A Sweet Christmas Collection 2 by Samantha Jacobey

Author:Samantha Jacobey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lavish Publishing, LLC

Seven

The Miles Between

Eight weeks later…

* * *

“Say goodbye to Grandmother,” Candy encouraged sweetly. Grasping Joylana’s hand, she waved it at the screen.

Their weekly conference call coming to an end, it had become a fair tradeoff, something to lessen the miles between them, and Eve had said nothing more about her disappointment at being relegated to Florida for the winter. Smiling into the camera, she gave no hint of the sadness within. “Let her walk for me again before you go,” she pleaded, folding her hands and pressing her fingers to her lips.

Rolling her eyes, Candice moved to comply. “Come on, baby girl. Grandmother wants to see...one more time.” She knelt a few feet from the sofa and helped Joy get her legs under her, taking care that they were still in view of the camera. Glancing at Gary, she noticed he grinned from ear to ear at the spectacle.

Almost as if she knew the importance of the task, Joy clapped her hands a few times, then left the safety of her mother’s arms. Taking wobbly steps, she lumbered forward to close the distance, squealing happily when she reached her father’s knees and he scooped her up. “Dadadada.”

“Oh, she is so precious!” Eve declared, wiping at an escaped tear. “We’ll call again Christmas morning if that’s all right.”

“Not too early,” Candy blurted, slightly annoyed that her mother-in-law insisted on being part of everything they did. “Enjoy your holiday there in the sunshine,” she added, twisting the invisible knife.

Watching her, Gary became thoughtful, wondering if his wife knew how her remarks sounded. The doctor may have adjusted her dose, but she still had difficulty with her sensitivity to others. He only hoped they would find the right balance soon, as he felt certain they wouldn’t be able to hide the cause of her unpredictable mood swings and thoughtless comments forever.

“We’ll make it later in the day,” Roger assured, reaching to disconnect. “Bye, everyone.” The screen went black.

“Well, that was fun.” Not letting his concern over Candy drag him down, Gary raised Joy above his head and zoomed her in the air, laughing with her as she cackled. Chewing on her pudgy fingers, her happiness filled the room.

“Yeah, fun,” Candy echoed, getting up to clear away the equipment. She dreaded their weekly call and honestly wished she could bow out of more of them, but since the school semester had ended a few weeks prior, she no longer had that excuse. On a happy note, she had made two As and two Bs, which was a vast improvement over the year before, she recalled silently to herself, which improved her mood. I guess spending a few minutes sharing with them isn’t so bad.

Everything put away, she left her husband and children to join the girls in the kitchen. Plunking into the chair across from her mother, she exhaled loudly. “Another week down. But they’re going to call again on Wednesday. Are we all set for the Christmas dinner?” It would only be their small group since Gary’s family had all been over for their traditional Halloween feast.

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