A Merry Little Christmas by Catherine Palmer Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Catherine Palmer
check on the Murayas twice a week, as I promised.”
“But you left me to take charge of that whole mess. I watched you go.”
“You watched me, all right. You never stopped looking at me all night. What’s your problem? Don’t you trust me?”
He slid his hands into his pockets and let out a breath. “Why should I trust you, Lara? I don’t trust anyone.”
“Well, you should, and you can start with me. I said I would come back, and I will. I want this to be a successful placement for the Murayas. And I want you and your sons to be happy.”
“You care whether we’re happy?”
“Of course. I’m hoping that when the Murayas move out, you’ll be willing to rent the cottage to other international students. I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work. But it’s not going to be perfect, Jeremiah. They’re a family with three kids and a dog. You’ll have…issues.”
“I don’t need issues.”
“It’s not about what you need.” She realized she was having to lift her chin to meet his eyes. “It’s about the Muraya family. Life is never about us. It’s always about them. ”
“You don’t have two sons. My life is about us. ”
“I have forty-three students depending on me, some of them much needier and less capable than Daniel and Benjamin. Please relax. I’ll come back. You can call me if you have a problem. I want this to work, and you can count on me to be here.”
He gave a mirthless laugh. “Right.”
“Maybe not here. But I’ll be available. I don’t live very far from you.” She dug into her purse. “Take my card. It has my home address and phone number on it. Students call me all the time. Host families, too.”
“Other people in town are doing this? Letting families move in with them?”
“The Murayas are your renters, that’s all. But I do work to connect local families with my students in order to facilitate cultural exchange. I recruit people from churches, civic clubs, that sort of thing. I try to pair each foreign student with a family.”
He was studying her card in the moonlight when the cottage door suddenly opened and kids came pouring out. In the chill night air, they raced across the drive, passing Lara and Jeremiah in their headlong dash for the back door to the main house. She noted that Wisdom and Justice had stayed with their parents.
“Yo, Dad, Dr. Crane!” Benjamin skidded to a halt in front of them. “You won’t believe this. Mrs. Muraya is going to teach Dan’s girlfriend and some of the others how to crochet. She makes bedspreads. Me and Dan are going to give it a try, too.”
“Dan and I,” Jeremiah corrected. “Did you say you’re going to crochet?”
“Yeah, why not? The girls will be over here all the time!”
With a whoop, he bounded off. Lara laughed as Jeremiah shook his head. “Girls,” he said. “I figured there was an ulterior motive.”
“See?” Lara said. “This is going to be fine, and they don’t need you around to solve everything. How much do you want to bet the Murayas have mopped up the spilled soda and put the baby back to bed? They’re probably running a bath for the boys.”
“Let’s go check.” He took her arm. “I need to give them the spare key I had made.”
“Oh, but…” She suddenly found herself linked arm in arm with Jeremiah as he propelled her back down the drive toward the cottage. “But I need to get home. I have a busy day tomorrow, and there’s a student from Ivory Coast who—”
“Dinner,” he said. “If that baby’s crying, you owe me dinner. If he’s asleep, it’s on me. Winner names the restaurant.”
“Deal,” she said.
They were still a good fifty feet from the house when Lara knew she was in trouble. Tobias was wailing like a siren. Despite the well-insulated walls and double-paned windows, the din rang clearly across the frigid air.
“You owe me, Dr. Crane,” Jeremiah said. “Name your date and time.”
“Thanksgiving.” She turned toward him,
“But you left me to take charge of that whole mess. I watched you go.”
“You watched me, all right. You never stopped looking at me all night. What’s your problem? Don’t you trust me?”
He slid his hands into his pockets and let out a breath. “Why should I trust you, Lara? I don’t trust anyone.”
“Well, you should, and you can start with me. I said I would come back, and I will. I want this to be a successful placement for the Murayas. And I want you and your sons to be happy.”
“You care whether we’re happy?”
“Of course. I’m hoping that when the Murayas move out, you’ll be willing to rent the cottage to other international students. I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work. But it’s not going to be perfect, Jeremiah. They’re a family with three kids and a dog. You’ll have…issues.”
“I don’t need issues.”
“It’s not about what you need.” She realized she was having to lift her chin to meet his eyes. “It’s about the Muraya family. Life is never about us. It’s always about them. ”
“You don’t have two sons. My life is about us. ”
“I have forty-three students depending on me, some of them much needier and less capable than Daniel and Benjamin. Please relax. I’ll come back. You can call me if you have a problem. I want this to work, and you can count on me to be here.”
He gave a mirthless laugh. “Right.”
“Maybe not here. But I’ll be available. I don’t live very far from you.” She dug into her purse. “Take my card. It has my home address and phone number on it. Students call me all the time. Host families, too.”
“Other people in town are doing this? Letting families move in with them?”
“The Murayas are your renters, that’s all. But I do work to connect local families with my students in order to facilitate cultural exchange. I recruit people from churches, civic clubs, that sort of thing. I try to pair each foreign student with a family.”
He was studying her card in the moonlight when the cottage door suddenly opened and kids came pouring out. In the chill night air, they raced across the drive, passing Lara and Jeremiah in their headlong dash for the back door to the main house. She noted that Wisdom and Justice had stayed with their parents.
“Yo, Dad, Dr. Crane!” Benjamin skidded to a halt in front of them. “You won’t believe this. Mrs. Muraya is going to teach Dan’s girlfriend and some of the others how to crochet. She makes bedspreads. Me and Dan are going to give it a try, too.”
“Dan and I,” Jeremiah corrected. “Did you say you’re going to crochet?”
“Yeah, why not? The girls will be over here all the time!”
With a whoop, he bounded off. Lara laughed as Jeremiah shook his head. “Girls,” he said. “I figured there was an ulterior motive.”
“See?” Lara said. “This is going to be fine, and they don’t need you around to solve everything. How much do you want to bet the Murayas have mopped up the spilled soda and put the baby back to bed? They’re probably running a bath for the boys.”
“Let’s go check.” He took her arm. “I need to give them the spare key I had made.”
“Oh, but…” She suddenly found herself linked arm in arm with Jeremiah as he propelled her back down the drive toward the cottage. “But I need to get home. I have a busy day tomorrow, and there’s a student from Ivory Coast who—”
“Dinner,” he said. “If that baby’s crying, you owe me dinner. If he’s asleep, it’s on me. Winner names the restaurant.”
“Deal,” she said.
They were still a good fifty feet from the house when Lara knew she was in trouble. Tobias was wailing like a siren. Despite the well-insulated walls and double-paned windows, the din rang clearly across the frigid air.
“You owe me, Dr. Crane,” Jeremiah said. “Name your date and time.”
“Thanksgiving.” She turned toward him,