Chapter 23 #2
Annabeth’s eyes turned murderous, while Mindy gave Kylie a look of newfound appreciation that said she’d underestimated her.
Izzy looked like she wanted to high-five Kylie.
“Bye, guys!” Kylie said hastily, skedaddling toward town with Harriet, her brain exploding into confetti as she tried to process what had just happened. By the time she and Harriet reached the station, half the town would know what Harriet just said.
Should she warn Luke?
For the next ten minutes, she and Harriet walked fast along the streets downtown, Harriet chattering away about the kindergarten class pet, a hamster named Munchalicious.
Kylie didn’t want to know the origins of that name.
Christmas had definitely come to town. The edge of the shopping district was obvious, with fresh-cut greenery and red, white, and silver decorations everywhere, and the occasional splash of metallic pink thrown in for good measure.
Holiday lights were on, even in daylight, the effect cheerful and warm.
Kylie felt the glow of nostalgia for a holiday experience she’d never had as an adult.
Small-town New England Christmases couldn’t be beat.
Especially the ones in her imagination.
Hallmark movies were popular for a reason. Everyone wanted to feel like they fit in somewhere, and that sense was always stronger around holidays with family.
Family of origin, or family of choice. Didn’t matter.
We all just want to be part of something special, where we’re accepted for who we are–no matter what.
“The Christmas parade is this weekend!” Harriet said, pointing to a poster. “Gampa’s helping Santa and he’s going to be in the parade.”
The mention of Luke’s dad made Kylie jolt a bit. That’s right. His parents were coming home from Germany any day now.
“He is?”
“Yes! Santa’s too busy making presents to come to the parade, so Gampa wears a costume and pretends to be him so everyone can be happy. Gampa says he’s secret friends with Santa and he already told him what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“A new mommy.”
Kylie stopped dead in her tracks, heart in her throat.
“A what?” she choked out.
“A new mommy,” Harriet said, unfazed. “I asked for one last Christmas, too, but Santa brought me a tablet computer instead.”
What was Kylie supposed to say to that?
“I always ask for my real mommy, too, but Daddy explained that when someone dies, they never come back.”
Pulse racing erratically, she took Harriet’s outstretched hand in hers, glove to mitten, as they reached the station.
The police station was attached to town hall, a boring red brick building with white pillars and glass double doors at the entry. It looked like a highway rest area, but with bigger antenna towers.
The pink cruisers, however, were not boring. Years ago, someone had the bright idea of making sure none of the police vehicles had blue lights on them. Only red and white.
Until it was pointed out that they had to have blue lights, by law.
Teeth were gnashed, concessions made, but the bottom line was that Luke and his fellow police officers drove around town looking like a box of candy hearts.
The pink and white ones, with a splash of red-hot cinnamon thrown in for good measure.
As she opened the front door, the distinctive scent of bleach, burning rubber, and old burritos mixed with microwave popcorn made her smile.
Every police station had a similar scent.
“NADINE!” Harriet screeched, winding her way down the hall, her little feet having memorized the trek long ago. Kylie was struck by how at home Harriet felt here, grounded and accepted. Her assumption that she had a right to be here was hard-wired into her DNA.
A wave of sadness washed over her. Would Kylie ever find that again?
“Hey there, sweetheart.” Nadine slid the jar of lollipops to the edge of her desk. “Take two.”
“Two?”
Nadine winked at Harriet, long, fake eyelashes framing eyes that alternated between open and loving (toward Harriet), and suspicious and cunning (toward Kylie). “Don’t tell your daddy. It’ll be our secret.”
Harriet went somber. “Daddy says grown-ups never, ever need to have secrets with little kids. Now I have to tell Daddy you said that!”
“I’m right here. You’re terrible at subterfuge, Nadine,” rumbled a voice that sent zings through Kylie’s blood. Luke appeared, a vision in red like his fellow police officers, grinning at all of them. He ruffled Harriet's hair. “And good girl.”
Harriet beamed.
“I wasn’t exactly trying to hide it from you,” Nadine defended herself. Luke rolled his eyes, focusing his happy attention on Kylie.
Who couldn’t help but grin back.
Luke in uniform was quite the strong character, his long-sleeved red shirt tucked into red pants, flat stomach bisected by a black belt.
Law enforcement officers from other towns made fun of Love You, Maine’s uniforms, and the fact that speeding tickets and parking citations were written on heart-shaped paper just added to the mockery.
While Kylie could do without the weird uniform, Luke could wear a brown paper bag and she’d still find him attractive.
Or… no paper bag at all.
His eyes drifted to the container in her hand, then he groaned. “You did not bring those evil temptations with you.”
“I think she’s the evil temptation,” Nadine muttered under her breath, soft enough for plausible deniability but loud enough to make sure Kylie heard.
Then she remembered.
Nadine was Annabeth’s mother.
Nadine Khouri was one of Luview’s institutions, a former PTA president, chair of the Friends of the Library, and wedding coordinator for the local Congregational church, to name just a few of her activities.
There wasn’t a piece of gossip Nadine didn’t know, and the woman had the memory of an elephant.
An immortal elephant.
“Lemon bar?” Kylie offered her sweetly, extending the container with the lid pulled off.
Unlike her daughter, Nadine partook quickly, and with her first bite, Kylie had her hooked.
“Mmmm. What’s in these?” the older woman asked, eyes rolling in ecstasy.
“Angel’s tears and devil’s blood,” Luke joked, winking at Kylie.
The comment was loud enough to bring two more people to Nadine’s desk.
“If being good at baking is a dark art, then guilty as charged,” Kylie half joked.
“These lemon bars are good enough to put someone under a spell,” Nadine added, gaze pinging between her and Luke, her smile widening.
Funny enough, so did Luke’s.