“I think it’s a lot like that, Nessa.”

  The afternoon found them entertaining Bradley, or was it the other way around, for several hours. Neither Holly nor Vanessa seemed to tire of the task.

  “Is it okay if I go to the skating rink tonight? A bunch of kids from school are getting together just to hang out.”

  “Sure. What time?”

  “I think around seven.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be there?”

  “I dunno. A couple of hours, maybe ‘til nine.”

  “I won’t embarrass you by hanging around,” Holly assured her niece. “I’ll drop you off and run errands.”

  “Cool.”

  Later that evening, after paying for her rental skates, Nessa met up with Ashleigh and Becca.

  “Nessa, did you see Mark yesterday? He looked amazing! He almost touched my hand when Mr. Roberts had us pass our papers forward,” Ashleigh said.

  “I don’t know why you don’t just talk to him, Ash. He’s never going to know you like him if you never even look at him!” Vanessa said.

  Becca nodded her head in agreement.

  “Besides,” Vanessa continued, “I heard Tony and Jeremy teasing Mark, saying that he was in love with someone in our math class. You are the prettiest and smartest girl in class. It has to be you.”

  “Do you really think so?” Ashleigh asked.

  Becca nodded her head.

  “Yes, you goof,” Nessa said. “Come on, let’s go skate.”

  “Ash,” Becca whispered as she nudged her friends’ arm. “He’s here.”

  “Mark?”

  Becca nodded her head.

  Ashleigh’s already pink cheeks from the icy temperature deepened several shades. When Jeremy’s eyes caught hers, she quickly looked away, hurried to the edge of the rink, and began skating in the opposite direction.

  “I don’t get her,” Vanessa said. “She likes Mark, so why can’t she look at him? How come she always runs away from him? She won’t even talk to the guy!”

  Becca shrugged.

  “Hey, Nessa,” Jeremy said as he, Mark and Tony joined them.

  “Hey, Jeremy. Hi Mark. Hi Tony.”

  “Didn’t I just see Ashleigh over here?” Mark asked, craning his head around his friends so he had a clearer view of the people skating on the ice.

  “She was,” Becca said, “but now she’s not. She’s skating, I mean.”

  Nessa looked at Becca curiously. Why was she tongue-tied all of a sudden? Did she like Mark, too? This was all getting too confusing. How was she supposed to keep track of who liked who and who was talking to who and who wouldn’t look at who? She was glad she didn’t give one whit about boys.

  “I’ll see you guys later,” Mark said as he maneuvered himself through a group of kids that were talking nearby. He was on the ice in seconds, his eyes searching for Ashleigh.

  “I’m going to go, too,” Becca said, following right behind Mark.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Nessa,” Jeremy said as he took a step closer so he wouldn’t have to speak so loudly to be heard over all the noise.

  Tony took that as his cue to get lost and joined the others on the ice.

  “What?”

  “Well, you know we’re having this Winter Wonderland thing at school and… well… there’s this dance, and I was wondering… I mean, if you’re not busy or someone hasn’t already asked you, maybe we could go together?”

  A dance. A date. But she didn’t even like boys? Not like them like them, anyway. Nessa had heard about the dance, it was all Becca and Ashleigh could talk about, but she hadn’t planned on going.

  “Nessa? Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, Jeremy, I heard you. I was just… thinking. Can I get back to you with an answer?”

  Jeremy knew he shouldn’t have asked her. Mark and Tony were wrong. Vanessa didn’t like him. He felt like such an idiot and now she was trying to think of some nice way to let him down easy. His stomach rolled and he thought he might be sick. A flush of heat seemed to crawl up his body, at the same time he began to shiver.

  “Jeremy? Jeremy?” Vanessa said as she watched his face turn a deep red and his body begin to sway.

  Jeremy could barely make out Nessa’s words. His head felt thick and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

  Nessa put her arms around him and lowered him to the floor gently, then yelled for Mark and Tony. They responded immediately.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He just…”

  “He’s diabetic,” Tony said. “His blood sugar probably dropped. He needs sugar.” Tony fished around in Jeremy’s pockets and found the candy he always carried with him. “Stay with me, Jer, you’re gonna be fine. Here, eat this.”

  Jeremy was having trouble concentrating, but managed to open his mouth. The sugar-laden candy would help. He just needed to stay awake.

  “I’ll go get him a soda and some food,” Mark said, heading for the concession stand to ask Mr. Grant for the items. When this happened before, Mr. Grant made them promise to come get him and he’d provide the items free of charge.

  Becca said, “I’ll come with you.”

  Ashleigh began to cry. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be fine, really. It’s nothing to freak out about,” Tony said.

  “I’m not freaking out!” Ashleigh said, her voice betraying her words.

  “Does this happen a lot?” Nessa asked.

  “Not a lot, but sometimes. Usually when he gets busy and forgets to eat. See, he’s starting to come around already.”

  Vanessa watched as Jeremy’s shaking diminished a bit and the color in his face began to even out. She was glad Tony had been there. She’d know what to do now if it ever happened again.

  Nessa began picking up a few items that had fallen out of Jeremy’s pocket: a paperclip, two rubberbands, butterscotch and chocolate candies, and his student ID card. Nobody ever liked their student ID photo, but Jeremy’s was good. She wondered if Jeremy Adam Risling always looked so good in photos.

  Laura heard Christmas music as she and Bradley made their way up Holly’s front porch steps.

  “Welcome.” Holly greeted them with a smile.

  “I’ll take Bradley while you two bake,” Nessa said, wrapping him snugly in her arms. “How are you today, Bradley?”

  Bradley grinned.

  “You know he’s in love with you, right?” Laura asked.

  “I’m in love with him, too” Vanessa said, carrying Bradley over to a quilt she had laid out on the floor.

  “Here’s the diaper bag and toys,” Laura said, following them and handing the bag to Vanessa.

  “Thanks.”

  “Let’s get baking,” Holly said.

  For the next four hours, the house filled with delicious aromas as cookie dough was made again and again and baked in the oven. They made plans to get together the following day to decorate them.

  “What’s our strategy, Holly?”

  “I called Monty’s and Ruth’s to see if we could sell cookies outside their store and they said yes. The larger chain stores all said no, since we weren’t selling the cookies for a charity.”

  “I’d rather support small business anyway,” Laura said.

  “Me, too.”

  “I can help you sell, too,” Vanessa offered. “Maybe we can have three locations. I bet kids would buy them at the skating rink.”

  “That’s a great idea, Nessa,” Holly said. “Would you be willing to go by and ask Mr. Grant about it?”

  “Sure. I’ll do it tomorrow on my way home from school.”

  A muffled cry from the bedroom alerted Vanessa that Bradley was awake from his nap. “I’m on it,” she said, heading toward the bedroom.

  “She’s so good with Bradley,” Laura said. “She’s going to make a great mom.”

  “I think so, too,” Holly said.

  John Risling liked watching the kids ice skate, but he didn’t like the cold. He was always cold these days. He could only stand to be at the skating rink about half an hour. Mr. Grant was kind enough to give him free coffee, which helped ward off the chill a bit longer.

  “Hey, Tilly, how are you doing today?”

  “Can’t complain,” she said, as she joined John on the bench near the back of the rink.

  “Did you get some coffee?”

  “Nah, I’m only here for a few minutes, then I’m headin’ up to the recycle. I got me a mess of cans hidden and I need to turn ‘em in.”

  “You get more cans than anyone I know, Tilly. How do you do it?”

  “I just keep my eyes open and never stop lookin’ for ‘em, I guess.”

  They watched the group of young girls twirl and then get chased by the boys as they enjoyed themselves on the ice.

  “I used to be a pretty good skater,” John said.

  Mr. Grant walked up with two cups of coffee and two cookies in his hand. “Good to see you Tilly, John.”

  “Hi, Mr. Grant.”

  “Grant.” John nodded.

  “I’ve got some more coffee for you John, and here’s one for you, Tilly. And, a couple of the best Christmas cookies I’ve ever eaten.”

  “Say, those are the same cookies you gave me, John,” Tilly said.

  “Where’d you get those, Grant?”

  “Laura Davidson and Holly Robinson are selling them. Holly’s niece came by the other day and asked if they could sell them outside the rink and I said sure.”

  “Have they been selling well?” Tilly asked.

  “Like hotcakes. I guess they’ve been getting together every day to make more because they’re selling out.”

  “That’s good news,” John said. “Real good news.” He was happy for the Davidson’s and he hoped they’d make enough money so they wouldn’t have to worry about bills again for a long time.

  “Hi, Tilly,” Vanessa said, as she approached them. “Mr. Grant, I just wanted to say thank you, again, for letting us sell our cookies here. We really appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome, Vanessa.”

  “Vanessa, have you met John?” Tilly asked.

  “I’ve seen you at the Soup Kitchen, but we haven’t really talked a lot. It’s good to meet you,” Nessa said, extending her hand to John.

  John shook her hand and said, “It’s my pleasure.”

  Jeremy and Mark joined them and more introductions were made.

  “You boys look good on them skates. You got good balance,” Tilly said.

  “Thanks,” Jeremy replied.

  “Hey, Jer, we gotta get goin’ if we’re gonna make practice,” Mark said.

  “Yeah, I need to get goin’, too,” Tilly said. “Them cans ain’t gonna recycle themselves.”

  “You headin’ to soup?” Tilly asked as she pushed the rusted shopping cart with the wobbly wheel up onto the curb.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Yep. Your leg actin’ up again, John?”

  “It’s the cold weather; makes me stiffen up.”

  “Me, too. Course everything seems to hurt nowadays.”

  John nodded in agreement.

  Once they reached the church, the aroma of soup edged its way through the cracks in the door.

  “Potato today,” Tilly said.

  “Pumpkin pie, too, if my nose isn’t betraying me,” John said.

  “Hi, Tilly. Hi, John,” Vanessa said. “I have the perfect spot for you, it’s right next to the heater.”

  “Bless your heart,” Tilly said. “My knees thank you.”

  Nessa brought them two bowls of potato soup along with two large pieces of bread. “We have pumpkin pie today, too.”

  After they finished eating, John left and Nessa went to sit with Tilly. “I wanted to ask you if you’d like to join me and Aunt Holly for Christmas? You could come over on Christmas Eve and stay overnight.”

  Tilly’s heart softened at the invitation. She didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, especially at Christmas. The thought of a warm bed and a hot shower sure sounded good, but she’d just return to her real life the next day, so what did it matter?

  Nessa wasn’t sure why Tilly was hesitating. “Come on, Tilly, it’ll be fun. We want you to join us.”

  Holly watched the interaction and decided to give a gentle nudge. “Hi, Tilly. I hope you’ll say yes to our invitation. Nessa is so excited to have you over for Christmas and I’ve been itching to try out a new sweet potato pie recipe, but Nessa’s not a fan. I was hoping you’d be my taste tester.”

  “Well, if you’re sure it ain’t too much trouble.”

  “No trouble at all,” Nessa said quickly.

  “No trouble at all,” Holly confirmed as she placed her hand on Tilly’s back. “We’d love to have you stay with us for Christmas.”

  Tilly hadn’t felt like part of a family in a very long time. She wasn’t even sure she’d know how to act. She thought about it for a few more minutes, then said, “I accept.”

  “Oh good!” Nessa exclaimed as she pummeled Tilly with so much information about the games they’d play and the food they’d eat that it made her head spin.

  “You’ve done it now, Tilly. Once she starts, she never stops,” Holly said.

  Tilly smiled as she wiped a tear away from her eye. She was going to have a real Christmas this year.

  As Holly removed her hand from Tilly’s back and was about to head toward the kitchen, Tilly took hold of her hand and said in the quietest voice, “Thank you.”

  Holly swallowed the emotion rising in her throat. “You’re welcome.” She squeezed Tilly’s hand, then made her way to the kitchen, brushing tears from her cheeks.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Liar.”

  “You know me too well, Jessica Johnston.”

  “I should hope so, we’ve been friends since grammar school. I take it Tilly said yes to joining you and Nessa for Christmas?”

  “Yes.” Holly paused. “I wish there was more we could do. It feels like so little, yet it obviously means so much to Tilly. She’ll be back on the street again after Christmas. It’s just not right.”

  “No, it’s not right.” Jessica leaned over and gave Holly a hug. “What you and Nessa are doing is right, though, and it’s a start.”

  Holly nodded. It was a start.

  As John Risling was about to pass the skating rink, he saw the table laden with Christmas cookies; two boys were seated behind it. They looked familiar.

  “Hi, John,” one of the boys said.

  “Hi. Didn’t I meet you the other day with Nessa?”

  “Yeah, I’m Jeremy, Jeremy Risling.”

  John’s heart seemed to stop beating. He hadn’t said his last name when they met previously. He looked the boy up and down with a critical eye and swallowed hard. Same hair and eye color and general build. “Is your dad’s name Adam?”

  “Yeah. It’s my middle name, too. How’d you know?”

  “Do you mind if I sit in one of those chairs?” John asked.

  “Sure. Here, you can have mine.” Jeremy replied. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” John couldn’t take his eyes off Jeremy, his grandson. He rubbed his hand across his mouth, then reached for the handkerchief his wife gave him years ago. It was hand embroidered with an indigo R. He wiped his nose and tried to close the door to his heart. He didn’t dare hope that he would see his son again.

  John cleared his throat. “You got plans for Christmas, Jeremy?”

  “Oh, yeah, we always spend Christmas Eve at church and then we come home and read Christmas stories and make s’mores and drink hot chocolate. We get to open one present.”

  “Just one?” Mark asked. “We open all our presents on Christmas Eve.”

  “Nope. Mom says just one on Christmas Eve, the rest Christmas morning.”

  “How do you get any sleep?” John asked. “I’d be up snooping all night.”

  “We get up on Christmas morning and open our stockings. We’re always up before mom and dad.”

  “We? You have brothers and sisters?” John asked.

  “Yep. One brother and two sisters. There’s four of us kids.”

  John took a deep breath. He had four grandchildren. He began to cough, as if hope were lodged in his throat.

  “Here, drink some of this,” Jeremy said, handing him his soda.

  John took a drink. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.”

  “What happens next?” John asked.

  “We have pancakes for breakfast and then mom makes us stay out of the kitchen while she fixes this huge dinner for us.”

  “Sounds good,” John said.

  “It always is. This year we’re doing something special. Dad said to set a place for grandpa, that’s his dad. He hasn’t seen him since he was real little. He said he’s hoping maybe if we set a place for him, somehow he’ll sort of know and come join us.”

  John stared at Jeremy as if he was looking at his own son. “Come again?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did you say your dad is setting a place for the father he hasn’t seen in years? Why would he do that?”

  “Dad says sometimes your heart gets filled with stuff from the past, but when you forgive and open your heart back up, it empties out and you have more room in it again. Actually, it’s mom who says that, but dad agrees.”

  John couldn’t believe his ears. As he sat at the table, he looked down at the Christmas cookies; they seemed to shimmer.

  “You can have a cookie if you want.” Mark said. “For free. Nessa said if anyone wanted one, but they didn’t have money to pay for it, we were supposed to give them one for free. I don’t think she’ll make much money doing that.”

  “It’s not about the money, Mark,” Jeremy said. “I like that Nessa cares about people so much.”

  “That’s not all you like about her,” Mark teased.

  “Hey boys, how’s it going?” Mr. Grant asked as he approached the table.

  “We just put more cookies on the table. We sold out earlier and Holly brought by some more before she headed to the Soup Kitchen,” Jeremy said.

 

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