There was nothing Maddy didn’t see on Candy Cane Lane. “Yes, he did. But...”
“I can take five to seven if you could take that last part of the night,” Maddy pleaded.
Ivy had been a Mrs. Santa Claus slacker this year. She really needed to take a turn. “All right. I can do from seven to eight.” Maybe the cold air would revive her. And doing something to make other people happy would take her focus off herself and remind her to appreciate the joys of the season.
“Oh, thank you,” Maddy gushed. “Drop by the house on your way home. I’ll leave some candy on the front porch for you.”
Doing things for others is one of the most wonderful ways to make your holidays bright, Muriel Sterling had written in her book. Ivy had been focusing way too much on her own misery lately. It was time she thought about other people. As she ended the call she was smiling. The weekend wasn’t going to be a total loss, after all.
* * *
Thank heaven she’d found someone to do candy-cane patrol. At least this way Maddy would only be outside until seven. She’d move their dinner reservation from six to seven-thirty and they could dine fashionably late. Everything would work out.
Not everyone in the family shared her opinion. “You know I hate eating that late,” Alan had said when she called to tell him about the slight change in plans. “It doesn’t do my hiatal hernia any good.”
“Honey, I think if you take a Zantac you’ll be fine. When the store’s open late, you don’t get home for dinner until seven, anyway.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I don’t often eat dinner at home this time of year,” he pointed out. “But never mind. Do what you want. You will, anyway.”
That was unfair, and now she felt insulted and hurt. “If it’s going to be a hardship, I’ll keep it for six.”
Sweet man that he was, she figured he’d change his mind and agree to the change in plans, but he said, “Good. It’ll be fun to have a family dinner together out from under the shadow of the candy canes.”
“Alan,” she protested.
“Sorry, hon, but you go overboard with this. If you’re not passing out candy, you’re looking for someone else to do it. And if you’re not doing that, you’re at somebody’s house telling them some of their Christmas lights are out. Or delivering candy canes. Or on the phone talking about candy canes. Give us all a break and give it a rest.”
“Alan, I’m only trying to make our neighborhood nice.”
“I know. But for just one night, can you let someone else do it?”
Who did he think that was going to be? She was as tired of this as he was, but someone had to keep things organized, and the best someone was the person who’d come up with the idea in the first place. Still, she could delegate. “I get the message,” she said.
“Good. So, when I come home, somebody else will be wandering the street.”
A lovely way to phrase being a goodwill ambassador. “I’ll be at the house by the time you get there.” Thank heaven she’d convinced Ivy to take a turn.
She hurried home to change into her Mrs. Santa Claus outfit and then went out to be a goodwill ambassador. For a very short while.
Mr. Werner and his wife pulled out of their driveway. He stopped his Marquis on the street opposite where she stood and let down his window. “Have they caught the brats who wrecked my candy canes?” he called.
What Mr. Werner had to squawk about was a mystery to Maddy. His candy canes were only knocked over, not damaged. And he didn’t even like them. “Not yet.”
“Well, I hope they do,” he said. He slid his window back up and the car crept down the street at the same pace he’d keep up all the way to wherever he was going.
Maddy sighed. Talking with Mr. Werner was about as uplifting as getting strapped to a boat anchor.
Oh, well. Never mind him. She only had to look around to lift her spirits again. The neighborhood was all color and festivity, and cars were already showing up, driving slowly, taking in the sights. Every house and shrub was alight, and all the larger-than-life inflatables were on display. She looked down the street at the lit-up dinosaur their newest resident had put out on her lawn. Tacky. Maybe, if they were lucky, the vandals would strike again and make off with it. Ah, but everything else was a feast for the eyes. Oh, did the Shanks family know they had some nonworking icicle lights?
A car stopped next to her and Maddy greeted them. “Merry Christmas. Do we have some takers for candy canes?”
“You bet,” said the mom. “The kids have been waiting for this all day.”
Ha! Proof that she was doing something good, not just for their neighborhood but for the whole town. Too bad her own family didn’t understand that.
More cars came by and she chatted with everyone. In fact, she got so busy she lost track of time. She only realized how late it was when she saw a familiar Toyota at the end of the street. Uh-oh. A holiday Cinderella, Maddy fled the party and ran up the steps into the house. It wouldn’t take her more than a few minutes to change.
“Jordan, are you ready to go?” she asked.
“Yes,” came the answer from behind Jordan’s door.
She dashed into her own bedroom, shedding her wig as she went. Her hair was terrifying. No time to fix it now. She’d have to do that in the car. Off came the skirt.
“I’m home,” Alan called up the stairs. “Everybody ready to go?”
“Almost,” Maddy called back, and left the last of Mrs. Claus on the bedroom floor. She could hear Jordan running down the stairs.
“Come on, babe. They won’t hold the reservation,” Alan said.
“Coming!” Oh, boy. She shouldn’t have stayed out so long. Quick! Into her skirt, throw on the blouse. Grab a necklace to put on in the car. Shoes! Okay, she was ready.
But halfway to Schwangau, she remembered she’d forgotten to leave out the candy canes for Ivy.
“We’re already running late,” Alan said. “You know they don’t hold reservations more than ten minutes.”
“This’ll just take one minute,” she promised. “I’ll call them and tell them not to give away our table.”
“Schwangau,” answered a soft female voice.
“This is Madeline Donaldson. We have a reservation for three people for six o’clock.”
“Yes,” said the voice.
“We’re going to be a few minutes late, so please hold our table.”
“As you may know, we have a strict policy regarding reservations. We only hold tables for ten minutes.”
That gave them five minutes to do this one quick errand and then get to the restaurant.
“Are you on your way now?”
Pretty much. “Yes,” Maddy lied.
“All right,” said the voice. “We’ll hold your table.”
“Thank you,” Maddy said. “There,” she told Alan, “all taken care of.”
“Good, because I’m starving, and I sure don’t want to have to wait for a table.” Jordan was busy in the backseat texting and didn’t say anything.
Which was just as well, since these days most of her conversation consisted of complaints.
They parked in front of the house, and Maddy ran inside to fetch the new supply of candy canes from the closet in the guest room. There. Now she could go out and enjoy herself.
But when they got to Schwangau, she learned that her enjoyment was going to be considerably delayed. “I’m so sorry,” said the hostess. “You’re fifteen minutes late and we couldn’t hold your table.”
Maddy frowned.
“How long will we have to wait to get another one?” Alan asked.
Seeing all the people waiting to be seated, Maddy had the sinking feeling it could be a while.
The hostess consulted her seating chart. “An hour.”
“An
hour?” Alan repeated.
“I’m hungry,” Jordan whined.
“Can’t you get us in any sooner?” Maddy pleaded.
The hostess managed a sympathetic look but shook her head.
“Never mind,” Alan said. “Let’s go to Zelda’s. They can probably fit us in.”
On a Saturday night? Maddy doubted it.
“Maddy, I’m really sorry,” Charley Masters said to her when they got there, “but we’re packed.”
She could see that. There wasn’t an empty table in the popular restaurant, and here, too, people were waiting to be seated.
“How long is the wait?” Maddy asked.
“About twenty minutes,” Charley said. “Do you want me to put you down?”
“Mom, I’m hungry,” Jordan grumbled again.
“Well, that’s it,” Alan said. “Let’s go to Herman’s.”
“Herman’s?” That was going to be their big family holiday dinner out?
“We won’t have to wait twenty minutes there,” Alan said. “Come on, girls.” Out the door he went, expecting Maddy and Jordan to follow.
There went Jordan, right behind him.
“I guess we’ll come back another time,” Maddy said, and left the restaurant, fuming.
“I can’t believe Schwangau wouldn’t wait just a few more minutes,” she said, slamming the car door behind her. “After all the business we’ve given them.”
“If they change their policy for one person, they have to do it for everyone,” Alan said. “We knew what time we had to be there.”
Maddy decided not to pursue this topic any further, since their tardiness could be laid directly at her door.
In her black skirt, heels and green satin blouse she was a little overdressed for a hamburger joint. Jordan was, too. Maddy had insisted she wear something other than jeans and under her coat she wore a dress. “I’m cold,” she complained as they walked into the popular hamburger joint.
“I guess you won’t want a chocolate peppermint shake, then,” Maddy said.
Jordan ignored her, then turned to her dad. “I want a shake and a Herman Deluxe burger and garlic fries.”
“What’ll you have?” Alan asked her.
A nice glass of Gewürztraminer. That wasn’t happening. Maddy sighed deeply. “A root beer and a cheeseburger.” Oh, well. At least they were all together.
Sort of. They’d barely gotten seated when Alan’s cell phone rang. He had a different ring tone for each of the women in his life. For Maddy it was Johnny Cash singing “Ring of Fire.” For Jordan it was “My Girl,” and for his mother it was “Mission Impossible,” which was playing now. Maddy’s ring tone for her was “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead,” which she never heard because Corrine never called her.
“I’d better take this,” he said. “Hi, Mom... No, no. It’s fine. We’re just out getting a hamburger.”
Having family time. Some family time. Now Jordan was busy with her phone. Maddy chomped down on a garlic fry. This was fun. She took out her cell. She could text, too. She sent one to Carla Welky. Family time. We’re all on our phones. Yep, this was some good family bonding.
“You know, I’m not sure,” Alan was saying. “Let me put Maddy on.”
That really made the evening special. Maddy frowned at her husband and shook her head.
“She wants to know what a certain someone wants for Christmas.”
“An iTunes gift card,” Jordan said, not looking up.
Maddy took the phone and said, “Hello, Corrine,” forcing politeness into her voice.
As usual, Corrine didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “I need to know what my granddaughter wants for Christmas.”
“It won’t be long now before you’re with us,” Maddy said, maneuvering the old bat into polite conversation.
“Which is why I need to get my shopping finished tomorrow,” Corrine said briskly. “What would she like?”
“She says she’d like an iTunes gift card.”
“She’s there?”
“We’re all sitting here having dinner, Corrine.”
“Now she’ll know what we’re giving her. I’ll have to think of something else. Honestly, I don’t know why you eat so late at night. That poor child.”
The poor child was busy slurping down a milk shake at the moment and didn’t seem to be suffering in the least. Well, unless you counted being stuck with your parents.
“I hope you’re not planning on such a late dinner time when we’re there.”
“We’ll make sure you eat early,” Maddy said as sweetly as she could. Maybe then you’ll go to bed early, too, and leave us in peace.
“Good. Put my son on again, please.”
Gladly. Maddy handed the cell back to Alan. She could tell he was getting a motherly lecture from the expression on his face. “No, Mom... Uh-huh.” He got up and moved away from the table. Maddy could hear him say, “No, no. Maddy’s looking forward to having you.”
She was? News to her. Her phone dinged, announcing a text from Carla. Ha ha. Sounds like us. At least Maddy wasn’t the only woman in Icicle Falls coming in second place after a cell phone.
“I’ve got to go, Mom. We’ll see you soon,” Alan said, and ended the call.
“Is she getting me a gift card?” Jordan asked.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Maddy replied.
“She’s not,” Jordan said irritably, not even glancing up from her phone.
“I’m sure someone will give you a gift card.” That someone would probably be her or her mother, since Corrine would now go her own stubborn way and get Jordan something she couldn’t care less about like a stuffed bear or a child’s yoga mat. Oh, wait, that was what she’d gotten Jordan last Christmas. Maddy had taken them to Goodwill.
“Anyway, Christmas isn’t just about getting,” Maddy reminded her. “It’s about giving, too.”
Alan reached over and squeezed her hand. “And being together.”
Ah, yes, and here they were, together, but not really.
Jordan texted through half the meal until, exasperated, Alan told her to put away her phone. Then her friend Afton came in with her mom and a couple of other kids, and Jordan was off like a shot. Afton’s mom was wearing leggings and a black sweater, along with a very cool scarf under her parka. Her boots looked expensive. Maddy knew her Coach purse was. The kids all ordered and she paid for everyone. Big deal. Maddy would have done the same. She needed to encourage Jordan to have her friends over more.
Except for that tall, gangly boy Jordan was flirting with. Maddy took in his gangsta-wannabe clothes and scraggy hair, the way he flipped it out of his eyes. And he had gauges in his ears. At such a young age? This had to be Logan. Blech.
“Who’s that kid?” Alan asked, irritation in his voice.
“A boy Jordan has a crush on.”
“Looks like a loser to me,” Alan said in disgust.
“They all dress like that these days,” Maddy said, and wondered why she was coming to the boy’s defense when she’d thought pretty much the same thing. Probably because she hated to think of her daughter having such poor taste.
“I guess,” he said dubiously. “Isn’t she too young for boys?”
“At thirteen? No. The hormones are just starting to kick in.”
Alan sat for a moment, watching the flirting and listening to the squeals. “Sometimes I wish she was still a little girl.”
Maddy knew exactly how he felt. One blink ago, their daughter had been a toddler. Now high school was right around the corner.
“We don’t have many years left with her,” he said sadly.
As whiny as she’d become, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.
“What do you think about going to a movie?” Alan asked.
Hang on to her a little longer... “Good idea,” Maddy said.
“At least she won’t text through the movie.”
Want to bet? “We can always hope.” Maddy continued to study the boy. Why did he seem familiar? Suddenly she flashed on the image of a kid leaning out the window of a car filled with other teenage boys, taunting her. Hey, tell Santa to bring me some condoms for Christmas. It was the same kid. Double blech.
Jordan bounded over. “Everyone’s going to Afton’s house to play Wii bowling. Can I go?”
What to do? Bag the movie idea and let her go? Maddy shot a glance at Alan. He was frowning. That decided it. “Not tonight, sweetie.”
Jordan’s cheery smile was replaced with a Grinchy scowl. “Why not?”
“We’re having some family time,” Alan said. “Remember?”
“All we were doing was going out to dinner, and we’re done,” Jordan pointed out.
“We had some other plans,” Maddy said.
“What?” Obviously, nothing her parents could come up with would be as cool as hanging out with Afton and her mom and Mr. Scrawny.
“We’re going to the movies,” Maddy said.
There went the eye roll. “Okay, can Afton come over tomorrow?”
“We’re going to Seattle to see Grandma and Grandpa,” Maddy reminded her.
“Afton could come with us,” Jordan suggested.
“Honey, let’s catch up with Afton during winter break, okay?”
“Fine,” Jordan said, her tone of voice saying it was anything but, and flounced off.
“I don’t think we scored any points just now,” Alan said.
“Maybe not, but we need to spend more time as a family before she moves on and it’s too late.”
Alan watched where Jordan stood with her friends, prolonging the contact. “I don’t know. It might already be too late.”
Maddy hoped he was wrong. All teenagers wanted to get away from their parents, but Jordan was barely a teen. Surely they had another year at least.
The gang left, and their daughter returned to the table, her pretty face marred by a very ugly expression. “Thanks, Mom,” she said bitterly, and plopped into her seat.
Christmas on Candy Cane Lane Page 25
