A Family Under the Christmas Tree

by Terri Reed

  Sophie took a calming breath. “Anyway, I’m staying here for Christmas.” Silence met her announcement. Had the line dropped? “Hello?”

  “Well, if you’d rather spend the holiday with your grandmother than your parents, I guess there’s nothing we can do about it,” her mother huffed.

  Sophie grimaced. “Mom, I’ll come to California as soon as I can.” If she could swing by to see them on the way to Zurich she would, but she couldn’t make that promise. “It might not be until after my next job. We can go to your favorite spot for lunch.” Which was a trendy restaurant in West Hollywood where people went to be seen.

  “Please give my mother our love,” Dad said. “We’ll talk with you on Christmas Day.” The phone clicked off.

  Sophie held the phone away from her ear and stared at the device. They never failed to make her feel guilty and unimportant at the same time.

  Would Mom or Dad tell the guys about Grandma? Sophie decided to call her eldest brother, Craig.

  “Hey, little sis.” Craig’s booming voice made Sophie smile. “Are you in town?”

  “No, I’m at Grandma’s.” She explained the situation.

  “A puppy?” Craig whistled. “Riggs sounds more like a horse.”

  Sophie laughed. “He is big, that’s for sure. I’m calling to see if you would talk to Dean and Sean about coming to visit Grandma soon.” She could hear Craig’s wife and kids in the background.

  “Of course. Look, I have to go. We’re heading out to do some Christmas shopping.”

  “Okay.” She tried not to let her disappointment show in her voice. “Thank you. Love you, biggest brother,” Sophie said.

  Craig laughed. “Love you, too, little sis.”

  This time when she clicked off, she smiled. Her brothers had turned out pretty well. She hoped they thought the same of her.

  CHAPTER

  6

  Wednesday morning, David dressed to go into the office. He wore a custom-tailored gray pinstripe suit, white dress shirt, and red tie. He’d shaved and tamed his hair. The suit made him feel powerful, respectable. He made sure his black Florsheims shined.

  He stepped into Troy’s room. The boy slept curled in a ball on his side in the narrow twin-size bed. Toys and books were piled in the corner. They’d attempted to straighten up last night when they’d returned from having dinner with the ladies next door. Sophie was coming over to watch Troy while David took his meetings.

  He could not express how relieved he was not to have to worry about Troy over the next few days. During today’s meeting David would be negotiating a deal with the representatives of a large bank to take over their software needs. He needed to be focused and attentive. And thanks to Sophie, he would be.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, he put a hand on Troy’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy. Time to wake up. Sophie will be here soon.”

  Troy stirred and burrowed deeper into the covers.

  Undeterred, David tugged the comforter down. “Troy. We talked about this last night. You’re going to spend a few hours with Sophie and Louise today. So you need to get up and get dressed so you’re ready when she arrives.”

  Troy rolled to his back and stretched. “Why are you all fancy?”

  “I’m going to the office, remember?”

  Nodding, Troy sat up and yawned. David stood and went to the six-drawer dresser, where he took out a set of clean clothes. He laid them on the foot of the bed. “While you dress, I’ll get breakfast ready.”

  Troy hopped out of the bed. His hair was mussed and standing up in places. His superhero footie pj’s were a bit too big and hung on his slim frame. He looked so much like Daniel. A wave of grief hit David, and he had to steel himself. He couldn’t let Troy see. He knelt down and gave Troy a hug. “I love you, buddy.”

  “I love you, Uncle David.”

  Regret lay heavy on David’s heart for the distance that had grown between him and Daniel the past few years, but with Troy he had a second chance to do right by his brother.

  In the kitchen, David put two blueberry waffles in the toaster. He poured orange juice into a plastic cup and set it at Troy’s spot at the dining table.

  The doorbell rang. Sophie was here.

  David was surprised by the blast of anticipation that hit his chest. He opened the front door and smiled at the woman on the other side. Sophie’s hair was down, with the sides clipped back by small silver barrettes. She had on jeans that hugged her curves and a deep blue sweater that reflected in the brightness of her eyes. Her warm smile twisted his chest up into knots. She was so pretty. He could stand there all day and be content to look at her.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  Giving himself a mental shake, he stepped back so she could enter. “Good morning. How are you today?”

  “I’m doing well. Grandma is sleeping in,” she remarked with a laugh. “Too many rounds of UNO.”

  He chuckled. They’d played several hands of the card game last night after dinner. “I hadn’t realized how competitive I could be. And Troy, too. Apparently it’s a Murphy trait.”

  “It was fun to watch,” she said. “I think in your business being competitive is a plus.”

  He conceded her words with a nod. “It has helped.” He moved to the hallway. “Troy, Sophie’s here.” He turned back to the lovely lady standing by the dining room table. “I sure do appreciate you doing this for us.”

  She waved a hand. “It’s my pleasure.”

  The sound of the toaster drew her attention. “I’ll butter those for you.”

  “They’re for Troy. Plates are in the cupboard above the toaster and utensils are in the drawer by the sink.”

  She nodded as she set about the task. “Does Troy have a car seat?”

  “Yes. I’ll set it inside the garage door before I leave.”

  She placed the plate with the buttered waffles on the table and moved gracefully toward him. “We’re set here. Go on. Do what you need to do.”

  He hesitated. “You have my number, right? In case you need anything.”

  “I have both your cell and the office number.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back by one.”

  “Great. If we’re not here, we’ll be next door.”

  Troy raced down the hall and skidded to a stop. “Hi, Sophie.”

  David dropped his chin at what Troy was wearing. He’d disregarded the jeans and long-sleeved shirt David had set out for him and instead wore a pair of red and white basketball shorts and a green-and-black-striped button-down shirt. His feet were bare but at least he’d combed his hair.

  “My, don’t you look good,” Sophie exclaimed, trying to suppress a smile.

  Troy grinned and wrapped his arms around her legs. She placed a hand on his back and met David’s gaze.

  He grimaced and shrugged. “There are jeans and a thermal shirt on his bed.”

  She grinned. “No worries. We’ll figure it out. Now, go before you’re late to your meeting.”

  With a salute, he hurried from the house, but he felt as if he’d left a little bit of his heart at her feet.

  David returned home shortly after one in the afternoon, his mood buoyant. The meeting with the bank had gone extremely well. The bank executive had promised to have a signed contract back to David right after Christmas. He couldn’t believe how gratifying it was to know the company he’d built from the ground up was garnering such prestigious attention.

  He parked his truck in the garage, noting the car seat was not where he’d left it. He entered the house and listened. All was quiet.

  “Sophie?” he called out in a hushed whisper in case she’d somehow managed to convince Troy to take a nap.

  There was no answer. And David was oddly disappointed.

  He headed down the hall to his room, pausing briefly at the door to Troy’s room. The bed was made and his toys more neatly arranged than they’d been this morning. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  He proceeded to his own room and changed out of h
is suit into comfortable jeans, a thermal shirt similar to the one he’d laid out for Troy this morning, and tennis shoes. After carefully hanging up his suit, he walked to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice and stopped abruptly.

  Not only was the kitchen spotless, but the living room had been cleared of the clutter and vacuumed. He could see the grooves from the vacuum machine in the carpet leading up to a new large square toy chest that was pushed up against the wall near the television. Acid churned in his stomach. The coffee and slice of zucchini bread he’d eaten at the office suddenly felt like a weight in his gut.

  A tented note on the dining room table drew his attention. He read the note left in Sophie’s swirling handwriting. She and Troy were next door with Louise and Riggs, and David was to come on over when he was ready.

  Shaking his head, he crumpled the note and stuffed it into his pocket, and then headed next door.

  “Come in!” Louise called at his knock.

  He stepped inside and was grateful for the warming temperature since he’d forgotten to grab a jacket. Thankfully the morning rain had abated.

  “David, how was your meeting?” Louise asked. She stood at the kitchen counter with her foot propped up on the rung of a stool.

  “Really good.” He leaned against the counter. “Where’s Sophie and Troy?”

  “Took Riggs for a walk.” She lifted her foot from the stool and hopped to her wheelchair.

  David rushed to help her. “Should you be doing that? Standing, I mean.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. I can’t sit all the time.”

  He took a seat on the couch across from her.

  “Is something bothering you?”

  He rubbed his palms on his thighs. She was perceptive. Or else he was transparent. “Sophie cleaned the house. She even bought a toy chest.”

  Louise’s eyebrows rose. The expression so much like Sophie’s he could only stare.

  “And that’s a problem because . . . ?” she prompted.

  “Not a problem exactly. It wasn’t part of our agreement.” The weight of obligation pressed down on his chest.

  “Oh. There was an agreement. Interesting. What exactly was in the agreement?”

  He sighed. “It wasn’t a formal thing.” He rubbed the back of his neck, where tension tightened the muscles.

  “Well, I’ll leave it to you to discuss that with Sophie,” Louise said. She cocked her head. “I think I hear them coming back now.”

  There was no mistaking Riggs’s happy bark and Troy’s squeal of delight or Sophie’s lilting laughter. Eagerness to see Sophie rose within him. He tamped it down and instead focused on seeing Troy as the door opened. Riggs raced inside and headed straight to Louise for slobbery kisses. Troy came in next, looking so full of life. David’s throat closed and he had to swallow to get the lump of emotion to go down. Troy stopped just inside the entryway and took off his shoes to carefully place them by the door.

  David’s mouth fell open with surprise, but he snapped his mouth shut as Sophie entered and did exactly the same thing with her shoes.

  “Uncle David!” Troy rushed to him in his socks. He wore the jeans and thermal shirt David had set out for him this morning.

  David caught Troy in his arms and hugged him tight. He smelled clean and fresh like the outdoors. Troy’s cold nose pressed against his neck. “Did you have a good time?”

  He beamed, his eyes sparkling. “The best!”

  David met Sophie’s gaze. His heart did a little flip at the tender welcome he saw in her eyes.

  She smiled. “How did it go today?”

  “Well. Very well.” Afraid she’d see the effect she had on him, he looked away to set Troy down. Then cleared his throat as he gathered his composure. He lifted his gaze back to Sophie. “Uh, can I talk to you in private?”

  Her pretty eyes widened. “Sure.”

  “Troy, why don’t you and I get a snack,” Louise said, rolling into the kitchen. Troy happily followed her.

  Knowing how easily conversations could be overheard in the house, David gestured toward the front door. Sophie nodded, stuck her feet back into her boots, and preceded him to the front porch. Before David could shut the door behind him, Riggs darted past him and out to the fenced front yard.

  David ran a hand through his hair as he sought how to say what he needed to say. “Look, I appreciate that you’re watching Troy. I can’t express how grateful I am.”

  She leaned against the porch post. “We had fun.”

  He frowned and dove into what was bothering him. “You cleaned my house. You bought a toy chest.”

  She canted her head. “Yes.”

  “You didn’t have to do that. I hadn’t expected you to do housekeeping, too.”

  She shrugged off his concern. “I know. It was no big deal to do some cleaning.”

  It was to him. “I don’t need a maid.”

  She frowned. “Troy helped me. It’s important that Troy learn to pick up after himself and help out around the house.” She shrugged, clearly puzzled. “I didn’t think you’d mind the toy box. If you don’t like it, I can take it back. I kept the receipt.”

  “It’s not that I don’t like it. I do. It’s beautiful.” Like her. He didn’t like seeing the aggravated look in her eyes and hated worse knowing he’d put it there. But she didn’t understand and he couldn’t bring himself to explain.

  “Did I overstep? I apologize.”

  Now she was apologizing and he should be the one groveling at her feet with gratitude. “No, you didn’t overstep. It was very thoughtful. And you’re right, I need to be more diligent about teaching Troy to take care of his things.” He let out a dry laugh. “You must think I’m such a slob.”

  “Not at all,” she replied in a cool tone.

  “You’re too kind.” Kinder than he deserved. “I’ll get Troy and we’ll get out of your hair.” He whistled and Riggs came running to his side. He petted Riggs behind the ear. “Wow, I wasn’t sure if that would work.”

  “Who knew?” she quipped, but there was no smile to accompany her words. He’d hurt her feelings. Best to escape quickly before he totally blew it and alienated her altogether.

  Sophie’s heart ached as she watched through the front window the Murphy boys head home. David was upset because she’d cleaned his house and worked with Troy on being disciplined to pick up after himself. She’d thought David would be pleased to come home to find the house neat. His response had stung.

  She let out a frustrated huff. For a moment there, she’d thought they shared a connection. She’d seen the look of wonder and pure joy in David’s eyes as he held Troy in his arms and hugged him close. And that look had spilled over to her, making her feel special and a part of their world.

  The little family they were forming.

  A bond she’d always secretly craved.

  She should have known better.

  She had to get a grip. She wasn’t staying. There was no sense in growing close to either one of them. She’d only be setting herself up for heartbreak. No, thank you.

  “Okay, spill it,” Grandma said. She’d moved to her recliner and had taken the brace off her ankle so she could do the exercises the doctor had given her to do.

  Taking a seat on the floor next to the recliner, Sophie made a face. “Men. I don’t get them sometimes.”

  “The housecleaning?”

  “He said something to you about it, too?”

  “It wasn’t part of your agreement.”

  Sophie let out a sigh. “Agreement. We didn’t have an agreement.” She picked at the carpet. “I don’t know, Grandma. David confuses me. One minute I think we have this connection, and then the next he’s pulling away.”

  “Maybe he’s as scared as you are.”

  Her gaze snapped up. “What do you mean, ‘scared’? I’m not scared of anything. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve gone into war zones and jungles and have dealt with wild animals and movie stars.”

  Grandma flexed her foot and extended it. �
��Yes, but when it comes to love, you tend to find the nearest exit.” She chuckled.

  “Excuse me? I’m not the one who bailed in my past relationships.”

  “You don’t think flying off to foreign lands is a form of bailing?” Grandma arched an eyebrow. “You don’t think turning down a proposal is a form of bailing?”

  Sophie grimaced. She had confided in Grandma about her failed relationships. “You are too flighty,” Jason had said when she wouldn’t move in with him. The label didn’t sit well with her. She took her responsibilities seriously.

  “You are commitment-shy,” Andrew had claimed when she’d turned down his proposal.

  He’d wanted her to give up her career. The one commitment she didn’t have a problem making.

  She knew they weren’t right. But she also knew she needed to be careful.

  She blew out another frustrated huff. “You sound like Mom.”

  Maybe Grandma and Mom were both right. Maybe subconsciously she hadn’t wanted those relationships to last.

  “Well, she was smart enough to marry your father, so I’ll take that as a compliment.” Grandma rolled her ankle slowly in circles. “Give David a break. This is all new to him.”

  “Allowing someone to do something nice for him is new to him?”

  Grandma made a face. “I don’t know about that. Though it might be something you’ll want to ask him. But I would imagine suddenly having to be a father figure while running a company must be very stressful.”

  “Yes. It’s all sorts of change at once. He’s working on a really neat app for smartphones that could change people’s lives.”

  “You sound impressed.”

  “I am.” More than impressed. Attracted, too. A flutter of anxiety hit her and she put a hand on her tummy.

  Grandma pinned her with a knowing look. “You like him.”

  “Sure.” She narrowed her gaze. “But like is a far cry from love, Grandma.”

  “But it’s a start.”

  No, it wasn’t. Sophie wouldn’t let it be. She wasn’t going to fall in love with David. She wasn’t staying here.

  But she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she’d miss them all. Especially a certain enigmatic man who made her pulse pound and put a yearning in her heart that she couldn’t accept.