Page 15 of Mistletoe Dreams
Ben gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to have any choice but to go up and do his duty, even though his heart was with his son and his mind was working on the problem of what to do. He really had no idea. Nothing in his life had prepared him for this. He felt totally inadequate to be a father, but it wasn't like it was a job he could quit. He had no choice but to continue on, no matter how terrible he thought he was doing.
With that thought in mind, he pushed off the wall and started toward the front.
Chapter Seven
"Are you sure you're okay, Mrs. Comerford?" Hannah asked as they all stood from their chairs. Hannah needed to get to the front, but she didn't want to leave Mrs. Comerford if she still needed help. The lady was elderly, and Hannah had been afraid the fall might've broken a hip. But after making sure that the woman was okay, they were able to help her up, and she seemed like she would be fine. Bruised, but okay. Thankfully, the lady wasn't taking blood thinners, and Hannah was not worried about internal bleeding. Blood clots were more of an issue, but Hannah had already talked to her about that.
"Thank you for your help. I think I'll be fine. I might be a little sore in the morning."
"I'm sure you'll probably be a little sore. Don't hesitate to call me if you need me, okay?" Hannah asked, waiting until the lady nodded gratefully and promised to do so, before she allowed her to walk toward the back of the building while Hannah turned and walked toward the front.
Maybe it was because of that weird moment when she'd made eye contact with Ben, but something had made her look at him oncethe pandemonium had broken out, and she had seen him looking over toward the fire alarm, and his eyes had been horrified.
That had made her glance over, and she'd seen the deputy sheriff apprehending a kid that looked very much like Ben.
As much as Hannah felt like she and Ben had personalities that would clash with each other, it made her feel bad for him all over again.
Even if the man wasn't the sheriff of Mistletoe Meadows, it would be difficult to have a son who seemed to be completely devoted to destroying his life and making his father miserable and embarrassing him at every opportunity.
"I'm so glad you were there to help Mrs. Comerford," Cassie spoke next to her shoulder.
"I appreciate you standing to make sure that we didn't get trampled while we did it. Although people were much more controlled than I expected. I thought there would be more panic. But after the initial rush, folks settled down."
"I think that's because there were several people with cool heads who were instructing people to calm down and file out in an orderly manner."
"Regardless, I appreciate you making sure that the crowd went around us."
"No problem," Cassie said with a smile. "If you need anyone on your committee, you know you can count on me. But for now, I need to run over and talk to Jane. She’s starting a book club, and she asked me to co-chair it with her."
"Sure. This shouldn't take long, and I'll look for you when I'm done."
They parted ways, although Hannah honestly had no idea how long it was going to take. Hopefully she would be finished before Cassie, and Cassie wouldn't have to wait on her.
But she wasn't quite sure what she had gotten herself into. Still, she had wanted to help in the town, and she supposed this was one way to get started.
"I appreciate you both getting up here quickly," Noah said as Hannah made it to the podium.
She looked around to see who the second person was and realized that Ben had followed her up.
She nodded her head at him and smiled, although his face was serious, and he almost looked angry.
She bristled immediately at the look and then told herself to relax. It wasn't her, at least she didn't think it was. It was probably because he was worried about his son.
"Hey, I saw who pulled the alarm," Noah said softly, and maybe he had only intended for Ben to hear.
Ben glanced at Hannah before he jerked his head.
"I saw it too. I mean, I didn't see him actually pull it, but I saw a kid standing over there."
Ben jerked his head again.
"I just wanted you to know I’ll be going to the station when we’re done here, but we're not going to press charges. I know that you're working with him."
"It might be good if you do. As much as I hate to say that. There needs to be some consequences for his actions, and apparently the punishments that I've been dishing out have not been effective."
Obviously, it cost a lot to say that, and Hannah found herself tempted to put a hand on his shoulder or his arm to comfort him.
"Okay. I’ll do what you think is best. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, and I know that there are circumstances that... while maybe they don't excuse his behavior, they certainly explain it."
