Page 166 of The Blessings of Christmas
Josie gulped. “There is no me and Malcolm. His mother is coming for Christmas. And I imagine his fiancée is coming with her.”
“You imagine?” Sometimes Emily could be so irritating..
“I don't have all the details.” Josie really didn't want to go there. “But I'll probably get them tonight.”
“Tonight?” Bryn and Emily both said at the same time. Hope danced in their eyes and she hated to squelch that.
“He's helping me put up my tree tonight. That's all. The last time he dropped me off from a trip to Amblebury, he saw all the boxes piled up in my living room. Malcolm’s always helping people.” At this point she didn't care if her tree and decorations were up this year. She'd been enjoying the tree in Victoria’s Pantry and the one in Open Hearth. She hadn't intended to do a thing until Malcolm brought it up.
“My parents are coming for Christmas, by the way.”
“They are?” Emily said. She was so lucky that her parents lived in town, while Josie’s had retired and moved to Sarasota a few years back. “How did you convince them to come?”
“I think they took pity on me because of the ankle. And then I mentioned the Christmas caroling at the gazebo on Christmas Eve. My father loves to sing so that carried a lot of weight. Since they're coming, I guess putting up a tree makes a lot of sense.”
“You guess?” Bryn asked while Emily tsked and shook her head.
“Am I beginning to sound like Scrooge?” she asked, getting to her feet. This was getting embarrassing. Where was her Christmas spirit?
“Yes, now that you mention it. Let me know how tonight goes,” Emily said standing up to leave. “I'd love to stay for more details, girls. But this little boy is hungry and I forgot to bring his cereal.”
As she followed her friends back to the square, Josie ignored the signals Emily was sending with her hands. She wanted Josie to text her all the details. But there would be nothing to text. The way it was looking, this would be a Christmas of unfulfilled Christmas wishes.
CHAPTER 13
The smell of a loaded pizza met Josie when she opened her front door. She could almost taste the sausage, kalamata olives topped by the marinara sauce and two kinds of cheese. “Is this fancy enough for a tree decorating meal?” Malcolm asked, balancing the pizza box in one hand. “Thin-crust veggie pizza, topped with sausage.”
He looked so handsome, standing there in his cut-off shorts and white T-shirt. For one blinding instant, Josie fought the impulse to hug him. But that would be silly.
“Works for me.” She nodded toward the island in the kitchen area. “Put it next to the paper plates.”
After setting the pizza box on the island, Malcolm turned. Rubbing his hands together as if he couldn't wait to get started, he glanced at the boxes and the bulky green bag that held the tree. “Where do we start?”
The pizza smelled way too tempting. “Let's eat before it gets cold.” She marched over to the drawer and found a spatula.
“Can you believe this weather?” Malcolm said.
“Sweater weather, and that's fine with me. Would you rather have a white Christmas?” Sometimes Josie thought she would love to have snow. What would that be like?
“White Christmas? Bah humbug,” Malcolm growled with disgust. “New York has snow right now. Traffic is backed up everywhere. Looks miserable on the news and my mother can't leave her apartment. Not for me.”
The weather had turned a bit warm for December in the Carolinas. Josie had no complaints. Would she have liked a white Christmas? Someday maybe. But the caroling party was a lot easier on Christmas Eve if it wasn't thirty-five degrees, especially for the little baby who would appear in the manger. She wondered how the group was coming with that.
“Beer or soda pop in the refrigerator,” she said. “Root beer for me.” Flipping open the top of the box, she grabbed the spatula. The pieces came away easily, trailing fragrant strings of Parmesan cheese. She quickly popped two pieces on each paper plate.
Taking the stool across from her, Malcolm handed her a frosty mug of root beer and sat down with his own beer. They dug in. For about five minutes they ate, murmuring about sausage and kalamata olives. She made a mental note to order in pizzas for the whole staff at the library next week.
Sitting there with Malcolm felt incredibly easy. So comfortable that it made her feel miserable. They felt like a couple, but that could never be. Despite Emily’s encouragement, Josie had to be realistic about the situation. Acceptance was always the best route to overcome disappointment.
“When are your parents arriving?” he asked.
“Couple of days before Christmas. They'll probably come with a ridiculous number of packages, all beautifully wrapped.” She pictured them arranged under the tree that they still had to set up.
“Gifts for their only child,” Malcolm said with a smile.
“Hey, aren't you an only child?”
“Yes.” He shrugged. “Mom's flying in and I hope her flight doesn't get canceled. Your parents are driving, right?”
