Page 161 of The Blessings of Christmas
The following week after Eileen had finished with the story hour for the Sweetwater Creek children, Malcolm and Josie grabbed the box of books to take to Open Hearth. On the way over he was quiet and never mentioned her dress. As soon as the turquoise tiered dress appeared in Coralee’s window, Josie had snatched it. Smoothing the soft gauze over her knees, she wondered why she was knocking herself out. Even though Malcolm seemed preoccupied and hadn't commented on her new dress, it made her feel pretty. Granted, her Birkenstocks felt kind of clunky. But they were the only shoes she could wear with this stupid wrapping on her ankle. To her relief the swelling was going down and so was the pain.
As they drove over, Malcolm said very little and neither did she. Her parents kept calling her about Christmas but she didn't want to leave Sweetwater Creek. Sarasota was a long drive in the car and traveling by plane during the holidays was crazy and uncertain. Besides, so much was happening here in Sweetwater Creek. She didn't want to miss a thing.
On Christmas Eve the community would gather at the gazebo for caroling. And then there was the nativity scene,which was always a gathering point. Christmas was so special here. She couldn't wait to see the people at Open Hearth open their gifts. Sitting in her parents’ condo in Sarasota just didn't cut it for her.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Malcolm finally said.
Josie gave a jerk. They had reached the outskirts of Amblebury. “Oh nothing much. Just thinking about my folks and Christmas. You know, that whole thing. Have you made any decisions yet? Are you going home?”
For a second, Malcolm was perfectly still, staring out over the wheel, his profile chiseled against the morning sun. “For me, this is home, Josie.”
“Oh right. Glad to hear it.” Home for him and Darcy. His devotion was touching, but her heart shrank. Not wanting him to see how upset she was, Josie turned and looked out the window. The stores of Amblebury were filled with Christmas decorations, much like the stores around the Sweetwater Creek square. But this morning she felt tense. Between the library and the clinic, she felt stressed out. Or was the tension between her shoulders a result of Malcolm's plans to make Sweetwater Creek his permanent home with his high school sweetheart? In time he would probably have his family here. She pictured little Malcolms playing on the swings down at the harbor.
Josie gulped. That mental picture brought tears to her eyes.
Pulling up in front of the clinic, Malcolm switched off the ignition. “So you think you might be headed south for the holidays? Will you drive down to see your folks?”
“We're in negotiations.”
Their laughter cleared the air. Maybe all adult children had issues with their parents when it came to the holidays. Everyone wanted to get together, but who would do the traveling? Opening the door, she pushed it open with her good foot. “Can you grab the books and take them inside?”
“Sure thing. Please be careful getting out.”
“No problem.” She hated being an invalid. Reaching for the ground with her tiptoes, Josie positioned her crutches and swung out. After getting her balance, she stumped around back to meet him.
Malcolm gave her a strange look. Grabbing the box of books, he hoisted it onto one shoulder. “Gee, you look really pretty today.” The surprise in his voice almost made her lose her balance. So he had noticed after all. She smiled with her peach-glossed lips.
“Just today, right?” she joked.
His face reddened. “You look pretty all the time. But today? Maybe it’s that blue dress.”
“I've become a big fan of Coralee’s shop.” No more khaki and beige for her. But she wasn't going to tell him that. Maybe Emily's advice had made Josie take a step in the right direction. While she maneuvered her way up the stairs, he stayed with her.
“You girls.” he said, stepping back so she could enter the clinic. His old-fashioned, gentlemanly gesture made her smile. “Always shopping. Your closet must be full.”
“Not really.” She wasn't about to admit that her recent shopping spree had everything to do with him. “It's the holidays. I scored most of my clothes at the consignment shop.”
“A girl with a budget?” Malcolm raised his brows. “Now why does that not surprise me?”
“I have a rule that if I bring a piece of clothing in, I have to take something to Goodwill.” She was fudging it a little bit, but that was the general idea. She imagined his fiancée with a walk-in closet full of designer clothing and accessories to match. All of Darcy’s shoes probably had those expensive red soles. If Josie walked into her closet, she'd run right into the wall. The cottage she rented on Back Bay was pleasantly cramped. Her bedroomcloset had room for maybe twenty hangers and she had to use a stepstool to get up to her shoes stacked on the shelf above.
Once they got inside, Phyllis quickly showed them where to set up the books in a corner. “Dr. Darling found a shelf that he didn't need. Isn’t it perfect?”
“It's beautiful.” The shelf was hand-painted blue, adorned with pink hearts and flowers in a folk design. Josie had a strange feeling that Victoria had picked out the shelf, probably from some high scale shop. That was total nonsense about Derek finding a shelf they weren't using.
Malcolm got busy arranging the books. According to Phyllis, Derek had also brought in a black rocking chair and colorful cushions for the floor where the children would sit. The reading area looked suspiciously like Victoria, and it was wonderful.
Right now the clinic still smelled of breakfast eggs, toast and coffee. It was easy to see why people enjoyed coming there. Sure, they might need medical care or their cupboards might be bare. But the atmosphere was so warm and welcoming. Young mothers quickly gathered in clusters, watching their children play with donated toys. The older folks gravitated to the rocking chairs out front.
“Thank you so much for jumping right into this. The mothers were so pleased that the children could enjoy the Christmas stories.” Phyllis glanced around. “Of course some of them might not understand the words but they will understand the pictures.”
Josie turned to Malcolm. “Malcolm is all set to read the Grinch story today.”
Phyllis' face lit up. “What a perfect beginning. Again, we can't thank you enough for pulling this together so quickly.”
Crossing her arms over the full-length apron that she always wore, Phyllis said, “The food is wonderful. Necessary. But youngchildren need more than having their bellies full.” She tapped her forehead and then her heart. “These have to be filled too.”
Josie sat down at a nearby table. Book in hand, Malcolm took a seat in the rocking chair. Three mothers encouraged their children to sit on the bright cushions. Their faces tipped up to him as Malcolm began to tell the fascinating tale of how the Grinch stole Christmas. The book was full size, so the pictures were large and colorful. Maybe the children could tell what was going on from the expressions on Malcolm's face as well as the colorful pictures.
