Little Christmas Miracles

“Yes, I’d like that.”

Richard smiled at her. “Good.”

“Would anyone like to go to the movies tonight?” Elizabeth asked. “They’re showing a film I’d like to see.”

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Molly asked.

She named a current movie. “It’s supposed to be quite funny and romantic.”

Toby made a face that made Richard laugh. “Sometimes, buddy, we have to go to movies we aren’t crazy about to keep the ladies happy. But we can always eat a lot of popcorn.”

“I like popcorn!”

“Okay, we’ll escort you ladies to the movies tonight. What time does it start?”

Elizabeth told him the time and he went back to the kitchen to make sure Delores could have dinner ready on time.

When he got back in the den, he heard Molly suggest that she and Toby stay home.

“No way. Toby shouldn’t have to give up his popcorn, and you need some reward for helping Delores this afternoon.”

“She helped Delores? You didn’t have to do that, Molly,” Elizabeth protested.

“It wasn’t much. I enjoyed it.”

“We’re all going to the movies, Molly,” Richard said firmly. “No arguments.”

“You’d best go along with him when he uses that tone, dear. It means he’s determined.” Elizabeth smiled at Molly.

Richard held his breath. He thought she was tempted to challenge him, but he wanted her to go. When she nodded, he silently let out the breath he’d been holding.

When they reached the theater, it was already crowded. To get four seats together, they would have to sit down front. Elizabeth turned to Richard. “Toby and I will take one of the popcorns, and you and Molly take the other one. We’re going to take these two seats.”

Richard didn’t know if his mother was trying to matchmake or didn’t really want to sit so close to the screen. Whichever the case, the result was the same. He was going to sit with Molly and share a bucket of popcorn. He couldn’t admit to himself the reason his pulse was racing.

They settled into their seats just as the movie started. Richard put the popcorn between them, encouraging Molly to have some. Just then, a big man, weighing at least three hundred pounds, pushed past them to sit in the seat next to Richard.

Richard, uncomfortable, leaned toward Molly.

He whispered, “Sorry but I’ve got to move closer.” Then he raised his arm and put it on the back of her chair.

When Molly saw the man on the other side of Richard, she scooted over as much as she could. Richard lifted the arm of the chair between them and moved even closer.

He told himself it was the only practical thing to do, but as the movie started, he found himself distracted by Molly’s warmth and scent. When something funny happened on screen Molly laughed, and her low, sexy chuckle riveted through him.

Damn! He should’ve taken more time off the past year so he wouldn’t leave himself vulnerable to the first woman who walked into his life in two years. This was ridiculous. He wanted to draw back, to remove his arm from around her, but there was no room.

A moment later, she leaned into him. “Don’t you want some of the popcorn?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said and reached into the tub for a handful of popcorn. Molly got some after him and munched on the popcorn as if totally unaware of him. And he was practically a blithering idiot because he was pressed up against her.

After a while, he relaxed, out of necessity, and began watching the movie. It was funny and not too sappy. When it was over, he stood, along with Molly, and moved out of the auditorium.

The sensation of loss amazed him. He wanted to pull Molly against him and hold her there, but he couldn’t do that. They moved out into the lobby and waited for Elizabeth and Toby.

“That was fun,” Molly said.

“Yeah, it was.” Richard took a deep breath, drawing in Molly’s scent. It was a good thing they were getting out of this place.

Elizabeth came out with a sleepy Toby.

Richard moved forward and picked up the little boy. “I think this little guy is just about asleep on his feet.”

“Yes, it’s quite late for Toby,” Molly said. “How did he do, Elizabeth?”

“He enjoyed it until we got about halfway through. I looked over and he was slumped down in his chair. I put his head on my shoulder and let him sleep.”

“Next time we’ll have to go to an earlier movie,” Molly said.

So there’d be a next time? Richard thought. But he said nothing.

As soon as they got home, he carried Toby up to his room, closely followed by Molly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth parted with the others at the top of the stairs.

Molly opened the door to Toby’s room and hurried ahead of Richard to turn down the covers. When he lay Toby down, she slipped off his shoes and then his pants. Richard slid down the zipper on his coat and managed to get it off. His shirt was knit and short-sleeved and Richard quickly got it off. Together, they’d managed to undress him in two minutes. The big T-shirt only took seconds.

“We did a pretty good job, didn’t we?” Richard whispered with a grin.

Molly smiled back but she was busy covering the little boy up and kissing his forehead.

Richard was jealous. When that thought struck him, he took a step back. What was wrong with him?

“He was exhausted,” Molly whispered. “Thank you for carrying him upstairs, Richard.”

“No problem. Are—are you going to bed now?”

“Yes, I think I will. Good night,” she said softly and stood there waiting for him to leave.

Damn it, where was the mistletoe when he needed it? “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He backed out of the room, finally breathing when he closed the door. He took the long walk down the hall to his bedroom. He obviously needed some time to think. He’d been too close to Molly tonight and it had screwed up his defenses.

He just needed some time alone to resurrect his defenses. He didn’t need a woman intruding into his life right now.

Molly had watched Richard’s entry into his bedroom. Once he was out of sight, she slid out of Toby’s room and tiptoed down the hall to the stairs. She wanted to see the Christmas tree in the darkened room, the lights shining like stars in the sky.

When she entered the garden room, she found the plug and turned on the lights. With a deep sigh, she sat down at the glass table, staring at the tree, perfect in her mind, and the lights glowing around the walls. The entire room seemed magical, as Elizabeth had predicted.

Molly sat there, soaking in that magic, the ephemeral lightness filling her soul. Maybe next year she would get a big tree, though not this big, so she could sit at night and enjoy the gleaming lights. Then she wouldn’t have to sneak down to enjoy Christmas.

A slight noise awakened her from her dreams. She whirled around to discover Richard approaching. “What—what are you doing here? You went to bed!”

“You said you were going to bed, too.”

“So you’re spying on me? Do you want me to pay for the electricity I’m using?” She regretted her words as soon as she spoke. Richard and his mom had been more than generous to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I came down to make some coffee and saw the lights on. I thought maybe Albert had forgotten to turn them off.”

“I’ll turn them off now,” she said, jumping up from her chair.

“I have a better idea,” he said. “I’ll go make some decaf coffee for both of us and we can enjoy it in here.”

“Really, I should go to bed. There’s no need—”

Instead of answering her, he bent down and brushed her lips with his. “Watch the lights,” he said and walked out of the room.

Molly was completely flustered by that brief kiss. Why had he done that? Had he thought she’d flirted with him at the movies? She’d worked hard to make sure her voice sounded normal, even though he was pressed against her. She knew one thing. For all his complaints about lack of time, he’d found some time to work out somewhere. He was solid muscle.

She flushed from her head to her toes, glad he wasn’t in the room. Even in the darkness, he might’ve noticed her blush.

Within minutes Richard appeared in the doorway, carrying two mugs of coffee. He set one in front of Molly and he took the seat next to her, pulling it even with hers. “We did a good job, didn’t we?”

“Yes! The tree is beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course. I just wanted—I enjoy seeing the tree at night. As your mother said, it’s magical.”

“I realized that when I saw you staring at it today. You were remembering trees in the past, weren’t you?”

All she could do was nod.

“When did your parents die?”

She turned to stare at him. “You believe me now?”

“Yeah, I believe you. I’m not sure why you lied to me, but I believe you.”

Abruptly she said, “I was seven.”

“And you went to a foster home?”

“Several foster homes,” she muttered.

Richard frowned. “Why did you change?”

“Well, let’s see, in the first foster home, the dad was caught forcing himself on a couple of the older girls. So we were all moved to different homes. It’s like starting all over again. The second foster home closed down because the mom won the lottery and didn’t need the money she got from the state.”

“She didn’t mind letting you go?”

Molly gave a cynical laugh. “She dumped us so fast it made our heads spin.”

“Then what happened?”

“My third foster home I stayed in until I was eighteen. By then I’d worked for three years and had saved as much as I could.”

“What kind of work?”

“I was a telephone operator, part-time.”

“How did you get into nursing?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I got a scholarship. It didn’t pay for everything, but most of it. I paid for the rest.”

“And how—”

“No more questions about me. It’s your turn. Was your dad as awful as he seems?”

“He was difficult. I try not to say too much, because I think Mom loved him, but he was controlling, self-centered. I managed to get along with him, but he considered females to be second-class citizens. Susan wouldn’t buy that attitude. She fought him all the way.”

“Good for her,” Molly whispered.

“When my father tried to tell her who to love, that was the last straw. She moved to Florida with Kevin, Toby’s father, and never came back. My father disowned her after that.”

“I’m sorry, Richard.” Sympathy was audible in her voice. “That must have been hard on you.”

“Yeah. I called her a couple of times, but she obviously wouldn’t come home for a visit, after Dad cut her out of his life. It was stupid on his part.”

“Yes, it was.” She sat there for a minute staring at the Christmas tree. Then she said, “Life’s too short for such silliness.”

“As we both know,” he said softly. Then he stretched his arm on the back of her chair.

She thought about moving away, but the warmth of his arm felt good. They sat there in silence, looking at the tree. Molly had enjoyed the lights before he came down, but they were always better when shared.

After a few minutes, he pulled her a little closer and her head rested on his shoulder. They remained there for a long time. Somehow, in the darkness, she didn’t feel like it mattered.

Molly enjoyed his closeness, but she knew when daylight came, the magic would end.

Molly enjoyed the visit to their church the next morning. They only went to the main service in the large auditorium, where the minister gave an intelligent and entertaining sermon.

The only thing that bothered Molly was that Elizabeth again took Toby’s hand and led him into the pew first. Which left her between Toby and Richard. At least they didn’t have to separate, leaving her with Richard. And they had plenty of room in their pew.

They went out to lunch after the church service since Delores had the day off.

“We should’ve gone to Antares today,” Elizabeth said as they ate lunch at a local restaurant. “But I made the reservations for Monday.”

“That’s okay, Mom. I like the pies here.”

“Richard, I don’t know how you stay so lean, with all the desserts you eat. It’s disgusting!”

Molly thought so, too, but she wasn’t going to make any comments.

“I went to the gym every morning this past year, Mom. That’s how I can eat all those desserts. And I enjoy every one of them.”

“Maybe I should get up and go with you,” Elizabeth muttered.

“You look lovely, Elizabeth. You have nothing to worry about,” Molly assured her.

“Yes, but I pass up the desserts most of the time.”

“It’s probably better for you,” Molly said, smiling in sympathy.

“So you’re both going to pass up dessert?” Richard asked incredulously.

Molly looked at Elizabeth and at the same time they said, “No way!”

Richard grinned. “Looks like we’re all having pie, right, Toby?”

“Can I have ice cream instead?”

“Sure, buddy, if that’s what you want.”

Toby nodded enthusiastically.

Molly again realized how close Richard and Toby were becoming. By the time she left, she thought Richard would be regarding Toby as his own son.

Toby would scarcely miss her.

She chastised herself for that thought. That was what she should hope for. And she should hope that she wouldn’t miss Toby…or anyone else when she went back to Florida.

Maybe she should look for a job here in Dallas? No, no, that wouldn’t be a good idea. She needed to cut her emotional ties to Toby at once. It would be easier that way.

“Hey, they have a Christmas tree here!” Toby called out.

“Yeah, they do, but it’s not as pretty as ours, is it, Toby?” Richard asked.

“Ours is the best! Do they have one at the mall?”

“They always have at least one,” Richard said, looking at Molly.

She knew he was thinking she should’ve answered the question since she’d been to the mall. “Didn’t you go to the mall to get Toby’s new clothes?”

“No, we went to a men’s store at Highland Park Village, where we went to the movies last night.”

“We’re fortunate that we have a lot of specialty shops around here,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Whatever we’re looking for, we can find nearby.”

“How nice,” Molly said. In her mind, she was thinking, “If you can afford it!”

Then, at Elizabeth’s horrified glance and Richard’s grin, she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.

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