Jessica looked up at him and saw the shadows from the fire flickering on his face. She nodded but didn’t answer. She didn’t feel very grateful right now. Not with their entire house burning down in front of them.
But how would she be feeling if Sam and Darrell had not come out of the house together? Or if one or both of them had perished inside? She looked down and sighed. Hadn’t she been begging God just moments ago to save her husband and son? It was horribly ungrateful to add footnotes now.
A police cruiser came up the drive, followed by a dark blue Jeep Cherokee, her sister Emily’s vehicle. Emily was the town mayor; Jessica realized someone must have called her.
“We’ll be right back,” Jessica told the boys as she and Sam started over to where Officer Tucker Tulley was getting out of his car.
“I heard the call on the radio,” Tucker explained, his face grim. “For a minute, I didn’t realize it was your place. Then I called your sister and headed straight over.”
Emily, wearing snow boots and a long down coat that was buttoned over her pajamas, ran toward them. “Oh, Jess, Sam . . .” She glanced at the house then hugged Jessica, squeezing her tight. Emily was always so controlled and coolheaded, even in a crisis. The sight of the burning house had really shaken her, Jessica realized. “Everyone okay?”
Sam nodded. “We all got out fine, thank God.”
“Then Darrell ran back inside for the dog,” Jessica added, “and Sam ran in after him. But . . . here we are.”
Tucker peered into the ambulance. “Kids. They don’t realize the danger.”
“Jessica, you must have nearly died waiting for them to come out.”
“I nearly did,” Jessica admitted. Emily hugged her again. “He loves that dog so much,” Jessica said quietly. “I hope Reilly makes it. He’s not breathing very well, even with the oxygen.”
“How is the crew doing? Is it under control?” Emily asked.
“They’re doing their best,” Sam said quietly. “A truck from Essex should be here any moment.”
Emily stared at the house, transfixed by the sight of the leaping flames and smoke. Jessica noticed the expression on Emily’s face; it wasn’t a good sign. Jessica knew her sister had seen many fires, large and small. She could probably tell if anything would be left of their house or if the firemen had gotten there too late.
Emily suddenly turned away from the fire and looked back at Jessica. “You must be freezing. Come home with me. No sense standing out here all night. There’s nothing more you can do.”
Jessica didn’t answer. She didn’t know what she wanted to do—or what she should do. What was the proper way to behave when your house was on fire?
“Emily’s right,” Sam said. “Why don’t you and the boys go back to her house? I’ll stay here with the firemen.”
Jessica didn’t like the idea of being separated from Sam right now. After he ran into the house following Darrell, she didn’t want to let him out of her sight. But she knew it made sense to get the boys inside somewhere. It wasn’t right to have them watch their house burn to the ground.
Maybe she didn’t have to see that either, she decided.
“Yes, you’re right. I’ll take the boys to Emily’s. Let me get them. . . .” She walked back to the ambulance. Sam and Emily followed. Tucker Tulley was already there, talking to the EMTs.
Tyler sat wrapped in a blanket, his head leaning back against the wall, his eyes closed. Sam climbed inside and picked him up, then carried him toward Emily’s car.
Darrell looked up at his mother and aunt. “Darrell, Aunt Emily’s here,” Jessica said. “We’re going back to her house.”
Darrell’s hand stroked the dog’s silky flank. “What about Reilly? He’s still not breathing so well. I think he needs a vet, Mom.”
Jessica felt overwhelmed. She didn’t know what to do about poor Reilly. How could they possibly find a vet at this hour?
“There’s a twenty-four-hour veterinary clinic on the highway,” Emily said. “I’ll ask Tucker to take Reilly there. Would that be okay?”
Darrell nodded. “I guess.”
He gently lifted the dog. Reilly moved his head with effort and licked Darrell’s hand.
Sam came back to the ambulance and helped Darrell carry Reilly down. Jessica saw Emily talking to Tucker, and then the two of them returned together.
“Put Reilly in my car,” Tucker said to Sam. “I’ll bring him right to the clinic,” he promised.
“Thank you, Tucker.” Sam had the dog now and carried him toward the cruiser.
Tucker followed them. “No trouble. It’s the least I can do.”
Jessica watched as the dog was carefully set in the backseat of the police car. Sam put his arm around Darrell as Tucker drove away, his emergency light flashing.
Darrell pressed his head to his father’s shoulder, then after a moment, stood up straight again. He was trying to be a man, but it was hard, Jessica realized. He was really just a boy. She felt tears in her eyes and blinked them away. She felt bad about Reilly, too. But she loved Darrell so much. She thanked God again that he wasn’t hurt.
“Come on, Jess.” Emily came up behind her and coaxed her toward the car. “Tyler woke up, he wants you. Sam will take care of Darrell.”
Jessica nodded and followed her sister. She wanted to look at the house but forced herself not to turn her head.
She knew what it looked like.
She would never forget the sight.
JACK WOKE TO THE SMELL OF COFFEE. HE DIDN’T IMMEDIATELY remember that he had guests. He rolled on his side, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen. He heard Julie’s voice almost whispering, then Kate’s, higher pitched and louder. He climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom that was adjoined to his bedroom.
He had not always slept in the downstairs room. It had been David’s bedroom when he was a teenager. But after Claire died, Jack didn’t feel right going back to the room they had shared. Once David was gone, Jack had ended up in here. He hadn’t changed a thing. His son’s sports posters and high school souvenirs still hung on the walls. The clothes he had left behind were pushed to the back of the closet.
Jack sometimes wondered if camping out here was just a way to feel close to David. To keep his hope alive.
He emerged from the shower and ran his hand over his bearded cheeks. He hadn’t trimmed his beard in a long time. There hadn’t been any reason to bother. But today he found a small scissors in the medicine cabinet and made a few snips. He gave up almost at once. There was a lot of gray mixed in his beard now. He had hardly noticed that before. Then again, he had never worn a beard while Claire was alive. She hated that look on men. But now it seemed more convenient.
He combed back his wet hair, noticing the length. He ought to get a haircut. One of these days.
Back in the bedroom, he found a clean pair of jeans and a waffle-knit Henley shirt in a laundry basket. He pulled on a clean denim shirt over that. He didn’t bother to check his appearance in the mirror as he pulled on socks and work boots. He wasn’t any fashion model from a mail-order catalogue, but at least he looked cleaned up. Cleaner than last night, anyway.
When he walked into the kitchen, Julie looked up and her eyebrows rose in surprise. Embarrassed by her reaction, he quickly turned to pull a mug from the cabinet.
“Coffee smells good,” he said. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Very well, thank you. Looks like a few inches of snow fell last night.”
“Yes, it did pile up.” He peered out the kitchen window then turned back to the table. Kate, who was eating a bowl of Cheerios, shyly glanced up at him.
“I gave Katie some cereal. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” He shook his head and sipped the coffee. It was strong, the way he liked it.
He stood watching Katie gobble up her cereal and remembered that he had heard them late at night, down in the kitchen. Julie was quietly feeding the little girl a snack. He realized then that they must h
ave been hungry and he should have offered them something before they went up to bed. His manners were rusty, that was for sure.
“I’m just going to fix myself some eggs and bacon . . . and toast and stuff.” He pulled open the refrigerator, scanned its meager contents, and began pulling out the breakfast ingredients. “Would you like some?” he asked Julie.
She shook her head, but Katie was staring at him, her spoon dangling in the air. She sure looked interested in the menu.
“How about Katie? She’d like some bacon, I bet.”
Julie glanced at her daughter. “She’s fine.”
Katie’s expression fell. Jack turned back to the stove and turned on the gas burner. He didn’t want to overrule her mother, but he could practically see the child’s mouth watering.
“Well, I have to finish this up. It’s not worth keeping a few pieces in the fridge. I’ll cook it all and if she doesn’t want it, I’ll save it for a sandwich or something.”
Julie sat back in her chair but didn’t say anything. Jack glanced at Kate. Her face looked relieved and then he actually saw a flicker of a smile.
“Finish your cereal. Then you can have something else,” her mother said quietly.
Kate got back to work on her Cheerios while Jack whisked up a pan of scrambled eggs and cooked the bacon in a skillet. A few minutes later, he set two platters on the table, one filled with eggs and bacon, the other with a pile of toast.
Julie took out plates and silverware. “We’re usually in too much of a rush in the morning to eat a real breakfast.”
“No rush today,” he pointed out. “Help yourself.”
He caught Kate’s eye and winked at her. She stared at him then slipped a strip of bacon onto her plate.
Julie gave up arguing. She dished some eggs and bacon onto Kate’s plate and slid the rest on to her own.
“You need a good breakfast. We’ll need to do some digging to get your car out,” Jack predicted.
“Oh, you don’t have to bother. Just give me a shovel. I can do it.”
Jack tried not to laugh. Her car was on the part of the hill where the snow drifted the highest. From what he could see last night, the tires were bald and wouldn’t get traction if it had snowed saltwater taffy. If he could even get the old thing started.
“What exactly was wrong with the car? You didn’t say.”
Julie shrugged and sipped her coffee. “It was making this funny sound. Then a light started flashing on the dashboard.”
Could be anything, he thought. “It would cost a lot to have it towed from here. Let’s try to start it up and get it into town. I’ll follow you to the service station.”
“I guess it would be best to drive it if I can.” He could tell from her expression that money was an issue.
Julie finished her breakfast and started clearing the plates and loading the dishwasher.
“Don’t bother with that. I’ll do it later,” Jack said.
“It’s okay. You made breakfast. I don’t want to leave you with a big mess,” she insisted.
He watched her a moment then turned to look at Kate, who was remarkably quiet for a little girl. He guessed her age to be about five. Maybe a bit younger. She was still eating her bacon, holding a strip between her fingers and working down the slice in small mechanical bites. It reminded him of David when he was little. He had done the same thing.
Jack sighed and sipped his coffee. “I bet you have a lot of snow in Maine by now,” he said to Julie.
She was scrubbing the frying pans and turned from the sink to glance at him. “We sure do. We were living in Carlisle. It’s a very pretty town just south of Bar Harbor. They made a movie there a few years ago.”
“Sounds nice. So you don’t live there anymore?” he asked, trying to get her story straight in his mind. “Are you moving to Long Island permanently?”
She nodded. “I don’t really want to. But I lost my job and I was divorced two years ago.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“I’m an art teacher. The school district had budget cutbacks and I was the last one hired, so . . .”
“That’s too bad.” He could see her as a teacher. She had a certain way about her. Quiet and able. He could see her managing a roomful of noisy kids without getting flustered. It was a tough break to lose a good job like that, especially this time of year.
“I don’t really want to go down to New York. My brother’s house is not that big, and it’s going to be difficult. But we had to move out of our apartment, and he offered to help. I need a few months to get back on my feet,” she added. Jack could tell from her voice that this was hard for her to admit. “It will just be temporary. I’ll take any kind of job. It doesn’t have to be teaching.”
“Oh, sure. That shouldn’t take long.” He meant it, too. She was so bright and well-spoken. Anyone would hire her.
He got to his feet, grabbed a broom, and began sweeping up. He wondered about Katie’s father. Julie hadn’t mentioned a husband, only an ex-husband. Didn’t divorced fathers need to send some support money for their kids? Of course he knew a lot of men didn’t live up to their responsibilities. Perhaps that was the case here. But he had asked enough questions for now.
A few minutes later, they were all warmly dressed and headed down the hill to Julie’s car. Jack carried the snowblower, and Julie carried a shovel. Kate wore her pink unicorn jacket, Jack noticed, this time with matching waterproof pants and rubber snow boots. Her hood was pulled up, tied tight, and a scarf was tied around her neck. She also wore thick waterproof mittens, clipped onto her coat sleeves.
Thrilled with the snow, she awkwardly ran ahead in her snow gear. Then she slipped and began sliding down the hill on her bottom. Her mitten-covered hands waved in the air like pink flippers.
Julie ran after her and helped her up. Kate seemed surprised but didn’t cry. Julie got her back on her feet and they started down the hill once more.
Kate quickly broke away from the grown-ups and repeated the performance, falling on her bottom and sliding down the hill, this time on purpose.
Julie called after her, and Jack touched her arm.
“She’s okay. Just having a little fun. I should have looked for a sled or something. I’m sure I have one somewhere.”
Julie glanced at him, a warm look in her soft brown eyes. “That’s okay. You’ve done enough.”
He hadn’t done much, he thought. Just given them a place to sleep and some scrambled eggs. But it was nice of her to say.
When they reached her car, it was as bad as he expected. Maybe worse. He got to work with the snowblower and then they used the shovel. Julie got Kate working on a snowman, so she was well occupied and out of the way.
Finally, the door on the driver’s side was clear and he was able to climb inside. He turned the key in the ignition and at first heard just a click. Then the engine revved up and finally turned over.
“Good job!” Julie jumped up and clapped her hands.
Jack felt like a hero, though he knew it was silly to even smile back at her. Big deal. He started the car.
Now to get it out of here. That would really be a feat worthy of applause. He left the engine running and climbed out. With all the heavy clothing on, he’d started to sweat. He wiped his hand over his brow and took a look at the car.
“Let’s just let the engine run a minute and warm up. Then you get in and I’ll push.”
She glanced at him. “Are you sure?”
“It will be okay. It’s going to need a push to get back on the road. There’s no way those tires are going to grip the snow.”
It was surprising the car had even passed inspection, Jack thought.
Julie nodded. “All right. If you think that will work.”
“It’s worth a try.”
Julie slipped behind the wheel and shut the door. “Just tell me what to do.”
“When I say, ‘Go,’ hit the gas. Just give me a second to get back there.”
“Okay.” He sa
w Julie ready herself. She gripped the wheel and stared straight ahead, as if she were behind the starting gate at the Indy 500.
Jack shook his head. She was so . . . sweet. It got to him; he couldn’t help it. He got behind the car, gripped the bumper on one side, and leaned his weight into it. “Okay, go!”
Julie hit the gas and he pushed with all his might.
The car lurched forward. He was gratified for a moment . . . then fell forward, scrambling to keep his balance. He felt his ankle turn painfully inside his boot as he came down hard on the icy snow.
He bit his lip, stifling a shout, then rolled to his side and quietly groaned. The pain was intense.
Julie shut the engine and jumped out of the car. He tried to get up but could barely come to a sitting position.
She knelt down next to him. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“My ankle. I twisted it.”
“Oh, dear.” She sat back on her heels, her brow wrinkled in concern.
“I don’t think it’s too bad,” he said. “Sometimes these things just pass if you work them out.”
When it came to physical injuries, Jack was king of the “work out the pain” school. He took a breath, stretched out his leg, and forced himself to flex his foot. Another searing bolt shot through his leg. He tried not to grimace but couldn’t help it.
Julie looked alarmed. “I hope you didn’t break it.”
“That makes two of us.” He winced, knowing he had sounded sharp. “It’s not broken, just a sprain.” I hope, he added silently. “I’ll be okay after I get up and walk around a little.”
Julie’s mouth twisted. He could tell she didn’t think that was a very good idea, but she didn’t say anything.
Jack swung himself around so he was facing uphill, then tried to lever himself up with his arms and his good leg. One hand slipped out from under him and he suddenly felt Julie slip her arm around his back and pull him up.
She was stronger than she looked, a lot stronger. He turned his head slightly and glanced down at her. She was suddenly so close. He felt very awkward.
Finally, he was upright, balanced on one leg. “I’m okay now. Thanks.”
A Christmas Star Page 4
