On Christmas Eve

by Thomas Kinkade

  Zoey took the bag, looking very surprised. She opened it quickly and took out a sweater top with a hood that Lucy had picked out for her. It was purple with thin gray stripes. Lucy wasn’t sure about the color, but Zoey seemed to have a lot of things that were purple.

  Zoey’s eyes widened as she held up the sweater. “This is nice. . . . I really like the color.” She looked up at Lucy with a big smile. “Looks like the right size, too. How did you guess?”

  Lucy shrugged, feeling pleased. “Oh, I don’t know. You’re a little smaller than me. I just figured it out that way. Do you really like it? You can exchange it if you want. I saved the receipt.”

  “No. . . . I mean, yes. I really like it. Thanks, Lucy.” Zoey seemed genuinely pleased and practically hugged the sweater to her chest.

  In all the days she’d been with them, Zoey had rarely said thank you and never that wholeheartedly. It was too bad that she was finally starting to relax and she would soon have to go.

  “You know, Zoey, something is on my mind. I just want to make sure you know that when I spoke to you about the waitressing job the other night, it was only because I thought you might want something to do. Something productive, outside of the house. It wasn’t because we were trying to get some work out of you in exchange for staying here. I really hope you don’t think that,” Lucy said. “I’d be upset if you had that impression.”

  “I know you didn’t mean it that way,” Zoey said. “I’m sorry that I sort of blew you off.” Then she swallowed hard and looked down. Lucy had the feeling she wanted to say something more but felt nervous. Finally Zoey said, “I didn’t want to try the job because I was afraid I’d screw it up, that’s all. I’m sort of a screwup. Everything I touch turns to crap. Can’t help it. I was just born that way.” She shrugged. “I would have been a total disaster. Believe me, you’re lucky I didn’t say yes.”

  Lucy was so upset and moved by Zoey’s admission, she couldn’t speak at first. She could tell that Zoey was just repeating all the toxic, critical tapes she had heard from the adults in her life. She had been programmed to have a poor self-image and no self-love.

  Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed. “Of course you could do that sort of job if you really wanted to. I’m sure of it. You’re a smart girl, Zoey. Anyone can see that. And there’s not that much to it, once you know the routine.”

  Zoey glanced at her, her head bowed. “I’m not smart. But thanks for saying that.”

  “Everyone feels anxious at their first job. I was scared to death,” Lucy told her. “You should have seen me when I started my nursing training and they actually let me loose with real patients. I was terrified. . . . And once, I did make a very big mistake and I nearly gave it all up.”

  Zoey looked at her in disbelief. “You did? What happened . . . ? Did you kill somebody?”

  Lucy sighed. It was an episode in her life she would never forget, but it was still hard to talk about. Even after all these years.

  “The patient didn’t die—but I thought she was going to. It was terrible. My very worst nightmare about being a nurse. I gave a woman the wrong dose of medication, and she went into a coma. Luckily, my supervisor realized what was happening and called a STAT. That’s an emergency situation when about ten doctors come running at once. They were able to stabilize the patient and reverse the effects of the overdose. But it could have been fatal.” Lucy shuddered, remembering that day. “I couldn’t deal with it at first. After years of school and tests, and months of training, I just gave up. I thought, well if I could screw up that big, I shouldn’t be a nurse. That proves it.”

  “But you didn’t give up, right?” Zoey said. “I mean, you must have gone back since you are a nurse now.”

  “I took some time to sort things out. Little by little, I learned to forgive myself and remember that everyone makes mistakes. That’s part of learning and gathering experience. Other people encouraged me to try again. Even Charlie,” she told Zoey, who looked surprised. “He knew I really loved it and wanted to be a nurse more than anything. I’m good at it, too,” she added. “The thing is, you can’t just lie down and give up every time you fail. You have to get up and keep going. If you stick with it, before you know it, you’re good. Now I’m considered one of the old-timers, and I’m training the student nurses. I would have helped you, too, to learn what to do in the diner. I wasn’t going to just throw you out there, sink or swim,” she added quickly.

  “You were going to help me? I didn’t know that.”

  “Of course I was. I’d train you and get you rolling. And Charlie was going to be on his best behavior,” she quickly added. “If you hated it, nobody was going to make you stay. I’m sorry you didn’t realize that when we talked the other night. I should have explained all that.”

  “I’m sorry, too,” Zoey said quickly. She turned to Lucy, her dark eyes wide. “Do you think I could still try? I’d try it if you were going to help me.”

  Maybe she was making a little progress here, Lucy thought. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to move Zoey to yet another household. Maybe this one was helping her.

  But now she wasn’t so sure it would work out. There was Rita to deal with. And Charlie.

  “Listen, I can’t make any guarantees, but I’m going to try to work it out,” Lucy said. “I have to talk to Mrs. Schuman and to Charlie again.”

  “Oh, just forget it,” Zoey said quickly. “It’s okay. Whatever.”

  She was so anxious, so insecure. Lucy’s heart went out to her. She took the girl’s chin in her hand and smiled into her eyes. “Hey, slow down, pal. I’ll do my best for you. Okay?”

  Zoey nodded and gave Lucy a hesitant smile. “Okay. . . . Thank you.”

  “It’s all right. We can only do what we can do in this world. You just have to try your best and leave the rest to heaven above. The angels watching over us,” Lucy murmured. She had stood up and without thinking, coaxed Zoey to slip down under the covers and settle into bed.

  She tucked the blankets in and smoothed her hand over Zoey’s forehead then quickly kissed her cheek. “Good night, honey. Don’t worry about anything. It will all work out. Have a good sleep, okay?”

  “Good night, Lucy,” Zoey whispered. She seemed surprised at Lucy’s show of affection, but this time didn’t shrink away.

  It was too late to call Rita Schuman, Lucy thought as she headed downstairs again. She would call her in the morning.

  LUCY’S SHIFT THE NEXT DAY STARTED AT FIVE A.M., AND SOME FRIENDS in her unit insisted she join them for an impromptu birthday party during her break. The floor was so busy the rest of the day that the first chance she even had to think about Mrs. Schuman was late afternoon, as she was leaving the hospital for the day.

  She took a deep, steadying breath and tapped in the social worker’s number on her cell phone. This woman is going to think I have a personality disorder, constantly flip-flopping and changing my plan. That alone might disqualify me from taking care of Zoey. But here goes.

  Rita Schuman greeted her, sounding surprised. “Hi, Lucy. What’s up? Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine. We had a nice time last night decorating our Christmas tree. Zoey had pizza with us and helped hang the ornaments. I think she really enjoyed herself.”

  “That’s good. Sounds as if she really does feel better.”

  “She’s just about completely recovered. Even Charlie noticed that her color has come back. The thing is,” Lucy said, “Zoey changed her mind about trying the waitressing job in the diner. She wants to try it now. I told her I would help her and show her what to do, and that seemed to make the difference. I didn’t tell her you were close to finding a new family though,” Lucy added. “Is there any chance she could stay with us a little longer?”

  “Well, that’s a surprise,” Rita replied. “But I guess it’s a good thing. I just found out that the placement I was working on isn’t going to work out after all. The mother in the family just heard she has a health issue she has to take
care of, so it’s not a good time for them to take in any more children.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. I hope it’s nothing serious,” Lucy said sincerely. “Does that mean Zoey will be staying with us awhile longer?”

  “I really don’t have any other likely prospects right now for placement. Would that be all right with you and your husband? I had the sense that you were only available to take care of her until she felt well again.”

  “That’s not really the situation anymore. . . . We’re happy to have her . . . until you can find a new foster home. However long that takes, we’re happy to have her.”

  You can take your time, Lucy wanted to add.

  “Good. I’m relieved to hear that. It’s difficult to make a placement during the holidays. But I’ll keep working on it and keep you posted. I think it’s fine if Zoey wants to start a job and feels up to it. She has some working papers on file. I’ll send you a copy. I’ll also call her later to talk about staying with your family awhile longer.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear from you.” Lucy knew it was important for Zoey to stay in close touch with Rita. The social worker was the only truly stable figure in the girl’s life right now. She was sure Zoey confided things to Rita that she wouldn’t tell anyone else.

  “There’s something else we ought to talk about,” Rita said. “The other day I just gave you the basics about Zoey’s school experience. I mainly told you how she feels about school, but there’s more to it. Zoey has high intelligence, but she may have a learning disability. Because she’s moved around to so many schools, she’s never been properly tested or gotten much help. So she’ll probably be all right with a waitressing job, but it could be difficult for her.”

  “I understand,” Lucy said. “We’ll be patient with her.”

  They said good-bye and Lucy put her phone away. She was relieved that things had worked out, at least this much. Maybe the girl would stay until the holidays. That was only two weeks from now. Lucy could guess that Zoey did not have many good Christmas memories. It was probably a sad time for her, thinking about her mother and grandmother, who were gone, and how she was separated from her brother. The girl had been through so much. It was hard for Lucy to even imagine what she might be feeling at the holidays.

  Lucy really hoped that Zoey would be with them for Christmas and that, for this year at least, they could fill her battered heart with good memories.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “J’M GLAD I TOOK THE VAN. ALL THAT STUFF WOULD HAVE NEVER fit in my car.” Betty came into the shop and hung up her down jacket. She had just made a quick sweep around town, gathering donations for the food pantry. “Everyone is so generous. It’s amazing.”

  “Why don’t you get Santa to help you?” Molly asked. “I don’t see why you have to do all that grunt work yourself.”

  “I didn’t realize it would be so much. And that’s not even all the places who have called me back. I’ll have to go out again over the weekend to get the rest.” Betty felt tired but happy, too. She put on some water for tea. “I guess I can bring the stuff home with me tonight and stick it in the garage. I’ll just leave my car here and bring the van back tomorrow.”

  “That should work out. We don’t have anything cooking tonight,” Molly said.

  It was late afternoon on Friday, a brief downtime for them, since they weren’t booked for any parties that night. They had completed all their preparations for the three weekend events. They had two on Saturday: a big outdoor skating party in the afternoon, and a small intimate party at a private home that Sonia and Betty were handling without Molly. On Sunday afternoon, they would serve an elegant brunch at the old Warwick estate, Lilac Hall.

  Betty wasn’t sure how she had managed to make calls for the food pantry on top of her real work. But somehow she had done it. Just as she’d promised Nathan, Betty had worked her list of friends and acquaintances through the town of Cape Light and beyond. Practically everyone she spoke with had come through in some way with donations of goods or funds to help restock the food pantry and put on the party. Several shop owners set out collection bins in their storefronts for canned goods or gifts. Others put jars for money near the cash register. All of them seemed to be calling her at once.

  “That reminds me. Santa called. He left a message.” Molly leaned over and handed Betty a sticky note. It read, Nathan Daley called. Try home number. The time of the phone call and number were written below.

  Betty could tell Molly didn’t really like Nathan that much. Or she would have asked more questions about him. And she wouldn’t have kept calling him Santa in that somewhat sarcastic tone.

  But Betty didn’t care what Molly thought. Besides, there was nothing to think, she reminded herself. She and Nathan were barely acquaintances, getting to know each other working on this project together. After his surprise appearance at the shop on Monday, they had exchanged a few phone calls and e-mails. Nothing personal.

  Did she want it to get more personal? Oh, dear . . . she wasn’t sure. She knew she liked him. She enjoyed talking to him. He was interesting and amusing. But maybe that was all there was to it. She had met enough men to know that you really don’t know—until you know.

  “So, when is the big party for the food pantry?” Molly asked. “You put us down for some food, of course,” she added.

  “Yes, I did,” Betty confirmed. “But I’m not sure yet when they’re holding it. And they don’t know where yet either.”

  “Sounds very organized. Just don’t let anyone know you’re a partner here, okay?”Molly teased her. She was leafing through the big black ledger that held a record of all the scheduled events, a page or two devoted to each. Betty had designed the book, and it was now indispensable. Every time a new client signed up, they slipped the page into its proper place and had one spot to keep all important information and any special notes. The groom was highly allergic to nuts, for instance. Molly scribbled a bit on a page, then turned to look at the next party.

  The phone rang and Betty answered it. “Willoughby Fine Foods, may I help you?”

  “I think you’ve already helped me,” Nathan’s voice greeted her. “My sources tell me that you’ve collected a truckload of donations.”

  “It’s actually a van,” Betty corrected him. “But it is full. Who told you that?” she asked him curiously.

  “I have my sources. They told me I picked the right woman for the job, too.”

  She laughed at him, ignoring the compliment. “The elves again, I should have guessed.”

  “Actually, it was Reverend Ben. I was just on the phone with him. He spotted you around town. He’s offered the Fellowship Hall at the church for the party. I think that’s a good place—plenty of room and the church has a big kitchen.”

  Betty belonged to the same church but didn’t attend often. She had never been a joiner, always more focused on her work. She knew that Nathan was an active member at church, though, and gathered he had a strong faith. That was a trait in a man she might have scoffed at when she was younger. But though she didn’t share it, she did admire it at this stage of life.

  “How can I help you now?” he asked. “What should I do? I think you’ve already done too much loading and lifting on your own.”

  That’s just what Molly had told her. But it wasn’t Nathan’s fault. Betty knew she tended to have a “do-it-all” personality and was bad at asking for help. Nathan made it easy for her to ask, though.

  “There is a lot of stuff in the van right now,” she told him. “Food to restock the pantry and gifts and decorations for the party. I was going to bring it all home tonight and put it in my garage. Is there someplace else to store it so we don’t have to move it twice?”

  “That’s a good question. We can’t bring it to the pantry. It’s a mess over there. The church wouldn’t work either. They don’t have much storage room. Why don’t you just bring it all to my house and I’ll stick it somewhere. Can you come by tonight? I’ll make you dinner,” he added.
>
  “Um . . . sure. That sounds great.” Betty was surprised and pleased by the impromptu invitation. She had toyed with the idea of asking Nathan to come to her house to help unload the van, but she hadn’t wanted to seem like some damsel in distress.

  This was better. This was different. She had rarely had a man make her dinner, and never one who seemed so casual about it. If they did it at all, it was usually a big drama.

  “Not if it’s any trouble for you,” she said. “I can just come by with the stuff and we can unload it. You don’t have to go to any trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble. That’s the least I can do to thank you for all your hard work.”

  Betty was convinced. And she was curious to see where he lived. They set a time, and Nathan gave her his address and some directions.

  Molly had wandered into the office but came out just as Betty was ending the phone call.

  “So, was that Santa, checking in?”

  “Yes, it was Santa, and he’s invited me for dinner tonight. He’s going to keep all that stuff at his house until we have someplace to bring it.”

  “He’s making you dinner? Interesting,” Molly said with a sly smile. “Let me guess the menu—”

  “No more Santa jokes, please?” Betty asked. “It’s getting a little stale.”

  “Sorry, but it’s hard to resist. So where does this guy live? And I’m resisting some great jokes about the North Pole.”

  Betty shook her head. There was no stopping her sometimes, was there? She picked up her note with the address and directions. “He lives on North Creek Road.”

  “Fancy address. That’s by the water, not far from the Warwick estate.” Molly peered over her shoulder. “Maybe he’s an eccentric millionaire who likes to dress up and play Santa Claus?”

  “He must be really eccentric if he has me running around collecting donations when he could just write a check for the whole deal.”