“I love Mallory! Remember our lunch? It was like a book club. Where will she go if she loses her mother?”
“I think to the neighbors. They have a ten-year-old daughter and they’re good friends. The problem is, the neighbors are a family of eight pressed into a small house. But they’re good and generous people. We’re working on details. Mallory’s mother is single and there’s no family that I know of.” She shook her head. “If it gets to the county, they will put her in foster care.”
“Surely they’ll find a good family,” Kaylee said.
“Eventually. We suffer a shortage around here so they usually begin with emergency foster care and that often results in moving the kids around a bit. A few weeks here, a few weeks there, until a permanent home can be found that is right for everyone concerned.” Mel smiled and patted Kaylee’s hand. “Maybe her mother will make it till Christmas, but I highly doubt it. I’d give her another week at the most.”
“Wow, and I thought I had it bad. At least I was thirty-five and able to look after myself.”
“Yes, a lot of kinks in the road of life,” Mel said. “I’ll do my best. Now, are you staying a while? Because Jack is going to light up the tree at about six. You really should see it. Even if you don’t think you’re in the mood.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
* * *
Landry was talking to Colin Riordan across the street from the bar, watching as the last of the lights were going up on the tree. He saw Brie wave from the porch of the bar and he waved back. Then she walked across the street to join him.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“Excellent, and you?”
“Very well. Getting ready for Christmas and all the hoopla. There’s a Christmas pageant that all the kids are involved in, a couple of parties, and Mike tells me it’s going to snow for real tonight, no more of that little dusting. I hope you have your snow tires ready. What’s going on with you for the holidays?”
“It’ll be quiet. I’m going to offer to cook for Kaylee.”
Colin excused himself and walked away a bit to talk to one of the guys on the tree crew.
“I couldn’t have planned that better,” Brie said. “I have some news. Would you like to meet in my office or do you want it now?”
“Now is good, if it’s not real complicated,” he said, bracing himself.
“Your offer of a hundred thousand with no support payments has been accepted. If nothing more comes up to complicate the situation, I can write this up and get it before a judge before Christmas. It’ll take a few weeks to finalize things. And we should be prepared for your wife to change her mind or ask for more or…” She shrugged. “It doesn’t usually go so smoothly, but then yours is the first divorce I’ve handled where there’s been a ten-year separation.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if it just sailed through,” he said. “I talked to Laura on Thanksgiving. She was very emotional but she didn’t offer any arguments. And she didn’t mention she’d received my offer.”
“So, you’re sure, then?”
“Absolutely. I talked to the bank about a mortgage on some of the land.”
“I’ll keep you posted,” she said.
* * *
The tree lighting was nothing short of amazing. The bar was overflowing with townsfolk, gathering to see the tree. It was so bright, Kaylee wondered if it could be seen in the next county. There was some carol singing, children running around wildly, lots of laughter, and then it began to snow. That thrilled the kids much more than the adults, since they wouldn’t have to drive in it.
Kaylee saw Jack’s family all together around the tree and noticed that David and Emma had a little friend with them. It was Mallory. She was a beautiful little girl with almost blond pigtails trailing out from under her knit hat. Kaylee was relieved to see her laughing. But Kaylee knew how hard it was going to be for her when her mother died. The loneliness could be terrible.
* * *
As the days passed, of course little Mallory’s situation weighed on Kaylee’s mind, though she tried to shake it off. She turned her attention to her book and exercised all her willpower to focus. And at night when she was in Landry’s arms, she found at least temporary peace of mind. A few days later she called her editor.
“I have some news, at last,” she said. “I’m sending you the completed manuscript.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Simone said. “I’ll give it a read as soon as possible. I think I can get to it right away. Congratulations.”