Page 42 of The Wish List
“She tripped a dad back in the hall,” Declan muttered. “I thought the guy was going to try to fight me.”
Shauna snorted. “We’re at an elementary school Christmas concert, Dec, not a seedy dive bar. Nobody is going to fight you, especially when you’re dressed like an extra for some motorcycle gang movie.”
Beth had gotten used to Declan’s typical outfit of jeans, a dark shirt and leather jacket. He ran a hand through his hair as he and Shauna glared at each other. It was an uncharacteristically tense dynamic between them, and Beth didn’t like it.
“What’s going on?” Beth focused all her attention on Shauna. She didn’t need to look at Declan to feel the frustration radiating off him but wasn’t sure where it came from. Did a Christmas concert set him off?
The twins had been fidgety during their grade’s performance, but they held it together, unlike one little girl in their class who burst into tears mid-song and had to be escorted off by one of the teachers.
“It’s all going to be fine, Shauna.”
“Don’t make me take you out with this crutch like that dad,” the single mother muttered.
Beth felt her eyes widen. She’d never seen Shauna be anything but bright and sunny, although she was still inclined to put her in the same category as May with regards to mothering. A little flighty and not a lot of rules.
“I don’t need it to be fine,” Shauna said and closed her eyes as if she were trying to pull herself together. “Christmas needs to be perfect, and I can’t manage that right now.”
She shook her head as she attempted a smile. “Dec’s right, of course.” She gave him a little nudge with her arm. “He’s annoyingly right.”
“I told you I’ll bake some crap if you want me to.”
“You bought prepackaged dough.”
“Sugar and chocolate chip cookies,” he countered. “They fit the bill.”
Shauna gave up attempting to smile. It wasn’t convincing anyway. “You probably think I’m crazy,” she said to Beth. “But I have a thing about Christmas. The holidays can be uncertain when you spend time in foster care, like Dec and I did. It meant a lot when a family included me in their holiday traditions. I remember those times, and I want my boys to have only positive associations with Christmas.”
Declan leaned forward. “She also still sends homemade gifts to the families who weren’t jerks to her.”
“I want them to know they made a difference in my life.” Shauna nodded. “Some of those families still foster kids. I keep in touch and try to support them where I can.”
“That’s great.” Beth realized she’d misjudged Shauna in every way. Shame sliced through her as she knew better than to rely on outward appearances as a measure of what was going on.
After all, maybe if someone had looked closely at the situation with her family and stepped in to help, things could have gotten better sooner. Or she would have ended up separated from her sisters. There was truly no telling.
“I tried to help decorate the tree,” Shauna lamented, “and I knocked it over. Two of Timmy’s ornaments from preschool broke. I can never get them back.”
“He can make new ornaments.”
Shauna shook her head. “It’s not the same.”
Declan threw up his hands, clearly at a loss for what to do to help his friend. Beth admired the fact that he cared enough to try.
“We got the damn tree set up again. It’s fine.”
“All the ornaments are clumped together in front,” Shauna whispered.
Beth had to smile. She understood how perfectionism could drive somebody crazy.
“I make homemade hot fudge for my clients,” Shauna told her. “And I’m supposed to help with the class holiday party.”
“You were in a horrible accident,” Declan reminded her. “People will understand.”
“I should never have gone skydiving. It was stupid and reckless.” She pointed at Beth. “You were right to call me out.”
“No, I wasn’t.” Beth held up her hands. “I was way out of line.”
“I wish you’d been there to talk me out of it in the first place.”
