Page 11 of Savoring Christmas
Daisy looked up at Logan with adoring eyes as he passed her another napkin.
“You’ve got sauce on your nose, little one,” Logan said.
“I was just so hungry, I gobbled it down,” Daisy said.
Mia caught the exchange, her chest tightening. Patty must be having trouble keeping her children fed. Another reason the food bank was so important. She would double down on her efforts this year. No child should be hungry. Ever.
Patty caught Mia’s gaze. “Thank you for feeding us. I didn’t expect this when I came to mop floors tonight.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” Mia said. “There’s always a seat at this table.”
Patty’s eyes misted, but she nodded, before turning back to Benji to instruct him to use his napkin.
Mia glanced over at Logan, and she could see in his eyes that he understood exactly what was going on with Patty and her children. Mia felt a sudden kinship with him, especially when he said, “You know, we’re here every Tuesday and Thursday nights all month, Patty. You should bring the kids on Thursday too. It’ll give us even more incentive to do our best.”
“Yes, yes,” Abby said quickly. “It’s good practice for me and my family. I have kids about your same ages.”
“You do?” Daisy wrinkled her nose. “Do I know them?”
Abby told her about her children and their ages. Benji said he knew Jack from school. “He’s plays baseball. On a team. And they wear the coolest jerseys. I want to play too but I can’t because?—.”
His mother cut him off. “Never mind about that.”
Benji looked down at his plate, the tips of his ears turning pink.
Daisy wanted a puppy. Benji wanted to play baseball. What did Molly want for Christmas? She wished she could give them all what they wanted. She remembered the lean Christmases of her childhood. Her single mother had had a hard time keeping them fed, let alone buying gifts.
When the last noodles were twirled and the final bits of sauce gone, Mia stood. “Thank you all for coming tonight. Thursday we’ll make fresh pasta. You’ve all done very well tonight. I’m proud of you.”
They all thanked her as they headed back to the kitchen, helping to scrub plates and load the dishwasher, everyone talking and laughing together.
Perhaps Mia had forgotten her own philosophy about food over the years but tonight she was reminded. It was truly about love.
3
LOGAN
As Kris was exiting the school’s kitchen, he whispered in Logan’s ear, “Offer to walk Mia to her car.”
Logan shook his head, laughing to himself. “Yes, sir.”
“You’ll thank me later,” Kris said, with a devilish grin.
Soon, everyone had drifted into the night except for Logan. “May I walk you out? It’s late and dark.”
She seemed surprised, and he thought she might decline, but instead she accepted his offer and put on her coat and grabbed her bag. Just outside of the kitchen, she stopped to lock the door before gesturing toward the parking lot. “I’m over there.”
“Me too,” Logan said.
They set out together. The concrete was slick, so he cautioned her to be careful, as he decided whether to bring up Patty and her children. He knew from Mia’s work with the food bank that she’d want to help them, just as he did.
“I was thinking about Patty and her kids,” Logan said. “They were clearly really hungry. And that thing Benji said about baseball broke my heart.”
“Me too. I was thinking about how to help give them a good Christmas.”
“Agree. I’m sure Abby will want to help too,” Logan said. “She might offer free vet care for a dog, especially if it’s a rescue.”
“Yes, but there’s an expense with dog food. If she’s having trouble feeding the kids, she doesn’t need a dog to take care of too.”
