Page 64 of Peppermint Bark

“No, sweetie, it’s already broken," her grandma said.

Ruby whacked the bag, thanking to Santa and Mallory for her new ponies. When Jean nudged her, she added that she was glad Grace called Santa.

When Grace reached for a shard, her eyes flicked to mine as she placed it in her mouth. Under the table, my body reacted to the pinkness of her tongue and the shape of her lips around her fingers. She looked down at the table with a flush in her cheeks, then her eyes rose to Mallory’s, then Mom’s, then Dad’s. “My good fortune this year is the sensory room. It couldn’t have happened without this family.” Then her eyes dropped to Ruby. “And my favorite patients will get to enjoy it.”

When the pig landed in my hands, my mind went blank. I didn’t want to talk about work … and I didn’t have anything else.

I whacked the velvet bag, the candy pig cracking inside. Took my time to remove a sliver, hoping that stalling would bide my time for a good idea. It didn’t.

I cataloged everyone else’s answers: Grace’s hospitality. Grace's resilience. Grace's kindness and generosity.

And then I knew what to say.

“I’m grateful that Grace yelled at me,” I smirked. When her lips parted in surprise, Mallory nudged her shoulder in approval.

I crooked my finger at Ruby so she leaned closer, delighted at the secret. “Ishouldn’t tell you this, but the first time Grace called me, she was mean to me.”

Ruby turned to Grace in shock. “You were?”

“She needed to be. She's sweet to the rest of you, but she understood, even before we met, that I needed tough love.”

When Grace’s hazel eyes softened, my throat tightened … so I looked across the table at my mom.

“If she hadn’t yelled at me, I wouldn’t have gotten on that plane. I would have missed …” I cleared my throat and crossed my arms, squeezing my elbow.

Mom's eyes misted, so I looked at Ruby leaning against Grace's shoulder, brown eyes wide with curiosity. When Grace's arm reached around Ruby's back, my tongue felt too big for my mouth.

“I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing, and I …” I stared at my empty plate as my words lodged in my chest.

The silence around the table was thick. I opened my mouth to finish, but all that emerged was a rough cough. Embarrassed, I dropped my hands into my lap and stared at them.

A blonde tornado knocked me sideways and slung her arms around my shoulders. I stiffened in surprise and almost pulled away before remembering Grace’s explanation that Mallory always craved touch.

I wrapped an arm around my sister’s puny waist, leaned into her bony chin, and let my eyes drop shut. She murmured into my hair, “We’re glad you’re here now, Alex.”

Mom wiped a tear away and stood up, brushing her legs. “Who wants dessert?"

Chapter 24

Grace

During dessert, Ruby laughed as Alex and Mallory reverted to immature siblings, nearly stabbing each other with forks trying to get the last slice of pie, not knowing I had another one in the kitchen.

When Helen poured Jean another cup of coffee, I took Ruby to the sofa in the living room and sat beside Mallory, who was curled up texting.

At the hospital I maintained a professional distance, but four-year-olds didn’t understand personal space. She flipped through a stack of children’s books Helen found. When she climbed into my lap with her favorite, I breathed in the bubble gum scent of her hair.

“Twas the Night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not —”

“What were they stirring? When Grandma and I made cookies for Santa, she let me stir the batter.”

“You’re such a great helper. In this case, stirring means moving. It was after bedtime, and nobody was moving, not even a mouse.”

“MacKenzie has a brown mouse named Archie. What color is theirs?”

“This picture has a white one. Do you think his name is Archie?”

“No, that mouse looks like a girl. I think her name is Gladys.”

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