Page 50 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
He gave her a one-armed hug. “Hey, it’ll be okay. And I meant what I said. I can help.” How could he not, seeing her so miserable and knowing what she was up against? Only the most hard-hearted bastard would walk away, especially when a woman was looking up at him like this one was, her eyes filled with misery.
“That’s really kind of you,” she said. She took a deep breath. “But we’ll be okay.”
“Okay. Just know if you need me, I’m right next door,” he said, and left it at that.
“Thanks. And thanks for listening.” She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “You caught me at a bad moment again.”
“We all have ’em,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot. I’m really not... I mean.” She heaved a huge sigh. “I’m not an awful person.”
“Who said you were?”
“Anybody who’s seen me lately would.” Her cheeks turned pink and she looked away. “I’d better get back inside.”
He got the message and stood up.
She stood, too, and gave Buster one final pat. “I may have to bake your human more cookies to thank him for being so nice,” she said to the dog. She gave Alden a quick look, managed another small smile.
“Hang in there. One day at a time and all that,” he said.One shitty day at a time. Poor her.
She nodded and ducked back inside her house.
Arianna White wasn’t what he’d thought she was, he decided, and as he walked back to his own house, he found himself wanting to get to know her more, be there for her.
His mom would probably say this was Cupid at work, putting him there right when Arianna needed a shoulder to cry on. His mom had probably sicced Cupid on him. He still remembered her words to him on Valentine’s Day.Quit hiding your head in a paper bag and start looking. I want more grandkids.
And he wanted kids. He liked kids. But he wanted to make sure he had them with the right woman. Was Arianna that woman? Like she’d said, he barely knew her. But he could at least pull off the paper bag and take a closer look.
Arianna texted Sunny who texted Molly who texted Ava, and the next evening they gathered at Mia’s house to console mother and daughter with chocolate and chicken soup and bread that Sunny had picked up at WinCo. While Sophie and Paisley colored, Ava heated soup and popped the bread in the oven.
Sunny had a “Chemo is hard” care package for Mia made up of scarves, body lotion, peppermint tea and antacids for in case the chemo made her sick. Arianna knew the doctor would prescribe meds to ward off the upset stomach, but she appreciated the thought.
So did Mia. “You’re all so kind.”
“I don’t know if it’s so much about being kind as it is about sticking together,” Sunny mused. “Strength in numbers, right?”
“Right,” Mia said, and smiled.
Arianna didn’t feel strong, but she did feel comforted having her friends there with them.
Still, friends couldn’t be with you 24/7, and it was only her and Mia and Sophie when the next tidal wave of terror hit a few nights later. They were having soup and rolls, and Mia had just taken a bite of her roll when she put a hand to her throat. Her eyes closed and her brows drew together.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Mia shook her head, choked, coughed up the bite of roll onto her plate. “I...can’t swallow.”
11
Panic flooded Arianna. “You can’t swallow? At all?”
Mia’s expression of guilt broke her heart. “Saliva,” she said with a weak smile.
“Okay, we’re going to the emergency room,” Arianna said, forcing herself to sound calm. “Sophie, get your coat. You’re going to hang out with Aunt Molly for a while so the doctor can take a look at Grammy’s throat. Okay?”
“What’s wrong with Grammy’s throat? Why can’t she swallow?” Sophie asked, worry on her face.
“We’re going to find out,” Arianna said. A minute later they were all in the car, racing down the street to Molly’s house.
