk. Using a separate bowl, she put together the dried ingredients—flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and nutmeg.

  She combined the two bowls, and mixed gently then laid them out on a greased cookie sheet and popped them into a warm oven. With that done, she poured a second cup of coffee and s
at down to watch the timer.

  The scent of the baking cookies must have drifted upstairs, as Tyler appeared the moment she removed them from the oven.

  “Yippee!” he cried. “Cookies for breakfast. Is it Christmas today?”

  She laughed. “Close enough. Let’s be naughty, shall we? I’ll make you cocoa and we’ll eat cookies and mandarin oranges until our tummies are full.”

  “We can’t,” he whispered, eyes filled with dread.

  “Why not? We can do anything we like the day before Christmas.”

  “No. What if Santa finds out? He knows when you’ve been naughty or nice, and he won’t bring me presents.”

  She laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about Santa. He can have some too. We’ll leave a big pile of cookies for him tonight, and when we come home from Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, the presents will be here and the cookies will be gone.”

  “You think so? He won’t mind us having cookies for breakfast?”

  “He won’t mind. I promise.”

  “Okay.” He pointed to the biggest one on the cookie tray. “Can I have that one, pretty please?”

  “You sure can. Go wash up first. I’ll get your cocoa ready.”

  “I love Christmas time,” he said skipping off.

  She chuckled to herself, wishing her little boy would never outgrow his belief in Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. Reality sucked, and these childhood fantasies made everything just a little bit brighter.

  The two of them had a nice long talk about the reindeer’s flight, and Cindy said they could track it at Grandma’s house over the internet. “We will know exactly where he is at all times. He starts in Europe,” she told him, “before crossing the Atlantic to bring presents to everyone in Canada, and to us here in America.”

  “What if he runs out of presents? Maybe the kids in Europe will get all the best ones. Or he’ll run out of puppies in Canada.”

  “Never happens. In all my life I’ve never seen him run out of good presents. I don’t know his secret, but he must reload everywhere he goes.”

  They’d just finished up their cookie breakfast and were putting the dishes away, when the doorbell rang. “Can you get that, Ty?” she asked. “Ask who it is before you open the door, but I’m expecting Brad this morning, and he’s right on time.”