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Susannah was gathering the supplies she needed for Kitty’s sponge bath when the doorbell rang. Who would be stopping by here in the middle of the week?
She made sure her sister was comfortably propped up with her pillows and then trudged to the front door. She had no idea why she was moving so slowly. Usually, the holidays made her feel renewed and energized, but this year she only felt exhausted.
She peered into the peephole, surprised to see who it was, and opened the door.
“Hi.” She knew she must be desperate for company if the sight of Ricky Fields could bring such a rush of warm relief. “Would you like to step in?”
He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on Susannah’s feet. “I can’t stay long.” He held out a tray of colorful Christmas cookies like a protective shield. “My mom made these for you. Said I should drop them off. Said she remembered how much your mom liked baking and worried that maybe you and your sister didn’t have anything nice for Christmas.”
In all the time she’d known Ricky Fields, which had been her entire life, she wasn’t sure she’d ever heard so many words come out of his mouth at once. He looked both exhausted and flushed from the effort.
“That’s really sweet.” She took the tray, which he seemed somewhat reluctant to hand over. “Why don’t you come in and say hi to Kitty?” He cleared his throat again. Susannah wanted to cough on his behalf.
“I can, but only for a minute. Mom’s in the car waiting.” He offered a sheepish grin.
“That’s fine,” Susannah said. “She’s been pretty tired this week anyway.”
“Yeah,” Ricky answered, “I know what you mean.”
Susannah had no idea what he was talking about, but she waved quickly to Mrs. Fields, who was parked in the driveway, and stepped aside to let Ricky through. She glanced around the living room, thankful to find it free from random socks or bras or other embarrassing clutter.
After asking Ricky to wash his hands to keep from spreading any germs, she led him down the hall. Thinking about how excited her sister would be, she stopped outside Kitty’s door and whispered, “You wait here. I want it to be a surprise.”
Ricky grinned conspiratorially.
Susannah hurried into her sister’s room and covered Kitty’s lap and legs with a heavy quilt, the result of an overzealous sense of modesty inherited from her mother. “There’s someone here to see you,” she told her sister. “Want to guess who it is?”
Kitty grunted and slapped her thigh. Her eyes widened gleefully, and for a second, Susannah was paralyzed with fear. What if Kitty thought it was their mom? How could Susannah explain away that kind of disappointment?
She forced a smile on her face. “Here’s a hint. He looks very, very handsome.”
Susannah had forgotten that Ricky was right outside the door and could hear every word she said. Her remark was met with a hiccup from the hall and a loud snort from the bed.
Kitty slapped her thigh once more.
Susannah put on a melodramatic frown. “Then again, you’ve been pretty tired. I guess I should tell him you’re napping. A girl needs her beauty sleep, right?”
Two slaps.
Susannah shrugged. “If you’re sure. I guess I can let him in for a minute, but you better behave yourself or you’ll be in big trouble, got that?” Even while she tried to sound firm, she couldn’t keep the grin off her face. She peered into the hallway and beckoned a somewhat sheepish-looking Ricky inside.
Kitty tensed up every working muscle in her body.
“I think she’s happy to see you.” Susannah smiled.
Ricky stepped up to the bedside, no longer hiccupping. “Hi, Kitty. How’s it going?”
Susannah was about to answer for her out of habit but then stepped back against the wall and waited.
“That’s a pretty nightgown,” Ricky told her. “Is it one of the ones your mom made for you?”
Kitty blinked, and Susannah automatically translated, “Yes.”
“I like it.” Ricky paused for a minute, and as she stared at his back Susannah realized his shoulders had broadened out quite a bit since the night of the homeschool prom. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, I gave your sister some Christmas cookies. My mom made them special for you two. She wanted you to have them. I’ve got to go now, but if it’s all right with you and your sister, maybe I’ll come say hi again. Would that be ok?”
A kick, two blinks, and a smile so big there was no need for interpretation.
Ricky finished saying goodbye, and Susannah followed him down the hall. “That was really sweet of you. Let me grab my boots and I’ll say thanks to your mom.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Ricky insisted. “I mean, the walkway’s really icy. I wouldn’t want you to slip.”
Susannah hadn’t left the house since she’d gone to church last Sunday. She’d had no reason to worry about the condition of her walkway.
“You got any salt?” Ricky asked. “Or maybe some gravel? I could sand it down for you real quick before I leave.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it later.”
“You sure? It’s no problem if you just tell me where everything is.”
“No,” Susannah insisted, embarrassed to admit she had no idea where to start looking for anything like that. “I need an excuse to get some fresh air anyway. Tell your mom thanks, and I’m glad you came in to say hi to Kitty. She’ll be talking about your visit for weeks.”
Ricky gave her a quizzical glance and then a shrug. “All right. Have a good night.”
“Yeah, you too.” Susannah realized she didn’t want him to leave. She was about to tell him there might be some ice melt in the garage, but he was already out the door and down the walkway.
“Merry Christmas,” she called out after him, but her words died in the cold air, and he didn’t turn around.