A Down-Home Savannah Christmas

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  “Of course,” Elle said, happy she could be useful.

  “At the end of the school day, your friend Josey is going to get Chloe from her class and bring her to the office. She said it’s fine if you pick her up.”

  “How about if I take her to the inn?” Elle suggested. “Mom and Gigi will take good care of her. That way I can come back and bring you something to eat. We never did get to eat lunch. You must be starving.”

  It was a dumb thing to say. She knew it as soon as the words passed her lips. Food was probably the last thing on his mind... Then again, he was a guy. Not to stereotype, but most guys could usually eat whenever and whatever food appeared in front of them. And Daniel wasn’t balking at the suggestion.

  “Daniel, she’s going to wonder why a total stranger is picking her up from school. What would you like me to tell her?”

  Daniel shrugged and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “She’s five years old. What do you tell a five-year-old in a case like this?”

  “I’m a teacher. Unless you have something specific you want me to tell her, you can leave it to me. I’ll handle it. But I do need your cell number just in case.”

  As he rattled off the numbers, she punched them into her phone and then called him.

  “Now you have my number, too. Just in case.”

  He nodded as he silenced his phone.

  “I’m going to go get Chloe now—”

  “Elle, I remembered something. Chloe won’t get into a car with anyone unless the person knows the special code word she and Aidan came up with.”

  “Oh, good. That’s important. Do you know it?”

  Daniel smiled sadly. “Yeah. It’s rutabaga. The word makes Chloe laugh.”

  Elle held his gaze and smiled. “I’ll bet it sounds funny to a five-year-old. Don’t worry about anything. I’ll take good care of Chloe.”

  “Wait,” Daniel said. “You’re going to need a car seat. There’s one in Aidan’s car. He takes Chloe to school in the car and rides his bike around town until he picks her up.”

  Aidan didn’t strike her as the type who’d ride a motorcycle. A scooter, maybe, but not a bike. She didn’t mean to judge, but from what she remembered, he’d been somewhat of a nerd. It was hard to reconcile that Aidan with the one who’d been in the motorcycle accident.

  People probably remembered her as the nerdy Clark sister. Jane was the beauty, and Kate was the cool sister.

  Elle had been the bookish good girl, who had fought her attraction to the bad boy.

  Possibly similar to the way Aidan had been drawn to Kate.

  Maybe Aidan had been a late bloomer? Because now he had a kid. And a motorcycle.

  Sadness pulled at Elle’s insides.

  “I wonder if the school has some on hand for emergencies?” Elle suggested.

  “That’s a good idea.”

  Daniel placed the call and a few minutes later, they had secured a loaner from the school.

  “Call me if anything changes,” Elle said as she prepared to leave.

  His brows knitted and he frowned. He didn’t say it, but she could virtually read his mind. What good would that do? You’ll be there. I’ll be here. I’ll handle it.

  “See you soon.” She walked away so that he didn’t have to answer.

  * * *

  Daniel and Aidan had started getting their act together this year when they’d decided to go into business together.

  An architect, Aidan was the brains behind Quindlin Brothers Renovations. Daniel was the brawn.

  Growing up, they’d never been particularly close because they had always been too different. When their parents died in the car accident, it had only magnified their differences. Daniel was the rebel who hadn’t wanted to move to Savannah in his senior year of high school to live with their grandmother and he’d done everything to prove exactly how deep his discontent ran. He’d been so self-absorbed he hadn’t had time to worry about his younger brother, who’d tried hard to make up for all of Daniel’s shortcomings by being the perfect kid.

  Aidan had been the smart one, the studious one. The one who never caused anyone a lick of grief. The anomaly was that damn motorcycle. Even when he was trying to be a bad ass, he’d worn a helmet. If he hadn’t, he’d be dead right now. But a straitlaced guy like Aidan should’ve never been on a hog like that in the first place.

  After Veronica walked out on him and Chloe, Aidan seemed like he had something to prove. That was when he’d bought the bike.

  Daniel stared past his calloused hands, past the work-tanned skin of his arms to the dingy linoleum of the waiting room floor. Why hadn’t he taken a stronger stand when Aidan bought the Harley? First, because Aidan was an adult. Daniel couldn’t tell him what to do. Second, the bike had been an impulse purchase.

  Even so, he’d even gone to motorcycle school to learn how to ride the thing. But nothing could prepare a person for two tons of steel powered by a drunk blowing through a red light. Just like nothing Daniel could’ve said would’ve changed Aidan’s mind about keeping the bike. As much as Daniel wanted to believe he had that kind of power over his kid brother, he didn’t.

  Daniel may have been the street-smart Quindlin brother, but Aidan was supposed to be the one with the most common sense.

  He uttered a swear word under his breath, cursing his brother for not using his brain when it mattered.

  His legs began to tingle and he realized he’d been sitting hunched over, staring at the floor for a long time. He stood and glanced at his watch. Elle should’ve made it to the school by now. He wondered what she’d say to Chloe. He hadn’t been any more help to Elle when she’d asked for his guidance on what to say than he’d been about setting his brother straight on how dumb it was to buy a bike when he had a five-year-old who depended on him.

  It wouldn’t do anyone any good for him to sit around grousing. He needed to borrow a page from Elle and think about the bigger picture rather than being pissed off at his brother for almost killing himself.

  Despite Elle’s personal beef with him, she’d turned it off and focused on what really mattered in the face of a crisis. Here she was coming to his rescue again, like she had the night he’d accidentally burned down his grandmother’s house. She’d been the one to tell her mom and grandmother about the fire and Wiladean Boudreau and Zelda Clark had welcomed his grandmother and Aidan, refusing to accept a penny after all was said and done.

  Wiladean and Zelda didn’t know it, but Daniel intended to repay their kindness by doing their reno at cost. Or at least that had been his intention, until Aidan’s accident.

  Now everything was on hold until he knew Aidan’s prognosis.

  He paced the length of the empty waiting room a few times, trying to burn off some of his anxious steam, but it wasn’t helping.

  “Aw, hell.”

  He decided to check in with Elle and ask how Chloe was doing.

  He had started typing the text when someone said, “Mr. Quindlin?”

  Daniel looked up to see a guy wearing surgical scrubs and a grim expression.

  * * *

  Ah, the resiliency of a well-adjusted child.

  Elle couldn’t decide if it was heartening or frightening how willingly and happily Chloe Quindlin went with her. All it took was the utterance of the secret word and a promise of ice cream and the Disney Channel and she was in the back seat, strapped into a car seat the school had loaned Elle.

  “We had a party at school today.” Chloe’s little voice drifted from the back seat. “’Cause today is the last day of school for the rest of the year.”

  Elle glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the little girl in the booster seat, gazing out the side window.

  “Are you on vacation now, Chloe?”

  “Yes.”

  Elle stole another glance in the rearview mirror and saw her clutching a white stuffed
kitten, cooing softly to it.

  Her curly brown hair and big blue eyes made her look like a porcelain doll.

  “What’s your kitty’s name?” Elle asked.

  “Princess Sweetie Pie.” The little girl held the stuffed animal up to her ear. “Princess Sweetie Pie wants to know where we are going.”

  “Tell Princess Sweetie Pie we are going to my house. In fact, we are almost there. Your Uncle Daniel is going to pick you up a little bit later. But while we’re waiting for him, we can get something to eat and play games. Do you like to play games?”

  “It depends on what game it is.”

  They kept a good assortment of games and puzzles at the inn for various age groups.

  “Have you ever played the game Candyland?”

  “No.”

  Elle stopped at a red light at Whitaker and Gaston. In the rearview mirror, she saw the little girl hold her cat up to her ear again. “Princess Sweetie Pie wants to know if you have the game My Little Pony? That’s her favorite.”

  The light turned green and Elle looked both ways before she accelerated through the intersection. “I’m not sure. We can look when we get inside.”

  She made a right turn onto Hall Street and parked in one of the reserved spots.

  “This house is big. Is it your house?”

  “It sure is. Want to come inside?”

  The little girl hugged Princess Sweetie Pie but didn’t answer the question. Elle got out of the car and opened the back door. As she unbuckled Chloe from her booster seat, the little girl asked, “Why are you picking me up from school? My daddy always picks me up.”

  Elle knew the question was coming and she supposed she should have been grateful that Chloe waited to ask until they were off the road.

  “I’m glad you asked me that question, Chloe,” Elle said. “You know the only reason it was okay for you to go in the car with me was because I knew the code word. Ms. Jensen talked to your Uncle Daniel. He’s the one who sent me to get you and he’ll be here to pick you up later. I’m glad you know it’s not okay to leave with anyone you don’t know unless they know the code or another adult you know says it’s okay.”

  The little girl’s eyes got big and her bottom lip protruded. Elle feared she might have scared her with all the “stranger danger” talk. Maybe she was saying too much.

  In her experience of dealing with her students, she’d learned to only answer the questions they asked. Not to elaborate or add too much. Since Daniel hadn’t been able to give her any guidance on what to tell Chloe about her father, she knew the only thing she could do was tell the truth. But maybe the less she said the better, since Elle didn’t know much about Aidan’s condition. Although Chloe seemed like a smart, well-adjusted child, she was a little girl.

  “Honey, your daddy had to go see the doctor. Have you ever been to the doctor, Chloe?”

  The little girl nodded and plucked her white cat out from under her arm and held it up to her ear. Then she held it in front of her face and spoke to it. “I’ll ask her. Princess Sweetie Pie wants to know if Daddy has to get a shot.”

  “He might.”

  Chloe winced. “Poor daddy.”

  “I know,” Elle said. “Nobody likes to get shots. But you know what I do like?”

  Chloe shook her head and looked at her expectantly.

  “I like ice cream. Do you?”

  Her curls bobbed as she nodded. “So does Princess Sweetie Pie.”

  “I’m sure we have enough for three. Want to go in and get some?”

  Elle lifted Chloe and Princess Sweetie Pie from the car seat and set them down on the gravel walkway. She took the little girl’s hand and led her to the back door. They walked straight into the kitchen.

  Gigi was in there waiting for them. Elle had called to let her mom and Gigi know about the accident. This wasn’t how she’d thought the day would go. She had fully intended to come home and give Gigi a firm talking to about skipping out on the luncheon meeting with Daniel Quindlin and tell her—again—that she needed to stop trying to push them together. But suddenly, being there with Daniel when the call came seemed like divine intervention. If not for the attempted lunchtime fix-up, she wouldn’t have been there to pick up Chloe and to help Daniel and Aidan.

  Who would’ve thought she’d ever hear herself say that? But suddenly everything that had gone on before seemed unimportant right now.

  “You must be Chloe,” Gigi said, squatting down in front of the little girl as best as her knees would allow her to do. “You can call me Gigi.”

  Chloe looked small and unsure, standing stoically in the middle of the kitchen, hugging her white cat.

  Even though Elle had planned on giving her grandmother a pass...for the most part...it didn’t mean she couldn’t let her know that she was wise to her matchmaking plan.

  “Your hair looks pretty, Gigi,” Elle said, as she took two containers of ice cream out of the freezer. Even though Gigi took pride in looking her best, it was perfectly clear that she hadn’t had a thing done to her hair today.

  “Well, thank you, honey.”

  “It was awfully nice of Kate to work you in on the spur of the moment like that. Is that a new style?”

  Elle smiled a knowing smile and arched a brow at her to drive home her point.

  Gigi didn’t even have the good grace to look sheepish. Instead, she stood up and patted her hair. “Yes, your sister does such a good job, and she’s so good to her Gigi.”

  The part Gigi didn’t say, but mentally telegraphed to Elle was, You should follow Kate’s example.

  Now wasn’t the time to hash it out. Gigi must have realized it, too, because she changed the subject.

  She walked over to Elle and took one of the half-gallon containers out of her hands. “How are things?” she asked, cautiously lowering her voice.

  Elle was certain her grandmother wasn’t asking about the lunch. “I’m not sure,” Elle answered. “I was going to text Daniel after I got Chloe the ice cream I promised her. Would you like to join us for ice cream, Gigi?” she said a little louder, infusing the invitation with the tried-and-true enthusiasm of an elementary school teacher for Chloe’s benefit.

  Gigi answered with an exaggerated smile that she directed to Chloe. “I’d love to. Chloe? May I join you? I’d love some ice cream. In fact, we might as well splurge and go all out. Chloe, what would you think about making ice cream sundaes?” Chloe looked confused. “You know, ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and whipped cream. And I’ll bet if Elle looks in the fridge, she’ll find a brand-new jar of maraschino cherries.”

  Chloe brightened up a little bit. “I like cherries and sprinkles on my ice cream.”

  “Well, then that’s what we will have,” Gigi said. “You go on over there and you and your cat get yourselves settled at the table and I’ll help Miss Elle put the sundaes together.”

  “Maybe we should wash hands first since she just came from school? Gigi, will you please help her with that?”

  “I’m happy to do that,” Gigi said. “In fact, Elle, why don’t you go on and send that text you need to send and Miss Chloe can help me put our snack together. By the time you get back, those sundaes should be ready to eat.”

  * * *

  Aidan had made it through surgery and was in the intensive care unit. He’d suffered a head injury as well as multiple broken bones, and the doctor had put him into a medically induced coma to bring down the brain swelling.

  Now that he knew Aidan’s condition, Daniel was torn. The bigger part of him, the part that wanted to do what was right, knew he should stay at the hospital in case his brother woke up, but hospitals freaked him out. He hated the smell. He hated the austere environment. He hated the dire reality of the place. Unless you worked there, you didn’t go to the hospital unless something was gravely wrong. In his experience, when the people he lov
ed entered the hospital, they didn’t come out.

  His parents. His grandmother. His wife.

  He said a silent prayer that Aidan would recover and put an end to that grim streak.

  The place made him anxious. And, yeah, as far as he was concerned, he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. All selfishness aside, he needed to go get Chloe. He had imposed on Elle and her family enough. So, he left his contact information with the nurses and they had promised to call if Aidan woke up before Daniel could get back to the hospital tomorrow morning.

  He exited the automatic double doors, at war with himself about leaving. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do sitting around waiting for his brother to wake up. During visiting hours, he could sit with him, but the rest of the time, he’d be relegated to the waiting room or the hospital cafeteria.

  Aidan would understand. In fact, he would probably kick his ass if he found out he’d been sitting there all day staring at the floor instead of taking care of Quindlin Brothers business. But even before he could do that, the first thing on his list was to take care of Chloe.

  He had a full plate at work, and with Aidan in the hospital, he had no idea how he was going to get it all done and take care of a child. But Chloe was first priority. She had always been in school or day care since he and Aidan had become partners. But he didn’t know which day care Aidan had put her in and he didn’t know the first thing about selecting one—or finding a babysitter, for that matter. Really, he didn’t want to leave her with a stranger. The hospital had released Aidan’s belongings to him, so he had a key to his brother’s house. The first thing he needed to do after he took an Uber to his truck, which was still parked near Rusty’s, and picked up Chloe was go to his brother’s house and put together a plan to make life as normal as possible for his niece.

  Dread was a lead ball in his stomach. His gut reaction was that he didn’t know how to take care of a five-year-old little girl. But he’d been around Aidan and Chloe enough to know he would manage. The one thing he wasn’t sure about was how he would juggle the responsibility of full-time childcare with work and looking in on his brother.