37. Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Seven
During the church service, all Jane could think about was how happy the girls would be when they handed out the presents. She was grateful that her young charges were on their best behavior in church, and when the choir sang “Silent Night,” she felt the Christmas spirit fill her soul.
All of them felt it. During the long walk back, Mary led them in a rousing round of “Jingle Bells,” and when one group mixed up their part, it led to laughter instead of the usual recriminations. Yes, it was a good day.
The night before, after the girls were in bed, she and Mary had made a plan. One of them would keep the group occupied while the other one moved the gifts from the storage room under the tree. When they let them into the room, it would be an incredible surprise. They’d debated what to tell the girls and ultimately decided to share that the presents had come from the Sheridans. Thank-you notes would need to be written, but that was a chore for another day.
She and Mary had had another topic of conversation the previous night. Mary had said, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if David Sheridan and Eddie came back one day and took us out to dinner?” Her tone had been giddy. “And maybe they’d fall in love with us and we could get married and have babies together!” Jane had agreed that this was a wonderful thought, but she knew it was just a dream. That kind of thing never happened to girls like them.
Once they’d arrived home from church, Mary made an announcement as they headed up the front drive. “I have an idea! We’re going to have a snowman-building contest!” Jane slipped indoors, while Mary organized the impromptu competition. She shook off her wet outerwear and hung everything up to dry, then immediately went to the storage room.
She opened the door and blinked, her heart pounding in her chest. The presents that she’d seen neatly stacked in this very space the night before were gone. While they’d been away for that short time, someone had stolen their gifts. Her knees went weak, and she leaned against the doorframe to keep standing. No. That couldn’t be. They’d never had problems with theft before. Why would this suddenly happen today of all days? The only logical explanation she could come up with was that Mrs. Irving had come back early, parked in back, and moved the gifts already. Unlikely, but possible.
She could only hope .
Jane hurried to the dining room, stunned to see Eddie, Mildred, David, and Jacquelyn standing in front of the tree, with all of the gifts on the floor behind them. “Surprise!” David said with a grin.
Eddie added, “All of us wanted to see the girls open their gifts.”
“All of you wanted that?” Jane studied Jacquelyn’s face for signs of anger, but there was none. Instead, she nodded.
“All of us felt that way.”
Mildred pointed to a bag on the floor off to the side. “I laundered all your clothes and mended your dress too. You can barely see the rip.”
“We’ll get you a new dress as a replacement,” Jacquelyn said hurriedly. “This is just for now.”
Jacquelyn’s demeanor was so different from what Jane had experienced before; it was as if she were a completely different person. Jane said, “Thank you.” She took in a big breath. “I can’t believe you made the long drive back for us.”
Eddie said, “Personally, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Again with a grin that made Jane’s cheeks feel flushed.
“I guess I’d better go outside and get the girls, then,” Jane said, awkwardly pointing behind her. “They’re with Mary making snowmen. A sort of contest.”