Christmas On Nutcracker Court (3 page)

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Authors: Judy Duarte

BOOK: Christmas On Nutcracker Court
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Go get 'em,
Max thought, expecting the dog to take off like a shot and make a big racket. But Hemingway merely loped toward the man and woman as if he'd just recognized long-lost friends.
“Hemingway!” Max called. “Get back here.”
Clearly forgetting the hand that fed him, the dog joined the couple in the street.
Max grumbled under his breath, then made his way down the sidewalk and across Nutcracker Court. He didn't have to go far, because the shabby man met him halfway.
“How's it going?” the stranger asked, his blue eyes zeroing in on Max as though they'd met before.
“All right.” Noting that the man's long gray coat was frayed and torn at the collar, Max returned his focus to the guy's bearded face. “Can I help you?”
“Actually . . .” The woman, who was wearing a light pink sweatshirt with
HOME SWEET HOME
embroidered on the front, smiled. “We'd like to help
you.
”
“I don't need any work done around the house,” Max said, figuring they were looking for odd jobs. “And if you need food or shelter, you might check out the Parkside Community Church. They have both a soup kitchen and an outreach program for those in need.”
“My name's Jesse,” the man said. “And this is Maggie.”
Max merely nodded, his skeptical nature holding back any semblance of a smile.
“How's the book coming along?” Jesse asked.
Max tensed. How would this guy know he was a writer? If the living room blinds had been open, he might have thought the two had been spying on him.
Either way, Max chose not to answer his question and offered a prompt for the two strangers to move on. “It's a cold night to be out on the streets.”
“Yes, it is. In fact, we're just heading for the bus stop.” Jesse placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder. “Have a good evening. And merry Christmas to you and yours.”
Max waited until they both disappeared into the shadows, then he grabbed Hemingway by the collar and led the dog home. As he did so, he glanced over his shoulder to take one last look at the couple to make sure they'd continued on their way.
Apparently so, he decided.
After more than fifteen years as a probation officer, Max usually had a second sense about troublemakers with lame excuses. And while he had half a notion to call the police and have those two checked out, he couldn't quite bring himself to do it.
Hopefully, that wasn't a big mistake.
Chapter 2
As dawn cast its morning light over Fairbrook, Susan Ferris carried a cup of honey-laced breakfast tea to her desk, took a seat, and started up the computer.
Less than a year ago, she used to sleep until nine or ten, but that was before Hank passed away. Now, try as she might, she could never seem to find a comfortable spot on that king-sized mattress. But she supposed that was to be expected after nearly twenty years of marriage.
When the beeps, blips, and groans finally stopped and the computer was up and running, she signed into her e-mail account, then waited until her in-box displayed the new messages.
There were only three this morning, but the one from Helen Pritchard jumped out at her.
That was odd. Helen, who lived on the other side of town, had left yesterday morning for a three-week vacation. And Susan had been the one to drop her off at the airport.
After landing at La Guardia, Helen planned to meet up with other family members and spend the night in Manhattan. Then they would board a cruise ship, cross the Atlantic, and visit Europe and the Mediterranean before flying home.
Even as late as yesterday morning, while the two friends shared a cup of tea before taking Helen's luggage out to the car, Helen had again asked if Susan wanted to go along. “I don't like the idea of you spending Christmas alone,” she'd added. “It would do you good to join us.”
The genuine concern had warmed Susan's heart. “You're a wonderful friend for thinking of me like that, but I'll be okay. Besides, it's a little late now, don't you think?”
“No, it's
not
too late. I have a private room on the ship that sleeps two, so you can easily purchase a ticket. And you already have a passport, which we can pick up on our way to the airport, along with a nightie and some undies. You can purchase anything else you need while we're in New York.”
“You're forgetting that your plane leaves in less than three hours. And the flight is probably sold out.”
“Wrong again.” Helen's eyes lit up, and her lips stretched into a grin. “I checked last night. There are still plenty of seats left.”
At that point, Susan had placed a hand on her friend's forearm and chuckled. “You're amazing—and such an orchestrator.”
As usual, Helen had thought of everything.
“Don't tell me you can't afford it,” Helen had countered as she'd tapped her index finger on one of the more colorful brochures she'd spread out on the kitchen table. “I know Hank left you in great financial shape. Please reconsider. It'll do you good to be away on your first holiday alone.”
Susan found it tempting, of course, but she'd held her ground. Even if she was willing to run home, pack quickly, and ask Lynette or Rosa to look after her cat, the answer was still no.
But she wouldn't share the real reason for her refusal with Helen. If truth be told, she would have been a little uneasy around Helen's many relatives, especially when she'd always dreamed of having a family of her own someday. A dream that, sadly, seemed to have died with Hank.
At that very moment, just as if the cat had been able to sense Susan's loneliness, it jumped on her lap and made a couple of circles before curling up in a big furry ball.
Snowflake was Susan's baby now. And while it wasn't quite the same as having a real child, she supposed a cuddly pet would have to do.
But enough of that. If she let those yearning thoughts creep up on her, she would fall into a big blue funk that would last most of the day. And with Christmas coming, it was going to be tough enough to stay upbeat. So she clicked on Helen's e-mail.
As the note opened, she saw that the other Diamond Lils had each been included and had received a copy, which wasn't surprising. The Lils, as the women in their weekly poker group often referred to themselves, had become close friends over the years.
In fact, it was the Lils who'd come together and helped Susan deal with Hank's loss last January. Rosa Alvarado, who attended Parkside Community Church, had practically handled the funeral arrangements single-handedly. And they'd all taken turns preparing meals and forcing Susan to eat.
So why had Helen e-mailed the group when they'd already said their good-byes on Thursday afternoon?
She'd also sent it last night, which meant she'd had to access the Internet from her hotel room in New York.
“Uh-oh,” Susan said aloud, hoping it wasn't bad news.
Hi, Lils—
I was in such a fog as I packed for my trip that I forgot to mention that my cousin, Mary-Margaret Di Angelo, will be house-sitting while I'm gone. And since Maggie doesn't know a soul in Fairbrook, I was hoping you would take her under your wing and make her feel welcome.
I know I can count on you!
Bon Voyage!
Helen
Susan sat back in her chair. Helen had never said anything about needing a house sitter. If she had, Susan would have volunteered.
Nor had she ever mentioned a cousin named Maggie.
Snowflake mewed and turned her head, as if she thought it was unusual, too.
But knowing Helen, she'd probably gotten a little scattered while packing, just as she'd said. So Susan typed in a quick reply.
Don't worry about a thing. I'll stop by to check on Maggie this afternoon. You can count on me to make her feel welcome.
Have a great trip!
Susan wasn't sure how the others would respond. Rosa was pretty busy these days.
Too
busy, if you asked Susan. It seemed that her husband volunteered for every charitable organization in town, and poor Rosa did her best to keep up with him. Right now, they were knee-deep in the planning of Christmas Under the Stars, a holiday program held each December in Mulberry Park.
Lynette Tidball had more time on her hands, though, so maybe she would be able to join Susan at Helen's this afternoon.
Either way, she would make her mango-coconut cake to take as a welcome-to-Fairbrook gift for Maggie. She hadn't baked since last December, which wasn't surprising. She hadn't felt like doing a lot of things after Hank died.
But today, she actually looked forward to whipping up that cake batter and smelling it bake in the oven. People always raved about the taste and often asked her to give them the recipe, but there was no way she'd ever share it.
Her Aunt Pat had felt the same way. After Pat's death, Susan had the chore of packing up her belongings, keeping things that had sentimental value, and sending the rest to Goodwill. But then she'd stumbled across her aunt's recipe box and realized she'd struck gold. So now the secret was hers.
When Susan had responded to all three of her e-mails, she returned to her bedroom and slipped her bare feet into the furry pink slippers Hank had given her two Christmases before last. They were getting old and frayed, but she just couldn't bring herself to throw them away.
After making her bed, she padded into the kitchen to check her pantry for the necessary ingredients and to make a list of what she'd need to purchase at the market. It would be nice to have something to focus on other than herself today, as well as her longing to find a husband to replace the one she'd lost.
Sometimes, while she was tossing and turning in that great big old bed, she would pray that the perfect man would come into her life and pull her out of the depression that seemed to plague her if she let it.
One Thursday afternoon, while playing poker at Helen's house, she'd told the Lils that she wanted to remarry and admitted that she'd like to meet that special someone sooner as opposed to later, hoping they'd step in as matchmakers.
But she hadn't told them her primary reason for finding a man—and quickly. Susan wanted to get pregnant before it was too late.
Most people probably assumed that either she or Hank had a fertility problem, but as far as she knew, neither of them did.
Hank had been a workaholic who'd spent his life trying to move up the corporate ladder. And Susan had learned to accept his drive for success and financial stability—just as he'd understood that she was a little dyslexic, that she had a lousy sense of direction, and that she sometimes overdrew the checking account.
Looking back, though, she now wondered if he'd been dragging his feet about having a child for a genetic reason.
Hank's younger brother was developmentally delayed and lived at Lydia's House, a residential home for the disabled in Fairbrook. It was a nice place, considering.
Hank's parents and his sister were pretty involved with the organization that funded the residence, and while Hank had made sizable donations each Christmas season, he rarely visited.
They'd never talked about it, but Susan wondered if Hank had been afraid that he might pass on whatever genes had caused Ronnie's problem to his son or daughter.
It really didn't matter, she supposed. About the time her biological clock had wound down and Hank had finally agreed to start their family, he'd died of a massive heart attack.
So here she was, on the far side of forty-one and sensing her days of motherhood were limited.
She'd prayed about it regularly, of course, and she hoped God would bless her with a new husband. But so far, she hadn't met any potential candidates.
Hopefully, she would meet the right man soon. Otherwise she feared it would be too late for her to conceive a baby. And Susan couldn't imagine living the rest of her life with only a cat to keep her company.
 
 
Carly stood in the small kitchen of the two-bedroom rented house, fixing lunches for Josh and Mikey. The boys had already eaten breakfast this morning—oatmeal, toast, and milk—and they were dressed for school. So she'd sent them both to the bathroom to brush their teeth, something she couldn't let them neglect.
Without dental insurance to cover the cost, cavities weren't in her budget. Of course, nothing unexpected was at this point.
Fortunately, she had a full schedule of appointments at Shear Magic today. And one of her best customers, Lynette Tidball, was coming in for highlights and a style. Lynette, a wealthy widow in her early thirties, was a decent tipper, which meant Carly would be able to stop at the market on the way home and pick up a few necessities that she'd been unable to purchase on her last grocery shopping trip.
“Josh!” she called. “The bus will be coming in a few minutes. It's time for you boys to go.”
As her sons entered the kitchen, Josh slipped on the backpack he'd left near the table. “We're ready, Mom. But even if we weren't, the school isn't all that far from here. We can walk or take our bikes.”
“Yes, but I'd feel much better if Mikey rode the bus.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “So don't dawdle, okay? You only have about five minutes.”
Josh nodded, although his expression suggested that he wasn't all that happy about making sure his brother got to school safely. Fortunately, he didn't complain, which was a relief. She wasn't up for an argument this morning. And even if she was, she didn't like discussing some of her more serious concerns with her children.
Mikey was a little fearful these days, and Carly wasn't sure why. She had a feeling it had a lot to do with the divorce and her ex-husband's abandonment.
Okay, so she'd been the one to ask Derek to leave. But she'd also gotten tired of supporting his spending sprees, especially when he'd been unable or unwilling to hold a job.
What she hadn't expected was for him to walk out the door and never look back.
Maybe she ought to talk to Mikey's teacher about that. Mrs. Hornkohl had a heart for children. And she was also a single parent herself.
“Hey, Mom,” Mikey said, as he stooped to pick up his backpack. “Can we have spaghetti for dinner tonight? We haven't had that in a long time.”
Carly had tomato sauce, spices, and pasta in the pantry, but she would need to pick up some meat on her way home from work. She was careful what she put on her shopping list these days, but adding another half-pound of ground turkey meat shouldn't be a problem, especially with the extra tip money she'd be getting from Lynette.
“Sure,” she said. “Spaghetti does sound good. I won't be here until after five, but it won't take long to fix.”
“Cool,” Josh said.
“Don't forget to call me as soon as you get home,” Carly added. “And then you need to get your homework done.”
“Even before we have a snack?” Mikey asked. “School makes us super hungry.”
Carly smiled at her youngest son. “No, you can take time to eat a snack. But do me a favor, eat those granola bars in the pantry. I don't want them to go to waste.”
After kissing them each good-bye and sending them on their way, Carly waited until she heard the front door open and close. Then she filled the sink with warm soapy water and washed the breakfast dishes.

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