Chapter 10
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 bedroom closet 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 young children 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.
Attention grew as Christmas approached in the story. Would the Grinch really steal Christmas? How relieved the children were at the ending. The room burst into applause. Turning around, Josie saw that everyone in the place must have been listening.
“I guess they liked it,” Malcolm said sliding the book back into the shelf.
“You were great, and the kids loved you. This was a terrific beginning for the holiday program.”
Ana approached them with three children in hand and introduced them. Behind her stood a young mother, who looked very pregnant. Josie had noticed her sitting near the children, listening intently while Malcolm read. “And is this your daughter?” Josie asked.
“Oh no, this is Liliana.”
But the girl was shy and remained half hidden behind Ana.
“And when is your baby due?” Josie asked.
Ana glanced back at Liliana, who wasn't saying anything. The two had a quick exchange in Spanish. Turning back, Ana said, “Soon.”
“A Christmas baby. How perfect.”
Behind them, Phyllis was putting out sandwiches. “Why don't we sit down?” Malcolm said. “I think you need to get off your feet. I'll get something for us.”
So she settled at one of the long tables and Malcolm returned with two plates. Suddenly she felt incredibly hungry. Were those some new Christmas Wishes hanging from the Christmas tree? “Let's grab those on our way out,” she said to Malcolm, pointing.
In time, Derek appeared and motioned to her to come into his office. In his hand was a foam boot. “I think this might make things easier for you now.” Malcolm had entered the room and Derek fitted the boot on her. He also had something to put on her shoe that would equalize the length of the boot.
“Thank you so much.” She stood up. Yes, this was more comfortable. Not feminine, not pretty, just comfortable.
“And now I have office hours.” That day a nurse had come with him. Her name was Mandy and she had dimples when she smiled.
“Dr. Darling does maternity visits today.” Phyllis told them. “Mandy is a midwife. Derek only steps in if there is an emergency. But he likes to meet the expectant moms so that they won't be frightened if he's needed.”
“How wonderful. I've always thought that that would be a good way to have a baby. You know, the natural way.”
“That's how they do it in the jungle,” Malcolm said.
“Did you ever help with a birth?” she asked.
“A couple of times. But the village women did most of the work.”
That day there were three young mothers, including Liliana, taking turns to see Derek and Mandy.
Malcolm and Josie got another cup of coffee.
She wanted to stay a little while so that the clients here would feel more comfortable with the library staff.
Or maybe she just wanted to spend more time with Malcolm.
Ana came to join her. Josie glanced around.
“Some of the girls look so young. Makes me feel old,” she whispered to Ana.
“Yes, a couple are very young. Especially Liliana.” Ana shook her head. “I don't know the whole story. But she insists that she cannot keep the baby. An unfortunate situation. She has relatives up north somewhere and plans to go there.”
“The poor thing. I can't imagine.” Josie was touched by Ana’s concern. She seemed to mother all the girls.
The door to Derek's office opened, and he came out. Malcolm went over to talk to him. One of Ana’s children pulled her away, and Josie wandered back to the Christmas tree.
She plucked the Christmas Wish ornaments from the tree.
Then on a playful impulse, she picked up an empty construction paper tree.
What would she wish for? Let's see. Quickly she scrawled two things on the ornament and then jotted her initials at the bottom. There. That looked official.
“Ready to leave?” Malcolm asked, coming up behind her. She quickly crumpled the ornament in one hand. Panicked, she stashed it deep in the artificial tree.
Grabbing the other ornaments she’d collected, Josie turned. “All set. Yep.”
Waving goodbye to everyone, she followed Malcolm outside. One of Ana’s children followed them onto the porch, a very serious look on his face. He must have been about four years old. His big brown eyes were on Malcolm. “Hey buddy,” Malcolm said. “See you next time?”
Somehow, the little guy understood. A big smile wreathed his face. “Next time.”
The door opened and Ana whirled out, motioning to the boy. “Nacho, here you are. Come with me.”
Looking at the Christmas Wishes in Malcolm's hand, Ana handed him something. “Missed one.”
Somehow Josie made it down the steps in her new boot. They both piled into the jeep and took off. “How does that boot feel?” he asked as they drove away.
She stared down at her feet. Would she ever wear sandals again? “Pretty good. But my ankle is feeling better, and I don't think I'll be wearing this wrap for long.”
“Good. Then you can start running with me again.” They left the town behind.
“Miss me, do you?”
For a second Malcolm didn't say anything. Then a smile lifted his lips. “Yeah. Haven't been running since that day, in fact.”
“What a surprise. I should feel flattered.” She felt secretly pleased. “But I think I've been keeping you too busy at the library.”
“That must be it.”
“You’ll make a wonderful father someday.” The words came out of nowhere. Seeing him with the children had left an impression on her. One she would not soon forget. Darcy was one lucky girl. And so were the children who would someday have Malcolm as their dad.
But Malcolm had become strangely quiet. What? No funny comeback? This wasn’t like him. “I've been thinking,” he finally said.
“You do that a lot?”
He laughed and they were back on their familiar, carefree footing. “I try not to make a habit out of it. It struck me that today the children were understanding the pictures and my expressions but maybe not all the words.”
He had a point. “Funny, but the same thing occurred to me.”
“I could try to translate it for them in Spanish as I read.”
“Not all of them are Hispanic,” she reminded him.
“True. But reading the book in Spanish might help make them become bilingual, right?”
“Let's present this to the group back in the library. Eileen is the next one scheduled to go to the clinic to read. She might have some ideas.” A lot was turning in Josie’s mind.
Only later, would she think back on Malcolm's strange silence after she’d made that comment about him being a father.
Didn’t Darcy want children? The thought made her furious.