Page 149 of The Blessings of Christmas
The smell of peppermint mocha hung in the air along with Malcolm's charm. All that charisma hadn't been wasted in the Amazon. From what she’d seen on Facebook, the people there had taken to him. Who could resist a man so generous with his talents?
By that time, they were all seated around the table. Emily and Bryn nibbled their pastries, while Josie took tiny bites of very small cookie. Sure, she'd love to be wolfing down a chocolate croissant. But she wanted to look great in her running shorts.
“So what are you three up to this morning?” Malcolm asked. He’d taken the chair in between the baby strollers.
“Walking,” Emily and Bryn said at the same time.
“You girls make me feel so guilty,” Victoria said. But Josie noticed that Victoria wasn't partaking in the wonderful pastries sold behind her counter. Where did all that self control come from? Sometimes life just wasn't fair. “How can you walk so early in the morning?” Victoria’s sleepy yawn indicated where her mind was in the morning.
“It's the best time to walk,” Josie told her. December weather had turned cooler so they weren't battling the humid heat they suffered through in the summer.
Little Alex had awakened. His wail filled the small shop and turned more than one head. Setting down her croissant, Emily turned toward her baby boy. But Malcolm had plunked his coffee onto the table and stood up. “Can I help?” he asked Emily. “Would you mind if I picked him up?”
“Mind?” Emily looked shocked. “Heck no.” The woman didn't hesitate. Reaching into the bag looped around her stroller handles, she came up with a baby bottle and a terry burp cloth. To Josie’s amazement, Malcolm slung the towel over one shoulder, slowly lifted the baby into his arms and reached for the bottle. “Don't worry. I've got this.”
Now, that caused quite a stir at the front tables. Alex gave a little jerk, pushing away to look at Malcolm as if he didn't believe it himself.Who is this stranger?Emily looked thunderstruck. But to their surprise, Malcolm seemed to know what he was doing.
Behind her, Josie heard the older women seated up front murmuring to themselves. They probably thought Malcolm and the baby made such a cute picture. Well, they were right. Her heart melted watching him with Alex. “Where did you learn how to do that?”
The question was out before Josie could stop and think. She’d never been known for thinking before she spoke. No, Josie Maloney knew how to put her foot in her mouth, maybe two of them, if time allowed.
“In the jungle. Lots of families in the villages. And a lot of babies.” Malcolm snuggled Alex in the crook of his arm as if he'd been hauling babies around all the time. Eyes closed with contentment, Alexander sucked on that bottle with greedy gulps. What a picture. It was hard to tear her eyes away.
“What have you been doing this holiday season?” Emily asked Victoria, as if she wanted to distract people’s attention from the baby.
“A little bit of this and a little bit of that.” Victoria's manicured nails fluttered in the air. “You know, helping out at Derek's clinic. Open Hearth.”
“A clinic? That sounds interesting.” Malcolm lifted his eyes from Alex. Was he swaying with Emily's baby as he stood there?Josie gave her head a shake to dislodge the picture. Nope, still there. This whole scene felt surreal. “What does your husband do at Open Hearth?” Malcolm asked.
“Basically it's a food bank. The local businesses support it.” Victoria waved a hand toward the tempting display of bread and pastries in her shop. “And at the end of the day, I take any leftovers over there.”
“That sounds great. I’ll bet people love it.”
“Yes, they do.” Victoria’s surprised tone made Josie smile.
In the past Josie had always found Victoria frivolous––the kind of woman who cared way more about her clothes than about feeding the hungry. But in recent months the owner of Victoria's Pantry had come up considerably in Josie’s eyes. Maybe she had seriously underestimated the girl.
“And then of course, Derek spends a lot of his days there.”
“But doesn't he also work at the urgent care center?”
“Sure does. He usually works that schedule around the clinic.” Her blue eyes wide, Victoria nodded as if she thoroughly approved of her husband’s efforts. Yes, she sure had changed. Josie never would have believed that the self-absorbed girl they’d known had become the generous woman she was today. Derek probably was a factor in Victoria's amazing transformation. “He doesn't always have a lot of patients to see at the clinic,” Victoria continued. “But he enjoys spending time there. Those folks really need him.”
“Is the clinic open seven days a week?” Malcolm asked. Setting Alex’s bottle on the table, he lifted the baby onto his shoulder and began to burp him. Josie was glad she was sitting down. What a picture.
“You bet. Derek gets crazy if they can't staff it and have to close the doors. I spend a lot of my time there too.”
“If you ever need any help, I’d love to come over.” That was so like Malcolm. Josie’s heart warmed hearing his words. Maybethat was the benefit of having him as an employee. He was a man who really cared and the people who came into the library knew that too. Swaying from side to side as he burped baby Alex, Malcolm looked so comfortable.
So adorable. Josie pulled her eyes away.
Finished with her croissant, Bryn was rocking Sheldon’s stroller. Her baby had awakened, and his big brown eyes were studying the lights hanging from the ceiling. What would it be like to bring a new life into the world and share that baby’s wonder? A simple light in the ceiling could fill a child with delight.
Josie’s eyes dampened. She blinked furiously, keeping her eyes on the light so no one would notice. Was she getting sentimental about babies? Could this be possible? She’d never thought much about a family. Of course for years she’d just assumed that in time she'd have one. But when she passed thirty, Josie began to wonder. Her friends had moved on, and their baby strollers were proof.
Maybe Josie was stuck. And maybe she'd been stuck on Malcolm.
“We could use some help this weekend,” she heard Victoria tell Malcolm. “One of the staff came down with the flu.” A sympathetic murmur went around the table.
