Chapter Eight
Jaqueline had no intention of fighting the unfightable logic that Colin made when he’d tried so hard to explain to everyone, including her, that he was hell-bent on taking over their lives. If the thought had made her uncomfortable or scared, she’d have bolted at the hospital.
But escaping hadn’t occurred to her. He’d given her a chance to opt out at the house, letting her know she could leave, and he’d find a way to deal with the situation alone. But the idea of not being involved with the children wasn’t acceptable.
While he’d tried to explain his reasons to them in the café, she’d made her own promises to herself. No matter what it took for them to take care of Charlie and Maisie, she would be all in.
After lunch, they brought the kids back to their house where she suggested naps and was pleased when they headed to the bedroom without a whimper or argument.
In fact, Charlie spoke up immediately. “I’ll read to Maisie.
She has a favorite book, and I know all the words.
Come on, Mais.” Once the little girl headed into the room, Charlie stopped to explain, “Maman always needed time to rest, and we got used to being on our own. We won’t be any trouble. ”
Her heart did a somersault after hearing his serious plea, and she got the feeling that the little boy had decided to behave in the best way possible so they wouldn’t change their minds about looking after them.
Colin returned from making his calls in the kitchen in time to hear what Charlie said.
Once their door closed, he came over to Jaqueline and whispered, “The little guy is terrified we’ll leave them. I can’t blame him.”
“I know. It’s so sad. Did you contact the lawyer?”
“Yes. My own lawyer in B.C. has a buddy who works in Montreal – Cord Ballenger. He’s on his way here to help deal with this.
Should be here by three p.m. He’s going to let me know as soon as he’s on the train, and we’ll have a conference call so I can explain everything.
Cord seemed to think it might be a hard ask to keep the kids without being related.
He figures there’s a possibility we’ll have to let Child Services take the kids into custody until we can get the courts to agree to let me foster them. ”
“That sounds ominous and exactly what we don’t want to happen. Both kids are trying to keep it together, especially Charlie. If they separate them from us and each other, it won’t be good.”
Colin sat beside her on the couch. He patted the hands she couldn’t seem to keep still. “I know. It’s all happening so damn fast, like a runaway roller coaster.”
“Right, eh? First the snow collapsing on them, then their mother dying in the hospital, and now the court threat. Funny thing is, I wanted some excitement on this holiday, something I could take home and tell my gramma about since she gifted me this trip for Christmas. Truthfully, I never expected this landslide of stories.”
By her tone and from her words, Colin began to laugh. “Better not tell her everything. If she’s too old it could be detrimental to her heart.”
“Not my Gigi. She’ll love this story and be all in as far as helping with the kids. Not like Mum who’s a wee bit hard to deal with. Gigi’s a sweetheart. You’ll like her.”
“Then I’ll look forward to meeting her. We just have to clear these hurdles over the next few days and pray there won’t be any restrictions on me taking the kids back to Vancouver.”
“Once the judge hears that you’re a professor at the University of B.C., he’ll understand that you have commitments to fulfill, won’t he?”
“That’s what I’m praying happens. But I’ve watched Law and Order for years and from what I’ve seen, when it comes to the law, nothing is easy.”
Jaqueline giggled. “Practically a law degree comes with that show. Look, I was thinking, when you want to talk openly with your lawyer, how about I get a taxi to take me and the kids to the stores downtown so they can visit Santa, maybe pick up some decorations for the house. That will keep their minds off their troubles.”
Colin’s face brightened. “Would you really do that? It’s a fantastic idea.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a debit card out of his wallet. Then he wrote a number on a card with his particulars and passed it over too. “Here, buy whatever you want for them.”
Jaqueline laughingly teased, “You trust me with this?” She waved the card in front of her. “I saw a really beautiful tanzanite bracelet the other day in the window of Chancy’s for an exorbitant price that could be mine.”
He reached over to gently caress her face, his voice low and hoarse with emotion. “Buy it if you want it. Just treat the kids too.” Before he could add more, his phone rang, and he made a face of regret before walking away to take the call.
Shaken to her very core, Jaqueline didn’t move. No man had ever quite reached close to her heart before, and the experience left her shaken. Colin had no idea that his touch had left her wanting more… much more.
***
An hour later, the taxi dropped Jaqueline and the kids off near old town, and they wandered through the shops filled with tourist souvenirs nestled between food places and clothing stores.
Their favorite for the three of them was the fancy Christmas place where the kids had a ball checking out all the ornaments still left on the shelves.
Not wanting to take advantage of Colin’s generosity, but still wanting to give them a treat, Jaqueline offered a deal. “We each get to choose one smaller item and all three of us have to decide which bigger one to buy. Okay?” She had full intentions of paying for the more expensive article.
“Yes, please.” Maisie hopped up and down in her outdoor garments that were opened enough for her to be comfortable indoors.
And Charlie undid the buttons on his worn winter jacket as well, sticking his tuke in his pocket.
Jaqueline sensed their excitement, understanding they intended to take their time, unlike a few of the other more gregarious children rushing dangerously around in the store.
In fact, two of the boys who were making the most noise while being silly, accidently pushed over a display, forcing the mother to deal with their naughtiness.
“Look what you’ve done now. I told you to stop being such brats.
I’m fed up with the both of you. We’re leaving.
” Before the cashiers knew what happened, the mother ushered both of the rotters outside without even offering to pay for the broken trinkets.
One young cashier in particular looked devastated, and Jaqueline couldn’t help but commiserate with her.
“How terrible. I’m sorry.” She saw the girl picking up the pieces, her face registering total frustration while she muttered, “Now I’ll have to pay for this myself.
It’s not fair. But the owners expect us to enforce the “you break it, you buy it” rule and that…
that woman didn’t give me a chance to explain before she split. ”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve no doubt she took off on purpose. Look, just add the amount to my bill.”
“Seriously? You’d do that?”
“Sure. It’s not gonna bankrupt me but if you paid, it would mean you worked a few hours for nothing.
” She smiled kindly at the thrilled teenager and ushered the kids to the side wall where all their merchandise was on display.
“Take your time. Look carefully at all these ornaments before choosing the one you want the most.”
Maisie let out a squeal, hopped in place, and clapped her hands. “Can I have the angel, pwease? It’s Maman. She’s an angel, right? See Charwie. The angel has the same hair and blue eyes as Maman.”
Charlie smiled in agreement. “Yep. It does look like her alright. May I have the same ornament?”
“No Charwie,” Maisie seemed instantly upset. “We only have one Maman.”
“It’s okay, Mais. You can have the one where she’s on the moon. And I’ll take the same angel where she’s on a star. Is that okay?”
“Sure. That’s good.” Maisie nodded happily.
They both clutched their choices while they continued through the store, now all three discussing which bigger decoration they would choose.
All three began laughing when they saw a village of sparkling white trees lit from within and a handful of small reindeer placed in different areas, wandering through the scene.
Both of the kids were as fascinated by the display as Jaqueline was.
One reindeer’s nose lit up red and the antlers on the others had tiny lights that also glowed.
Checking to see how it worked, Jaqueline lifted a reindeer and saw small clasps in place where one would hook each reindeer paw to get the power for the lights, meaning each reindeer had it’s own special placement.
The young cashier approached when she heard their excitement.
“This finally arrived late yesterday, and I set it up this morning. We ordered it months ago and couldn’t fathom why it took so long.
Could be it was meant for you,” she teased Maisie and Charlie.
Then she saw Jaqueline’s smiling expression.
“We marked it at a very low price only because it’s so close to Christmas. ”
Jaqueline looked at the kids, gauging their enthusiasm. “Is this the one you want us to take home?”
“Yes, pwe-ase.” Maisie drew out the word in a hopeful…
almost unbelievable awe that it might be possible for them to actually buy the wonderful treat.
Her charming excitement was contagious. Charlie nodded his agreement as well, his eyes lit with pleasure and the anxious eagerness on his face not usual for one so young.
Pretending to consider, she asked, “Can you tell me the names of Santa’s reindeer?”
Charlie began to recite. “Comet and Cupid. And… and Donner.”
Maisie excitedly yelled, “Rudolph” and pointed at the smaller animal. “That’s him with the red nose. We saw him in the parade.”
“Yes. Let’s see if I remember all nine of them. There’s Dasher, Dancer and Prancer.” She counted her fingers. “And Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. And the most famous is Rudolph of course. But I’m missing one.”
The cashier laughed. “The only way I can remember them is to sing the song about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” She began swaying while singing the words and the children joined in as did Jaqueline.
When they got to Vixen they all began to laugh, and the kids hopped in place.
Charlie pointed out, “It’s Vixen. You forgot that one. ”
Maisie looked her way and added, “Jacqwin, you sing pretty.”
Jaqueline hugged the little cherub. Then she included Charlie in her pronouncement. “Why don’t you kids call me Jaq like my Gigi? Jaqueline is a bit of a mouthful. Okay?” She grinned at the young girl standing and waiting. “Can you wrap it in a box for us?”
“Yes, of course. In fact, it comes with a container made especially for it so nothing can get broken.” She fetched the special container while they waited.
They watched as she packed the small reindeer in their particular slots and then the trees and houses before adding the snow-covered, thick blanket-like platform.
Holding the cord, she turned to Jaqueline.
“When you plug this in it gives electricity to the lights.” She folded the cord carefully and added it to the top of the parcel before closing the lid and putting the large container in a shopping bag.
Once the bill was settled and goodbyes had been shared, they were ready to return home.
While sitting between them in the back of the cab, Jaqueline pointed out the various Christmas bows and decorations in the streets.
Lighted trees were everywhere, and all the windows of the various shops twinkled and glowed with signs of the season.
Of course, it helped that snow had begun to fall, adding another level of enchantment.
If it wasn’t Maisie pointing out her favorite scene, then Charlie would get her attention to something special that caught his eye.
Both children were flushed with the fun of seeing such wonderment.
And Jaqueline’s satisfaction rose from knowing that what could have been a nightmare day of mourning had become a day they could remember without that black coating of sadness.
Soon, the taxi dropped them off at the door in time for them to see Colin waving goodbye to another taxi heading away in the other direction.
When he saw all their smiles and parcels, he held the door open and urged them inside. The snowy conditions had worsened with the sunshine being replaced by sudden dark skies and blizzard-like conditions.
“I’m glad to see you all back safe and sound.
The weatherman says it’s best to stay indoors tonight as they’re expecting a storm.
” He helped Maisie off with her coat and leggings before adding, “I ordered us dinner to be brought here, and it arrived a little while ago. Hope you all like pizza. I’ve kept it warm for later, and it smells delicious. ”
Both children seemed happy with his choice but rather than yelling their excitement, they just grinned. Charlie’s smile was huge as he admitted, “We’ve never had pizza, but it smells good. My friends tell me it’s their favorite dinner.”
Something in Colin’s expression caught Jaqueline’s attention. She picked up on his distress immediately but sensed he didn’t want to upset the children. So she went along with his acting, telling him they’d had a wonderful day. “We have a lot to show you too.”
Both kids played along, their excitement real and heartwarming, covering up her own building anxiety.
Inside her brain… bells clanged. Something was terribly wrong.