Chapter 8
When they reached Sweetwater Creek, Malcolm dropped Josie at her place.
“See you Monday?” she said, struggling to get out.
He jumped out of the jeep. “Wait a minute. Let me help you.” Leaving the door of the jeep open, Malcolm dashed around the front.
Sometimes Josie could be so independent that he wanted to strangle her.
Did she think that he wouldn't notice her eyes flagging as they drove back to Sweetwater Creek?
He walked her up to her front door and helped with her keys.
Of course all the way to the door, she insisted that she didn't need help.
At the last minute, he decided not to tell her that he intended to spend Sunday at the library.
He was still catching up on some things in the system.
“Okay, see you next week.” Josie looked so forlorn as she shut the door.
He hated to leave her standing there. Oh, she put up a good act as an independent woman doing her own thing.
But sometimes he wondered. What was the deal with all those boxes stacked all over her living room?
Sliding back into the jeep, he put it into gear.
Of course she would never ask him for help.
When she’d taken that tumble earlier in the day, Malcolm had been worried.
Josie being Josie, she wouldn’t go to the urgent care center.
Stubborn as all get out. And she should have spent the day with her feet up, not washing dishes at the clinic.
Still, he had to admire her spirit. She was a woman who could do just about anything she put her mind to. That was admirable.
It wasn't until he pulled into the parking place behind Victoria’s Pantry and his apartment, that he noticed the construction paper ornaments tucked next to the passenger seat.
Josie must have forgotten them. He wasn't surprised.
Their conversation on the way back had been disjointed and part of that was his fault.
His head was filled with his brief time with Derek Darling. The doctor had tried to be encouraging.
Malcolm had no plans for the evening. As he sat there in the parking lot, he noticed that the back door to Victoria's Pantry was ajar. Maybe he’d go in and hang the ornaments on the tree himself. Save Josie some time.
As he drew closer, he could hear women's voices. One was definitely Victoria. She had a Valley Girl cadence to her voice that made him smile. The other voice was probably one of the women who worked for her. “I'm so excited,” Victoria was saying. “I can't wait to tell Derek.”
“How do you feel?” the other woman asked. Clearly they were discussing something that was exciting and probably personal. Hesitating in the open doorway, Malcolm almost turned around and left. But he had a handful of those ornaments with kids’ Christmas wishes. He stepped forward.
“So tired,” he heard Victoria say. “And sick to my stomach.”
What was this about? He hoped his landlord didn't have some kind of virus. And then it hit him. Or maybe she was pregnant. “Hello?” He gave a tentative knock on the wall.
“Who's there?” Victoria called out, exiting the kitchen area.
“Didn't mean to startle you.” He felt guilty, as if he had been eavesdropping on some high-level conversation.
“No problem.” Avoiding his eyes, Victoria smoothed her hair, although it looked fine to him.
Like most of the women he knew, including Darcy, she wore her hair long and straight.
For himself? He kind of liked Josie’s bouncy curls.
Of course the curls were a lot like her personality.
Victoria's eyes fell on his handful of cards from Open Hearth.
“What have you got there? Are those what I think they are?”
“A bunch of ornaments from the tree at the clinic. Josie wanted to put them on your tree out front. But she left them in my jeep.”
“Right, the Christmas Wishes.” She tilted her head. “Oh, so you went over there together?”
“Yeah, I wanted to see what it was all about.” He’d been very impressed with the clinic. Maybe he'd have some extra time to spend over there. “It's quite a place and it definitely seems to be well received.”
“My husband is really something. Very dedicated.” Her face flushed with pride, and he wished that Derek could see this moment.
“If you don't mind, I'll just put these on the tree and get out of your hair.” He waved to Darla and continued down the hallway.
“Can I help?” Victoria tagged along behind him. “I like to see what people want. We try to match their needs with our customers. They’ll be so excited. Everyone's been waiting for these wishes. They want to start their shopping.”
The shop was now closed, and the only lights came from a small tree in the window. The tree twinkled with tiny holiday lights as it rotated on a stand. Victoria flipped the overhead lights back on and Malcolm handed her some of the ornaments.
Victoria got busy reading them. “Let's see, a Barbie house. Boy, some lucky girl's going to be happy about this.” She fastened the Christmas Wish onto the tree.
“Little boy’s slacks, size ten,” Malcolm read.
Remembering his own childhood, he wasn't sure about this request. Clothes had never thrilled him, not when he’d asked for rollerblades or a baseball mitt.
But he hung up the ornament. “Frankly, I'm not sure this kid is going to be happy with his mother's request for him.”
Turning, Victoria chuckled as if she agreed. “I'll make a note. Whoever takes that will have to pair the pants with something that's more fun, like night vision goggles or a detective tool kit.”
“That's a relief.” He grabbed another one of the ornaments from the pile. “Getting clothes at Christmas always disappointed me and it was hard not to show it. My Aunt Louise always bought me clothes. Stuff I never would wear. My mother insisted that I keep my disappointment to myself. She was an amazing aunt.” Maybe people never appreciated their older relatives until they were gone. He’d give anything to have Aunt Louise in his life today.
For one thing, she’d always kept an eye on Malcolm’s mother. As sisters, the two had been close.
Together they hung up the ornaments that held sports equipment, dolls and games, along with plenty of tech gifts. “Oh here's a good one. A baby stroller,” Victoria read.
“I think there were some expectant mothers there today.” He thought back. Malcolm had noticed at least one young mother sitting with Ana.
“Those strollers can be very expensive. Maybe I'll take that one myself.”
Victoria wore a secret smile and he couldn't help wondering if Derek knew that his wife was expecting.
He seemed like such a good guy and would probably make a wonderful dad.
Of course Malcolm wouldn't say anything about what he’d overheard.
A flash of what felt like jealousy zipped through him.
Flexing his shoulders to dislodge it, he kept on hanging up the ornaments.
When they’d finished, the tree looked great. “I can't wait until the ladies come Monday morning and see these Christmas Wishes.” Victoria's eyes glowed. “I'll bet they won't last long.”
He nodded. “It's a great tradition. Christmas is all about giving.”
Turning toward him, Victoria gave him a smile. “You're right. It took me a while to figure that one out.”
From what he’d seen of Victoria years ago, that didn't surprise him at all. “Guess I'll get moving along.”
Malcolm headed for the back door and Victoria snapped off the lights.
Once upstairs, he splashed some water on his face and checked out the refrigerator.
Absolutely nothing. A trip to the grocery was in order.
Pretty soon he would have to start cooking something for himself.
But for tonight he was going to Comeback Inn.
After taking a quick shower, he was ready.
One quick glance out the front window told him that the lights were coming on in the square down below.
The Christmas vision filled him with a sense of peace.
Christmas wasn't really about the presents, not for him.
The season was about good memories and hopes for the future.
And the Sweetwater Creek square did it for him. And he hoped Darcy would feel the same.
When he reached the Comeback Inn, the place was crowded and the jukebox was booming with “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Although a couple of the pretty ladies at the bar were giving him the eye, he had no interest. He ordered a burger and fries and was happy when the food came quickly. An hour later he was back home.
Home. It was funny how satisfying that felt to him. He’d texted Darcy that he would call tonight and she picked up on the second ring. “It's about time. I was waiting to hear from you.”
“Sorry, I had to get something to eat.” Sometimes he felt guilty that he’d come home to Sweetwater Creek while she was still stuck in New York. Saturday was date night no matter where you were. And from what she said, all she had to occupy her was planning for their wedding.
“What have you been doing?” Darcy sounded a little miffed.
Sometimes he wondered if Darcy gathered all the information from their conversations and passed it along to his mother.
A couple of days ago his mother had called to ask him about his new apartment, but he didn't remember filling her in about that yet.
“Great day. Discovered a new clinic where I can volunteer some time.”
“Do you have time for that?”
“I do and I like doing something worthwhile.”
“Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?” Darcy had given him a long list of things she’d like for Christmas. No way could he compete with her parents. He hadn't bought a thing yet.
“Haven't even started.” There. He’d laid it on the line. “Don't you think we should be cautious about this Christmas, considering we have a wedding coming up?”
“Fine time to tell me. I have a pile of gifts in the corner of the dining room for you.” Okay, she sounded upset.
Darcy still lived with her parents and he supposed that made a lot of sense.
Why get an apartment when she would just be moving down here?
Of course he'd been in her parents’ dining room.
One corner of that enormous room with a massive fireplace could hold a lot of presents.
Similar to his mother’s place, the Hightowers owned one of the large New York apartments.
Theirs overlooked Central Park. Guilt fell over him, dimming the excitement he’d felt that day.
“How is the wedding planning going?” That question always got her off and running.
While she rambled on about menus, seating plans, and the search for the perfect wedding dress, he kicked back on Victoria's purple sofa. His laptop was open on the ornate coffee table in front of him. It sounded as if Darcy’s parents were going all out for this wedding, which made him uncomfortable.
His responsibility was the rehearsal dinner and his mother had taken that on with gusto.
Looking back over his day at Open Hearth, he imagined that all the money that would be spent on this wedding could fill a lot of Christmas Wishes. And that didn't sit well with him.
While Darcy filled him in on wedding plans, his mind wandered to those construction paper ornaments from the clinic.
Had Josie realized that she’d left them in the jeep?
Maybe he should let her know. With the phone sitting next to his keyboard, he quickly wrote a message to Josie.
“Great time today. You left something in the jeep but I took care of it.” The message went out while Darcy continued to talk about the food sampling she was doing with their two mothers.
Getting up, he walked to the front windows and looked out onto the square. Night had fallen and the tiny lights that was strung through the trees twinkled. He felt lucky that he’d scored this apartment.
“Malcolm? Are you there?”
He jerked. “Sorry. I'm just taking in the square.”
“The square what?” Her voice felt sharp and impatient.
“Sweetwater Creek square. I think I told you about it. My new apartment looks out at the square.”
“Oh that. Sounds pretty, but it couldn't be as exciting as Times Square...or Central Park.”
Well, he wasn't even going to go there. He’d made it clear what he thought of Times Square.
Way too busy. Way too much going on. “You mentioned you would come for a weekend before Christmas. Do you have any date yet?” He was eager for her to see the town and meet everyone. Maybe he could take her to the clinic.
“Oh, I don't know. There are so many activities planned here in town. The hotels are so gorgeous this time of year. Mama and Daddy are taking me to a holiday party at the club. By the way, they're having a gala there for New Year's Eve. Can you come?”
The idea of a gala filled him with dread.
It meant wearing his dad's old tuxedo which was stuffed in a closet somewhere.
“I really don't know what my plans will be. I thought you might be here for the holidays.” The Hightowers belonged to the club where his mother was also a member.
She would probably be excited about the gala.
He’d been to that kind of activity in the past and it didn't fill him with the good feeling he got from being in this town.
So he didn't say anything. They hung up shortly after that.
Suddenly he felt closed in. The lights below beckoned to him and he was out the door as fast as his legs would carry him.
Walking the paths through the square calmed him.
The activity steadied his racing pulse and eased the tightness in his chest. He had to get Times Square out of his head.
Was his life on a collision course? That night it certainly felt like it.