Page 53 of Through the Snow Globe
“I’m glad to be of assistance.” Diana went through the motions of pulling down the attic ladder, climbing up, and carrying one box down after another. Then she brought the boxes into the living room to ensure that Maria had no way to break her ankle.
“I need to go,” Diana finally said when she was done.
“To Cecilia and Addy’s?” Maria asked, her brown eyes lighting up to the color of bronze.
Regret washed over Diana once more. Her only saving grace was that Maria would forget all this tomorrow. Unless Diana broke the time loop. Then Maria might remember, and that might be a huge problem. Reliving a day for a better outcome was one thing. Making things worse for herself and everyone around her was another.
“Can you tell them . . . ?” Maria trailed off. “No. Cecilia doesn’t want to hear from me. I don’t want to add to her burdens.”
“You shouldn’t be a burden to her,” Diana said. “One mistake shouldn’t cost you your relationship.”
“It’s never just one mistake,” Maria said wisely. “It’s just one that tips the balance. Thank you for caring for my family.” She took her time heading over to open the front door for Diana. “I don’t keep up with the goings-on in town like I should. Maybe if I did, I would have known my granddaughter was sick.” She looked at Diana. “It’s just . . . keeping up with people in town means they’ll ask how Cecilia is, and I’ll have to admit that I don’t know. Or they’ll tell me something about her and I’ll feel this deep regret because I don’t know her anymore. I don’t know my own daughter. It’s almost unbearable.” She shook her head, her face scrunching painfully. “Anyway, I’ve cost them enough. I won’t keep you here a moment longer. Please let me know if there’s something I can do for them. I’ll do it, and Cecilia wouldn’t need to know.”
“I’ll let you know. Don’t work too hard today. If you like, I’ll come by tomorrow to put up your tree and help you decorate.”
“Tomorrow isn’t your day, though,” Maria said, just like she’d done yesterday.
“That’s right. But I have time to help you.”
The look on Maria’s face was priceless, and it warmed Diana’s heart.
Maria shuffled over to the table beside the door and grabbed some individually wrapped slices of fruitcake, shoving them in Diana’s hand. “One for my Cecilia and Addy, and two for you and your fiancé.”
That warmed Diana’s heart as well. Then Maria did something she hadn’t done on the other two days. She leaned in and hugged Diana.
“I would never wish a stroke on myself, of course, but the best thing that has come out of this experience is having you come to visit. My life is a little less lonely with you in it.” Maria stepped back and beamed at her.
Diana’s eyes stung. They were probably just dry from the cold winter air outside. She was so good at keeping her emotions tucked away. At least she was until recently. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Maria.” She opened the door, stepped out, and walked to her car.
With a click of her key fob, she unlocked the doors, put the fruitcake slices on the passenger seat, and sat behind the steering wheel for a long moment. Her eyes still stung and her heart ached. All these weeks she’d been seeing Maria Harris and until this time loop happened she hadn’t realized how lonely the woman was, or that Maria was related to the Pierce family. William probably would have noticed. He probably would have pried into Maria’s life on the very first session and found out every detail. Diana used to think that was a bad thing, but Mr. Powell was right: The company was one big family, and that was good for someone like Maria.
Diana shifted her car into DRIVE and went to the Pierce house.
“It’s nice to see you, Diana,” Mrs. Pierce said.
Diana peeled off her winter coat and bit her tongue to keep from mentioning Maria. That was none of her business. “You as well. How’s Addy doing today?”
“She’s a moody teenage girl. That’s normal, right?”
Diana laughed even though she’d heard that line four times now. “I think so, yes.”
“What is it with a girl and her mother? They’re either thick as thieves or two opposite poles on a magnet.”
Diana thought of her own mother. Her relationship with Jackie, or lack thereof, was completely Jackie’s fault. Even if Jackie were to start putting in more effort right now, it wouldn’t be enough to close the gap. At this point, Diana didn’t want to rekindle her relationship with her mother. Perhaps Mrs. Pierce—Cecilia—felt the same way about Maria.
“I’ll just go check on Addy,” Diana said. Then she turned back. “Um, here.” She handed the fruit cake slices to Mrs. Pierce. “This is for you.” She didn’t reveal who had made the loaf. That was probably best left unsaid.
Mrs. Pierce smiled gratefully. “Oh, wow. We love fruitcake around here. Thank you for this.” Gesturing down the hall, she said, “Work your magic. Good luck.”
Diana was going to need it. Turning, she walked down the hall. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing and upset Addy any more than she already was, but saying the right thing would be a nice change to this day. She stopped behind Addy’s door and knocked.
“Come in,” Addy called with a muffled voice.
Diana stepped inside and found Addy lying with her face pressed into a big, cushy pillow. “Hi, Addy. Everything okay?”
“No. My life is horrible, and it’s not because I have cancer.” The girl rolled onto her back, freeing her face from the pillow. Creases lined her cheeks and forehead, telling Diana the girl had been smooshing her face into the pillow for quite some time.
“Want to talk about it?” Diana walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, knowing it wouldn’t take much to get the teenager to unload all the things on her mind. “How about this? I’ll tell you what’s bothering me if you tell me what’s bothering you.”
