Page 142 of The Blessings of Christmas
“He’s, ah, ready to come back.”
“Back here? To Sweetwater Creek?” Bryn yelped. Disturbed from his dream, Sheldon frowned but never opened his eyes.
Josie forced her attention back to the water and the matter at hand. Malcolm's return. Unable to sleep the night before, she’d finally snapped on the TV to watch Christmas oldies. She made it halfway through “Home Alone” when she finally nodded off.
Bryn snapped her fingers in front of Josie. “Wake up, girlfriend. What’s going on with you today?”
“What? Nothing?” The breeze tossed her hair, and Josie wished she’d worn a ball cap.
“Nothing? Malcolm called you and this is the first we've heard of it?” Bryn didn’t look happy.
“Yeah, what's up?” With Alex in her arms, Emily drew closer. Josie could feel her friend's eyes drilling through her.
“You’re holding out on us,” Bryn murmured.
“I am not.” Josie folded her arms over her stomach. A boat was heading out of the harbor and she wished she was on it. The breeze had picked up and it was getting chilly down here. Time to get back to the library, away from prying eyes and uncomfortable questions. After all, this was the Christmasseason. A time to be happy and peaceful. Not a time to have her entire world turned upside down.
“Hey, Josie,” Emily murmured. “Come on. Tell us.”
Why didn't she want to level with her friends? But the truth was, Josie didn't know how she felt about Malcolm taking his old position at the library where she was the director. Couldn't he have found a job someplace else? But maybe she should feel flattered that he wanted to come back. “He asked about the staffing and did I have a position open. So he’s coming back.” Something she’d never expected. Josie had just about gotten over Malcolm.
Just about, but not quite.
It was as if the fluffy white clouds drifting by overhead had sucked the air from the harbor. Silence fell but it didn't feel comfortable. No, the air percolated with unspoken questions. Even little Alex lifted his sleepy head from Emily’s shoulder.
“Malcolm’s returning to Sweetwater Creek.” Bryn’s amazement had been Josie’s initial response.
“What about the Peace Corps?” Running a soothing hand over her baby’s back, Emily drew closer. “I thought he was down in South America somewhere.”
“He was. A village along the Amazon. Apparently he came back last summer. He's been in New York with his mom.” That was only half the story. But she wouldn't go into the rest of it. The rest of it made her throat close and her eyes sting.
“That's amazing. Had he contacted you before?” Bryn asked. “You know, to give you a heads up that he was back in the States?”
“No.” But while he'd been away, Josie had followed the pictures Malcolm posted on Instagram and Facebook. Women washing clothing in the river with children bundled onto their backs. Men putting up mud shacks, the roofs made of palm leaves. In one of the pictures, the one she kept in her deskdrawer, Malcolm was giving shots to some children. One little boy with dark hair and eyes was looking up at him with total trust. Everyone in the library had always adored Malcolm. He’d probably done great work down in South America.
“So he wants his old job back?” Emily asked.
“Guess so. I told him to come when he’s ready. That IT position is still open. I haven't gone through all the resumes on my desk.” Thank goodness she hadn't made a decision yet. Josie would have hated to turn down Malcolm. And she wished she didn't feel that way.
“Oh, right. That position,” Bryn said, obviously still turning over the news in her mind. “Jacob got married recently. He moved to his bride’s hometown, right?”
“Chicago, I think.” Josie had been upset about losing Jacob. Luring talent to Sweetwater Creek wasn’t easy. Young librarians often preferred larger cities, where more was happening. The slow pace of the southern town didn't appeal to a lot of people.
Emily looked as if she still had questions. “I want to hear more about Malcolm.” Alex had fallen asleep on her shoulder. Stooping, she carefully slid him back into the stroller and draped a light blanket over the top to block the sun. Sometimes it amazed Josie how easily her friends had taken on motherhood. Maybe it was a good thing that she wasn't a mother yet. She might be a klutz at motherhood. Glancing up, she found both friends staring at her.
“I have nothing more to say.” That sounded so prim. But Josie didn't want to admit how confused she felt about Malcolm's return. “That is, I don't know more than that.”
Looking thoughtful, Bryn sat down on one of the broad wooden swings that edged the harbor. You could fit a whole family on one of them. Now they all sandwiched into the space. Did Sheldon ever wake up? “How long has it been now?” Bryn asked. “A couple of years?”
One year. Ten months and five days.“About that, I guess.”
After Bryn and Malcom’s breakup he’d left, headed for the Peace Corps. An athletic guy, Malcolm had probably done a lot of good down in the wilds of the Amazon. In the shots that he’d posted, it was evident that the people accepted and admired him.
“I’ll bet the folks down there were sad to see him go,” Bryn said, as if she were reading Josie’s mind.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“You guess so?” Emily turned to face her. Avoiding her friends’ eyes, Josie dropped her head to study Alex. With that shock of his daddy's hair, he sure bore a resemblance to Jackson. Hanging around these babies was doing weird things to her. That and her returning employee had her feelings all mixed up.
