Page 66 of Unexpected Gifts

The morning after the most incredible date she’d ever been on, Abby slept later than usual, grateful for the weekend. Still sleepy, she lay for a moment in the warm bed, thinking about the evening she’d spent with Luke. Nothing could be better than the evening they’d spent together. It had truly felt magical.

Luke Hayes was magic.

Rufus, who had been asleep on the end of her bed, raised his head and wagged his tail. He’d been on Jack’s bed when she’d gotten home last night, so he must have come in with her at some point.

“Hey there,” Abby said. “Did you hold down the fort last night?”

Rufus wagged his tail harder.

On the way home from their epic date, Luke had suggested they take all the kids into the tree lighting in town that evening and out to dinner afterward. They’d discussed the children at great length on the drive home and had decided they would not try to hide their relationship from any of the three. That said,they’d agreed to practice restraint. The priority now and forever was the kids.

Regardless, Abby had accepted one thing. She had fallen head over heels for Luke Hayes.

From what she could gather, he felt the same way about her.

Who would have ever thought something so wonderful could happen to her? She’d figured romantic love was for other people, not her. Yet here she was, her stomach full of butterflies and a permanent smile on her face.

Abby slipped into her bathrobe before she and Rufus hurried downstairs. She started a pot of coffee and turned up the heater to warm up the house. As much as she loved sleeping in a cold room, she wanted it warm in the mornings. She glanced at the clock on the coffee maker. It was nearing eight, but neither child was up yet. Not unusual for Jack, who had to be cajoled out of bed in the morning, but Sophie was a morning person, often awake before Abby’s alarm went off at seven.

She poured Rufus some kibble and herself a cup of coffee, drinking it while peering out the kitchen window. The sun sat low on the horizon, casting a pale, diffused light that struggled to penetrate the thick cloud cover. Even the snowy landscape appeared as a dim blue. A peaceful morning, if not a bit somber.

It wouldn’t matter for this evening. The darkness would make the lights of the Christmas tree in town appear even brighter.

She finished her cup of coffee and then went upstairs to check on the kids. She figured they should sleep as late as they wanted on their holiday break, but she wanted to make sure they were all right. The house was too quiet without their jabbering and giggles.

Jack was still asleep, clutching his teddy against his chest. She stayed in the doorway for a moment or two, watching himsleep. He looked like an angel, with his hair sticking every which way and his thick lashes splayed against his pink cheeks.

She left the door open a few inches so that he wouldn’t be scared when he woke. For some reason, the idea of a fully shut door made him anxious. Sophie, on the other hand, liked her door shut. Abby opened it carefully, in case Sophie was asleep.

The bed was empty. Was she in the bathroom? Abby hurried across the hall, but there was no one there. Had she gone downstairs to read on the couch in the living room?

Assuming this was the case, Abby went back downstairs to search. Alarmingly, after a perusal of every room in the house, she couldn’t find Sophie anywhere. Starting to grow concerned, she rushed into the mudroom to see if Sophie’s boots were there. They were not.

What was happening? Where was she?

She glanced at the calendar where she wrote all their activities and schedules. December fourteenth. She’d written “Tree Lighting” on today’s square.

December fourteenth. What was it about that date?

Then, suddenly, it occurred to Abby. She’d gotten a call exactly ten years ago today from Ramona. After a long labor, her baby girl had arrived, fat and sassy. It was Sophie’s birthday today, and she’d completely forgotten. Even Grace had forgotten. Sophie knew it, too. That’s why she’d been sad the day before yesterday. She’d known no one would remember or plan anything to celebrate. It was obvious from the marking on the calendar. Instead of noting Sophie’s birthday, she added the tree lighting.

Abby broke out in a cold sweat, and her heart felt as if it skipped a beat and then started to race. A wave of nausea coursed through her, the coffee in her stomach like acid tossed on an already raw wound. She pressed her trembling, clammy hands against her mouth, trying to figure out what to do, but shewas frozen in place, teeth clenched so tightly her jaw hurt. But she didn’t care. She deserved to suffer.

How could she have been so thoughtless and selfish? What kind of guardian forgot their child’s birthday?

Rufus, perhaps noticing her nervousness, came to her side and pressed his face against her thigh. She patted his head absently, unable to find a way through the awful murkiness to coherent thought.

Had Sophie been so upset that she ran away? If so, where would she have gone?

Please, not out in this cold alone.

The attic. Maybe the attic. Please, let her be in the attic.

Abby raced up the steep, skinny stairs and pushed open the attic door. She pulled a string to turn on a light and quickly scanned the small space with its sloped ceiling. But she saw only old trunks, forgotten furniture, and boxes filled with memorabilia. No Sophie.

Abby started to hyperventilate, the scent of aged wood, paper, and mold suffocating.

Below her, Rufus barked.

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