Christmas on Candy Cane Lane by Sheila Roberts

Author:Sheila Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2015-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Always make going to see Santa an outing for the whole family.

—Muriel Sterling, Making the Holidays Bright: How to Have a Perfect Christmas

Ivy had slipped away from the shop early, leaving the rest of the gang in charge. She didn’t feel too guilty since she’d be back the next day right after church. In retail during the month of December, there was no such thing as a free Sunday. Her day off always had to come on Monday or Tuesday. And there was only one Saturday in December when she traditionally left a little early. That was Santa Saturday, the day she took the kids to visit Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the town center.

She liked to time her visit so she could stick around for the tree-lighting ceremony afterward. No one would miss her then, as Christmas Haus would be practically void of shoppers. The town square would be filled with visitors and locals alike, all singing Christmas carols and waiting to see the giant tree come to life. She drove to her house where Mutti was on kid patrol and also waiting for Arvid’s repairman to come fix her washing machine. Ivy had gotten most of the water out, but the appliance was still useless and the laundry was piling up.

Two familiar cars were parked out front. One belonged to Mutti. The other... She pulled into the driveway with her jaw tightly clenched. What was Rob doing here?

Her son was already in his white shirt and bow tie and black slacks, and Mutti was in the process of buttoning up his little red vest. She looked up at Ivy with a smile that was as guilty as it was welcoming.

“What’s Rob doing here?” Ivy demanded.

“He stopped by to drop off treats for the kids.”

“Mama!” cried Robbie, and ran to her, hands outstretched. “Uppy!”

She picked him up and kissed his cheek. “It’s my weekend.” Okay, did she sound snippy and selfish?

“I know, dear,” her mother said calmly.

“Well, then, why’s he here?”

“He stopped by to see if you were taking the kids to see Santa, and Hannah told him the washing machine is broken. He’s in the laundry room fixing it.”

“Him? Where’s the repairman from Arvid’s? He was supposed to come this afternoon.”

“He had a family emergency.”

“That’s the second time they haven’t shown up when they said they would.”

“Rob offered to help.” Mutti shrugged. “I figured since he was here, anyway... And you do have a civil relationship now, right?”

“Define civil.”

“You haven’t thrown anything at him recently.”

“Ha, ha.”

Her mother patted her on the shoulder. “Really, dear, I’m sorry. But I assumed that in the long run you’d want to have your washing machine fixed.”

“No, actually, I don’t.” Not if it meant having Rob here, trying to work off his bad behavior.

Mutti sighed. “I figured it was the least he could do after...”

Ivy bristled. “There is no least he could do. He left us, Mom. And coming back and fixing a washing machine doesn’t make up for that.”

Her mother put an arm around her.

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