Page 21 of The Snuggle is Real
“Oh, uh… I was just gonna make a donation. For the meal.”
Mason cocked his head. “You know, I’m fresh out of donation forms.”
He was lying. He had to be.
But the relief that swept through me was undeniable. “Oh, well… Another time?”
Mason nodded. “Sure. In the meantime, I do have something Charlie might like. If you don’t mind?”
I put Charlie down, and Mason came around with a snowflake-patterned scarf. “What do you think? My friends over at Yuletide Yarns made this for the Holiday Hope Foundation.”
“That looks just like…”
One that Dottie made.
It probablywasone that Dottie made. She knitted scarves and hats every year for an organization. I just hadn’t put two and two together. No wonder she’d asked for help with Thanksgiving.
Mason owed her for all those dang knitting hours.
Maybe it was okay I wasn’t paying for the groceries then?
Not thatIhad done anything to deserve help. I hadn’t done the knitting.
“It’s so pretty,” Charlie said. “Can I really have it?”
“You sure can,” Mason said. “In fact, it’d hurt my feelings if you said no now.”
“I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” Charlie said seriously.
Mason turned a mischievous gaze my way. “What about you, Ford?”
“What about me?” I asked, guarded.
“Will you also accept a gift, or do you want to hurt my feelings?”
“Uh…”
Charlie tugged my hand. “You can’t hurt his feelings, Ford!”
“Right…” I swallowed. “What kind of gift?”
Mason nodded his head toward the door in the hall. “Charlie, do you mind if we talk in private for a minute? It’s boring grown-up stuff.”
“Okay!” She put on her scarf and ran her hands over the soft fabric, entirely uninterested in us.
Mason took my arm and drew me a few steps away. “I know you feel weird about accepting help, but we do have programs for you.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted.
He raised his eyebrows. “For youandCharlie.”
I hesitated. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve got more winter clothes like the scarves. Maybe a warmer coat?”
I winced. Her coathadbeen too thin.
“We’ve also got a gift tree we do, and?—”
