Jingle Bell Blessings (7 page)

“Gordon's always been good with children.”

Sensing no judgment in his words, she relaxed a fraction.

“Jimmy's a great kid. He's fitting right in at the school.”

Mr. Perkin popped a hot crab puff in his mouth. “Leaves you with a lot of time on your hands, I suppose.”

“Yes, actually it does. I'm so used to being in an office ten hours a day—”

“Office?”

“Yes.” She studied him, wondering at his interest. “I've had plenty of experience. I started while I was in college. Took all my classes in the evening.” Chloe hesitated. “I'm sensing you asked for a reason.”

“Not really. Just that we're shorthanded at the moment. One of our regulars is out on maternity leave. And, frankly, we can't afford a temporary replacement. We need to hold
the job open for Melanie because her husband lost his job. He stays home with the kids, at least until he finds some thing else.”

“I'd be happy to help.” The words flew from her mouth before she gave them thorough consideration. “I do have a lot of time on my hands. I would need to leave every day in time to pick up Jimmy from school, but in between…”

Mr. Perkin studied her again. “I might just take you up on that offer.”

“I hope you will.” As she spoke, Chloe realized it was true. Accustomed to being busy, she was restless between the time she dropped Jimmy off at school and then picked him up. Without anything concrete to fill the time, she found herself worrying about him. What if the other kids didn't treat him kindly? What if he got scared? Each day when Chloe picked Jimmy up, he felt more and more comfortable.

But the idle time allowed her thoughts to drift. And often in directions she didn't want—Evan intruded constantly on her thoughts. Chloe rationalized that it was because he was the one she had to convince, the one standing between Jimmy and his happiness. But, today, as she had stared into Evan's eyes, she'd wondered.

Drawn by her own thoughts, Chloe raised her face, trying to casually gaze around the room. But when her gaze stopped on Evan, she felt a peculiar pit in her stomach. Her breath shortened. Not wanting him to see her reaction, she turned suddenly. Fortunately, she turned in Jimmy's direction. Even though he stood next to Gordon, he looked overwhelmed by the crowd of strangers. Especially since Gordon spoke in turn with his guests.

Needing to reassure Jimmy, Chloe wove between the crush of people until she reached him. He immediately grabbed for her hand.

“Hey, big guy. I hardly know anyone here and I'm feeling a little lost. Mind if I hang out with you?”

He pressed closer. “It's okay.”

Thelma raised her voice, and the crowd hushed. “Turkey's on the table!”

As people segregated into different parts of the dining room, Chloe anxiously looked for where she and Jimmy had been assigned to sit. She wasn't above switching some place cards if they had been separated. However, she was relieved to see that Jimmy had been seated on Gordon's right and her spot was beside her charge.

Gordon and Evan stood behind the chairs at each end of the table as their guests seated themselves. Chloe was relieved when Perry Perkin sat beside her. She guessed that Thelma had ferreted out the few people Chloe had met. Smoothing a linen napkin in her lap, she then helped Jimmy with his.

Glancing up, her gaze rested on Evan as he walked around the table, then paused behind two elderly ladies, stopping to talk to them and making both smile, then giggle.

Perry followed her gaze. “That's Gertrude Heine and Matilda Depson. Both are widowed.”

“Did their husbands work for the Mitchells?”

“No. Evan knows them from church. Gertrude and Matilda are great friends, but as they've gotten older, their circumstances declined. Neither drives and they lived more than two miles apart. Physically, they couldn't walk that distance any longer. And living on only Social Security, they didn't have much money. Evan suggested they move to Orchard House, the Rosewood retirement home. But neither of the ladies could afford it. So, Evan insisted on paying their monthly fees.”

Chloe knew how much that could be, what a relief it must be for the elderly widows. It was an incredibly generous gesture on Evan's part.

“Matilda and Gertrude worried constantly about their
houses. And, neither one could physically or financially cope with keeping them up. Evan handled turning both places into rentals. He arranged for Gertrude and Matilda to have their favorite pieces of furniture moved to their rooms in Orchard House. Once they got settled there, Matilda and Gertrude had the best of both worlds. Enough that was familiar so they wouldn't feel they had left their entire lives behind. But now they don't have to maintain yards, and aging houses with a million problems.”

Chloe admitted it was a brilliant plan. “And I suppose the rent helps pay for their fees at the retirement home.”

“You'd think so, but Evan insisted they keep the rent money for themselves. He said he knew that ladies enjoyed buying a bauble or two every now and then.”

Having trouble processing Evan's generosity, Chloe frowned. “What about their children? Don't they help?”

Perry shook his head. “Gertrude's daughter moved to California to pursue her music. She struggles just to support herself. Both of Matilda's sons are in the military. They do what they can, but being stationed thousands of miles away, it isn't enough.”

“My brother's in the military so I understand.” The pay was low, the responsibilities enormous.

“Matilda and Gertrude are happier than either one's been in years. The home organizes outings to all sorts of places. Twice a year they go to San Antonio, visit the Riverwalk or the missions. There's always something to do there. They went to a Spurs game last time.”

Chloe grinned, imagining the widows in the midst of their enthusiasm at an NBA basketball game. They probably waved foam fingers and wore team ball caps and T-shirts.

“There are plenty of Mitchell employees here, though.” Perry glanced toward the end of the table. “The two older men sitting next to Evan are brothers who worked for the
company until they retired. Then they fell for a scam targeting the elderly. Lost all their pension money. Evan helped them connect with the state's attorney. But they only recovered a fraction of what they lost. So, Evan insisted we keep making full pension payments to them. It's the right thing to do, he said. I admire Evan's honor and ethics, but as the financial officer, I have to admit his generosity is responsible for me going gray before my time.”

Chloe glanced down, trying to absorb all that he had told her about Evan. Trying to compare it with the shell he had built around himself. To all appearances, he was all business, all shut away.

Then she wondered about Mr. Perkin himself. “And you? Is your family here?”

“I'm divorced.” Although his voice remained calm, his eyes revealed a flash of pain. “My wife moved out of state, took our two children. I see them when I can, but this is her year to have them for the holidays.”

“I'm sorry.”

He sighed. “Me, too.”

Impulsively, she touched his hand. “We don't always have to be in the same room, even the same state, to know our family loves us.” Thinking of her mother, Chloe's throat clogged.

His voice was rugged, too. “I know.”

Within a few minutes, Gordon and Evan both sat down and the group quieted.

Gordon bent his head to offer the blessing. “Dear Lord, thank you for each of these your children, our dear friends and family, gathered here today. Thank you for bringing us together, allowing us to be part of each other's lives. We are grateful for all the bounty you provide, the love you give us, the hope you keep constant. We ask that you let us remember and appreciate the true thanksgiving of each and every day,
the blessings that surround us. Please bless and keep each of these dear friends safe and whole. We say these things in the name of your Son. Amen.”

Amens chorused down the length of the big dining room table and carried over to the second.

Voices blended as platters were lifted, bowls were passed. Chloe couldn't stop thinking about Perry's words. And Evan's. About how the company was having financial worries. She took a scoop of mashed potatoes for herself and one for Jimmy. “Mr. Perkin—”

“Perry.” He speared a piece of ham, then held the heavy dish for her.

“What would you think of Monday?” She picked up the meat fork. “For me to start helping out at the office?”

“I'd think that was the best offer I've had in some time.”

Next, Chloe accepted a bowl of stuffing, offering it first to Jimmy, then taking some for herself. Unable to stop herself, she glanced down the length of the table at Evan. Her thoughts were in confusion as she wondered about him, the real Evan.

“Perry, is there something about Evan's past? Something that…” She paused, seeing a sudden defensiveness in the man's eyes.

“What you want to know about Evan will have to come from him,” Perry replied, circling the wagons around Evan like Gordon had done.

Chloe swallowed, wondering if Evan would ever tell her. Wondering if she dared ask.

 

Despite Thelma's protests, everyone insisted on helping with the cleanup. Dishes were scraped and stacked next to the huge porcelain double sinks. They had filled the dishwasher, but it would take at least a dozen loads to accommodate all the dinnerware and serving bowls. It was more efficient to
hand wash most of them. Besides, Thelma insisted the good china wasn't to even get near the dishwasher.

They all carried platters and bowls of food into the kitchen, lining the counters and filling the table. Since Thelma knew where everything should go, she was in charge of wrapping the leftovers. And there were plenty despite sending everyone home with an overflowing plate of goodies.

But then Thelma had been cooking for days. She had roasted two golden twenty-five pound turkeys and a huge ham, prepared three kinds of potatoes, gravy, two kinds of dressing, yams, green beans, creamed pearl onions, homemade cranberry chutney, fruit salad, then baked plump yeast rolls and enough pies to outfit a bakery. Not to mention the slew of appetizers.

They set up an assembly line to do the dishes. Evan insisted on washing, Chloe was assigned to rinse, then Ned dried and handed the stacks of plates to Gordon who shuttled them into the dining room. Thelma had instructed Gordon to place the dishes on the table and not to try putting things away where she couldn't find them. Meanwhile, Jimmy ran underfoot, fetching and carrying.

One side of the sink was filled with hot, sudsy bubbles, the other with rinse water. Evan wasted little time digging into the mountain of dinnerware. Chloe kept up, swiping plates and saucers swiftly through her side of the sink. A few soap bubbles collected in the rinse water and she reached for the plug to drain the sink and fill it with fresh water.

As she did, Evan plopped a plate in her side of the sink. Realizing at the same moment, that it would fall to the bottom of the sink he grabbed for it. Having seen it coming, Chloe reached out at the same time. Evan's fingers closed around hers as they touched the plate. Chloe froze.

So did Evan.

Time stopped as their fingers grazed, the water swishing around, encasing their hands in a liquid pool of sensation.

“Be careful with my crystal serving dishes,” Thelma warned from behind them as she wrapped potatoes in plastic cling film at the counter.

They didn't jump apart. Instead, Chloe felt as though she moved in slow motion as she tightened her grip on the plate, then looked at the sink, the last of the draining water, the plug, anything but Evan.

He turned, immediately busying himself with another handful of saucers.

Ned and Jimmy talked in the background.

Gordon thumped down in one of the straight-back, oak chairs. “Thelma, you use more dishes every year.”

“And you invite more people every year,” she retorted mildly.

The buzz continued, but all Chloe could absorb was Evan's touch and the way it softened her bones, weakening them clear to her toes.

 

The porch out back was lit by soft gas lights and warmed by the round, full-bellied woodstove. Evan quietly walked across the aged oak planks, his thoughts confused, his emotions splintered.

Night was near silent, everyone and everything sated and tucked away. The sound of footsteps on the yellowing grass led to the broad steps of the porch. Instinctively, Evan stepped back into the shadows.

Chloe climbed the first stair. Sighing, she lifted her face. Platinum beams of moonlight cascaded over her face, enhancing her beauty. But also revealing her tears.

Evan emerged from the darkness. “What's wrong?”

Surprised to find him there, she looked embarrassed,
then hid her eyes. “I'm missing my mother. I know it sounds foolish.”

“If it's foolish to miss family, then the world's mad.” Evan took her elbow and led Chloe to the porch swing where generations of Mitchells had retreated for comfort. He sat beside her, easing the swing into a gentle motion.

Chloe sniffled, another tear slipping down her face.

Unable to stop himself, Evan eased his thumb over her cheeks, wiping away the tears. Her skin was incredibly soft, just as soft as it looked. Unable to stop, his fingers cupped her chin, then tipped it upward.

Despite the dim light, he saw the confusion in her gem-like green eyes. Emeralds, he thought vaguely. So dark they resembled the finest of emeralds. When he didn't draw away, she quaked slightly beneath his touch.

Which made him wish to continue. Caution fled and he dipped his mouth to hers. Tender, welcoming, she kissed him back and he breathed in her clean vanilla scent. Tangling his fingers in her long, silky hair, he lengthened the kiss.

His conscience slammed into gear and he abruptly pulled away.
What was he doing? He had vowed to remain faithful to Robin forever.