16. Dulcie
DULCIE
D ulcie stepped out of the library the next day with Elizabeth holding her hand.
She took a deep breath of the sweet, cold afternoon air and glanced down at her little friend.
They’d had another wonderful day so far.
Maybe it was just that she was getting used to life here after almost a week.
But she suspected that her sense of relief actually came from last night.
She had wept over missing her sister so many times these last months.
But something about crying about her with West beside her had been healing.
The big man stayed silent, but he held her hand and never once judged or questioned her.
And the time spent with sweet Mrs. Harris had reminded her that while she might miss her sister, she wasn’t going to be without her forever.
West had given her a generous cash payment this morning and let her know he’d be getting her onto the farm payroll when the bookkeeper came in Friday, and then paying her weekly.
Soon, I’ll have enough to rent a little place, maybe even one over the shops here in the village.
Of course in that case, she would need a way to get to and from the farm for work, but that was a worry for another day. She was closer, and that was all that mattered.
“We’re helpers,” Elizabeth said, smiling up at her.
“We sure are,” Dulcie told her. “Where should we go first?”
“Toy store,” Elizabeth said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“A perfect plan,” Dulcie told her.
Anita, one of the moms in the preschool library group, was putting together stockings to take to a shelter in the city. Dulcie had been so charmed at the idea that when the lady asked for volunteers to ask around town for any items that could be included, she and Elizabeth had raised their hands.
She was happy that West had dropped them off in the village today. They had gone to story time, and now they had a perfect mission for their day in town.
When they arrived at the store, Elizabeth went right past the door and headed over to the big window to look in at the castle she had been dreaming of.
“It’s still here,” she told Dulcie happily before pressing her little face right against the glass to take in the stone walls and the tiny figures on the turret.
Dulcie smiled at the sight. It was so nice that Elizabeth’s world was a safe place where her biggest worry was that she might not get the toy she was dreaming of this Christmas.
West gave his little girl a life most children could only dream of.
I’m going to give Delphine a wonderful life too, she told herself happily. I can’t start her childhood over, but we’ll start making up for all the bad stuff as soon as she gets here.
When the lady working inside smiled and waved to them, Dulcie figured she wasn’t going to get a better opportunity.
“Let’s go in,” she said to Elizabeth. “Maybe the nice lady will want to help us help the kids.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth said, peeling herself off the window right away.
Dulcie was impressed yet again that this little girl had such a big heart.
“Hi there,” the lady said when they stepped inside. “Can I help you find something special?”
“We’re volunteering to put together stockings for children at a shelter in the city,” Dulcie explained. “We wondered if the owner is around to talk about possible donations.”
“Travis is a very generous man,” the lady said with a smile. “If you’ll wait for a moment, I’ll duck in the back and see what he has in the donation box today.”
“Can I look at my castle?” Elizabeth asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Dulcie told her. “But you won’t touch anything, right?”
“No,” Elizabeth said, looking scandalized.
Dulcie smiled and watched as the little girl dashed back toward the window display, this time admiring the castle from inside the shop. Luckily, Dulcie could easily keep an eye on her from her spot at the counter.
The lady came back out again a few minutes later with a pretty, reusable shopping bag that had the store’s logo on it.
“These are all the smaller toys he has back there for donation,” the lady said. “They’re mostly cars and horses, and there are a few packs of stickers too. You’ll want to remove the price tags.”
“Wow,” Dulcie said, gazing down at the full bag of brand-new toys. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
“Travis is a good guy,” the lady said. “He always says he would rather donate than discount, so normally when he replaces inventory, he gives away a lot of what’s left of the old stuff.”
“Please thank him for us,” Dulcie said.
Turning back to Elizabeth, she saw the little one was still gazing at the castle.
“Her dad got one for her already,” the lady confided. “But I guess you knew that.”
Dulcie blinked at the lady for a moment before realizing that she must think she was Elizabeth’s mother.
“Oh, yes,” she said, not wanting to have to explain, and secretly loving that someone would make that assumption.
“Actually, we were out of stock on the princess when he came in, but we have one now,” the lady told her. “Do you want it?”
“Um, yes please,” Dulcie said. “Thanks so much.”
She still had her pay in her pocket, and while she wanted to save every penny, getting the princess for Elizabeth felt like the right thing to do. She wanted to support the store after their really wonderful donation. And it was also a way to thank West for everything he had done for her.
Besides, she knew the little princess would make Elizabeth smile, and she was finding it awfully hard to resist doing anything possible to earn a sweet smile from her favorite preschooler.
“I’ll just wrap it up, and then we can stick it in your big bag,” the lady suggested.
Dulcie paid and tucked the package with the princess into the bottom of the donation bag, feeling a shiver of happy anticipation that she was going to be giving Elizabeth something that would make her so happy.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked Elizabeth when the transaction was finished.
Elizabeth nodded, her eyes solemn.
“Let’s head out then,” Dulcie told her. “Maybe we can go say hi to your Aunt Charlotte at the ice cream shop.”
“Okay,” Elizabeth said, looking much more cheerful.
As they walked back out into the little town, hand in hand, Elizabeth began singing “Jingle Bells” in a bright, cheerful tone. The people they passed with their packages, strollers, and little dogs on leashes all smiled at the sweet, happy girl.
She’s starting to let her hair down more easily, Dulcie thought proudly to herself. I’m so lucky to have this time with her.
If only it didn’t have to end…