Yuletide Twins

A hint of a memory crossed Laura’s thoughts. David, talking about Mia from Claremont, and what a special person she was. But that wouldn’t be this baby, since she hadn’t even been born at the time. Laura tried to remember, but before she could bring the memory into focus, Kaden forged ahead in his search for books.

“What else do you have, Miss Laura?”

Laura ran a finger along the spines and then saw a group that she thought might appeal to Kaden, if he hadn’t read them yet. She pulled out the first book in the series. “How about The Boxcar Children? Those were some of my favorite books when I was young.”

“Mine, too,” Mandy said.

Kaden took the book and studied the illustration of four children and a red boxcar on the cover. “Is it a girl book, or is it for boys, too?”

“It’s a great book for both boys and girls,” Laura said.

“That’s true,” Mandy agreed. “Our librarian, Miss Ivey, read the books to us when I was in elementary school. Everyone loved them, and then we’d go on the playground and pretend we were the boxcar children.”

“What’s it about?” Kaden asked.

Laura could tell his interest was piqued. “It’s about four brothers and sisters who have run away and find a boxcar to live in.”

“They have to take care of themselves? All by themselves?” Kaden asked.

“Yes, they do. And there are all of these books that tell you about their adventures.”

“Okay, I want some of these books, Mom! I wonder if Nathan knows about them. He might like them, too, huh?”

“Nathan is one of Kaden’s older friends,” Mandy explained.

“He’s nine,” Kaden said.

Laura thought about the possibility of Kaden and his friends starting to read the series together. That could be a very good thing, not only for the kids, but also for her to prove herself as an asset to David’s bookstore. “Why don’t you see if Nathan, and maybe some of your other friends, would like to read the stories? I’m sure Mr. David would be happy to order more copies, and then all of you could read them together.” Her mind kept churning, and she liked where her ideas were headed. “Maybe we could start a Boxcar Children club here, and you could all come talk about the books and the adventures.”

David entered the children’s area a little winded from his trek with the luggage, but he’d obviously heard Laura’s idea. “That sounds good to me,” he said.

“I’ve never thought about a book club for children, but given Kaden’s appetite for reading, it’d be great for him. I’ll call Nathan’s parents tonight, as well as a few more of Kaden’s friends,” Mandy said. “Go ahead and get the first three books in the series, and we’ll get that board book for Mia.”

“How is the littlest Brantley?” David asked.

“Chattering up a storm now,” Mandy said. “I’ll bring her the next time I come.”

“Sounds great,” he said, then to Laura added, “I got your luggage. I put it by the checkout counter for now, but I’ll carry it upstairs for you after Mandy and Kaden are done shopping.”

“We’re ready,” Kaden said, grabbing the three books and clutching them to his chest. “I want to go read some before I have to go to bed.”

“Okay, take the books up to the counter so we can pay,” Mandy instructed, and Kaden ran off with his new books. Then she turned to David. “Daniel and I would love for you to stay with us, but I think I have a better idea. My apartment is open above my studio. I haven’t lived there since Daniel and I married three years ago, but I kept the furnishings intact. Laura, you could stay there. It’s clean and ready, and you could stay as long as you like.”

“Oh, I couldn’t take advantage of you that way,” Laura said.

“Nonsense. It’s just sitting there, and it’d be convenient for you if you’re working at the bookstore. It’s only a few doors down on the square. And then David wouldn’t have to stay anywhere else, either. It’d be perfect.”

“I’d want to pay you,” Laura said.

“We’ll work something out,” Mandy promised. “I’ll ask Daniel about payment, but really, we haven’t been using it anyway.”

“That would be convenient,” David said, “if it sounds good to you, Laura.”

“It sounds great, actually. Thank you, Mandy.” She was a little stunned that someone she just met would offer her a place to stay, but she could already tell, not only from David, but also by the first people she met in Claremont, that people here were different, and she meant that in a very good way. Maybe, in Claremont, she and her babies would have a real home.

Chapter Three

David used the key Mandy gave them to unlock the door to her studio, then carried Laura’s luggage through the gallery and toward the apartment. “All of the shops on the square are designed the same, with a kitchen in the back and then a small second-floor apartment. My grandparents lived above the bookstore when they first started out, but then they bought a farmhouse a little ways out from town when they had my mother.”

He’d reached the kitchen and turned to make sure Laura was doing okay, but she wasn’t there. Instead, she’d stopped to admire one of Mandy’s photographs displayed on an easel. David put the luggage down and went to see what had her attention.

The photo was of Mandy, very pregnant, wearing a white dress with her hands cradling her stomach. Kaden and Daniel were on either side of her with their hands placed against hers and also appearing to cradle the new addition to their family.

Laura’s hand was at her throat, her eyes glistening at the image. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she whispered.

David swallowed, uncertain whether she was talking about the photo itself or the beauty of a complete family, something she didn’t have for her little girls. His heart ached for her, and he longed to reach out and hold her, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. She’d balked earlier when he said she could stay in his apartment because she thought he was trying to cross the line into a personal relationship. But David had determined long ago that his relationship with Laura was strictly friendship. And right now she needed a friend.

“You’re going to be a great mother, Laura. And your relationship with your girls will be beautiful, too,” he said honestly.

She blinked a couple of times, moved her eyes from the photograph to David, and undeniable gratitude shone from the pale blue. “You think so, David? Really?”

He realized that she needed reassurance of the fact and that she probably hadn’t received it from anyone else. Jared had asked her to end the pregnancy, and her parents practically begged her to put the babies up for adoption. But Laura wanted her girls, and David needed her to know that he believed in her. A single tear leaked from her right eye, and he placed a finger against the droplet on her cheek to softly wipe it away. “I know so,” he said. “Just think about what you did tonight, talking with Kaden and helping him get excited about reading and sharing his books with his friends. You’re a natural.”

“He’s six,” she said, “a bit different than newborns, don’t you think?”

“Motherhood instincts are there, and you are a natural. Like I said, you’re going to be great, and they’re going to love you.”

She studied the photo another moment then said, “Thanks. I really needed to hear that.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s go get you settled in.”

This time she followed him through the gallery. He picked up the luggage when they reached the kitchen and then stopped at the foot of the stairs. “You go first, and I’ll follow.”

She gave him a knowing glance. “You afraid I’ll get off balance and fall? I’ll have you know I’ve had to tackle some form of stairs nearly every day of the pregnancy, and they haven’t gotten the best of me yet. And now that I’ll be living here, I’ll navigate these every day.”

“Yeah,” David said, eyeing the steepness of the stairwell. “And I’m not so sure that’s a great thing. Maybe we should keep looking for other rental places, some that are on the first floor.”

She smirked. “Never knew you to be such a worrier. I can still drive—the doctor said so—and I can still climb stairs.” She stepped ahead and started up the first steps. “But if it will make you feel better, I always use the handrails.” She placed a firm palm on the banister to prove her point. “See?”

“Yeah, I see,” he said, but he still wasn’t thrilled at the thought of her climbing all of the stairs every day. What if she did fall? More worries came to mind. What if she went into labor trying to make her way to the apartment? Or what if she went into labor in the apartment and then had to climb down the stairs to get to the hospital? As if he wanted to make certain she knew, he said, “When you go into labor, just call me. I’ll make sure you get to the hospital in time.”

Her smirk moved into a smile. “You’re precious, you know that?”

“Precious, yep, that’s me. That’s what I go for.” And that’s what he’d always been to Laura, and to most every other girl before the relationships eventually ended. Precious. A friend.

She laughed, and even though he wasn’t thrilled with his never-changing “best bud” status, he was glad to have given her that luxury. “You know what I mean,” she said.

“Yeah, I do.” It was the same thing Mia Carter had meant when she told him she’d fallen for Jacob Brantley. And then AnnElise Riley last year, when she’d left town with Gage Sommers. And, the most memorable of all, Laura herself, who’d fallen for his college roommate without even realizing David was captivated, as well.