Page 61 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“Wow,” Pixie said, dashing over to join him. “There’s a littlefamilyin there.”
River smiled at the sight of both kids with their faces pressed against the glass. He and Edward had done the same thing when they were small. The house in the window was irresistible.
“On Christmas Eve, Santa appears in the chimney,” he told Nora quietly.
“It’s so sweet,” she said, smiling at the lady whose desk was behind the dollhouse.
River waved too. That was Sloane Greenfield—she was younger than he was, but he’d known her when they were kids. River’s mom said Sloane was the kind of person who gave real estate sales a good name. He hadn’t exactly taken notes, but he remembered that she’d had something to do with the donation of Carla’s Place to the community.
“A little dog,” John-John squeaked, taking off toward a lady with a shaggy dog on a leash.
Pixie darted after him, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a stop.
“May we pat your dog?” she asked politely.
What a kid,River thought to himself.
“Yes, you may,” the lady told them. “What a polite pair of children.”
The two lit up and crouched to pet and praise the dog, whose mouth fell open into a delighted panting that looked an awful lot like a smile. When they were finished greeting their new friend, River led them to the veterans center and opened up the door.
He was surprised to see that Sam, the young woman who was normally at the desk, was nowhere to be found.Marie Martin, one of the regular veteran volunteers, was sitting in her place.
“Hey, Marie,” River said. “Great to see you. Where’s Sam?”
“Amelia had a presentation at school,” Marie said with a smile. “So Sam went to watch. I’ll be on phones for the rest of the day.”
Amelia was Sam’s little sister, who she took care of. River smiled at the idea of the bookish little girl getting up in front of her class to share. It was good that Sam could be there for her.
“Anyone else around today?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” Marie said. “Someonebrought doughnuts, and a bunch of people are in the conference room making sure they don’t go to waste.”
She winked and River laughed. Obviously Marie had brought the doughnuts. She had been lending a hand over at Cassidy Farm this week, and he suspected that they’d sent her here with a generous donation of their incredible apple cider doughnuts.
“Maybe you and your friends want to enjoy too,” she said. “There’s plenty.”
“Yes,” John-John said with a big smile. “I want doughnuts.”
“We have to wash our hands first,” Pixie said.
“There’s a bathroom in back,” Marie said, pointing to the hallway.
“Thank you,” Nora told her. “I’ll take them.”
She ushered the kids back to the little powder room at the end of the hall, leaving River alone with Marie.
“You have a beautiful family,” Marie said softly.
“Oh,” River said, wondering how to explain that they both were and weren’t his family.
“I’m sorry,” Marie said. “I just assumed.”
The simple words filled him with the warmth of pride, and he had to fight his mouth not to smile.
“Good friends,” he managed to say simply.
“Maybe in time, then,” Marie said with a mischievous smile.
