CLAIRE slammed the lid on the box and dropped it back in the plastic tub. Swallowing hard, she turned to gaze up at Alex and hoped that he hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
To her dismay, a curious wrinkle had appeared on his high forehead and she recognized the question in his midnight-black eyes. Determined to divert his curiosity, she managed a reassuring smile. “Sure. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged, but the furrow didn’t disappear. Funny thing, but his speculative gaze made her feel as if he could see into her very heart.
“You looked a little…tense,” he finally said.
If “tense” was a polite way to say she looked as if she was in the middle of a panic attack, then he was right. She drew in a deep breath and prayed that her smile would appear sincere.
“Did I?” She cast around and tried to think of an excuse for the grim expression she’d obviously been wearing. “I was just going through the things we’ve used in years past.” She motioned to the bags in his hand. “Did you find what you wanted?”
His chuckle was like a soothing balm to her stressed nerves. This man radiated calm, and at the moment she needed it as desperately as a diabetic needed insulin.
“And then some,” he said. “Jennie insisted we buy lots of icicles. She claims it would look anemic if every branch wasn’t dripping with them.”
“Big word for a little girl.”
He shrugged. “One of her friends’ mothers took iron tablets and she asked me why. Anyway, when it comes to Christmas, there’s no such thing as ‘too much’ of anything.” He grinned. “She struggles to whittle her wish list down to her five most wanted things.”
So much for Claire’s philosophy of “less is more”. She’d be lucky if they finished today.
Realizing Alex was alone, she asked, “Where is Jennie, by the way?”
“At the soda pop machine. She’ll be here shortly. Before she arrives, though, I have a favor to ask.”
Alex rarely asked for favors—at least, he rarely asked her. On those few occasions, they’d been relatively minor requests, like dropping off a letter at the clinic’s post office box outside in order to meet the pick-up deadline. Now the tentative note in his voice and obvious uncertainty suggested that this time his “favor” might not be a simple one.
On the other hand, it couldn’t be worse than the task now facing her.
“Ask away.”
He rubbed one temple and she noticed the few threads of silver in his dark hair. “Would you mind starting without me?”
“You can’t desert me. You got us into this mess,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as frantic as she felt. She’d hoped to hang in the background and watch Alex and Jennie work.
“I won’t abandon you. I only need to look over a few reports and make a few phone calls that I can’t put off.”
“We could wait.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be.” He glanced around the room. “The patients probably wouldn’t appreciate stepping over all this clutter.”
Trapped. That’s how she felt. Utterly, totally, completely trapped.
“Knowing my daughter,” he added, “she’ll probably want to do it all by herself, but if you could work together…?” His voice trailed off as he raised one eyebrow in question. “Make sure she doesn’t go overboard.”
At eight, Jennie was more than capable of hanging ornaments by herself, but if it made him feel better to think they were working together, then so be it. As for going overboard…
“I get it,” she said lightly. “You want me to play the heavy if she gets a hare-brained idea.”
“Sort of, but not really. You see, at home we use everything we have, but no one sees it except us. This…” he glanced at the tree “…is being judged.”
For herself, Claire didn’t care about a contest, although she knew their tree would reflect good or bad on both her and Alex. For that she owed him the best job possible, even if she was being forced into it. “I’ll try.”
“Great.” The worry in Alex’s eyes faded and he glanced at his watch. “Where is she? It doesn’t take this long to buy a fruit drink.”
“Maybe she’s eating a snack, too.”
“Probably.” He sighed as he rolled his eyes in apparent mock frustration. “It doesn’t matter that she ate lunch forty minutes ago. There’s some sort of psychological tie between the end of the school day and food. You’ll see.”
“I have a few years before I’ll notice,” she said.
“Joshua might be only two but, believe me, you’ll blink and he’ll be twelve,” he assured her. “They don’t stay babies forever.”
“So true.” Already Joshua was exerting his childish independence and it wouldn’t be long before he’d prefer playing with his friends to being with his mother. Right now, she could meet his nurturing needs, but would she be enough for him when his interests turned to more masculine pursuits?
Worry about that later, she told herself. As her mother had advised, take one day at a time.
Before Alex could share more parental tidbits, his daughter burst into the room carrying a shoe box, presumably filled with her hand-made snowflakes. Jennie’s small face was wreathed in smiles and Claire once again noted how closely she resembled her father with her dark hair and eyes. She was a pretty child, which wasn’t unexpected when one considered Alex’s good looks. As far as Claire was concerned, the thin scar running from her nose to her mouth that marked every child born with a cleft lip was hardly noticeable. Her speech patterns suggested that her palate had been affected, too, but all in all she sounded quite normal.
She was also tall for her age and with her beautiful smile and thick eyelashes, she’d give Alex a few more gray hairs when boys started to notice the gem in their midst.
“Can we start now?” Jennie asked, unable to stand still in her excitement. “Can we?”
“Sure thing,” Alex said as he tugged on Jennie’s ponytail. “I’m going to work in my office for a while, but Claire’s going to help.”
The excitement on her face dimmed. Jennie pulled Alex aside and said in a loud whisper, “But, Dad, you said you would.”
“And I will,” he said firmly. “But first I have to clear my desk. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“But—” the little girl protested.
“But nothing. This is the way it is, and if you argue you won’t help at all.”
Jennie frowned, but held her tongue.
“Now, now. Claire won’t bite.” He looked over Jennie’s bowed head to wink at her. “Remember, Claire’s in charge.”
“But, Daddy,” Jennie wailed. “I drew it out so we’d know what to buy. If she doesn’t like my idea, we can’t change now.”
Claire decided to step in. “Your father has told me all about your plans. I think they sound wonderful. Why don’t you show me your drawing so I can picture the tree the way you do? Then we’ll get busy.”
Somewhat appeased, Jennie pulled a folded piece of paper out of her jeans pocket. Claire sensed, rather than saw, Alex’s stealthy departure, and she sent him a silent admonition to hurry back.
Jennie handed her the now unfolded scrap of paper. “Daddy said this looked great.”
Knowing that she couldn’t disagree, Claire studied the colored artwork, complete with both large and small snowflakes and frosted glass icicles. To her surprise, she didn’t want to. “This is really good. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Jennie grinned. “Really?”
“You’ve thought this out well. I do have a suggestion, though. Blue is a cool color, so why don’t we add shiny blue balls for a little extra sparkle?”
“OK.”
The decision made and tragedy averted, Claire injected as much enthusiasm as she could muster into her voice and squared her shoulders. “Where should we start?”
“You’re in charge,” Jennie reminded her, as if Claire had forgotten their hierarchy.
“Ah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen to my helper’s ideas.”
“My dad always puts the lights on first.”
“Of course. How could I forget? Do you want to handle that by yourself?”
Jennie studied the tree for a moment. “I’m not tall enough to reach the top. Not yet, anyway.”
Fortunately, the strand of lights Claire had chosen was in working order and it didn’t take long for her to position it to Jennie’s satisfaction.
“What’s next?” Claire asked.
“The ornaments,” Jennie informed her importantly.
“Snowflakes and icicles. Why don’t I dig them out of their packages and you can hang them wherever you’d like?”
“OK.”
Claire removed the cartons from the plastic sacks Alex had carried in while Jennie threaded the wire hangers through the holes on her paper snowflakes.
“Your little boy is cute,” Jennie commented. “I saw him the other day when you were outside. It looked like he was having a good time playing in the leaves.”
Claire remembered. They had spent all day Saturday doing yard work. She had raked and Joshua had spent his time destroying her piles. “He did.”
“I bet he’ll love seeing the Christmas lights.”
“I’m sure he will.” She’d drive him through their neighborhood and the park when the weather co-operated so he could see the elaborate display that was touted as being the largest in the county. Fortunately, he was still too young to wonder why they wouldn’t have Santas and snowmen in front of their house when the majority of people did.
“We’re going to buy our tree on Friday,” Jennie went on.
“That’s nice.”
“Do you have a real tree or an artificial one?”
Claire wasn’t sure how to answer. “Neither.” At Jennie’s puzzlement, she added, “I haven’t had a tree for a few years.”
“You haven’t?”
“No.” She changed the conversation with a falsely bright tone. “Would you look at that? We’ve used all the wire hangers. I’ll look in the box for more.”
“OK.”
Claire was glad she’d diverted Jennie’s attention, but as soon as she returned with an unopened package, Jennie asked, “Why don’t you have a Christmas tree?”
How could she make Jennie understand why the season didn’t give her the joy it gave everyone else? “It’s a lot of work for Joshua and me.”
“Doesn’t Joshua’s daddy help you?”
“He’s in heaven.”
“Ah,” Jennie said in an understanding way. Then, just as Claire was certain she had accepted her explanation, the youngster kept going. “My dad and I are by ourselves and we don’t think it’s too much work.”
How could she counter that? “Yes, but you’re not a baby. You can handle most of the job on your own.”
“Except for the top.”
“Except for the top,” Claire agreed.
Jennie looked thoughtful as she hung another ornament. “Babies aren’t much help, I suppose. They’re always in the way, too.”
“That’s right.”
“Does Joshua have a grandma or a grandpa who could watch him?”
“Yes, but they live in San Francisco and we don’t see them often. What about you?”
“My grandma lives here. My dad grew up in Pleasant Valley, but they moved away when he was thirteen. After my grandpa died, my grandma came back. Last year, Daddy decided to move here, too, so Grandma wouldn’t be by herself.”
“I’m sure she was glad you did.”
Jennie nodded. “It’s me, my dad and grandma. Oh, and Mrs Rowe. She’s the housekeeper.”
“How nice for you to have so many people taking care of you.”
“Yup. Some of my friends have stepmoms and stepdads, but I don’t need one. I’m practically grown up.”
Claire hid a smile. “I can see that.”
Jennie stood on tiptoe to hang a snowflake, but she couldn’t reach the uppermost branches. She tried several times, before giving up.
Claire wondered if she should volunteer, but Jennie seemed determined to accomplish as much as she could on her own. Alex had made it plain that Claire played an integral part in this project, too, but Jennie clearly didn’t want anyone usurping her father’s duties.
It became more apparent when Jennie dragged a chair close to the tree and stood on the seat cushion. After placing a snowflake on the highest limb, she beamed triumphantly before she jumped down to select a glass icicle. Before she could climb on her makeshift stool again, Claire stopped her.
“If you fall and hurt yourself, we’ll both be in trouble,” she told Jennie.
“I won’t fall.”
“Probably not,” Claire agreed, “but accidents happen. You wouldn’t want to break your arm or leg, though. You’d miss out on a lot of fun.”
Jennie frowned. “But I can’t reach high enough.”
“Do what you can with both feet on the ground,” Claire advised. “Your father can help with the rest when he comes back. He should be here shortly.” She hoped.
“OK.” Suddenly, Jennie hesitated. “You could probably do the top.”
Claire sensed how difficult it had been for the youngster to offer. It was just as difficult for her to accept. “If your dad hasn’t returned by the time you’ve finished the rest of the tree, then I will. In the meantime, I’ll supervise.”
Satisfied with Claire’s answer, Jennie resumed her duties while Claire watched and tried not to remember her own tree-decorating occasions. She and Ray would spend hours good-naturedly arguing over where to place each ornament while they drank hot apple cider and ate the shortbread cookies she traditionally bought for this special day.
Could she go through the motions alone this year, with only Joshua for company?
She would, she determined, but on a much smaller scale than before. A stocking for Joshua, a few twinkly lights on the mantel and a twelve-inch, no-assembly-or-decorating-required fiber-optic tree would provide all the holiday cheer she needed or could tolerate.
It might not be much, but it was better than nothing.
Alex ambled out of his office, determined to let another five minutes pass before he joined Jennie and Claire. His excuse for paperwork had been just that—an excuse—but he had his reasons. Jennie’s teacher had mentioned at their last conference that she was extremely territorial and needed to work on what Mrs Vincent called a “team attitude”.
He’d known that she preferred having things her way—what child didn’t?—but he assumed her disposition was due to a double dose of the “onlies”. Being an only child of an only parent was a drawback when it came time to learn about sharing and compromise.
As the years had marched on, he’d thought she’d outgrown that phase, but Mrs Vincent’s comment proved otherwise. For a man who prided himself on his powers of observation, it had been a humbling pill to swallow.
Which brought him to the Christmas tree issue. Perhaps if Jennie had to work with someone who wasn’t as interior-design-challenged as he was, she might learn the fine art of compromise. Now he wondered if he should have fully explained his plan before thrusting Claire in the middle of it.
He quickened his step, then halted in the doorway to survey the scene. Claire was busy tidying the room while his daughter happily hung her snowflakes.
Alex should have joined them, but he wanted to see how the two interacted almost as much as he wanted to feast his eyes on the woman he’d hired.
Claire was taller than most women, attractive and had short straight, coppery-colored hair. Her voice was always calm and soothing and, no matter how stressed his day was, a few minutes in her presence lifted his mood more effectively than anything money could buy.
She was slender, and he suspected that Joshua would grow up with the same build. Today she wore a scrub suit with kittens of all shades playing with an assortment of yarn. Idly, he wondered where she found her uniforms because the fabric designs were so different from everyone else’s.
He started forward, but her expression made him hesitate. She looked almost…grim, as if the chore was more detestable than fun.
He realized something else. Claire and his daughter weren’t working together, as he’d imagined.
So much for his carefully thought-out plan.
He strode in and used his most hearty voice to disguise his disappointment. “How are you two ladies coming along?”
“Fine, Daddy. I saved the space at the top for you.”
He eyed the bare branches that were far beyond Jennie’s reach but well within Claire’s. “Jennie,” he warned, “you were supposed to let Claire help.”
“I know,” Jennie assured him with wide eyes. “But she said to save those for you. If you didn’t come back soon, then she would do your part.”
“It’s true,” Claire chimed in as she placed another box that Jennie had emptied into the storage crate. “I volunteered to be a technical consultant until you arrived. With her eye for detail, it seemed a shame to stand in the way of a creative genius.”
Jennie preened under Claire’s praise, and it was obvious that Claire had won a new friend in his daughter. Perhaps his plan hadn’t completely backfired.
“See, Dad? Everything turned out fine. So hurry up. I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s finished.”
“It’s already beautiful,” he said loyally, “but I’ll hurry.” He glanced around. “Where are the snowflakes?”
“I’ll get them.” Jennie chose one from her box and handed it to him. “Put it in that spot, right there.” She pointed to an upper limb.
“Here?”
“A little more to the left.”
With the paper ornament in place to Jennie’s satisfaction, she handed him another. Once again, she gave him specific directions.
“Bossy-boots, aren’t we?” he teased.
Jennie rolled her eyes. “Don’t you want our tree to be perfect, so we win a prize? Maybe it will be a trip to Disney World.”
“Sorry, kiddo, but the prize is a luncheon sandwich platter for the entire department. Vacations to Disney World or Disney Land aren’t part of the package.”
“Oh.” Her expression sobered. “Well, it’d still be a good thing if we won, wouldn’t it?”
“You bet. In the meantime…” he jiggled a snowflake above her head “…we’d better finish this job before the patients start arriving on the doorstep.”
“OK.” He reached toward a branch, but Jennie stopped him. “Not there, Daddy. Move it a little closer to the blue ball.”
“Yes, Alex. Do pay attention.” Claire’s eyes sparkled with humor.
He faked a groan. “How lucky can a man get to have two women telling him what to do and how to do it?”
“Extremely lucky,” Claire replied. “It isn’t every fellow who has the honor of working with two talented artists—right, Jennie?”
Jennie giggled, and for the next ten minutes Alex did his best to satisfy both, although his daughter was definitely the more demanding of the two. Finally, the evergreen was covered with carefully positioned ornaments.
Throughout the entire process, Alex was conscious of Claire as she stood in the background, offering only an occasional comment. At one point she moved toward the window and stared into the parking lot as if distancing herself from their project.
He couldn’t imagine what had grabbed her attention. Their five-physician family practice waiting room boasted a view of the parking lot. His view, however, revealed a beautiful woman with whom any man would be proud to be seen, himself included.
“Something’s missing,” Jennie announced.
Alex took his mind off Claire and focused on the tree. “It looks good to me. What do you think, Claire?”
She turned from the window to study the pine. “Something is missing,” she finally said.
“I thought so,” Jennie said importantly. “But what?”
“I’m not sure, but if we think about it, I’m sure we’ll figure out the problem.” Then, to Alex’s surprise, she turned to stare out the window again.
“Must be something interesting out there,” he joked.
“There is,” she commented. “Either we have a driver who can’t drive, or…” She stopped short.
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone just parked on the sidewalk. It’s a woman and she’s—Oh, my.”
“She’s what?” He started to see for himself, but Claire was already rushing to the door.
“A woman is carrying in a child,” she said crisply. “He’s limp. Maybe unconscious.”