13 #2
Feeling impatient, Miranda poked her head out far enough to spy Emily licking green frosting from her fingers. Seeing an opportunity, Miranda called out. “Hey, Emily, I think you should go to the bathroom and give your sticky hands and face a really good scrub. Okay?”
“Huh?” Emily looked up from her frosting-covered hands.
“Remember, Emily. It’s almost Christmas,” Miranda warned. “Santa is watching.” Then seeing Marcus’s disapproval, she wished she hadn’t said that. But it was too late. And like magic, Emily had disappeared.
“I’m supposed to give you these,” Miranda said quickly, carrying the two boxes into the kitchen. “But not with Emily watching,” she said quietly.
“What?” He stared at the boxes she was thrusting toward him. “Why?”
“They’re for you. From Christmas Joy.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on. Why have you invaded my privacy and my home? Who gave you—”
“You read Emily’s letter, didn’t you?” she said a bit sharply.
“Your precious daughter has been missing out on Christmas for—well, for years now. And she wrote in to the contest that my good friend Joy Jorgenson held a few weeks ago. Joy, who is nearly eighty-six years old and being transported to a Phoenix hospital with a heart condition right now, just wanted to give Emily the best Christmas ever. I’m sorry if it’s upset your apple cart, but for Emily’s sake, I’m glad. ”
Marcus didn’t say a word, just stared at her as if she were an alien—and maybe she was.
Miranda planted her hands on her hips, staring right back at him—and wishing he was just a little less good-looking.
“I hope you’ll wake up and decide to do what’s right by Emily.
It’s high time you made your daughter’s Christmas a happy one. ”
“I don’t know why you think you’re the expert on what my daughter does or does not need, or why you think you can walk in here and—”
“I’m here because Christmas Joy sent me!
” Okay, she knew that sounded ridiculous as she glared up into his handsome face.
“And your daughter is a perfect delight. And she is not getting any younger, you know! Someday you’ll be sorry for all the things you missed out on with her.
Things like Christmas!” Miranda was backing toward the laundry room as she spoke, hoping to make a fast escape through the garage.
“I’m sorry we caught you off guard. But maybe it was the only way to do this.
” She pointed to the cabinet above the dryer.
“There’s a box hidden up there. For tomorrow night.
Don’t forget! Now if you will please tell Emily goodbye for me, I’ll get out of your hair. Goodbye!”
Miranda turned and ran through the laundry room and then into the garage.
She paused for a moment, almost expecting him to call out or attempt to stop her—to apologize for his abominable behavior.
But when he did not, she continued on outside, stepping out into the blustery snow.
It took her a moment to get her bearings and figure out where she’d parked the RV.
But the rainbow-colored Christmas lights helped her find the way.
And now, of course, the RV was coated with several inches of snow.
She knew she’d have to clean off some windows in order to see to drive, but she wanted to disconnect the electric and get the engine running first. However, when she went around to where she’d plugged the RV in earlier, she was dismayed to see that the cord had been unplugged and the Christmas lights now illuminating the house were occupying the outlet.
She felt a wave of concern as she hurried inside the darkened motor home.
Joy had mentioned the need to connect to electricity to keep the batteries charged during cold weather.
For times when it wasn’t possible to connect, it was imperative to make certain everything in the RV was turned off so as not to drain the batteries.
Had she even done that? In her hurry to get to decorating with Emily, and assuming that she would be recharging all afternoon, she hadn’t turned off anything.
Miranda put the key in the ignition and whispered a prayer as she gave it a turn. There was a brief rumbling sound and then silence. She tried again. Nothing. The battery was dead.
What to do? What to do? Through the darkened windshield, coated in snow, Miranda could see a ribbon of colors from the Christmas lights garlanding the house.
So merry and cheerful looking. Inviting even.
Except that Mr. Scrooge himself lived inside.
No way did Miranda want to go back in there and ask for help.
Even if he did give her permission to plug into an outlet and recharge, she had no idea how long it would take until she could get out of here.
And she was just not ready to crawl back to him.
The sensible thing seemed to be to call a tow truck and get the RV towed into the RV park where she could hook up to electric and get everything recharged.
She had no idea what that might cost, but since she still had Joy’s credit card, she figured she could use that.
And maybe the RV’s insurance had towing on it.
She pulled her phone from her purse to call.
But then she remembered. Her phone, like the RV’s batteries, was dead.