A Christmas Promise

by Thomas Kinkade

  Jessica poked him in the arm with her elbow. “Sam, please.”

  Sara laughed. “I’ll go talk to her. You guys stay here.” She touched Emily’s shoulder as she passed behind her chair. “I think it’s a great idea, Emily. It’s really perfect for the both of you. I can’t wait.”

  Emily smiled fondly at her, tipping back her head. “Thanks, honey. You’re still going to be my bridesmaid, right?”

  “Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sara gave Emily a quick hug, then left to check on her grandmother.

  “And you’ll be my bridesmaid, too,” Emily said to Jessica. “I’m only going to have you two.”

  “We’re keeping the wedding party simple,” Dan said.

  “And the reception,” Emily added. “It’s hard to figure out what to serve for so many guests. We hope Molly has some creative ideas for us.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be totally inspired by the challenge. It’s the best idea for a wedding I’ve ever heard.” Jessica smiled brightly, then reached across and touched Emily’s hand. “Don’t worry about Mother. She’ll come around. I predict a sweeping, dramatic, last-minute entrance—the way she showed up at my wedding.” Jessica laughed quietly. It was a cherished memory now, though at the time, it had seemed like one of the most harrowing moments of her life.

  Emily remembered, too. “That sounds about right. Let me know if she asks you to get her fur coat out of storage. Then I won’t be worried.”

  Emily winked at her sister and they both laughed. Dan put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her closer.

  She knew it would be a happy day, no matter what. She was going to start a new life with the man she loved. Nothing and no one could take that happiness from her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  VERA RINSED THE BREAKFAST DISHES AND LINED THEM UP carefully in the dishwasher. She liked to put them in in a certain way, so it was more efficient when she took them out.

  She watched out the window while cleaning the sink. There wasn’t any activity at the bird feeder this morning. It was bitter cold outside, the temperature suddenly dipping below fifteen degrees on this last Tuesday before Christmas. The birds must have found a place to wait out this cold, she figured, though she would refill the feeders before she left tomorrow for the holidays, just in case.

  She was going to visit with her daughter Gail’s family in Connecticut this year. She would pick up her sister Beatrice tomorrow in Gloucester and they would drive together to beat the Christmas Eve traffic. Vera liked to have some extra time with her grandchildren before the madness began. Maybe they could bake cookies and make decorations for the table.

  Although she usually didn’t like to miss Christmas service at her own church, this year she felt differently. Leigh Baxter had ruined it for her. Vera was eager to leave town and get away from all the talk for a while.

  She still didn’t know what to do with all the baby gifts. It preyed on her mind more than it should. Leigh had only been gone three days, but Vera had called everyone from the shower and promised to return their presents. Most of the women didn’t care one way or the other. “Oh, give mine to charity,” they said. Now she had the job of sorting it all out, figuring what had to go where. James said to leave it until after the holidays. He promised to help her, though she knew he had even less heart for it than she did.

  She hadn’t been able to go in that room, the one she thought of as the nursery. The piles of boxes seemed to mock her each time she passed the open door, so she kept it shut now. Leigh’s old room was still full of all her belongings, not a thing touched from the way she had left it. Just run off and left everything! It was still unbelievable to her.

  It was as if someone had died, Vera thought, only worse in a way. It was as if they had died and then you found out all kinds of terrible things about them. You found out they weren’t the person you thought you knew, and you had been tricked and made a fool of.

  The phone rang. She dried her hands on a dish towel then walked down the hallway to answer it. It was probably Bea, she thought, calling about their arrangements for the hundredth time.

  “Hello?” she said. No one responded. “Hello? Who is it?”

  Vera felt impatient, thinking she’d picked up a sales call, the kind that was so hard to hang up on once they got you talking.

  She moved the phone away from her ear, about to hang it up. Then she heard someone speaking and moved it back again.

  “Hello, Vera? . . . It’s Leigh.”

  Vera gasped. She felt her hand tremble. “Leigh? Why . . . how dare you? You have some nerve calling here. Haven’t you caused enough trouble for everyone?”

  She heard Leigh breathing hard, as if she had been running a race. She pictured her, her soft brown eyes and sweet face, so tired and pregnant. She felt her heart soften for a moment. But just as quickly, she remembered everything.

  “Vera . . . I’m so sorry. Please . . . just let me talk to James a minute. Is he there?”

  Vera drew in a sharp breath. She heard James coming down the back steps into the kitchen, and she quickly turned her back to the doorway. “No. . . . He’s gone out. I don’t know where he is. Just leave him alone now. You’ve caused enough trouble for us. Don’t call here anymore, do you understand?”

  She heard Leigh start to reply, but she reached out and slammed down the phone, as if it was suddenly burning her hand.

  “Vera . . . who was that? Who were you yelling at on the phone just now?”

  James stood behind her. Vera wiped her hands on her apron, a clammy feeling on her palms. “It was . . . no one. Just a salesman.”

  She walked past him and opened the utility closet. She couldn’t remember what she was looking for and pulled out her electric broom.

  James followed her. “What did the salesman want? Why were you shouting at him?”

  Vera finally turned to face him. He looked awful, she thought, his complexion pale with a yellowish cast, dark shadows ringing his eyes. He hadn’t shaved yet either, wasting the morning away in bed. She worried about his illness getting the best of him again over this. He was such a good man. She bit the inside of her lip. She might as well tell him. It wasn’t right to lie to him about this. No matter what she really thought.

  “It was Leigh. I told her not to call here anymore, not to bother us.

  “Leigh?” He stepped forward, his dull expression suddenly coming alive. “Why did you hang up? Why didn’t you call me?”

  Vera stepped back, frightened for a moment by the look on his face. “I . . . I didn’t think you should talk to her, James. Not after the way she tricked us. She probably thought she could still get around you. Maybe she was looking for some money or something. I don’t know. . . .” Completely flustered, Vera let her excuses trail off.

  “Oh, Vera, what did you do?” James shook his head and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. She could tell he was angry and trying hard to hold on to his temper. “Don’t you understand? She’s sick and broke and about to have a baby. The baby, Vera. You should have thought of the baby.”

  “Yes . . . yes, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking. I heard her voice and I just flew off the handle.” Vera felt herself weeping a little but couldn’t stop. “I’m just so angry at her, James. I can’t help it. I treated that girl like my own daughter and she made such a fool out of me.”

  A bigger fool out of me, by far, James thought. He stepped over to Vera and rested his hand on her shoulder.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Believe me, I understand how you feel.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Did she say anything about where she was? Did she leave a phone number?” he asked hopefully.

  Vera shook her head. “No, it wasn’t like that. She hardly said a thing. Just that she was sorry and wanted to speak to you.”

  James sighed again and rubbed the back of his neck. “Did you hear anything in the background? Any clue about where she was calling from?”

  “It sounded as if she was outside somewhere. I mig
ht have heard cars, maybe from a road.”

  James walked to the phone and punched three keys. He waited a moment, listening, then jotted down a number on a pad on the phone table.

  “She called from this area code,” he said, sounding brighter. “She can’t be that far.”

  “How did you figure that out?”

  “I dialed a code that gives you the number of your last incoming call—star-six-nine. See, here’s the number.” He showed her the slip of paper then picked up the receiver again. “I’m going to call. See where it is.”

  Vera followed him into the hallway. Half of her wanted to find Leigh; the other half never wanted to hear about her again.

  She watched James with the phone to his ear, listening. Finally, he hung up.

  “No answer. Must be a pay phone somewhere.”

  “Maybe the police could help you. You know, trace the phone number, like they do on TV?”

  James glanced at her and shook his head. She guessed right away what he was thinking. What if the story Walter Coleman had told was true? What if Leigh really was a criminal? She knew James was the last person on earth who would let the police find her.

  Not before he did, anyway.

  James brushed through the kitchen and grabbed his parka and gloves from the coat tree in the mudroom. Vera watched from the doorway.

  “I’m going into town,” he said. “If she calls back, try to be calmer and get a number. Tell her I want to speak to her.”

  Vera drew in a sharp breath and nodded. “All right. If you say so.”

  It wasn’t so hard to agree. She had a feeling Leigh would not be calling there again.

  “HAVE YOU HEARD FROM LEIGH, MATT? DID SHE CALL HERE TODAY?”

  James trailed Matt from the reception area into his office, oblivious to the other patients in the crowded waiting room.

  Matt closed his office door behind them and waited until James had taken a seat before answering. “No, Leigh hasn’t called. Do you think she will?”

  “She called Vera’s house this morning. I didn’t speak to her, but I found out the number. She isn’t far. I’m worried that she might be having some problem with the pregnancy.”

  Matt’s expression was grim. “That’s very possible, considering all the stress she’s under right now. And she’s so close to term.”

  “I had an idea. Maybe she’s trying to find a doctor to help her. I’ve already called Dr. Olin. She hasn’t heard from Leigh but promised she would get in touch if she did. Could you give me a list of doctors around here that Leigh might try to visit? I thought I would call them and ask them to call me if she contacts them.”

  Matt nodded and walked to a bookshelf behind his desk. “That’s not a bad idea, especially if you know she’s still in the area.” He pulled out a thick black reference book and thumbed through the pages. “Here’s a directory we can start with. I can make some calls for you later. Let’s look at the list and split it up.”

  James released a long breath. “Thanks, Matt. I appreciate all the help I can get.”

  James wasn’t sure what Matt thought about Leigh now, whether or not he believed the stories about her. If he felt betrayed or tricked, he didn’t show it. James sensed he was thinking of Leigh as a woman about to have a baby, who needed care. Doctors were trained to be as nonjudgmental as clergymen, James realized. Matt, though, was doing a far better job of it than he was. Of course, there weren’t the same emotions involved for Matt—and not nearly as much at stake.

  JESSICA CHECKED HER WATCH: FIVE FORTY-FIVE. SHE STILL HAD FIFTEEN minutes before their guests were due to arrive. She couldn’t believe she was ready on time this year. Her guests might be late, though. A light snow had fallen during the day, which meant the Beach Road could be slow going. Everyone claimed to love a white Christmas, but no one liked to drive around in snow on Christmas Eve, she thought.

  She glanced around the living room, checking things one more time. Tiny lights on the Christmas tree twinkled. An assortment of gaily wrapped boxes were piled beneath the lower branches. Sam had already started a fire, and it cast a warm golden light over the room. Pine bows and sprigs of holly were draped across the mantel; a band of carved wooden angels Sam had made for her were arranged in the greenery, each holding a long taper.

  The candles. I almost forgot. She lit the candles on each angel and then some others around the room, then stood back, looking things over once again.

  “Honey, you’re fussing too much. Everything looks great.” She looked up, wondering how long he’d been standing there watching her.

  “You don’t look so bad either, come to think about it,” she said, smiling at him. He had just finished dressing and looked wonderfully handsome, she thought, his thick hair still a bit damp from his shower and a soft burgundy wool sweater complimenting his dark looks.

  He walked over and put his arms around her. “You worked too hard today. I hope you’re not too tired for all this company tonight.”

  She shook her head. “I feel great. I can’t believe we’re ready on time this year . . . well, practically.”

  Sam led her to the armchair and coaxed her to sit down. “You sit down and take a break. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Well, let’s see. . . . We need to make some more room under the tree for presents. Can you move some of those boxes around?”

  “No problem.” Sam crouched down and began shifting boxes. “Hmm . . . this one just says ‘Baby.’ Who could that be?”

  Jessica laughed. “You know who it’s for. Sara dropped it off before she went back to Maryland.”

  Sam nodded. “Very thoughtful.” He moved some more boxes around and shook his head, laughing softly. “Gee, there seem to be a lot them marked for ‘Baby.’ Okay, here we go. Finally, one for me.” He held up a small box, as if finding a prize.

  “That’s from me, but you can’t open it until later.”

  “I know. I know.” He sighed theatrically and put the box back on the pile. “It’s tough to wait, though.”

  Jessica knew he was joking. Well, half-joking at least. Sam could get as excited as a kid about Christmas. She knew the joy of the season had been shadowed this year by his sadness over Darrell, so she was glad that he seemed to be in a bright mood tonight for their Christmas Eve gathering.

  “What’s this one? Is this for Darrell?” Sam’s tone became subdued as he held out a long package.

  “Oh . . . yes, that’s for him. Just something I saw in a toy store I thought he might like. I didn’t get over to the post office this week. I guess I’ll have to wait until after the holiday to mail it.”

  “I guess so.” Sam looked up at her briefly. “If we can figure out where to send it.” He stood up and brushed off his hands. “I tried to call this week at the number he gave me. The line’s been disconnected, and I didn’t get a chance to ask Luke about it. I just hope everything’s all right.”

  Jessica took a breath. I know about Darrell, she wanted to say. Still she hesitated, wondering if it was the right time to talk about him. Luke had called her during the week at work. He had found out that Darrell was coming back to New Horizons. He wasn’t quite sure when, but it would be very soon, he said. Darrell’s mother seemed about to agree to put the boy in foster care. That meant that she and Sam could apply to be his guardians. There would be interviews and applications to complete, of course. A social worker would visit and do a home study, Luke had told her. “But the chances are in your favor,” he said. “Sam’s relationship with Darrell will count for a lot, and I’ll be in your corner, all the way.”

  Jessica had thanked him but still felt hesitant about telling Sam the news. What if Darrell didn’t come back to New Horizons? And what if his mother changed her mind again at the last minute? Luke had agreed to call her when he finally went to pick up Darrell in the city. She had waited all day and hadn’t heard a word.

  “Jess, are you all right?”

  “I’m okay. It’s just that there’s something I’ve been meaning to
speak to you about.”

  “Okay.” Sam walked over and stood by her chair. “Something troubling you?”

  “Not exactly. . . .” She sighed, not knowing quite where to begin.

  Then they both heard the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway. A few minutes later, they heard the car doors slam and the sound of voices just outside. It was Emily and Dan, along with her mother.

  “Sounds like someone’s here.” Jessica rose and smoothed out her long satin skirt. “Do I look all right?”

  “Perfect, as always.” Sam gave her a questioning look. “I guess we’ll have to talk about it later. You’re not mad at me for anything, are you?”

  “No, not at all. Don’t be silly.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “It’s nothing bad, just something that’s hard to talk about. It could be a good thing for us, actually.”

  “Now you’ve got me curious.”

  The doorbell rang. Sam smiled down at her a second, then started off to the foyer. “But I guess I’ll have to wait.”

  Jessica didn’t answer. Saved by the bell, she thought. If Luke doesn’t call tonight, I guess I will have to tell him. . . .

  JAMES TURNED ON THE FLAME UNDER THE FRYING PAN AND TOSSED IN a pat of butter. He opened the egg carton, cracked open two eggs on the rim of a bowl, added a dash of milk and some shredded cheddar cheese, and beat the mixture together. A high-cholesterol dinner, but so what? It was Christmas Eve. He’d never eaten scrambled eggs on Christmas before, but there was a first time for everything, he decided.

  His toast popped up from the toaster and he dropped them into a dish. A few crumbs fell to the floor and he reflexively thought of Vera’s DustBuster. The crumbs could wait. Vera wouldn’t be back for a few days. He would clean the house before she returned.

  It was actually a relief to be alone. He loved Vera but he needed a break right now, a rest. He hadn’t slept well for days, ever since Leigh had left. It was barely seven in the evening, but all he wanted to do was eat his eggs and toast, take a shower, and go straight to bed.