Jack Frost: A Novella by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Debbie Macomber Inc.
Published: 2023-10-31T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

Jack was quiet and sat still for a long moment. In a matter of seconds, the entire atmosphere had changed. Minutes ago, they’d been laughing and joking while assembling the gingerbread house. Now there was a heaviness in the air and Jack seemed hesitant to continue. She heard the pain in his voice and knew the only reason he’d even mentioned his father was because they were in the dark. It was as though he’d lowered his guard and could speak freely as long as she couldn’t read his expression.

Lindsay didn’t know if she should say anything or not, and so, awkward as it was, she waited patiently for him to speak.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” he said, after what felt like an eternity.

Reaching for his hand, Lindsay gently folded her fingers around his. “Please, if you’d rather not explain, then don’t. It isn’t necessary.” Seeing how uncomfortable he was, she felt a strong urge to put him at ease.

His hand tightened around hers. “The highlight of your fifth grade was winning a spelling bee. Whereas my fifth-grade experience was one of the lowest points of my life.”

“I’m sorry, Jack.”

The pressure of his hand around hers tightened until it was almost painful. She wondered if this connection between them, this physical connection, was keeping him grounded in the present as he opened up about his wounds from the past.

“You jokingly suggested I got expelled from school.”

Lindsay deeply regretted that remark now. “That was a mean thing to say. I apologize.”

He chuckled softly. “Actually, that isn’t far from the truth.”

He didn’t speak for several long moments. “Christmas Eve,” he began, “Mom had baked my favorite gingerbread cookies, and my sisters were counting the gifts under the tree. Dad was gone a lot because of his work schedule.” He paused, as though reliving that time all over again.

Wanting to fill the silence, she said, “Gingerbread cookies are one of my favorites, too.”

He smirked. “I haven’t eaten one since that Christmas. When I said my dad was away because of his work schedule, that was a lie. Not mine. His. He’d met someone else. Christmas Eve, he didn’t come home. As you can imagine, my mother was worried sick.”

“Anyone would be.”

“Mom tried to hide her anxiety from me and my sisters, but young as I was, even then, I knew something was wrong. We were always allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and both of my sisters were standing by the window waiting for Dad to arrive. Once he was home, we could each open our present, which by the way, was always pajamas. When he didn’t show up for dinner, Mom invented some excuse and said we could go ahead with our gifts. I insisted I’d wait for Dad, and Mom let me.

“Later, she put us to bed with the promise that Santa would arrive during the night, and Dad would be there when we woke up. She sounded confident. My twin sisters, Beth and Emma, accepted her word and went to bed chatting excitedly about Santa’s visit.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.