Now it was their turn in front of the judge. Jordan was as white-faced as the Welkys’ inflatable snowman and Maddy suddenly felt faint. The proceedings were short. The prosecutor said his piece—“The defendant understands the seriousness of what she did”—and then the judge said hers.
“I’m sentencing you to community service,” she told Jordan, who was wiping tears from her eyes. “You will help all your neighbors—every one of them—take down their Christmas decorations.”
Did the judge have any idea how many decorations that involved? Next to her Maddy could hear a gulp.
“You will also write a letter of apology to everyone whose property you damaged. And that includes your parents.”
Jordan nodded and wiped away more tears.
“Mom and Dad, you will check off all the names on the list and submit that to the court as well as a copy of the letters written. I’ll expect them on my desk by January 13.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Alan said.
“I trust I won’t see you back here,” the judge said to Jordan when she was done passing sentence.
Jordan was too terrified to speak but she managed to shake her head.
Alan hugged her as they left the courthouse and she burst into tears. Maddy, too, was tearful. But she was also relieved to have the torture over with and hopeful that both she and her daughter had learned some valuable lessons.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Jordan sobbed.
“I know, and we forgive you. You did something wrong, and now you’ll make it right.”
Alan’s cell phone rang, but he ignored it. Then Maddy’s rang. And rang. And rang. She let it go to voice mail. There was nothing anyone had to say that was more important than spending time with their daughter.
But whoever was trying to reach them was persistent. A moment later Alan’s cell phone rang again. He frowned and pulled it out of his pocket, then swore. Phone to his ear, he said, “Hello, Mom.”
Oh, no. His parents were flying in today. And expecting to be picked up at the airport.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he was saying. “It went completely out of my mind.” He shot a self-conscious look in Jordan’s direction. “Something came up. No, we’re still in Icicle Falls.”
That. Woman. “Alan, let me talk to her,” Maddy said in her sweetest voice.
She was the family diplomat, and he was happy to hand over his angry mom for her to placate. She took the phone and, still smiling, said, “Corrine. So sorry we forgot to come and get you.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking,” Corrine sputtered. “I emailed you the flight and arrival time last week.”
“Well, we’ve been kind of busy since then. And today we were tied up in court—”
“Why on earth...”
Maddy continued, talking right over her. “So I’m afraid you’re going to have to rent a car and drive up here.”
“Drive!” Corrine echoed.
“Yes, you know how to do that.”
“Tom doesn’t like to drive in the snow,” Corrine protested.
“The roads are clear. You’ll be fine. See you when you get here,” Maddy said, and hung up.
“What did she say?” Alan asked.
“I have no idea. I ended the call a little prematurely.”
“You hung up on Grandma?” Jordan asked, shocked.
His cell phone immediately started ringing again. Maddy dropped it in her purse. “I’m hungry. What do you say we go to Herman’s?”
Alan grinned. “I’m in favor of that. We could all use some stress relief.” Her trauma survived, Jordan skipped ahead to the car and he said to Maddy, “You realize we’re going to have major stress once my folks arrive. Mom’s going to be madder than a hornet.”
“Compared to what we just went through? As far as I’m concerned, her stinger’s been pulled out.”
But once her in-laws finally arrived, Maddy realized Corrine’s stinger was still in fine working order. “What on earth is going on?” she demanded as they walked in the door, her husband, Tom, struggling with a king-size suitcase and a carry-on. Corrine, on the other hand, held only her Gucci bag. As always, her makeup and hair were flawless. She wore a classic black wool coat over leggings and stylish boots, proving to the world that she refused to be outdone by the younger generation.
Her husband didn’t worry about fashion. He was clad in a parka with jeans and the blue sweater Maddy and Alan had given him for Christmas ten years ago. Whereas his wife had frown lines around her mouth and between her brows, laugh lines had settled in around his eyes.
“I’m sorry you wound up having to drive, Tom,” Maddy said. “We had a bit of a crisis.”
“It was okay,” Tom said.
“A bit of a crisis?” His wife frowned and cocked an eyebrow. “You left us stranded at the airport. I hope it was more than a bit.”
“We’ve had some problems with Jordan,” Alan said in a low voice.
“Jordan!” Corrine scanned the hallway for a sign of her granddaughter. “Is she all right?”
Jordan, on hearing the doorbell, had made herself scarce. Normally she would’ve been on hand to greet her grandparents. Today Maddy didn’t blame her for scatting. She’d like to scat herself.
“She’s fine,” Alan told her. “Let’s get you two settled and then we’ll talk. Here, Dad, I’ll take that,” he said, and made his escape to the upstairs bedrooms with the suitcases, leaving Maddy to take the coats, along with the brunt of her mother-in-law’s wrath.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Corrine snapped as Maddy hung up her coat.
“She’s about to tell us, dear,” Tom said calmly. Tom was a saint.
“Come into the living room and sit down. Would you like some coffee?” Maddy offered.
“This late in the afternoon? I’ll be up all night. Just tell us what’s going on,” Corrine demanded as they walked into the living room.
“Jordan was involved in some trouble,” Maddy explained.
“Jordan! I don’t believe it,” Corrine said.
“What kind of trouble?” asked Tom.
“She and a couple of other kids vandalized some of our neighborhood Christmas decorations.” Mostly hers, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into that. Of course, how not to? Oh, this was awkward. And humiliating.
“Why on earth would she do such a thing?” Corrine demanded.
How to answer that?
“Why do kids do anything like that?” Tom shook his head. “Remember that time Alan took our car and went joyriding?”
Corrine’s cheeks got a little pink. “We’re not talking about Alan.”
Okay, might as well come out with it. Corrine would find the dirt, anyway. “Actually, she was feeling ignored,” Maddy confessed. “And she was mad at me. So she trashed our candy canes and a couple of other neighbors’ decorations, as well.”
Corrine fell back against the couch cushions and stared at her.
And now was the moment of truth, when she had to admit to both herself and her in-laws that she’d focused on all the wrong things. She took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I got so caught up in making the holidays special for our neighborhood, I fell short here at home.”
Corrine shook her head in disgust, but Tom said, “I’m not buying that. You’ve always been a good mother—and a good wife to our son.”
Corrine didn’t add an amen to that. Instead, she said, “I need something to drink, after all.”
“Of course,” Maddy murmured. “Some tea? I have a special holiday blend.”
Corrine looked at her watch. “It’s almost five. After the way this day has gone, I’ll take a glass of white wine. Please tell me you’ve got some.”
Come to think of it, Maddy could use a glass herself. She fetche
d wine for all of them, including Alan, and returned to find him on the sofa, describing Jordan’s community service sentence to them.
Tom nodded. “Suit the punishment to the crime. I like that.”
Alan smiled as he took a glass from the tray. “I’m not sure Jordan does.”
“Really, Madeline, with you hardly ever home, it’s not surprising she got into trouble,” said Corrine.
“Mom, she got into trouble in the middle of the night when we were both home,” Alan said, defending Maddy like the loyal husband he was. “It’s not Maddy’s fault. Our daughter made some wrong choices, pure and simple.”
“Still...”
“So,” Alan said in an effort to turn the conversation. “How was your flight?”
He would’ve had better luck turning the Queen Mary with a rowboat. “The flight was fine. We only had problems after we arrived,” said his mother. “I can’t understand why you didn’t tell us. We’d have been more than happy to come up early and help.”
Maddy could just imagine what kind of “help” Corrine would have offered. I-told-you-sos and why-didn’t-yous right and left.
“It’s all under control now,” Alan assured her.
“Is it? Does she understand that what she did was wrong?”
“I think so,” Maddy said.
But at dinner that night Corrine made sure, grilling Jordan, telling her how wrong it was to damage other people’s belongings. Would she like it if her mother came into her room and started breaking her things?
Before she was done, Jordan was in tears all over again and running up the stairs to her bedroom, the last of her chicken and mashed potatoes abandoned. Maddy had gone to the store and picked up deli chicken earlier, knowing it was her daughter’s favorite and hoping to end the evening on a positive note. So much for that.
“Excuse me,” Maddy said, and hurried after her.
“You should let her go,” Corrine said. “Don’t indulge the child when she’s been bad.”
“Corrine, I think she knows what’s best for her own daughter,” Tom said. Thank you, Tom.
“I’m just saying.”
“I think you’ve said enough.”
Alan’s words were the last Maddy heard as she left the dining room. Thank you, Alan. She might not need an antacid, after all.
She found Jordan on her bed, crying. “Everyone hates me!” she greeted her mother.
Maddy perched on the side of the bed and rubbed her daughter’s arm. “Nobody hates you. We all love you.”
“Then why is Grandma being so mean?”
Because that’s what she does best. “Because she’s disappointed.” Hmm. Was that why Corrine was so sour? Maybe she was disappointed with how her life had turned out. Maybe she was disappointed that her son had gone away to school in Washington and never come home, that he’d married a girl who’d stolen him away.
Still, that was no excuse to berate Jordan. She’d already been judged in court. She didn’t need her grandmother adding to the sentence.
“I wish they hadn’t come,” Jordan sobbed.
Boy, that made two of them. “You know what, sweetie, it’ll get better. Grandma’s said what she needed to say and now we won’t speak of it again.”
Jordan’s sobs began to subside.
“We’ll have a nice day tomorrow delivering Christmas cookies to the neighbors and...”
“Do I have to see the Welkys?” Jordan asked in a small voice.
“I can take a plate to the Welkys. If you write your apology note to them, I’ll deliver it for you. Still, you’ll need to see them eventually. You’re going to have to help them take down their Christmas decorations.”
Jordan nodded, keeping her attention fixed on plucking at a loose thread on her bedspread.
“I know this is hard, but we’ll get through it, okay?”
Jordan nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“Now, how about you come back down and have dessert?”
Jordan shook her head vigorously.
There was no point in forcing her. Maddy didn’t blame her. She didn’t want to go back downstairs, either. “All right. You can join us later if you feel like it.”
Jordan just bit her lip.
Maddy gave her a kiss and left. What her daughter had done was wrong, but that didn’t stop Maddy from feeling sorry for her. Jordan’s actions were paying a hefty dividend of humiliation. Hopefully, the experience would scar her for life in such a way that she’d never again be tempted to walk on the wild side.
Actually, if this was as wild as Jordan ever got, Maddy would be happy.
“Is she coming down?” Corrine asked when Maddy returned.
“She’s going to spend some time in her room, thinking about what she’s done.”
Corrine nodded. “Well, good.”
“I told her we’re done talking about it.” The look she gave her mother-in-law said, “Don’t cross me.”
Corrine bristled, insulted. “Really, Madeline, I don’t know why you’re looking at me.”
“We do,” Tom said. “Give it a rest, hon.”
“Of course I’m not going to rub the child’s face in it,” Corrine said stiffly, and took a sip of wine.
“Who’s for dessert?” Alan asked, rubbing his hands together.
With dessert came new topics of conversation—Tom’s latest business investment, how things were going at the hardware store, what the plans were for tomorrow.
“Would you like to help Jordan and me put together our plates of cookies for the neighbors?” Maddy asked Corrine. “We always take around cookies on Christmas Eve as a...as something nice to do,” she corrected herself. The cookies were a thank-you to the women who’d volunteered for Mrs. Santa Claus duty, but under the circumstances, Maddy decided it was best not to bring up the subject of Candy Cane Lane. That would only remind everyone of the trouble it had inspired.
“I’d be happy to,” Corrine said, inclining her head like a queen conferring a favor.
Memories of Corrine’s contributions a few Christmases past surfaced. She’d been very helpful, wondering why Maddy didn’t use curling ribbon (“It makes a much nicer bow”) to observing that Maddy hadn’t baked her raspberry thumbprint cookies (which were Alan’s favorite).
Maddy made a mental note to get Corrine to help her with the thumbprint cookies in the morning. “I thought we’d have an early meal since we have the Christmas Eve service at seven.”
Corrine approved of that. “We don’t want to eat late.”
“We have a Christmas stollen from Gingerbread Haus for Christmas Day breakfast and then we can open presents,” Maddy continued. “I thought I’d plan dinner for around two.”
And after that they’d only have to endure her mother-in-law for a few more hours and the old bat would be gone. And Alan wouldn’t have to drive them to the airport. Now, there was a lovely Christmas bonus.
“Well, son, how about a game of cribbage?” Tom suggested, obviously tired of going over the itinerary.
“Sure,” said Alan, and escaped, leaving Maddy to entertain her mother-in-law. Oh, great.
“Corrine, is there anything you’d like to do?” Maybe go to bed early. Now would be good.
“Oh, whatever you’d like,” Corrine said, sounding deceptively genial.
Other than bridge, which Maddy had never mastered, Corrine wasn’t much for playing games. She wasn’t big on movies, either. Conversation was a potential minefield as Corrine usually found it a wonderful platform for even more helpful “suggestions” on how Maddy could do better as a wife or mother. Inspiration hit. “You know, I recorded the latest episodes of Downton Abbey. Would you like to watch it?” She wasn’t sure if Corrine watched the series, but since it was so popular she figured the odds were good.
&nbs
p; “That’s fine,” Corrine said, and almost smiled.
They were halfway through when Jordan slipped into the family room and dropped a note on Maddy’s lap, then fled. The note was written on lined paper. It only covered a small part of the page, but the tear splotches showed that it was heartfelt.
Dear Mommy,
I’m really sorry about what I did. I wish I could do it over cuz I wouldn’t do it. I’m sorry I made you unhappy. Please forgive me and ask Grandma not to hate me. I love you.
XOXO Jordan
“Well, what does it say?” Corrine demanded.
Maddy handed it over and Corrine read it, her brow furrowed. “Why on earth would she think I hate her?”
“I guess she somehow read that between the lines.”
“That’s ridiculous. I love the child,” Corrine said, her voice softening.
“She’d probably appreciate a hug at some point.”
“I’m going to go talk to her right now,” said Corrine.
“I think she just wants to be alone.”
“Nonsense. We need to settle this,” Corrine said, and left the room.
Maddy followed her out. “She’s had a pretty emotional day.”
“Well, then, a hug is just what she needs.”
“That’s all you’re going to do? I won’t have you scolding her.” She never talked to her mother-in-law like that, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“Honestly, Madeline, what kind of heartless shrew do you think I am?”
Maddy hoped that was a rhetorical question. She followed Corrine up the stairs, determined to run interference if necessary.
Corrine tapped on Jordan’s door. “Darling, it’s Grandma. I’m coming in,” she announced, and entered the room like an invading general, startling Jordan, who was hard at work on another letter of apology.
But there was no further scolding. Instead, Corrine said, “I don’t believe I ever got a hug. I could use one. Could you?”
Christmas on Candy Cane Lane Page 29
