Dear Santa(12)

“Did you know Lindy wrote about you in her letter to Santa when she was in second grade?” Chloe said.

Lindy would gladly have disappeared in that moment. The last thing she wanted to discuss was that silly letter. She regretted ever mentioning it.

    “Did you, now?” Billy’s full attention was focused on her, a smile teasing his sensuous mouth.

“You weren’t exactly my favorite person,” she mumbled.

Billy crossed his arms and smiled down at Lindy. “And what could I have done to earn your wrath?” he asked, as if he didn’t recall a single offense he’d committed against her.

Lindy was convinced he did remember, and she wasn’t going to let him pretend otherwise. “You know good and well what you did, Billy Kincade.”

“Tell him what you said in your letter to Santa,” Jayne urged.

Lindy wasn’t interested in confessing her embarrassing childish rant. “It’s stupid. Billy doesn’t want to hear about that.”

“Oh, but I do,” he countered.

She should have kept her mouth shut earlier. Given no choice, she confessed. “I asked Santa to bring you a stocking full of coal because that was what you deserved.”

“What year was this?” he asked, frowning.

Lindy told him. She was in second grade and he was a much bigger fourth grader.

His face grew tight. “Well, Lindy, you most definitely got your wish. That was the year our father deserted the family. There was no Christmas for Dede or me. Mom had to move us in with her parents in Yakima.”

    “Oh no.” Lindy felt terrible. “I’m so sorry.”

Billy’s smile lacked humor. “That was a long time ago. Besides, I probably deserved coal instead of presents, so no harm done. Now, if you ladies will excuse me.” He left, and Lindy felt the strongest urge to follow him and apologize.





CHAPTER SIX





For as soundly as Lindy had slept Friday night, she tossed and turned on Saturday. The terrible Christmas Billy had had that fateful year kept running though her mind. It was beyond ridiculous to believe her letter had anything to do with what had happened to him and his family. As illogical as it was to assume she was somehow responsible, Lindy couldn’t stop thinking about all the ten-year-old had suffered. A child his age couldn’t possibly understand what had happened to his father, or why he had left.

When Lindy finally managed to fall asleep, her dreams were filled with Billy Kincade and her as children. She spitefully complained to Santa about him, and in turn Santa promised to make Billy’s life miserable. Lindy woke in a sweat when her mother knocked on her bedroom door.

    “Are you awake?” her mother asked, opening the door and peeking inside.

“Yes.” Lindy sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was wide awake now, and grateful for the interruption to her nightmare.

“It’s time to get ready for church,” her mother told her.

“I thought church was at eleven.” That had been the traditional time for worship service for as long as she could remember.

“Pastor added an early service, which we prefer. Your dad said Pastor Dean can’t go overtime when he’s got another service following on the heels of the first.”

“Okay, early service it is,” Lindy said, and tossed aside the bedcovers.

“I forgot to tell you about the schedule change yesterday. Then Dad and I were asleep when you arrived home last night. Hope you had a good time with Peggy and her friends.”

“The best.” After they’d left the Wine Press, Peggy invited Lindy to hang out at her apartment for several hours. It’d been well after midnight before she arrived back home. Renewing their friendship was exactly the boost her Christmas spirit needed. They laughed about old times, and, after reviewing more of their escapades, decided it was probably a good thing Peggy had moved away when she did. Only heaven knew the trouble they would have inspired had they continued on through middle and high school.

    After coffee and a quick shower, Lindy was ready to leave for church with her parents.

As she walked out of the house, she noticed a bowl of sourdough pancake batter on the kitchen counter. Her dad had set it up the night before, the same as he’d done when she lived at home. Sourdough rolls and now pancakes. Lindy loved being home.

Church was exactly what she needed to lift her out of the blue funk following her dream. Seeing people she’d known most of her life lifted her spirits, as did singing the traditional Christmas carols. This was the last service before the traditional Christmas Eve candlelight one. Pastor Dean’s message was on forgiveness and the necessity of letting go of petty hurts, which was exactly what Lindy needed to hear. Closing her eyes, she released Celeste and Brian, and although it was difficult, she wished them happiness.

After church, as her dad delivered steaming hotcakes to the middle of the table, Lindy eagerly piled four small ones onto her plate and ladled warm maple syrup over the top until the sticky goodness pooled there. Beau took his place beneath the table, hoping someone would be kind enough to share their bacon. Lindy knew her mother had a soft spot for Beau and watched as Ellen slipped him a piece when Lindy’s dad wasn’t looking.

    “How was the food at the Wine Press?” her mother asked. “Dad and I have been meaning to make a reservation, but we haven’t had a chance to just yet.”