One Snowy Night Before Christmas by Pamela Fryer

leaned his elbows on the table.
    “Thanks for helping out with her.”
    “Hmm? Oh, no problem.” Jessie tossed him a sly look. “What
are you going to do when it’s just you two?”
    He wondered if he should say something slick like, “I’ll
just have to stick with you?” but decided he’d sound like an idiot. A jerk. A
jerk idiot. “Hopefully it won’t be too long before she can go by herself,” he
said instead.
    “She needs another two feet before she can reach the sink by
herself. Well, don’t worry—you aren’t the only single dad on earth. Just knock
on the bathroom door and make sure no one’s in there first.”
    “You make it sound so simple.”
    She shrugged. “No use making it complicated.”
    “She likes you, you know.” So do I .
    Jessie smiled. “She’s a great kid.”
    “She’s a new kid. I spent two days with her and didn’t get
that many words out of her. Today, it’s like she’s a different person.”
    “Kids are strong, they bounce back fast. Just remember what
Mandy said—patience.” Her eyes took on a misty quality then, drawing him in and
holding him captive. “Just love her enough. That’s what she needs more than
anything.”
    Amy came back to the table with a small, felt-covered dog
with a bobble head. “What’s that, a Mastiff?” Jessie’s face brightened. “That’s
a great ornament!”
    Criminy . Not only did Amy want a dog, she wanted a
big dog.
    Jessie laughed at the expression on his face. “Ready to go
check on your car?”
    “Sure.” He stood and climbed back into his layers of warm
clothing. “Maybe we’ll be out of your hair this afternoon.”
    But I sincerely hope not .

Chapter Five
     
    On the walk back through the park they stopped to survey their
work on the new and improved Sam the Snowman before climbing back into the
4Runner and driving across town to MacPherson’s garage.
    Jessie couldn’t get the strange events out of her mind.
She’d gone almost a year without seeing Mike. Seeing him three times was just
uncanny, but Jessie honestly couldn’t convince herself to be all that upset.
    If this were a few days ago, before she’d met Tom, would it
have hurt more? Would all her old anger have come up, and would she be left
feeling lonely and hollow?
    She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Amy in the back
seat, head tipped up to peer out the window at all the wonderful sights with
that magical, childlike wonder filling her eyes.
    Jessie looked sideways at Tom. He smiled, watching her. Her
insides did a little dance. She hardly knew him, but having him here felt good.
Maybe she should let herself indulge in a little harmless fantasy with a clear
conscience. Knowing beforehand that he would leave would make it painless.
    The warmth in her insides spiked into a painful shaft of
heat. Maybe not.
    The news regarding his car was not good, and Jessie couldn’t
say that disappointed her, either. Misery truly does love company , she
thought as she mused his luck was as bad as hers. He would have to stay another
night.
    “The battery’s good and you’ve got juice, but no crank,”
Mort told them. “Next step is to replace the relay. I can have one here by UPS
tomorrow.”
    “What if it’s not the relay?” Tom asked.
    Mort shrugged. “Might not be. But to be honest, I don’t have
time to keep poking around at it without knowing for sure. I’ve got six cars
here for people who all want to go home and visit Grandma for the holidays, and
only three guys to work on ‘em. Sorry, but you’re at the end of the list.”
    “I’m stranded here in town and there isn’t a hotel room to
be had,” Tom returned. “My kid’s going to miss Christmas.”
    “Take a rental car home. Pick up your car in a few days.
Least that way you won’t miss Christmas. The dealership in Corvallis will
deliver a car. I’ll get you a card.” Mort headed into the back office for a
card.
    Tom glanced at her, brows twitched upward. “It’s an option.”
    A small