Love Finds You on Christmas Morning (16 page)

Lillian told Rose where the bath salts were located. After Rose brought them to the counter, paid, and walked out of the store, Lillian let out a low growling sound. If she hadn’t already told William they couldn’t be together, she would now.

She seethed and fumed until Anne arrived. “What happened to you?” Anne asked.

“Nothing. Tell me if you see William. I need to talk to him as soon as possible.”

Anne pointed toward the street. “He’s over at the bank right now. Why don’t you ask Mr. Joachim if you can take a break since we’re not busy?”

Lillian looked at her for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Are you ready to be left alone on the floor?”

“Of course. I can handle things as long as it’s not too crowded.”

Lillian ran to the office and got permission from Mr. Joachim to leave for a few minutes. “Is everything all right? You’re not sick, are you?”

“No, sir. I just need to chat with Mr. Tronnier, and Anne said he’s down the street at the bank.”

“By all means, go talk to him. I’ll keep an eye on the floor, and if Anne gets busy while you’re gone, I’ll give her a hand. Take as much time as you need.”

Lillian thanked him, grabbed her coat, and pulled it on as she scurried toward the door. She’d barely made it outside when William came walking up the sidewalk toward Joachim’s.

“I was just coming to see you,” he said. “We need to talk.”

“Stop,” she ordered. “We don’t need to talk, but I do need to tell you one thing. I will not stand for you being all nice and acting like you care about me and then running to Rose McNault and making me look pitiful and desperate.”

“What?” Sincere indignation covered his face.

“She told me y’all were laughing about me last night.”

“Come on, Lillian, you know she’s a liar.”

“Did you see her last night?” Lillian folded her arms and tilted her head, all the while staring him in the eye.

“Well, yes, but only because she flagged me down after I dropped off Anne.”

“Where was she?”

“Here in Cary. She asked me if I minded taking her home since she missed the train.”

“Did you take her home?”

William hung his head. “Yes, I did. I probably shouldn’t have, but I didn’t want that on my conscience.”

Lillian felt some of her anger fade as she realized that Rose had played another of her games. And she regretted confronting William.

“Look, Lillian, I meant every single word I said to you on Sunday. I care about you more than you can imagine, and I thought my heart would explode with joy when you said you loved me too.”

She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and slowly let out her breath before looking back at William. “I’m sorry, William. I should know better than to accuse you of anything Rose says.”

“In that case, would you mind if I stop by your house later tonight?”

Lillian smiled. “How about another night later in the week? I’d like to talk to my parents first.”

He hesitated then nodded. “Okay. How about Thursday?”

William wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think Lillian had any idea that he and his pop had been talking to her dad about the business. A few things Lillian mentioned had sparked an idea, and after discussing it with Pop, they went into town one day and dropped in to discuss the details with Mr. Pickard. At first, he shook his head and said he didn’t want handouts from the rich, but they convinced him to listen to what they had to say before making a decision.

Since William was already in town, he decided to stop off at the Pickard home and see how Lillian’s parents were doing. Mrs. Pickard answered the door and let him in.

“My husband told me what you and your father want to do. I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

William looked her squarely in the eyes. “I’m in love with your daughter, Mrs. Pickard, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and your husband for raising such a smart woman. He seems to have a good business mind, and Pop and I would like to give him a break.”

She reared back and blinked a couple of times. “Well…yes, my husband is a very smart man, but do you really think—?”

“Helen, I’ll talk to him.” Mr. Pickard came out from one of the back rooms of the house, limping but moving forward with purpose. “Good afternoon, Mr. Tronnier. I’ve been thinking about this opportunity with your family business.”

The entire way home from work, Lillian tried to think of a good way to tell her parents that William was coming over on Thursday. She’d look for a break in conversation, but if it didn’t come, she’d wait until tomorrow.

Mama had dinner ready, and Daddy was already sitting at the table waiting for her to get home. “Take off your coat and sit down, Lillian. I’m starving.”

She was shocked at his firm but assured tone, so she did as she was told without saying a word. It had been a long time since Daddy had spoken to her like this. She glanced over at Mama, who wouldn’t look her in the eye. Something was going on.

Throughout dinner, Daddy chatted about the weather, business, and other topics he used to enjoy. Lillian listened as she wondered about the change.

As she stood up to help clear the table, Daddy cleared his throat and pointed to the chair. “Sit back down, Lillian.”

She quickly sat.

“William Tronnier is coming over tomorrow, and I’d like you to be nice to him while he’s here.”

“Tomorrow? I thought he was coming on Thursday.”

Daddy nodded. “He asked if he could come on Thursday, and I said why wait.”

“Oh.”

Lillian glanced back and forth at her parents and caught them exchanging their own private look. Finally, Mama told her to help clean the house so she wouldn’t have so much to do the next day to get ready for company.

Mama didn’t talk much as they swept and dusted. After Lillian went to her room, she sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the wall. As she got older, life seemed to get stranger.

William picked Lillian and Anne up from work the next day. Without anyone saying a word, he drove straight to the school and dropped Anne off then turned the car toward the Pickard house. Before William got out, he turned to face her, took her hand, and said, “I love you, Lillian Pickard, and that will never change.”

Her heart hammered, but she didn’t say a word until they were halfway to the door. Finally she blurted, “I feel the same way, but we both need to get over it because it simply won’t do either of us any good not to.”

He grinned. “I’m not easily dissuaded. You should know that by now.”

The house was filled with the fragrant aroma of baked chicken and apple pie. By now, it wasn’t a surprise to have such a lavish meal waiting for them.

After Daddy said grace, everyone started eating right away. Having William at the table had taken away Lillian’s appetite, but she didn’t mind. She’d have a snack later.

Conversation seemed a little more jovial than usual and appeared to have some underlying current that Lillian couldn’t quite put her finger on. Mama’s smiles were extra wide for William, and Daddy was much more relaxed than she would have expected. After dinner, instead of asking if he could be alone with Lillian, William sat in the living room with all three of the Pickards.

They chatted about trivial things for about an hour until William yawned and said he needed to get home. Lillian walked him to the door. He touched her cheek, said he’d see her soon, and left. She turned around and saw that her parents were already engrossed in conversation, so she went to her room.

The next couple of weeks were similar. William stopped by, had dinner, chatted with the family, and went home. She thought it was odd, but the familiarity was growing on her, and she liked it.

“Have you gotten anything for your parents for Christmas yet?” Mr. Joachim said. “It’s less than two days away.”

“I know. I’d thought about getting Mama some powder, but she doesn’t have much use for it.”

“How about one of those vanity sets?” he asked. “I know it’s probably more than you wanted to spend, but with your employee discount and…” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a thick envelope. “Here, with this you can afford it. Go ahead and open it.”

She took the envelope and opened it in front of him. “Mr. Joachim, this is much more than I ever expected. You don’t have to—”

“I know I don’t have to, but you’ve worked here a very long time, and it’s time to show my appreciation.”

“Thank you.”

“So if you get the vanity set for your mama, how about the shaving kit for your daddy? I think he’ll like the one with the pecan wood handle.”

Lillian took his advice and purchased the lavish gifts for her parents. And just in case she might see William, she picked up a new winter scarf for him. Mr. Joachim nodded and said that color was perfect for William.

Christmas Eve was extremely busy at the store, which suited Lillian just fine. She hadn’t seen William in several days, and she needed to take her mind off worrying that he’d lost interest. Mama teased her and said she was upset when he gave her too much attention and worried when he didn’t give her enough. Lillian was confused by Mama’s apparent change of heart.

The store closed early on Christmas Eve. Lillian looked both ways, hoping William would come puttering up in his automobile to take her home, but she was disappointed. He was nowhere in sight.

When Lillian arrived home, she noticed a different mood between her parents. Mama appeared nervous, and Daddy wouldn’t look her in the eye. And when she went into the kitchen, she spotted a massive batch of shortbread cookies cooling on the counter.

“Do you mind if we just have sandwiches tonight for supper?” Mama asked. “One of the ladies from church brought over some ham, so I thought we could eat that and potato salad, if you don’t mind making it.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Lillian said as she put on her apron.

Mama left her alone in the kitchen, something she rarely did. When the potato salad was finished, Lillian went to get her parents, who sat very close together on the sofa. They jumped at the sound of her entering the room.

“What is going on around here?” Lillian asked.

Mama stifled a giggle as she shook her head. “Why would you ask such a silly question? Your father and I were just discussing something….” She cast a glance over at Daddy. “Something very private.”

Lillian felt the tension in her face as she glared at her parents. Who were these people? “Let’s eat. I don’t want to miss church.”

The remainder of the evening was just as strange. Mama and Daddy insisted she go caroling with some of the families from church while they went on home. It was obvious they wanted to be alone. Daddy appeared more confident lately, and her parents seemed to be happier overall.

She hovered toward the back of the group as they strolled up and down the streets of Cary, singing Christmas carols. When they got close to her house, she let a couple people know she was finished for the night. By the time she got home, all the lights were out and her parents were in bed, so she tiptoed through the house and went to her own room.

For a long time, she lay in bed thinking about how strange her parents were acting and pondered what was going on. She finally fell asleep, only to be awakened by the sound of Mama pounding on her door.

“Don’t sleep all day, Lillian. It’s Christmas.”

Lillian sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and got up. “Okay, I’ll be right out. Why don’t you go back to bed, Mama, and I’ll fix breakfast?”

Mama giggled. Lillian tilted her head, scrunched her face, and wondered again what was happening to her parents. Until recently, Lillian had never heard her mama giggle.

She got dressed and went out to see about Mama and Daddy, but they were already ready for the day. They sure did seem awfully nervous and fidgety, though.

“Lillian, why don’t you go outside and see how cold it is?” Daddy said.

She stood by the window. “I can tell you right now, it’s mighty cold. I can feel it from here.”

Mama looked at Daddy then at her. “Would you mind checking to see if that ribbon I tied on the post outside is still there?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, you know how windy it’s been this winter….” Mama looked at Daddy, who shrugged. They were obviously trying everything they could to get her to go outside. The last time they had acted so strangely on a Christmas morning, they had something special for her.

Lillian held up her hands. “Okay, let me get my coat, and I’ll go check on the ribbon.”

“Good girl,” Daddy said.
Did he just cover up a chuckle? Very strange.

After she had her coat on, Lillian opened the door, took a step outside, and glanced up in time to see William coming down the street in his automobile. That was odd.

Lillian found the post with the ribbon and saw that it hadn’t moved. Then she waited for William to pull up in front of the house.

He cranked down the window, and before she had a chance to say a word, he hollered, “Hey, gorgeous! Merry Christmas! Need a ride?”

“What is going on, William?”

“Hop in and I’ll tell you.” He patted the seat next to him. “Okay, but let me go tell my parents.”

“Oh, you don’t have to.” He nodded toward the house behind her. “Here they come now.”

“Get in, Lillian. It’s freezing out here, and we don’t have all day.” Mama helped Daddy into the backseat of William’s car and fussed at her. “Hurry up. You’re such a slowpoke.”

Lillian got in and gave William a curious stare. He didn’t look directly at her, but a grin played on his lips. He drove without talking, and Mama and Daddy didn’t say a word from the backseat.

The suspense was driving her nuts. “Where are we going?” she asked as they neared the edge of town.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Mama said from the backseat. “Margaret Tronnier invited us to Christmas brunch. Isn’t that sweet?”

Lillian’s eyes widened. “Yes, that’s very sweet.” She folded her arms and thought for a moment. “So when did we get the invitation, and why am I just now finding out about it?”

William patted her hand. “Shh. Don’t worry about the details. Just sit back and enjoy the Lord’s birthday.”