A Nantucket Christmas (7 page)

Maddox nodded. “Cool.”

“Shall we take them out?”

Maddox nodded again.

Nicole hoisted two chairs, one under each arm. Maddox took a third chair, which was surprisingly lightweight, holding it as well as he could in front of him, following Nicole back to the picnic table. Returning to the shed, Nicole reached up to lift a couple of fat vinyl cushions from a shelf.

“These might be good as seats in your fort,” she told him.

Maddox grinned. “Oh, yeah.”

She tossed him one and carried two out herself. She dropped them outside the fort, seeming to understand how private the enterprise was to him. He wanted to arrange things himself, even if it took him time and struggle.

Back in the shed, Nicole stood with her hands on her hips and scanned the walls. “Let’s see. What else?” Cocking her head, she suggested, “What about these?”

She handed him a pair of field glasses. Puzzled, he turned them around in his hands. Nicole knelt down and demonstrated how to use them. She helped him turn the round knob until the view went clear.

Maddox was speechless. This was the most excellent fort toy he had ever seen. He raced away, binoculars in hand, ready to enter his fantasy world.

Nicole returned to the kitchen, shivering slightly. She’d gone out to the shed without a coat or hat and the day was frosty.

Sebastian rose from the table. “I’ll get shaved and dressed and bring in more firewood.” He smacked a kiss on her lips.

Nicole poured her second cup of coffee and stood at the window, keeping an eye on Maddox as he dragged a floral cushion from the shed to his fort. Hearing a shuffling noise, she turned to see Kennedy coming into the kitchen, wrapped in a puffy pink robe that couldn’t quite close over her belly.

“Good morning, Kennedy,” Nicole said brightly.

Kennedy collapsed in a chair. “I hope you’ve got bacon and eggs for breakfast. I’m starved.”

Nicole stared. She counted to ten. She recalled her years on the wards as a nurse, when patients were too ill to be polite, unable to do more than mumble. Kennedy was only pregnant, not sick, but still, this was a state Nicole had never endured, so she decided to be kind.

“I’ll be glad to make you some, Kennedy,” Nicole offered.

Kennedy buried her face in her hands.

Alarmed, Nicole came closer to the table. “Kennedy, do you feel all right?”

Kennedy didn’t raise her head. “I told you. I’m hungry.”

Without another word, Nicole set about microwaving bacon and scrambling eggs. She shaved slivers of cheddar into the eggs and added a pinch of basil. She squeezed oranges and set a fresh glass of juice in front of Kennedy. She placed a napkin and utensils near Kennedy’s place.

She had to admit, Kennedy had stamina. Nicole could never sit in steaming silence while another woman cooked for her.

Gosh. Maybe Kennedy was truly ill. Worry spurted into Nicole’s chest.

“Good morning, gorgeous!” James came out of the guest bedroom, smelling of soap and aftershave. “Morning, Nicole.”

“Hi, James. Would you like some eggs and bacon? I’m fixing some for Kennedy.”

To Nicole’s delighted surprise, James gave her a quick one-armed hug. “The answer is yes.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “Where’s Wonder Boy?”

“Look out the window.”

“Ha! A fort! I remember building one like that as a boy. Is it okay with you that he’s creating havoc in your yard?”

“Of course. He’s having fun.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” asked James.

“Right here.” Sebastian came into the kitchen, fully dressed. “Hi, James. Hey, Kabey.” He used his old pet name for his daughter.

Kennedy lifted a beaming face to her father. “Hi, Daddy.”

“How do you feel?”

“Like a wheelbarrow full of potatoes,” Kennedy told her father.

“You don’t look it,” Sebastian lied, sitting down next to her.

Nicole placed the plate of eggs and bacon in front of Kennedy.

Kennedy stared ruefully down at the food. “Mommy always used to serve such
healthy
meals,” she said mournfully. “Fruit for breakfast, with granola and raisins and dried cranberries.”

Nicole stood very still. Her mind raced. Why was Kennedy so obviously setting her up? Kennedy had asked for bacon and eggs, and now that she had them, she wanted fruit and granola? Food was not the issue here, clearly. Nicole would not rise to the bait.

Forcing a smile, Nicole asked, “Kennedy, would you prefer fruit and granola? We have both.”

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” Kennedy pouted.

“No trouble at all,” Nicole purred. Reaching out, she moved the plate of bacon and eggs from Kennedy’s spot to James’s. “Here, James, why don’t you have these?”

“Great, thanks.” James picked up his knife and fork.

Smoothly but quickly, like Martha Stewart on ice skates, Nicole took out a bowl, a box of granola, and a spoon. She set them before Kennedy. She poured skim milk into a pitcher and set it next to the bowl.

Plucking a banana from the fruit bowl in the middle of the table, Nicole extended it to Kennedy. “Would you like to slice this onto your granola?”
Round one to me
, Nicole thought.

Kennedy nearly quivered with stifled indignation. Her eyes slid over to her husband, happily stuffing the rich creamy eggs into his mouth.

“Oh,” Kennedy bleated, pressing her belly. “I feel so awful.”

“Maybe you should go lie down,” Sebastian suggested.

“Try to eat a little,” Nicole urged in honeyed tones. “Your blood sugar is low in the morning.”

With a heavy sigh, Kennedy poured the milk, sliced the banana, and ate the granola.

“Feel better?” Nicole inquired sweetly.

Kennedy ignored her. “Daddy, would you take me shopping like you did when I was young?”

“Sure, honey, but I don’t think there are any maternity shops on the island.”

“I don’t need maternity clothes, silly daddy,” Kennedy laughed. “I’m thinking some nice winter boots, maybe a purse … and I can always use jewelry, of course.”

“Kennedy, you little minx,” James teased, “why don’t you wait and see what you get for Christmas?”

“Because I want to be with my daddy,” Kennedy cooed.

“Get some clothes on, princess,” Sebastian said. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

Kennedy threw her arms around Sebastian. “Oh, thank you, Daddy. And will you take me out to lunch, too? Just you and me?”

Sebastian gave his winsome daughter a doting glance. “Of course. Where do you want to eat?”

“Oh, I don’t care,” Kennedy told him. “Any place where the food is hot and plentiful.” Clumsily, she rose from her chair and shuffled into her bedroom to dress.

In a low voice, Sebastian asked James, “Do you mind that I’m going off for a private lunch with Kennedy?”

“Are you kidding? This will give me a chance to spend some time alone with Maddox. Besides,” James winked, “I’m kind of
persona non grata
with Kennedy right now.”

“You are? Why?”

“Because she’s pregnant and I’m not.”

The two men shared a conspiratorial chuckle.

Nicole busied herself at the sink, forcing back a gulp of self-pity. Everyone in the house had intimate knowledge of pregnancy and birth. James had, and was sharing it with Kennedy. Sebastian had shared it with Katya. Nicole had never been pregnant. As a nurse, she’d seen babies come into the world, but she’d never had her own.

“Thanks, Nicole.” James brought his empty plate and silverware to the sink. “That was a treat.”

His friendliness flashed over her like warmth. He headed through the mudroom to the back door. “Maddox!” he called. “Hey, Mad Man! Guess what?”

Nicole watched out the window as James squatted down to peer inside the fort. A moment later, Sebastian’s arms circled her waist. His breath stirred her hair.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he whispered. “I think Kennedy will be more receptive to you once she sees you haven’t come between us.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Nicole lied. She wanted to burst into tears. She wanted to stamp her food like a child, crying,
Everyone’s leaving me out!
Turning in his arms, she snuggled against him, soaking in the steadiness of his love.

“Daddy, I’m ready!” Kennedy entered the kitchen, chic in her camel-hair coat and tasseled wool hat.

“I’ll get my coat,” Sebastian said, going into the front hall.

“I’ll go out back and tell Maddox and James goodbye,” Kennedy said. “Meet you outside.”

Kennedy walked right past Nicole and out the door without saying a word, as if Nicole didn’t even exist.

Kennedy linked her arm through her father’s as they strolled down India Street toward town. Her heart swelled with triumph. A light snow was just beginning to fall, its flakes as white and soft as down, making the day even more magical.

“I love being here with you, Daddy.” She leaned her head against his arm for a moment.

“I’m glad, Kabey.”

“Let’s look at the windows on Main Street,” Kennedy suggested. “The merchants are always so clever.” She was subtly steering her father toward lower Main Street and the Jewel of the Isle. Truly, she deserved a diamond for Christmas, and she knew she wasn’t getting one from James because she’d had a secret shuffle through his desk and discovered he was giving her a new Mercedes SUV. Nice, but of course he was being more practical than romantic. He wanted his precious children to ride in safety.

“Oh.” Kennedy gripped her father’s arm. “Stop a minute.”

Concerned, Sebastian inquired, “Are you having a contraction?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. They’re just Braxton Hicks. I went into the hospital three times with Maddox, thinking I was starting labor.”

The Nantucket Pharmacy had an ice-skating scene in the window. Fluffy white fleece surrounded a pond made from an oval mirror. Elves, Santa, and a couple of reindeer pirouetted over the shimmering “ice.” Snow people made of cotton balls with candy eyes, noses, and mouths stood next to Christmas trees adorned with tiny blinking lights. Mrs. Santa bent over an open box of chocolates, as if deciding which to choose first.

“Cute,” Sebastian said.

“Adorable. Lucky Mrs. Santa. She can eat all the chocolate she wants.”

“Why can’t you?” her father asked.

“Daddy! I’m already a whale.” Kennedy tugged on his arm. “I’m okay now. Let’s walk some more.”

A fabulous Icelandic sweater in the window of Peach Tree’s caught her eye, but she bypassed it, determined to get her diamond.

“Shall we walk down to Straight Wharf and buy a few wooden toys for Maddox at the Toy Boat?” Sebastian suggested.

Her father was heading them in the perfect direction. She squeezed his arm. “Good idea.”

In the small fisherman’s cottage housing the Toy Boat, Sebastian strode around gleefully, seeming like a kid himself. “Lighthouses, ferries, sailboats—so much to choose from. What do you think, Kennedy?”

Kennedy started to warn her father not to spoil Maddox, but bit her tongue. What she thought was that she wanted her father to spoil
her
. Why did children get all the goodies? The mommies did all the work. Sure, James had Maddox today, but most days of the year, her husband escaped their chaotic house wearing suit and tie, heading to the sophisticated adult world while Kennedy wrestled Maddox into the car for preschool then returned to the grocery shopping, laundry, and dishes.

She could understand now why her mother had employed a live-in nanny. Kennedy did have several good babysitters, and a cleaning service that came in twice a week. The laundry did James’s shirts. They ate out or brought in takeout several times a week, especially since this second pregnancy. Compared to many others, she was spoiled, but she certainly didn’t
feel
spoiled.

Kennedy loved Maddox with all her heart. He was the light of her life. But nothing had prepared her for the noise, the mess, the constant, relentless neediness of a child.

Thank goodness Maddox enjoyed the preschool he attended in the morning. In the afternoon she tried to coax him into napping, but he was a living typhoon. In a month, she’d be saddled with two children, a baby who wouldn’t sleep at night and a boy who tore around all day.

And yet … something deep within her cherished all this. Kennedy admired her mother intensely and wanted to be just like her, except perhaps a bit less perfect, which heaven knew was easy to achieve. Kennedy remembered the messes—real and emotional—she’d made as a child and how her nanny had consoled her and helped Kennedy clean them up. There’d been something so warm, so real, so
bonding
about those times. She wanted to provide that for her own children, even if she did it imperfectly, and oh boy, did she do it imperfectly.

If only someone would understand. No one ever praised mothers for the tedious work of child caring. No one ever gave a mother an award for not losing her temper ten times a day or for cajoling a kid to eat his vegetables. James tried to sympathize, but he was preoccupied with his work.

Perhaps that was why Kennedy wanted her father to give her something, a spontaneous surprise to show her that
she
was the light of
his
life. Something like—a diamond?

Returning along Main Street, they passed Jewel of the Isle.

“Oh,” Kennedy gasped. “Isn’t that pretty!”

Sebastian paused, grateful for an opportunity to set the bags full of toys down and relax his hands. “What, sweetheart?”

“That diamond Christmas tree brooch. So sweet.”

Sebastian peered in the window. “It’s nice.” Suddenly an idea struck him. “Let’s go in, Kennedy.”

Inside, the shop sparkled with gemstones, silver, and gold. Kelli Trainor approached them. “Hello, Mr. Somerset. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Kelli. Could you tell me, how much is that Christmas tree brooch in the window?”

Kellie lifted the pin out and set it, in its black velvet box, on the glass counter. She named a price.

Sebastian asked Kennedy, “I think that’s reasonable, don’t you? The diamonds are quite clear.”

“It’s gorgeous, Daddy,” Kennedy gushed. She was almost fainting. It was a Christmas fairy tale. Her father had sensed her wish without a word, almost as if they had ESP!