Coming Home for Christmas by Fern Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

Pushy? He cleared his throat. His voice sounded like a nest of frogs had settled in his throat. “Whatever is easiest. Let’s just talk.”
    â€œGreat! Then it’s sticky buns, juice, and coffee.” As Amy prepared the coffee and turned on the oven, she threw questions at Hank. “So bring me up to date. Do you come home here to Apple Valley every Christmas? This is my first time back.” Was her voice too breathless, too giddy-sounding? Maybe she should be more cool, a little aloof, instead of this flighty person she’d suddenly become.
    As Hank talked, Amy set the table with her mother’s old dishes. Plain white crockery with huge red strawberries in the middle. Her mother had had a passion for strawberries for some reason. Everything in the kitchen had to do with strawberries: the cookie jar, the canister set, even the place mats were in the shape of strawberries.
    â€œI remember these dishes. Your mom always served us cookies and sandwiches on them. You always said if you had to eat something you didn’t like it made it okay because the dish was so pretty.”
    Amy stopped what she was doing. “You remember that!”
    â€œWell, yeah. I guess I considered it an important thing in my life at the time. I don’t have one bad memory of growing up here in Apple Valley. Ben doesn’t either. You never said good-bye,” Hank blurted.
    Amy turned around as she fiddled with the pot holder in her hand. “Flo . . . Flo whisked me out of here so fast I didn’t know what happened. I guess she thought I might . . . I don’t know what she thought. I used to cry myself to sleep. I wanted to come back so bad, but there was nothing to come back to.”
    â€œDo you like living in the land of perpetual sunshine?”
    â€œYes and no. I really miss the change of seasons. I love autumn, and I even like winter. The holidays here in Apple Valley are my greatest memory. How about you?”
    â€œI live and work in New York. I’m an engineer, have my own business. I have nine employees, and we’re doing pretty well. New York isn’t that far away from Apple Valley. I came home once a month up until my parents died. Then Ben and Alice took over the house, and I came less and less. But I always came back for the holidays. Ben’s in Iraq. He’s a major in the army. He was supposed to be home by now, but they extended his stay over there. He’s getting out when his twenty years are up. He has another ten years to go. Alice is . . . upset. She was so sure Ben would be home for Christmas. The last time he saw the twins they had just been born. The Army allowed him to come home on compassionate leave just before Christmas, when they were born. They’re toddling around now, and they have teeth. ” This last was said with so much amazement, Amy burst out laughing.
    Hank wanted to confide in Amy, to tell her about Alice’s great escape, but he decided against it because he didn’t want to be disloyal to his sister-in-law. He decided to change the subject. “Are you going to go to Mr. Carpenter’s funeral? I imagine the wake will be this evening. I’m going. I can pick you up if you want.” Assuming Mason would babysit. No need to tell Amy about that either, he thought.
    â€œI’d like that very much. I was going to order some flowers after I finished stringing the lights. Then you showed up . . .”
    â€œI guess I came on a little strong. I’m sorry. I’ve been . . .” He was going to say upset with the way things were going, but at the last second finished lamely with, “Upset with Albert’s death. He was special.”
    Amy poured coffee and removed the sticky buns from the oven. She let them cool as she poured juice into her mother’s old jelly glasses. She hated the tremor in her hands.
    â€œSo tell me about you. What do you do in California?” There was horror in his voice when he