Page 66 of Second Chance Christmas

“I see you still have the touch.”

Ms. Lucille sat nearest to the fire in a plush rocker, with one of her favorite reads cracked open.

Ivy bent down and kissed the aging woman’s soft cheek. “It’s good to see you. Everything all right?” Charlie spoke up for both of them with a loud bark and offered a paw while he was at it, Max beside him snoozing with the Howards’ pup curled into his side. Instant friends and without a care in the world. Lucky dogs.

Aspen leaned down and took Max’s paw as he rewarded the loyal friend with a good ear scratch.

“Charlie was getting a little lonely and needed some time away from the pups. I promised him a visit with Max. Plus, your gran said you would need this.”

“Ahha!” Her whoop came out louder than she intended. Oops. But she didn’t care at the moment. “So she is getting my messages. I should have suspected.”

“She left a message on Facebook, dear. One for you too according to her. She said you couldn’t go to the festivities in your birthday suit, losing your luggage and all so she asked if I could drop off the sweater no one wanted at our last knitting sale.”

She made a quick mental note to check her messages when she found a quiet moment.

Ivy joined the group of guests and took a spare place on the stone hearth that hugged the fireplace and placed a gentle hand on her teacher’s arm. “I’m glad you came.”

In a quick cringe Ivy feared the answer to what she needed to ask next. “Tell me true, just how bad is the sweater?”

Ms. Lucille passed over a medium-sized sweater without saying a word. She didn’t need to.

All her teenage fears of looking the dorkiest swamped her all at once. “Oh God, no.” If the coloring wasn’t bad enough they addedthat, too? A wave of laughter broke out from the kids and she quickly tucked it under her arm.

Snow white highlighted a naked Santa with a long stocking covering an obvious erection.

Holy heavens she could not wear this in public.

“You really shouldn’t have. I couldn’t possibly.” She leaned closer. “Is there something I did? Is Gran mad at me for something?”

“We want more pie and story!” All the kids piped up when they took too long to get back to story time.

Ms. Lucille didn’t offer her an answer, only winked and continued readingThe Night Before Christmasto a very happy group of kids as Aspen passed around another round of pumpkin pie.

She was tempted to throw the thing in the fire or let Max carry it off and bury it with the rest of his toy collection. The only thing that stopped her was the witnesses.

Ivy zigzagged her way through the crowd, tossing the offensive sweater over the back of a couch and joined Aspen in refilling mugs with hot cocoa and coffee to the adults.

Kade had come through for her as Aspen had promised and loaded the kitchen up with groceries while they’d been outside.

She walked up to him and looped her arms around his shoulders.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s that for?”

“You know what. You saved my bacon. Twice now. You and Aspen deserve a medal for outstanding hero work.”

“Nah. Just helping a friend.” Kade hugged her close and a swift kick of nostalgia for her brothers and sisters made tears rush at her out of nowhere.

“Hey now. None of that or you’ll make me cry and then the kids will laugh at me. I gotta keep my big tough firefighter cool about me.”

She slapped Kade’s chest and couldn’t help the laugh he pulled from her. “You always did know how to make a girl laugh.”

“One of my higher qualities, I’ve been told.”

“Mmm-hmm,” she countered just like she did with Jon when he got a little too cocky for his own good.

As the sound of her former teacher’s voice filled the living room, Ivy couldn’t help but feel the magic of the season. The memories of her reading it to the class before everyone went on break. They’d been older teenagers yet Ms. Lucille made them all feel like kids again. Like she did now.

Snow fell in a heavy curtain beyond the window. Inside, her attention roved over the small intimate crowd until her gaze found warm brown eyes staring back at her with the same curiosity she felt bubbling inside. She assumed anyway with how his expression melded into one of...interest? Friendship and dare she say, love?

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