Page 145 of The Blessings of Christmas
Where had that thought come from? She shivered.
“I'm glad we had a place for you. Jacob, the guy who took your position, got married and moved to Chicago. His wife’s family lives there.”
“So he was your token male?”
“I guess.” They laughed together. When Malcolm had been on her staff, she’d always teased him about being their token male. And it was no joke. When he’d worked at the front desk, women had lined up to check their books out from him. “I try not to feel hurt when people switch from my line to Malcolm’s,” Eileen had said one time, her face puckered into a fake frown. Eileen was probably the oldest of their employees and did really well with the children who came for her story hour. She got along with everyone.
“What do you think? Can I have my old office?”
She had a sneaking suspicion that he'd probably already scoped out the office while he was waiting for her. “You bet. All the monitors are still on the desk.”
“I see you’ve got your special section of Christmas books out front.”
“Right, but we could use some help with the website. Although Jacob was a hard worker, I don't think the website was his favorite project. It needs some updating.”
Blowing out a breath as if he were relieved, Malcolm said, “Can't wait to get to work.”
“So how was the Peace Corps?”
“Hot. I have tons of stories about the Amazon jungle.”
“Can't wait to hear them.” Her eyes went to the huge clock on the wall. Time to change her clothes and get to work.
“So what have you been doing while I've been gone?”
“Watching my friends have babies.” Although she tried to inject some humor into that comment, it fell flat.
Malcolm's eyes widened. “Emily and Bryn are mothers? No way.”
A wave of disappointment washed over her. Although she’d been following him on Facebook, he obviously hadn't followed her as carefully. He would have seen the pictures of the babies. So she told him about baby Sheldon and Emily’s little boy Alexander.
“Alexander?” Malcolm chuckled. “Quite a name to hang on a baby.”
Josie totally agreed. “Emily did marry a guy who had two dogs named Maximilian and Spartacus. You remember Jackson?”
“Sure, right.” Malcolm nodded.
“What else would you expect?” They laughed together and it felt so good. Friendship. That's what this was, she reminded herself. Josie hadn't realized how much she missed him until now. She'd settle for the friendship they had, the way it had been before. Looked like she had no other choice.
“How about you?” Malcolm said. “No one has scooped you up yet? I thought maybe I missed your wedding.”
“Nope. No wedding. Not yet.” Now she was feeling pathetic and uncomfortable. Josie sprang from her chair.
When Malcolm rose, he shook out his long legs. “I suppose we'll all be doing that someday. Kids, I mean.”
Feeling a funny swirl in her stomach, she turned. The casual, friendly attitude she’d been working on slipped a bit. “I suppose that's on your agenda? Get married next summer–isn’t that what you said–and then have some babies?”Wow, that was bold.
“We're not in a hurry.” Now she'd made him uncomfortable. Ducking his head, Malcolm rubbed the back of his neck. “Heck, I just got engaged a little while ago.”
They’d crossed into personal territory. And it was her fault. Josie’s world tilted and keeping a smile on her face became work. Reaching into her drawer she grabbed the key to the empty office. “Here, why don't you check out your room. I've got to go change.” But when she tossed him the key, it dropped to the floor. She was so darn clumsy today. With one graceful movement, he scooped it up.
Malcolm left, and she grabbed the beige slacks and top folded neatly on her file cabinet. Getting dressed in the ladies room wasn't easy. Thank goodness no one else was there to watch her fumble with the buttons on her blouse and jam the zipper on her slacks.
Somehow Josie made it through that day. Some protocols had changed over the past couple of years, so she had to spend time with Malcolm, bringing him up to speed. She found it exhausting. By the time she got home to her cottage that night on Back Bay, she was more than ready to put her feet up. So she poured herself some lemonade and went out on the back deck. When her mother called, Josie answered it. She'd been putting this off for days.
“Hi, how's everything?” Her mother's voice held a super chipper note.
They chatted for a while about her mother’s Mah Jong and her father's golf. Her parents had become totally immersed in the Sarasota retiree culture. When her dad had retired a few years ago, at first Josie had been a little hurt that they wanted to move to Florida. But her attitude had changed when she realized how happy they were down there in their retirement community. But that also meant that they were constantly asking her to come and visit. She had put them off for Thanksgiving, which she spent with Emily and her family. But Christmas? This was going to be more difficult.
