A Mrs. Miracle Christmas(46)

    Helen and Mrs. Miracle sat for the next hymn while most of the congregation stood. When Laurel turned around to check on her grandmother, she found the two women with their heads together, whispering animatedly. She was tempted to hush them as she would noisy, misbehaving children in her class. What a reversal that would’ve been—Laurel chastising her grandmother about proper behavior in church.

The congregation sat for a brief sermon about the birth of the Christ Child. The highlight was the story of the angels who visited the shepherds, heralding the good news of peace on earth and goodwill toward mankind with the arrival of the Christ Child. Zach and Laurel both noticed that while Pastor Warren was speaking, the woman from the department store squirmed in her seat, with an expression on her face like a first-grader who wanted to share a show-and-tell item with the rest of the class. She seemed to have a burning desire to supplement the pastor’s sermon. It was almost comical to watch.

Following the sermon, the choir stood to sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” after the trumpeter had performed the prelude. Again, Laurel was amazed at how beautifully the choir’s voices blended together. She’d attended this same church from the time she was ten years old, but she’d never heard the choir sound this good.

    Zach leaned over to comment in her ear. “Incredible.”

Halfway through the song, Zach’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn’t bother to look at who it was.

After the traditional lighting of the candles, the choir sang two additional Christmas carols. The evening ended with one congregational carol before the pastor closed with an evening prayer.

As they left the church, several people made it a point to stop and wish Helen a Merry Christmas, as they hadn’t seen her in church much in the last few months. Helen’s eyes were bright as she walked down the church steps with Mrs. Miracle. The two were arm in arm when Nana turned to Zach.

“Did you see her?”

“See who?”

“Mercy.”

“Who’s Mercy?” Zach asked.

Mrs. Miracle intervened. “You ran into Mercy while Christmas shopping recently.”

A nerve twitched in Zach’s cheek. “The salesclerk at Macy’s? Her name is Mercy? As far as I’m concerned, that woman has a lot to answer for, after all the trouble she caused me.”

    Mrs. Miracle appeared not to hear Zach, but Nana quickly added, “Shirley was there, too, only you couldn’t see her. And Goodness, too.”

The conversation was interrupted by Zach’s phone humming again in his pocket. He sighed with frustration.

“What is it with people? Don’t they know that it’s Christmas Eve, and that most people are spending time with their families?”

“I believe it would be in your best interest to answer this time, Zach,” Mrs. Miracle told him.

He glanced at the number and exhaled sharply. “It’s Mary Swindoll, and this is the third time she’s called. This is not a night to be making business calls.”

“For the love of heaven,” Helen snapped. “Answer the blasted phone.”

Laurel was appalled. Her grandmother had never been so sharp with Zach. Or with her, for that matter.

“All right, all right.”

Zach placed the phone next to his ear. “Yes, Mary,” he said. “I apologize for not answering sooner. I was in church at our Christmas Eve service. I called you earlier in the week to…” He stopped and glanced over at Laurel, swallowed hard, and blinked.

    Laurel placed her hand on his forearm, wondering at the change in her husband, who’d grown quiet and serious.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Now?” Zach said, speaking into the phone, although he barely sounded like himself. “Tonight? But we…Of course. Yes, yes, but I’ll need to talk to Laurel.” He turned his back and continued talking, nodding like he expected the person on the other line to see.

Laurel did her best to listen in, but a few acquaintances stopped to chat while she was straining to hear her husband. She made polite conversation, which made it impossible to decipher the purpose of Mary Swindoll’s persistence.

Desperate to find out what it was all about, Laurel turned to Mrs. Miracle after the people left. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Zach will tell you in a couple of minutes,” Nana jumped in to explain, gently patting the sleeve of Laurel’s thick winter coat. “All is well. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Not a single thing.”

Everyone else seemed to be aware of what was happening, but not Laurel. “I heard Zach mention a hospital,” she said.

“Patience,” Mrs. Miracle whispered.

    By this time the church parking lot had nearly emptied and the four of them were the only ones left standing near their car.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Zach lowered the phone and turned to Laurel.

“What is it?” she asked, her eyes searching his for answers.

After what seemed an interminable amount of time, Zach did nothing but look at her, his heart in his eyes. “It’s Mary Swindoll. She’s at the hospital, where a young mother has chosen us to adopt her baby.”

Laurel’s hand flew to her heart as if she needed to hold it in place. “A baby…There’s a baby for us?”