Page 48 of James

“I’ll make you even gladder when we go home,” she murmured back, then turned to thank Suzie for having her. “Pies were no trouble. Didn’t know what kind you all like, so I just brought the standard Dutch apple, pumpkin and pecan. I also made a mince, but mind, it’s true mince and none of that bottled apple candy. Real kidney suet in there, lovely if you’ve the taste, as I know my Dan does, but it’s not for everyone. Then we have my prize-winning lemon cream,” she continued, heading into the kitchen with her box. “That’s cream, not meringue. Can’t stand that eggy fluff. And a chocolate peanut-butter for the children. For our after-hours, I’ve got a Kentucky bourbon walnut that will curl the hair on your chest. Hope they all turned out all right.”

“I’m sure they’ll be as sweet as you are, my dear,” Dan said.

“I hope they’ve turned out better than that!” she huffed, and sashayed into the kitchen.

As Laura brought glasses and bottles of beer to James and her father, she asked what Mrs. Shepherd would like.

“I’ll take a cuppa,” she replied, settling into the sofa beside the Dan with a sigh. “Or hot water if you haven’t any. If I want to put a smile on, I’ll cut into the pie.”

“I’ll put a smile on for you,” Dan murmured.

“Oh hush, you old goat,” she shot back fondly.

The children again showed off their new toys and by the time they were finished, Laura and Suziehad joined them in the living room. This time, it was Tim who brought up James’s oddly lumpy bag and asked, “What do you have in there, Mr. Black?”

“Don’t you think Mr. Black is a bit formal? Surely, we know each other better than that,” James said.

Suzie suggested, “Why don’t you call him ‘Mr. James,’? That way it won’t sound like you’re talking to a complete stranger.”

“Sure, Mom. What do you have in your bag, Mr. James?” Tim asked again.

“You’re tenacious, young man,” James replied. “Let me see what’s in here. Hmm, there seem to be packages in here. This one says it’s for Tim and the other has Abby on the tag.”

“James, you really didn’t need to bring gifts for the children,” Suzie said. “They have lots of toys and we try to keep the total number within reason.”

“I told you I found the bag by my front door this morning,” James responded with a wink, adding in an undertone, “I don’t have any family to buy presents for. Usually, I buy for the local toy collections.”

“Please, Mommy,” Abby pleaded.

“Of course, Abby. I wouldn’t keep them from you after Mr. James went to all the trouble to bring them.”

Abby tore into her present to discover another pony like the one Tim had won for her at the festival. “This is wonderful. Dash and Fuzzy Wuzzy need another friend. I’ll have to think about what to call him. He doesn’t look like any pony I’ve seen before. Thank you so much, Mr. James,” she said as she came over to hug him.

“You’re welcome, Abby. The pleasure is all mine. I’m sorry, Tim, but your present doesn’t have anything to do with trains.”

Tim ripped the paper off anyway. Inside was a kit for making your own airplane out of balsa wood. “Wow, this says the plane will really fly?”

“It will indeed, Tim. I’ve seen those before,” Dan interjected. “I’ll help you put it together later, if you like.”

“Thanks, Granddad! And thank you very much, Mr. James,” Tim said. “It’s okay that it’s not a train. I’ve never seen a plane you could make yourself that would really fly. My friends will be so impressed. I don’t think any of them have anything like this.” He beamed around the room. “Mom, can Abby and I take everyone down to the basement to see the trains?”

“I think that’s a fine idea. I need to check on things in the kitchen, but I’ll join you shortly.” Suzie squeezed Tim’s shoulder.

After over an hour of admiring the complicated train layout in the basement, James pulled Laura aside and suggested they take a walk while it was still light. “I don’t want to be rude, but I’d love a few minutes alone with you.”

“I’m sorry, Sir,” she said quietly, “but I’m going to have to get back to the kitchen shortly if we’re going to keep dinner edible. I think we’ll have to wait until after we eat. We can leave quietly after we have some of Mrs. Shepherd’s pie.”

“If we’re not careful about which pie, we’ll end up too drunk to drive home,” James grumbled.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you,” Laura teased gently, “it’s that sometimes, being forced to wait makes finally getting what you want even better.”

“Oo, remember that yousaid that.”

As Laura ascended the stairs with Suzie and Mrs. Shepherd, they exchanged happy glances. The children were happy, the men were getting along, and the tantalizing aroma of simmering dishes filled the air and created an atmosphere of anticipation.

In the kitchen, they soon found a rhythm and worked together on finishing the meal like the three of them had been doing it for years. Everything was under control, yet the time had come to shift gears and delve into the more active aspects of their culinary endeavor.

When they sat down to eat, Suzie asked their father to say grace. Laura placed her right hand in James’s and joined her left with Tim.

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