Page 42 of One Golden Ring
“No,” I admit. “Not at all.”
“Me neither,” Michael says, taking my arm. “Why don’t you and I go find a nice cup of hot cocoa and let these two make some ornaments?”
He’s already too tired to make ornaments with Derek, something I know they both loved.
“I’dlovethat,” I tell him, putting on a big smile. “Did you know I have a terrible sweet tooth?”
“My grandson may have mentioned it once or twice,” Michael says, his eyes dancing. “You know, not everyone would consider a sweet tooth to be a terrible thing.”
“We’ll see you guys when we’re done,” J.B. tells me.
She and her dad head off to the library and I watch after them for a moment, feeling glad that her anger at him seems to have faded.
“She’s a good kid,” Michael says.
“She really is,” I agree. “She’s something special.”
He nods and we head for the tents that are set up in the parking lot. They have those big heat lamps set up, and a little shiver of pleasure goes through me at the thought. It’s cold out here.
“Did you say they had Christmas doughnuts?” I ask Michael.
“Yes, they have them every year,” he replies. “The bakery has its own booth.”
He points over to where a line is already forming, so I choose a tent that’s close by.
“How about you save us seats by one of the heaters?” I suggest. “I’m not a mountain girl, so I feel like a popsicle out here.”
That earns me a chuckle, and Michael graciously agrees to sit and wait for doughnuts and coffee. I get him a spot at a nice little table right by a heater and I can tell how tired he was by how relieved he is to lower himself into his chair.
My phone buzzes again and I slide it out, but it’s only Mandy. I reject the call, feeling kind of bad about it, but Iknow she’ll text if there’s an emergency or something. She probably just wants to chat.
“Do you need to get that?” Michael asks.
“Oh, no, no,” I tell him. “It’s just my sister, I’ll call her back. Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?”
“I don’t need a thing,” he tells me, his eyes crinkling as he smiles. “Thank you, Darcy.”
“My pleasure,” I tell him. “See you in a minute.”
“Michael Lockwood,” a man calls out.
I turn to see a pair of older fellows heading his way. Hopefully they’ll chat with him and he won’t even miss me.
I manage to get to the bakery booth before the line gets out of control. The woman in line in front of me is holding hands with a little girl who looks to be five or six. She’s so excited about the doughnuts that she’s practically hopping in place.
I don’t blame her. Now that I’m in the line I can actuallysmellthem and the fresh, yeasty scent is intoxicating. I wonder if I can coax Derek into eating one.
“Hey there,” the lady in front of me says. “Are you Derek Lockwood’s new fiancée?”
Talk about a small town.
“Um, yes,” I manage. “Darcy Keller.”
“I’m Lily Mendez,” she tells me. “I knew him back in school when I was Lily Wright. He was a couple of years ahead of me.”
“Wright,” I echo. “Are you Annabeth’s daughter?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she laughs. “How did you know that?”
