Page 74 of A Very Naughty Christmas

As Dixie waited on pins and needles, the older woman took forever to key in the name. Then, as if she had all day, she removed her bargain-rack drugstore readers, cleaned them off, slipped them back on, and resumed squinting at the screen. Stopping short of rudely drumming her fingers on the desk, Dixie stared at her impatiently, trying to will her to hurry things along. Nothing helped, however.

She was consumed with worry for her dear, old friend, who even while sick had thought to have someone call Dixie and let her know she wouldn’t be arriving for her usual Wednesday lunch. “She didn’t want you to fret,” the woman on the phone had explained.

And she would have done exactly that, although fretting was too mild a word considering it would have been the first time Emmaline had missed in nearly a decade. The caller had no other information, except that she had gone to the hospital that morning.

While the minutes dragged, the stitching on the woman’s pink coat caught her attention. ‘Anna Franklin, Volunteer’ it read in script across the front. It reminded her of Kyle’s white lab coat, the one he’d worn when they passed out cookies together. The same one her fingers had curled into while they’d shared a first kiss—and then some—in the hospital stairwell. It was a wonderful memory, although it was odd what had triggered it. Other than the stitching, Kyle’s and Anna’s inscriptions were hardly alike. Then again, everything made her think of him these days.

“Goodwin, you say?” The woman’s thin, wavering voice refocused her to the matter at hand—Emmaline. She shook her head. “I don’t see anyone by that name.”

“Are you sure? Please, check again.” She watched her obviously arthritic fingers slowly retype the last name. Trying to keep her cool, Dixie spelled it out for her. “G-o-o-d-w-i-n. Not Godwin, people make that mistake.”

She peered at the monitor while shaking her head, yet again. “We only have two patients under G in house, dear, and none in the emergency department. I’m sorry. Maybe she’s already been discharged?”

“I got the call an hour ago that she was here.”

“Perhaps they took her to Asheville Memorial?”

She frowned, not understand what was going on.

“Dixie?”

Turning at her name, she found Kyle had paused inside the sliding glass doors at the entrance, snowflakes dotting his thick hair. She thanked the woman and moved toward him. He worked here; maybe he could figure out where Emmaline would be.

“What are you doing here? Are you looking for me? I’ve got an emergency, I can’t—”

“No,” she cut in quickly. “A friend of mine was brought here, but they don’t have a record of her being here. Can you check?”

“I’m here to see someone too, let me call up to admissions.”

“Dixie.” She turned again at the sound of her name, searching the lobby. She didn’t see anyone she knew.

Beside her, Kyle had moved as well, but the opposite way.

“Nana,” he said, relief in his voice. “What are you doing outside?”

“Waiting for you two stubborn youngsters to come to your senses.”

Recognizing that voice, she spun back, startled to see Miss Emmaline standing outside on the wide, snow-dusted walkway. And she was smiling, seeming hale and hearty. Well, as much as a ninety-year-old ever could. Dixie started through the doors, but froze abruptly as she noticed what she held in her hand.

It was the umbrella in taupe lace that Kyle had retrieved from the diner that day. She glanced from her to him in confusion when something else clicked in her brain.

“She’s your other relative!”

“I don’t…” he began in confusion. “She’s my grandmother, yes. Do you know her?”

Her head snapped around and she gaped at her friend. “You sneak! It was yours all along. You set us up.”

“I merely gave you a gentle nudge in the right direction.”

“More like a colossal push,” Dixie accused.

“What’s going on?” Kyle asked, sounding completely bewildered.

She tilted her head up to him. “You didn’t know?”

“Didn’t know what? Would someone tell me what’s going on? It’s like listening to a one-sided conversation.”

“He didn’t know, dear. Or he wouldn’t have gone along with it. He’s as stubborn as you. As well as giving, loyal, dedicated, and in need of a good, strong woman by his side. As much as you need a good, strong man.”

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