Christmas Eve
Ben knelt down and adjusted the halo of Dez’s angel costume. “That was the best Bible verse reading I’ve ever heard, young lady.”
She beamed at him. “I memorized it myself.”
“Yeah, well, I bet your mom helped a lot, too.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Only a little.” She slipped her hand into Ben’s. “Come on. Didn’t you hear Pastor Reggie say there’s cake downstairs?”
Ben hesitated for just a moment, glancing at Jade. “You coming?”
Jade adjusted her earrings and nodded at him. He slipped his hand behind her back then leaned in. “Mmm. What’s that beautiful smell?”
“That’s Mama’s perfume you gave her,” Dez announced. “She wears it all the time because she says it reminds her of you and how you kissed her that night the crazy lady got arrested.”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “I thought you were asleep in the backseat when that happened.”
Dez shook her head proudly. “Nope. I’m just a really good actor.”
He chuckled. “Yes, you are. Your performance tonight was bar none.”
Dez pouted. “What’s that mean?”
“It means you were fabulous, baby,” Jade answered. “Now leave Mr. Ben alone.”
“Don’t you mean Officer Ben?”
They made their way downstairs, and Dez rushed toward the dessert table.
Ben turned and faced Jade, taking both her hands in his. “So she’s doing well?”
Jade nodded. “Yeah. She’s talking with a social worker at the clinic about what happened, and we’ll drive in to see a play therapist in Palmer next week. From everything I can tell, she’s doing fine. I’m the one who still feels like a wreck around here.”
He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. “I think you’re doing a wonderful job.”
Jade squeezed his hands. “So, you’re still coming over for Christmas dinner at Aisha’s tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, what time should I be there?”
“Around three, but don’t expect to eat until five or later.”
“How’s Aisha after getting knocked out, by the way? I haven’t talked to her since that night in the clinic.”
“She’s fine. They ended up sending her to Valdez for an MRI just to be safe, but the swelling was already way down, and she’s back to her normal self.”
“That’s good.”
Upstairs, a Christmas carol soundtrack played loudly enough to be heard over the laughter and conversations in the fellowship hall. Jade looked around at her friends from Glennallen Bible Church, men and women had braved the cold to search for her daughter, families who had donated some of their own presents to make sure Dez had plenty of new toys, far more than she would ever need.
It was a hodgepodge collection of young and old and far from a perfect assembly. Pastor Reggie was still suffering from laryngitis and could barely croak out tonight’s closing prayer. His small son had fallen asleep backstage, leaving the bottom half of the donkey to complete his role without a head. While folks mingled around the dessert table, a mother scolded her teenage daughter, and a husband who was known to only come to church when his wife dragged him in on holidays was sulking in the corner.
If you were to poll everyone here, each one would probably have a handful of suggestions on how to make Glennallen Bible a better church. Some were vocal in their complaints about the music, the children’s ministry, or the way the pastor’s kids fidgeted in their seats. But tonight, there was no other group of people Jade wanted to spend the holidays with.
Tonight, she truly felt at home.