CHAPTER SIX
For as soundly as Lindy had slept Friday night, she tossed and turned on Saturday. The terrible Christmas Billy had had that fateful year kept running though her mind. It was beyond ridiculous to believe her letter had anything to do with what had happened to him and his family. As illogical as it was to assume she was somehow responsible, Lindy couldn’t stop thinking about all the ten-year-old had suffered. A child his age couldn’t possibly understand what had happened to his father, or why he had left.
When Lindy finally managed to fall asleep, her dreams were filled with Billy Kincade and her as children. She spitefully complained to Santa about him, and in turn Santa promised to make Billy’s life miserable. Lindy woke in a sweat when her mother knocked on her bedroom door.
“Are you awake?” her mother asked, opening the door and peeking inside.
“Yes.” Lindy sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was wide awake now, and grateful for the interruption to her nightmare.
“It’s time to get ready for church,” her mother told her.
“I thought church was at eleven.” That had been the traditional time for worship service for as long as she could remember.
“Pastor added an early service, which we prefer. Your dad said Pastor Dean can’t go overtime when he’s got another service following on the heels of the first.”
“Okay, early service it is,” Lindy said, and tossed aside the bedcovers.
“I forgot to tell you about the schedule change yesterday. Then Dad and I were asleep when you arrived home last night. Hope you had a good time with Peggy and her friends.”
“The best.” After they’d left the Wine Press, Peggy invited Lindy to hang out at her apartment for several hours. It’d been well after midnight before she arrived back home. Renewing their friendship was exactly the boost her Christmas spirit needed. They laughed about old times, and, after reviewing more of their escapades, decided it was probably a good thing Peggy had moved away when she did. Only heaven knew the trouble they would have inspired had they continued on through middle and high school.
After coffee and a quick shower, Lindy was ready to leave for church with her parents.
As she walked out of the house, she noticed a bowl of sourdough pancake batter on the kitchen counter. Her dad had set it up the night before, the same as he’d done when she lived at home. Sourdough rolls and now pancakes. Lindy loved being home.
Church was exactly what she needed to lift her out of the blue funk following her dream. Seeing people she’d known most of her life lifted her spirits, as did singing the traditional Christmas carols. This was the last service before the traditional Christmas Eve candlelight one. Pastor Dean’s message was on forgiveness and the necessity of letting go of petty hurts, which was exactly what Lindy needed to hear. Closing her eyes, she released Celeste and Brian, and although it was difficult, she wished them happiness.
After church, as her dad delivered steaming hotcakes to the middle of the table, Lindy eagerly piled four small ones onto her plate and ladled warm maple syrup over the top until the sticky goodness pooled there. Beau took his place beneath the table, hoping someone would be kind enough to share their bacon. Lindy knew her mother had a soft spot for Beau and watched as Ellen slipped him a piece when Lindy’s dad wasn’t looking.
“How was the food at the Wine Press?” her mother asked. “Dad and I have been meaning to make a reservation, but we haven’t had a chance to just yet.”
Lindy knew how busy her father was this time of year, so the fact that they hadn’t been out often came as no surprise. “The appetizers were great, and the wine selection was diverse in both variety and price.” Seeing how busy the restaurant was, there was no doubt it would be a success. “There was only one negative to the night.”
“Oh? Wasn’t the service good?”
“It was excellent. I happened to meet the owner/manager, and you’ll never guess who it is.”
“I won’t even try. Tell me.”
“Billy Kincade.”
“Billy Kincade?” her mother repeated, as if she were as shocked as Lindy had been to hear the name. “Not the same Billy you mentioned in your letter to Santa?”
“One and the same. When I recognized his name, I was foolish enough to mention that silly letter. Then, before I could stop her, Peggy asked if Billy would come to our table…” She paused before continuing to relay what she’d learned about that horrible Christmas.