The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection (15 page)

We’re just like a little
family,
Sophie mused.

The mall’s food court boasted a large
carousel, and the music enticed children to come and ride. Angie
and Joey both wanted a turn, so they moved to a table next to the
carousel where Sophie and Mitch could watch closely. Tickets were
purchased, and the kids eagerly chose their mounts. Joey rode on a
large green frog, while Angie climbed aboard a white pony.

“
This is a nice mall,”
Mitch said as they watched the kids ride. “I’m sure Angie will want
to make this a regular visit. Thanks again for helping her find
just the right dress. I had no idea where to look.”

“
It’s no problem at all,”
Sophie insisted. “She pretty much knew what she wanted, and I got a
chance to find some little girl things for Joanie’s baby. It was
fun. And thanks for taking Joey to the arcade. I get pretty bored
there.”

“
Joey’s no problem. He
behaves much better than a lot of the kids in that
place.”

“
His parents would have his
hide if he didn’t!” Sophie laughed. “Joanie and Dave are quite
strict about his manners.”

“
Good for them. Sarah was
that way with Angie. I can’t take much credit for the way she’s
turned out.”

Sophie gasped and stared. “Of course you
can! In addition to being well-behaved, she’s one of the most
loving and caring children I’ve met. She wouldn’t be that way
unless she’d experienced that kind of love. Anyone can see that the
two of you adore each other. She feels safe and secure because of
you.”

He cast her a dubious look. “You really
think so?”

“
I know so. While we were
shopping, she’d find something she liked. And then she’d speculate
about whether or not she thought you’d like it. Your approval means
a lot to her. Sarah might have taught her manners, but if you show
her how much you appreciate her good behaviors, she’ll continue to
use them.”

Mitch nodded. “I guess that makes sense.” He
wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to his side. “Hope the
same goes for you. I appreciate having you here, Sophie, helping me
with Angie, being there for moral support, and making me realize
that moving here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Sophie was speechless. The gesture was
totally unexpected, but to her surprise it felt natural. The warmth
of his embrace set off sparks she’d never experienced with Nate.
She reached around him and squeezed back.

The ride ended, and the kids got off. Since
Angie and Mitch had parked on opposite sides of the mall, they
parted ways.

“
See you on Wednesday, Miss
Sophie,” Angie called.

Their path to the parking lot took them past
the Santa’s Workshop again. Even though she told herself not to,
she peeked at the tall elf on the end. She might as well have
called his name aloud. Nate looked up and his gaze connected with
hers. He gave her a small wave and made a “call me” sign with his
thumb and pinkie. She nodded, but wondered — should she call
him?

Did she even want to?

S
ophie’s indecision nagged
her the
rest of the week. In a town as small as Zutphen, she’d probably run
into him. So she didn’t call him, but she kept her eyes open for
him — at the roller rink, at the grocery store, wherever there were
tall, blond guys. Which, in this town, was everywhere.

Getting ready for Wednesday night church,
her unease flared up again. Nate’s parents attended Zutphen church,
and if Nate was staying with them, he’d probably be there. She
began her rehearsal with the kids by closing the door firmly, as if
closing him out of her thoughts. For some reason, the children
behaved, and they seemed to know what they were doing. The twins,
now that various family members took turns sitting with them,
settled down and participated in the rehearsal. She’d almost
forgotten about Nate until she was on her way out of the
church.

Nate’s parents followed her.

“
Hello there, Sophie. How
have you been?” Lila Vosman asked.

“
I’m fine, thank you. How
are you?”

“
We’re just wonderful, now
that Nate is back. He told me he saw you at the mall a few days
ago.”

“
Yes, that was quite a
surprise. I didn’t know he was coming back.”

“
We didn’t either, until he
showed up at our door.” She leaned toward Sophie as if sharing a
secret. “I think he missed you.”

Sophie chose to ignore that comment. “Did
Nate come tonight?”

“
No, he had to work. He
works every night except Sunday and Tuesday. He’ll be in church on
Sunday morning.”

Great, I have another four days to decide
whether or not to call him.

~~~~

On Sunday
morning
,
Sophie
sat with her sister’s family in the front pew. That wasn’t their
usual place to sit, but today little Abigail would be baptized.
Just before the organ prelude ended, the Vosman family slipped into
the pew behind them. Nate entered the pew behind his mother,
casting a nod her way before sitting down. Though Pastor Sikkema
delivered his usual rousing sermon, Sophie barely heard it at all.
Most of her energy was taken up resisting the urge to turn and look
at Nate. She tried to block out all thoughts of him, but questions
kept running through her mind. Was he visiting his parents, or had
he moved back? Was he here to stay? What had happened to his acting
career? She’d caught a glimpse of him in a commercial or two. And
his first few letters to her had been full of casting calls and
callbacks and promises of success. He’d even hinted at a few
writing jobs for her. But then suddenly the letters and emails had
stopped. She’d assumed he’d found someone else.

She gave herself a mental shake. She was
here in church to listen and learn, not to dwell on her own
thoughts. But it was no use. She woke up once when Joanie, Dave,
and Joey rose for the baptism. Sophie stayed seated, though Joanie
gave her a stare and crooked her head toward the front. Sophie
shook her head. No, she wasn’t really a part of the family. She
watched, smiled, and clapped when Pastor Sikkema took the baby up
and down the center aisle to introduce her to the congregation.
Each time she witnessed one of these, her heart ached a little for
the children she’d hoped to have by now.

Before she knew it, the congregation was
standing for the final hymn. And then the organist began playing
the postlude and everyone turned to leave. She made to follow Dave
and Joanie.

“
Sophie,” a soft baritone
voice called from behind her. His hand touched her
shoulder.

She schooled her expression to one of polite
interest before turning around. “Hi, Nate. What a surprise. Are you
visiting your folks for the holiday?” The pitch of her voice seemed
a bit high, but otherwise she was proud of the way she held it
together.

Nate grimaced. “I guess you could say that.
I’m here for an extended visit.”

“
You must be between
projects. Say, I’d love to chat, but I’ve got to get to the choir
room for Sunday School.”

“
All right. But, Sophie, we
need to talk. Can I call you?”

She hesitated. “Sure. The number’s the
same.” She scooted off before either of them could say more. If she
stayed, she’d probably turn into a blubbering mess, demanding to
know why he’d stopped writing and calling.

Why he’d stopped caring.

~~~~

On the other
side of the aisle, Mitch watched the tall, lanky
guy who’d stopped Sophie. Who was he? She didn’t seem all that
excited to see him. He’d been sitting with Herb and Lila Vosman.
Was he one of the Vosman boys, or was he a guest? Herbert Vosman
was the town’s barber — he cut hair for the men at the Gentleman’s
Cut, while his wife Lila worked on the local women next door in the
Ladies’ Clip. He’d heard Herb talk about his son the actor in
California and had seen pictures of him on the wall. This kid
looked like the handsome young man in the eight-by-ten glossies.
He’d be about Sophie’s age.

Why was he worried about the men who may or
may not be part of Sophie’s life? She’d grown up there, and she
already knew everyone. Work, that’s what he needed. Maybe editing
his photos would distract him from this obsession with Sophie and
whatever man she happened to talk to. He took Angie to Sunday
School and went home. But before he booted his computer, he set a
timer so that he wouldn’t be late picking her up. Melinda might be
off his back, but he had no intention of leaving his daughter
unattended.

Thanksgiving had gone much better than he’d
expected. It had been great having his family around, especially
after the confrontation with Melinda. And thanks to his
kind-hearted daughter, he’d kept his relationship with his
father-in-law. But even with all those people in his house, he
hadn’t been able to help missing Sophie. She would have fit right
in with his family. Much better than Sarah had. He’d always
attributed Sarah’s unease at the Carson family gatherings to
shyness. But deep inside he’d known she really couldn’t identify
with their working class concerns, their casual dress, and their
simple hearty menus.

Yes, he’d learned his
lesson.
Stick to your own
kind
, his grandmother had told him. He’d
thought then she was being narrow-minded, but if he’d listened to
her, things might have turned out different. Of course, then he
wouldn’t have Angie. And he couldn’t regret having her, no matter
what.

Sophie came from working stock, like him.
She’d grown up in this small town, and had values like those he’d
been raised with, and like he wanted to pass on to Angie. But she
didn’t want to stay. Or had her plans changed? She hadn’t mentioned
moving lately. And she hadn’t shied away when he’d hugged her at
the mall.

Was there a chance for them?

T
he morning sun
woke Sophie long
before her phone alarm was due to go off. Rolling over and putting
her blanket over her head failed to help her get back to sleep, so
she finally sat up and reached for her to-do list.

It had been a week since she’d helped Angie
shop for a dress at the mall. A week since she’d felt those
yearnings for a family of her own as she sat in the food court. A
week since she’d felt the warmth of Mitch’s hug.

But unless he started giving stronger
signals that he wanted to develop a relationship, she needed to get
her writing career going. So she listed her tasks for the day,
including follow-up letters to several agents she’d contacted.

Once that was done, she went downstairs to
the kitchen. Joey sat by himself at the kitchen table, devouring a
bowl of cereal.

“
Morning, Joey.”

“
Morning.”

“
Where’s your
mom?”

The boy shrugged. “Probably sleeping.”

Dave entered the kitchen, shrugging his suit
jacket on. “Morning, Sophie. Hey, Sport.”

Joey grunted a response, still shoveling
cereal in his mouth.

“
I just got a text alert.
You don’t have school today. We had a monster storm last night and
the outlying roads are drifted over so the school buses can’t get
through. Lucky kid, you don’t have to go anywhere.” He flinched
when Joey screeched and bounded into the family room to watch
morning cartoons. Turning to Sophie he asked, “Did you have plans
to go anywhere today?”

Sophie shook her head.

“
Great. I mean, would you
mind…”

“
I’ll keep an eye on Joey.
That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

Dave sighed. “I know, but I hate to presume.
I know you’re trying to get your script writing out there too.
Joey’s a good kid, but I feel better knowing there’s someone here
with him, especially with Joanie so tired. Little Abbie still isn’t
sleeping through the night.”

“
No problem, Dave. We’ll
have a great time.”

“
Super. Well, I’d better
get going if the roads around here are bad enough for schools to be
closed. I’ll grab a muffin from the student center if I get there
early enough. Thanks again, Sophie.”

The blast of cold air drifting in when Dave
opened the door to the garage slapped Sophie awake nearly as
effectively as a sip of coffee. Which, she remembered, she still
needed to pour for herself. She shuffled over to the coffeepot,
grabbed a mug from a hook, and poured.

Since Joey was occupied with cartoons in the
family room, she decided to get started on her work. Perhaps she
could find some more places to send samples of her writing. She
brought her laptop downstairs and booted up. First order of
business was email. There was the usual mass of advertising, which
she quickly deleted. There was a message from someone whose name
she didn’t recognize. Was it spam? Her finger hovered over the
delete key.

Curiosity finally got the better of her. She
opened the message and her jaw dropped as she read.

Hello, Sophia Gardner. I
have read your script for
Endless
Summer
and am very impressed with your
writing style. I believe you have a clear talent for scriptwriting
and would like to represent you. I have established contacts here
in the film business and can promise you this script will be seen
and read by top producers. I will do the legwork for you and follow
up on any calls of interest for a very modest percentage of your
earnings. All I ask is a $2000 administration fee to get your
paperwork set up. Payments can be made online…