The Christmas Angel Read online

  “Obviously. With Christina sitting in your lap, how could you? Do you want to start seeing other people now?”

  “No, I don’t.” Something like understanding flickered in Luke’s dark eyes. “Maybe you do. Maybe that’s what this is all about.”

  “Don’t turn this around on me, Luke. You’re the one acting like you want out. It seems as if you’ve already started something with your old girlfriend.”

  Luke straightened, his body tense with anger. “Is that what you really think? I thought you had a little faith in me, Sara, a little more trust.”

  Sara looked down at the icy ground. She had thought she trusted him, but now she felt so upset and jealous, she wasn’t sure what to think.

  “So where is Christina?” she finally asked. “Did she go back to Boston yet?”

  “She left yesterday, but she’s coming back. She likes it around here,” he added.

  “Yes, I’m sure she enjoys the scenery.” Sara turned, pulled open her car door, and then got inside. “I’ll see you.”

  “So long, Sara.” Luke watched her pull out of the parking lot and drive away. She saw him in her rearview mirror. His expression was bleak, exactly the way she felt inside.

  She wanted to believe that he had no special feelings for Christina and had been faithful to her. But she didn’t feel reassured by anything he just said. Why was Christina coming back here if there was absolutely nothing going on and if she had no hope of winning Luke back?

  Christina didn’t strike Sara as the type of person who wasted her time or got swept up in unrequited love affairs.

  Sara drove toward the village on the dark, empty road. The woods were covered in snow; the bare branches, coated with silvery ice, arched over the narrow road, glittering against the black sky. The passing scenery looked magical and mysterious. She recognized its beauty while at the same time feeling lost inside. She felt empty and adrift now that she didn’t know where she stood with Luke.

  “YES, I’LL BE THERE, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER,” EMILY PROMISED.

  She ended the call with Warren Oakes and sat for a moment, wondering who would be available to watch Jane on such short notice. She had interviewed a few sitters during the week, but here it was Thursday morning, and she still didn’t have any solid prospects to take over on Monday, when she was due back at work.

  Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the village zoning board had been called. A legal challenge to the zoning in Wood’s Hollow had been filed and the board had to meet.

  As Emily understood the story from Warren, a local developer had a pending deal to buy the land where the old hotels stood—only to knock them down, of course, and build luxury minimansions on the lake. The firm, Acorn Development, couldn’t go ahead unless the zoning was changed from multiple- to single-unit housing. Acorn Development had backers in town, Emily knew. They’d once tried to build condos on the Cranberry Cottages property.

  A request to change the zoning would normally be considered at the regular monthly meeting. But Lionel Watts, who was in favor of development, had called an impromptu emergency meeting, hoping to force it through behind her back, Emily suspected. Luckily, Warren had figured out the scheme and alerted her in time.

  She paced back and forth in the living room, bouncing Jane gently in her arms. The meeting was at ten, and it was already five past nine. She still needed to shower and dress in real clothes, not just her sweats or jeans. And worst of all, she didn’t have a sitter.

  She picked up the phone and dialed Dan’s cell. He was off at another library doing research. This one was a private collection but it was fairly close, in Newburyport. He could definitely get back in time if he hustled.

  “Hi, it’s me,” she began when Dan picked up. “I have a little problem.”

  “What’s wrong? Is the baby okay?’

  The concerned note in his voice was encouraging. “Jane’s fine, but they’ve called me in for a meeting at ten. It’s a zoning vote, and I have to be there. Could you come home and watch Jane—just for an hour or two?”

  She heard Dan take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Emily, I really can’t. I’ve waited four months to get this appointment with the curator. If I leave now, it could take four more months before I get another crack at viewing this collection. And I’m on a deadline. I have to finish this research and get out the outline by next Friday.”

  “Yes, I know. But it would only be for a few hours.”

  “I’m sorry, but I warned you that this wouldn’t be easy. I told you I wasn’t going to baby-sit while you went in to the office.”

  Emily sighed. He had said that. Dan had made it very clear that he wasn’t going to be Mr. Mom and that working out child-care arrangements was her responsibility. That had been the deal.

  “How about those sitters you interviewed this week?” Dan suggested, sounding sympathetic. “Maybe one will come over.”

  “There were only two and I didn’t like either of them.” Carla Nickerson never did find a day when the weather was clear enough for her to drive. And the other two, one too old and one too young, hadn’t filled Emily with confidence.

  “Well, don’t wait for Mary Poppins. I hear she’s already taken.”

  “Thanks for the tip.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. I would help you if I could. But I think you need to figure this out yourself.”

  “Okay, I will. I’ll talk to you later.” Without waiting for him to say good-bye, she hung up the phone. She didn’t have time for editorial comments today, and, though she couldn’t say he hadn’t warned her, she was annoyed at him for not dropping everything and helping her.

  She picked up the phone and dialed Jessica next, the closest thing to Mary Poppins in the neighborhood.

  Jessica picked up on her tone at once. “Anything wrong? You didn’t melt the bottles again, did you?”

  “Nothing like that. But I need to run in to work this morning. There’s a zoning-board meeting that I can’t miss. Do you think I could drop Jane with you, just for an hour or two?”

  “I’m sorry, Emily; that won’t work out today. I have to be at the bank and I’m bringing Tyler to Sam’s mother. She’s taking him for a checkup, so I don’t think she could handle two little babies in the doctor’s office. That would be a bit much, even for Marie. I’m sorry. Any other time I would do it for you.”

  “Sure, I know you would.” Emily sighed. “I’ll find someone; don’t worry.”

  “How about Betty or Molly?” Jessica suggested. “Maybe Molly will come over if she’s not in the store.”

  “Good idea, I’ll try them next.”

  Emily quickly made another call to Betty, but her secretary said she was out, busy showing properties to someone from out of town. Emily left a message on Betty’s voice mail, then called Molly. Just about the same story—Molly was off with a catering client; no telling when she’d return.

  Emily considered trying Sara next, but knew that even if her daughter could come for a little while, her time was too tight. She didn’t even want to ask and put her in an awkward position. Then her mother came to mind, and she nearly laughed out loud at the thought.

  “Don’t worry, sweets. I wouldn’t leave you with her for a million dollars,” she promised Jane.

  Sophie Potter was her last resort. Hadn’t Sophie offered to take the baby if Emily needed help? Maybe she was just being polite, but Emily was going to take her up on it. Besides, Sophie was perfect. She was great with children, kind, gentle . . . and she worked at home, Emily thought, picturing Potter’s Orchard, where Sophie lived.

  But there was no answer at the Potter house despite Sophie’s promise that she never left except to go to church. The answering machine picked up, and Emily left a halfhearted message.

  It was half past nine. Time was up. She had to get cleaned up and get out of there.

  “Practice that big smile, honey pot. You’re going into politics.”

  Jane gurgled at Emily, looking pleased at the idea.

  For the
next half hour, Emily ran around frantically, getting showered and dressed in record time. She wore a navy blue suit with pants and a fitted jacket that looked appropriately serious, she thought. With no time to blow dry her short, auburn hair, she did her best fluffing it out with her fingertips and hoped the heat vent in the car would do the rest. She skipped all extras, like makeup and jewelry entirely.

  She spent far more time on the baby’s appearance, she realized later, dressing Jane up in one of her cutest outfits and gathering her wisps of baby hair into a tiny ponytail on the top of her head. There was also considerable packing to do—diapers, formula, wipes, rattles, toys, blankets, a change of clothes in case there was an accident.

  Finally dressed and ready, she scooped up the baby and bag and headed for the door, turning back briefly to snatch up her briefcase. Luckily, the stroller was in her trunk and the middle section popped out into a portable infant seat. Emily planned to wheel Jane, kit and caboodle, into the meeting and then use the infant seat later in her office.

  “Maybe you’ll take a nice nap in that boring meeting for me, won’t you, Jane?”

  Emily breezed into the Village Hall and headed for the meeting room, wheeling Jane down the corridor. She was already nearly ten minutes late, but that was her usual style and couldn’t be blamed on the baby.

  She looked for Helen, her secretary, who sat at a desk outside her office, but she was nowhere in sight. That was a snag in her plans; she had hoped Helen would watch Jane for a bit.

  With no help for it, Emily opened the door to the meeting room and entered backward, tugging in the stroller and big baby bag.

  “Good morning, everyone. I couldn’t find a sitter on such short notice and had to bring Jane along. Hope you don’t mind.”

  The zoning board was made up of older men, mainly retired engineers and businessmen, and one woman who had been on the school board. They took themselves and their jobs on the board very seriously. None of them had a great sense of humor, or much humor at all, come to think about it.

  Lionel Watts was the chair and called the meeting to order. He didn’t even glance at the baby, though Emily sat right next to him. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

  Emily reviewed the pile of handouts that sat on the table at her seat. She reached into her bag for her reading glasses, but came up with a baby thermometer, which she quickly stuck back inside. It seemed she had forgotten her glasses altogether. Well, she had to remember to pack nearly everything else in the house. It was only the law of probability that she would forget something.

  She tried not to be too obvious as she leaned back and forth in her seat, trying to bring the important memos into focus.

  The meeting went from bad to worse. Just as the discussion started, Jane began whimpering and squiggling around in her seat in the stroller. Emily leaned over and tried to distract her with a rattle toy. The sound made everyone stop talking and stare at her.

  “Oh, sorry.” She put the rattle down on the table next to her pile of memos. “Go on, Lionel. I didn’t catch that last part. You were saying?”

  Lionel Watts gave her a chilly stare and continued his lugubrious commentary. “ . . . and the fact that most of the residents in that area are not property holders and not paying taxes to our town supports the position that the land-use definition should be altered so that the village can reassess and thus collect a higher revenue . . .”

  Jane started crying. Something about Lionel’s droning tone upset her, Emily was almost sure of it. She leaned over and peered at the baby, realizing that she had better check her diaper, just in case. “So sorry for the interruption. She’s fine. She’ll stop in just a second. I just want to check . . . something.”

  All clear in the diaper area, thank goodness. Emily unclipped Jane from the stroller and picked her up. She held her in her arms and patted her back, trying to quiet her. Twelve impatient stares fastened on her, making Emily feel a little nervous. Gosh, it was just a baby. More important, it was just a meeting. Get over yourselves already, she nearly said out loud.

  She paced back and forth near her chair, trying to soothe the baby and get her to fall asleep. Jane seemed to like it when she sang “You Are My Sunshine,” so Emily started off in a whispery tone. Then realizing that everyone was watching her with raised eyebrows, she stopped, too self-conscious to finish the song in front of her audience.

  “I think she’s just tired,” Emily explained. “She needs a nap.”

  George Gunther, a crusty old man in his eighties, made a disgusted face. “So do a lot of us here. But we’re managing not to cry about it.”

  This brought a few reluctant smiles from the others.

  Lionel cleared his throat very loudly. “Well, then . . . as I was saying . . .”

  The baby’s cries were growing louder. Emily quietly started the song again, singing in a whisper, “ . . . my only sunshine . . .”

  Martha Dodge heard her and sat back with eyebrows raised haughtily. “Maybe you ought to see if your secretary can sing to her, Mayor,” she suggested. She put special emphasis on Emily’s title, as if to remind her of it.

  “Yes, of course. I’ll just be a minute.” Emily ran outside with Jane, tugging the stroller behind her. Fortunately, Helen had returned to her desk and was sitting at her keyboard, typing.

  “Helen, could you help me out just for a few minutes? I couldn’t find a sitter, so I brought Jane in with me this morning to the zoning meeting. It’s not going well. Could you watch her, just until the meeting is over?”

  Helen held out her arms with a smile. “Sure thing. Here, let me have the little doll.” She folded Jane in her soft embrace and the baby seemed calmer instantly. “Just go on to your meeting,” Helen said. “She’ll be fine with me.”

  Emily gave Jane one last gaze, then went back to the meeting room. Helen, who was in her mid-fifties and had raised three children, did seem to have a good touch with her. Too bad she was such a great secretary and liked her job. She would make a terrific babysitter, Emily thought.

  From then on, the meeting proceeded without interruption, and arguments for both sides were heard. Those who favored a change in the zoning argued that the area of Wood’s Hollow would suddenly triple in value, becoming a builders’ bonanza. Many in the town would be in favor of a pocket of luxury real estate replacing the dilapidated apartment buildings that now bordered the lake. If nothing else, the town would get far more revenue in taxes from the area.

  “And what would become of the people who live there?” asked Warren Oakes. “There are families with children, not to mention seniors who’ve lived there their entire lives.”

  “Exactly,” Emily said firmly. “I don’t see how we can just toss people out of their homes because other people want to ‘clean up’ the area. You’re talking about people who don’t have other options, who wouldn’t have another place to go.”

  The discussion grew more heated until, finally, a motion was made to table the vote. It seemed that some legality in the petition had to be researched and clarified. Emily was relieved. She didn’t think the important question should be voted on so quickly. She really wanted to find some way to bring the issue to the town council and the villagers themselves.

  Just as windy Lionel Watts was winding up the meeting with a long, windy summation, Helen poked her head in the room. “Sorry, Emily. There’s an important call for you.”

  “Oh, sure. Sorry, everyone, I have to run. Thanks for your patience.”

  Emily ran out of the room, following her secretary down the hall.

  “It’s the baby. I didn’t want to say,” Helen admitted. “She needs her diaper changed and I couldn’t find any spares.”

  “Oh, thanks. I’ll take care of it.” Emily had had a feeling the important call was something along these lines. Not for the first time, she found herself glad of Helen’s discretion.

  She had just finished changing Jane’s diaper, using her desk for a changing table, when Warren knocked on the half-closed door.
r />   “Come on in.” Emily picked up Jane and rested her on her hip. Jane was all dressed again, but the desk was littered with diaper-changing paraphernalia. Emily hurried to clean it up.

  Warren came in and closed the door. He surveyed the scene and frowned.

  Emily sat down in the chair behind her desk with Jane on her lap and took a bottle out of the baby bag. “What’s on your mind, Warren?”

  Warren looked unnerved. “Do you have to feed the baby right now?”

  Emily looked up at him, surprised by his tone. “Well, she’s hungry and it’s time for her bottle. Yes, I do.” She looked back at Jane, making sure she was eating all right. “Don’t worry, I can give her a bottle and listen to you at the same time.”

  Emily and Warren had a special relationship. Warren had worked in town government for ages, and she owed a lot to him. Although they had their differences, he was one of her biggest supporters and had even run her last campaign. He was a canny and trusted confidante who always managed to watch her back. Warren was prickly, though, and sometimes a little too concerned about her image.

  “Is this going to be a usual thing now?” he asked. “The baby in the office? Because if it is, Emily, you’re going to have some trouble on your hands. It’s not going to fly around here. This isn’t a movie on the Lifetime channel.”

  Emily had to laugh at the last remark. “Do you really watch that station, Warren? I would never have guessed.”

  “You know what I mean,” he said. “They weren’t very happy in there. You should have heard the comments when you left.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “They don’t find this baby thing so adorable. I don’t either. Now you tried it out once, on a small board. Let’s not push our luck with another meeting.”

  “I’ve been interviewing sitters this week, Warren. It’s harder than you think to find somebody reliable.”

  “Well, you’ll have to by next week. You were elected to do a job.”