Jake had arrived at the restaurant before her and secured a booth. “Hi,” he said with a smile when she slid in across from him.
“Hi. This is nice. Thanks so much.” She reached for the menu and quickly scanned the day’s specials. She was so hungry, Jake would be fortunate if she could limit her selection to one entrée. As it was, she ordered a cup of wild-mushroom soup, half a turkey sandwich with salad and a slice of apple pie à la mode for dessert.
Jake didn’t seem to mind.
“That was delicious,” she said as she sat back half an hour later and pressed her hands over her stomach. “I probably ate twice as much as any other woman you’ve ever gone out with.”
“It’s a relief to be with someone who isn’t constantly worried about her weight.”
“I do watch my calories but I’ve been doing without breakfast, and lunches have been pretty skimpy and—”
“No breakfast?”
“That’s not entirely accurate. I have breakfast, sort of. Just not much.”
“And the reason is?”
Holly wished she’d kept her mouth shut. She pretended not to hear his question and glanced at her watch instead. “Oh, it’s almost one. I should get back to work.”
“Holly.” Jake wasn’t easily distracted. “Answer the question.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I really do need to go.”
“You’re going without breakfast to save money for the robot, aren’t you?”
“Sorry, I have to run.” She slid out of the booth and grabbed her coat and purse. “Oh, before I forget. Gabe wanted me to invite you to come and watch us decorate our Christmas tree tomorrow night, if you can. He’ll be at a friend’s place and won’t get home until seven-thirty.”
He hesitated, and Holly knew why. “I won’t be able to leave the store until at least nine,” he said.
“I let Gabe stay up until ten on Friday and Saturday nights.”
He hesitated again. Holly hadn’t forgotten his reaction when Gabe had first mentioned decorating for Christmas. She knew that, like his father, he ignored the holiday—apart from being surrounded by all that bright and shiny yuletide evidence at the store. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but she wanted to show him the joy of Christmas, prove that not all his Christmas memories were bad. She was convinced there must be happy remembrances, too, and she hoped to revive those so he could let go of the past. Holly held her breath as she waited for his response.
Jake stared into the distance for what seemed like a long time before he said, “Okay, I’ll come.”
Her breath whooshed out in relief and she gave him her brightest, happiest smile. “Thank you, Jake.” She finished putting on her coat, hoping he understood how much she appreciated his decision.
“Can we do this again?” he asked. “It’s been crazy in the toy department. Mrs. Miracle insisted I take my lunch break early—and she said I should invite you. I need to get back to work, but I wanted to see you.”
“I wanted to see you, too.”
They left the restaurant together and went their separate ways. Holly’s spirits were high. She’d cleared the air with Bill as much as possible, and Gabe had been excited to learn he’d be able to go to his friend’s house on Friday.
When she returned to work, she found her boss on the phone, talking in her usual emphatic manner. Despite the fact that Holly wouldn’t be receiving a Christmas bonus, she’d tried not to let that influence her job performance.
As soon as Lindy Lee saw her, she waved one arm to get her attention.
Holly stepped into her employer’s office. “You’re back late from lunch,” Lindy said as she slammed down the phone.
“I have an hour lunch,” Holly reminded her. She rarely took that long and often ate at her desk. Taking the full time allotted her was the exception rather than the rule.
“It’s one-fifteen,” Lindy Lee said pointedly, tapping her index finger against her wristwatch.
“And I left the office at twelve-thirty. Technically I still have fifteen minutes.” Holly could see that she might have said more than necessary and decided it would be best to stop while she was ahead. “Is there something you need me to do?” she asked.
Frowning, Lindy handed her a thick file folder. “I need you to get these sketches over to Design.”
“Right away.” She took the folder and hurried out of the office, catching the elevator to the sixth floor. As she entered the design department she caught sight of one of the models regularly hired by the company. Tiffani White was tall, slim and elegant and she possessed about as perfect a body as one could hope to have. She was a favorite of Lindy Lee’s and no wonder. The model showed Lindy’s creations to their peak potential.
Tiffani saw Holly and blinked, as if she had trouble placing her, which was odd. They’d spent a fair amount of time together, since Holly had been backstage at several runway events with her.
“Lindy Lee asked me to deliver these sketches,” she said to the head of the technical department. She turned to Tiffani.
“Hi, Tiff,” she said casually.
“Hi.” The model smiled—a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Holly smiled back, but there was something strange going on. Tiffani had always been friendly. They’d even had coffee together now and then. Once, nearly a year ago when she’d been dating Bill, they’d run into Tiffani and—
Just a minute!
Thoughts and memories collided inside Holly’s head. The conversation with Bill the night before played back in her mind. He’d made an unusual comment when they’d first spoken, mentioning the name Tiffany—or rather, Tiffani, with an i. The pieces were falling into place….
“Tiffani,” Holly said. “I talked to Bill the other night.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and your name came up.”
The model brought one beautifully manicured hand to her mouth. “It did? Then you know?”
“Well, not everything.”
“I wanted him to tell you before now, but Bill said it wasn’t really any of your business. I told him that sometimes we see each other at work and it would make things better for me if you knew.”
“So the two of you are…dating?”
“Actually we’re…talking about marriage.”
Marriage. Bill was planning to marry Tiffani? This didn’t make sense. The model was about the least motherly woman Holly had ever met; she’d even told Holly she didn’t like children. And she’d demonstrated it, too. They’d had a shoot earlier in the year with a couple of child models and Tiffani had been difficult and cranky all day. She’d made it clear that she didn’t enjoy being around kids.
Holly wondered if Bill had any idea of the other woman’s feelings. Probably not, she thought uncharitably. All he saw was Tiffani’s perfect body and how good she looked on his arm.
In some ways, she had to concede, Bill and Tiffani were a good match. Bill had his own graphic design business and often hosted clients. Tiffani would do well entertaining, but Holly suspected she didn’t have a lot to offer as a stepmother to Billy.
Yet that’d been the excuse Bill had used when he’d broken off their relationship.
That was exactly what it’d been. An excuse, and a convenient one. He’d wanted Holly out of his life and he didn’t care how badly he hurt her to make that happen. Granted, the relationship would’ve ended anyway, but in the process of hastening its demise, he’d damaged her confidence—in herself and in her maternal instincts.
Bill Carter was a jerk, no question about it. Tiffani was welcome to him.
Twelve
Be ye fishers of men. You catch ’em and God’ll clean ’em.
—Mrs. Miracle
“Can I go see Telly the robot after school?” Gabe asked as Holly walked him to school Monday morning.
“Not today,” she said, stepping up her speed so she’d make it to work on time. The last thing she needed was to show up late. As it was, Gabe would get out of school at eleven-thirty th
is morning for winter break, and there was no after-school care today. Thankfully her neighbor, Caroline Krantz, had children of her own, including a son, Jonathan, who was Gabe’s age, and Gabe enjoyed going there. Today, however, he obviously had a different agenda.
“But it’s been so long since I saw him and I want—”
“I know. I’m sorry, Gabe. But Christmas will be here soon,” she said, cutting him off.
“Do you think Santa’s going to bring me my robot?”
“We won’t find out until Christmas, will we?” she said, ushering him along. At the school, she bent down and kissed his cheek. “Remember, you’re going to Mrs. Krantz’s house with Jonathan after school.”
“Yeah,” he said, kicking at the sidewalk with the toe of his boot.
“Call me at the office when you get there, okay?”
“Okay.”
Holly watched him walk into the building and then half ran to the subway station.
She was jostled by the crowd and once again had to stand, clutching the pole as she rode into the city. Her weekend had been everything she’d hoped for. Jake had stopped by on Friday night, arriving later than expected. She’d assembled the small artificial tree, which she’d bought years before; she would’ve preferred a real one but didn’t want to spend the money this year. Then she’d draped it with lights, and she and Gabe had carefully arranged the ornaments. They were almost done by the time Jake came over, and Gabe insisted that he place the angel on top of the tree. Holly wasn’t sure how he’d react to that request. At first he’d hesitated until she explained it was an honor and that it meant a lot to Gabe. Then he reluctantly set the angel on the tree.
Maybe it wasn’t up to her to change—or try to change—his feelings about Christmas, but she hoped to coax him by creating new memories and by reminding him of happy ones from his own childhood.
On Friday, after school and his playdate with Billy, Gabe had been exhausted by ten o’clock. Holly tucked him in, and then she and Jake had cuddled and kissed in front of the television. She couldn’t remember what TV program they’d started to watch because they were soon more focused on each other than on the TV.
Thinking about Friday night with Jake made her tingle with excitement and anticipation. Bill could have his Tiffani. Holly would rather be with Jake. Their relationship held such promise….
Unfortunately, Jake was so busy at the store on Saturday that a couple of quick phone calls had to suffice. On Sunday evening he came to the apartment, bringing a take-out pizza and a bottle of lovely, smooth merlot—the best wine she’d had in ages. Jake had been full of tales about the store, and especially how well Intellytron was now selling. Rumor had it that Finley’s was the only place in Manhattan that had the robot available, and customers had flooded the store, many of them going straight from Santa’s throne to the toy department. No one else had guessed that Intellytron would be one of the hottest retail trends of the season.
While Holly was thrilled for Jake, she was still concerned that there wouldn’t be any left once she could afford to make the purchase. Jake had again assured her she didn’t need to worry; he’d put one aside for Gabe. It was safely hidden away in the back of the storeroom, with a note that said it wasn’t to be sold.
Holly dashed into the office just in time. She saw Lindy Lee glance at her watch but Holly knew she had three minutes to spare. While Lindy Lee might not appreciate her new work habits, she was well within the bounds of what was required. Before Gabe’s advent into her life, she’d often arrived early and stayed late. That wasn’t possible now, and she was paying the price for her earlier generosity, which Lindy Lee had quickly taken for granted. Still, she enjoyed her job and believed she was a credit to her employer, even if Lindy didn’t agree.
“Good morning,” she said to her boss, sounding more cheerful than she felt. Holly was determined not to allow Lindy Lee’s attitude to affect her day.
At noon, Holly began to check her watch every few minutes. She kept her cell phone on her desk, ready to receive Gabe’s call. He should be phoning any time now; school was out, and he’d be going home with Jonathan. At twelve-thirty Holly started to worry. Gabe should be at the Krantzes’. Why hadn’t he called? She felt too anxious to eat the crackers and cheese she’d brought, too anxious to do anything productive. She’d give him until one-fifteen and then she’d call.
At one-thirteen, her cell phone chirped, and she recognized the Krantzes’ number. Holly heaved a grateful sigh. “Hello,” she said.
“Holly?” It was Caroline.
“Oh, hi. Did everything go as scheduled? Did Gabe and Jonathan walk home from school together?”
“Well, that’s the reason I’m phoning. Gabe didn’t come home with Jonathan.”
A chill raced down her spine. “What do you mean?”
“He told Jonathan there was something he needed to do first, so Jonathan came home by himself. I…I feel really bad about this.”
“Where is he?” Holly asked, struggling not to panic.
“That’s just it. I don’t know.”
There was a huge knot in Holly’s chest, and she found it difficult to breathe. How could she tell her brother that Gabe had gone missing?
Panicked thoughts surged through her mind. He’d been abducted, kidnapped, held for ransom. Or even worse, simply taken, never to be seen or heard from again.
“I’ll call you if I hear anything,” Caroline told her. “I’d go look myself but I can’t leave the children. If he’s not here in an hour, we’ll reassess, call the police. In the meantime, I’ll phone some of the other kids’ parents.”
“Yes… Thank you.” Holly disconnected the line, her cell phone clenched in her fist.
“Holly?” Lindy Lee asked, staring at her. “What’s wrong?”
Holly didn’t realize she’d bolted to her feet. She felt herself swaying and wondered if she was going to faint. “My—my nephew’s missing.”
“Missing,” Lindy Lee repeated. “What do you mean, missing?”
“He didn’t show up at the sitter’s house after school.”
Lindy Lee looked at her watch. “It’s a bit early for him to be out of school, isn’t it?”
“No, not today,” she said, panic making her sound curt. She was torn by indecision. Her first inclination was to contact the police immediately, not to wait another hour as Caroline had suggested. They should start a neighborhood search. Ask questions.
She wondered crazily if she should get his picture to the authorities so they could place it on milk cartons all across America.
Her cell phone chirped again and she nearly dropped it in her rush to answer.
“Yes?” she blurted out.
“Holly, it’s Jake.”
“I don’t have time to talk now. Gabe’s missing and we’ve got to contact the police and get a search organized and—”
“Gabe’s with me,” Jake interrupted.
She sank into her chair, weak with relief. “He’s with you?”
“Yes. He came into the city.”
“On his own?” This was unbelievable!
“Yup.”
“You mean to say he walked from school to the subway station, took the train and then walked to Finley’s by himself?” It seemed almost impossible to comprehend. She held her head in one hand and leaned back in her chair, eyes closed. She remembered what he’d said that morning, about wanting to see the robot, but she’d had no idea he’d actually try to do it.
“Would you like to talk to him?” Jake was asking.
“Please.”
“Aunt Holly?” Gabe’s voice was small and meek.
“So,” she said, releasing a long sigh. Although the urge to lambaste him was nearly overwhelming, she resisted. “You didn’t walk home with Jonathan the way you were supposed to?”
“No.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“Because…”
“Because what?”
“I wanted to see Intellytron again and you
said we couldn’t and I thought, well, I know you have to work and everything, but I could come by myself, so I did. I remembered to take the green line and then I walked from the subway station.” Despite the fact that he was obviously in trouble, there was a hint of pride in his voice.
Gabe had traveled into the city on his own just to see his favorite toy. The possibility hadn’t even occurred to her. Holly suppressed the urge to break into sobs.
“I’m coming to get you right this minute,” she declared. “Stay with Jake and Mrs. Miracle, and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Now put Jake back on the phone.”
His voice, strong and clear, came through a moment later. “Holly, it’s Jake.”
“I’m on my way.”
“He’ll be fine until you get here,” he said.
“Thank you, thank you so much.” This time, the urge to weep nearly overcame her.
“Everything’s fine. Relax.”
“I’m trying.” She closed her cell, then looked up to see her boss standing in front of her desk.
“I take it you’ve located the little scoundrel?”
Holly nodded. “He came into the city on his own. Would it be okay if I brought him to the office for the rest of the day?” Taking him back to Brooklyn would be time-consuming and Lindy Lee would no doubt dock her pay. Holly needed every penny of her next paycheck. “I promise he won’t make a sound.”
Lindy Lee considered the request, then slowly nodded. “I enjoyed meeting Gabe that Saturday…. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”
Lindy Lee wanted to see Gabe again? This was an interesting development, as well as an unexpected one. Her employer wasn’t the motherly type—to put it mildly. Lindy Lee was all about Lindy Lee.
Grabbing her coat and purse, Holly rushed over to Finley’s, calling Caroline Krantz en route. The store was crowded, and by the time she reached the third floor Holly felt as though she’d run a marathon. She saw Mrs. Miracle first, and the woman’s eyes brightened the instant she noticed Holly.
“You don’t have a thing to worry about, my dear. Gabe is perfectly safe with Jake.”
Call Me Mrs. Miracle Page 10
