Dear Santa(6)

“I suppose you’re in a rush to get back to your family,” Ellen said.

Phillip shook his head. “My parents are with my grandparents in Yakima.”

    In other words, he was alone on Christmas, too. “It isn’t much, but would you like to join us for dinner?” Ellen asked. “I mean, if you want. No pressure.”

“I’d like that more than I can say.” His eyes held hers and they were filled with promise.

Shaking her head to clear the memories, Ellen’s gaze returned to Lindy, who was staring down at the letter she’d written all those years ago.



* * *



—

“Dad arrived that Christmas Day,” Lindy whispered.

“Yes, it was your daddy, the very daddy you’d asked Santa to bring you.”

“I don’t remember writing Santa,” Lindy said, running her finger over the clumsily drawn letters. “But I certainly recall you and Dad dating and how patient and kind he was to me.”

“Don’t you remember me saying your dad was the best Christmas present I ever received?”

“Yes, but I had no idea his arrival that day had anything to do with my letter to Santa…I mean, that’s a stretch, isn’t it? More of a coincidence.”

“You might not think so, if you read the remainder of the letters.”

“I will, but I want to hear more about that Christmas when I was five.”



* * *



—

    Oh, the memories. Phil had returned for dinner after dropping off the UPS truck.

Once again, Lindy hurried to the front door, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside the house. Ellen had the table set and had refreshed her makeup. She remembered the shy looks he’d given her back in school. He’d never asked her out. If he’d found the nerve, she would have gladly accepted.

“Mommy’s a good cook,” Lindy told him. “Almost as good as Gamma.”

Lindy led him to the sofa and then sat down next to him. “I’m five and I can read.”

“You must be very smart.”

“Do you want me to read you a story?”

“I would.”

Ellen was flustered. “Lindy, let’s wait until after dinner, okay?”

She looked disappointed but agreed. “Okay. I got pretty underwear for Christmas, but Mommy said I’m not supposed to show it to people.”

“Your mommy is a wise woman.”

Ellen coughed. If she was wise, she wouldn’t have ended up as a single mother.

“She’s pretty, too.”

“Yes, she is,” Phillip agreed. “I’ve always thought so.”

    For the next several minutes Lindy chatted away as if she’d saved every experience from the first five years of her life to tell him. He was wonderful, patient, and attentive.

And that Christmas Day was only the beginning. Phillip quickly became a part of Ellen and Lindy’s life. And as Ellen had so often said, he was the best Christmas present ever.

“And then later, Dad adopted me,” Lindy said.

“That he did. We were married the next summer, and within a few months after our wedding, he legally became your father.”

“I’m pretty sure I know why you saved that letter to Santa,” Lindy teased.

“Open the next one,” her mother urged.





CHAPTER THREE





Reaching inside the small shoe box, Lindy withdrew the next letter. Unfolding it, she spread the paper out on the table and read aloud.

    Dear Santa,

Thank you for my daddy. Mommy has a baby in her tummy, and I would like a baby sister and Rollerblades.

Lindy



“I got my Rollerblades, but I didn’t get my sister. Instead, we got Chad.”

“I don’t think you were disappointed, though,” her mother reminded her.

    “No. The way I figured it, Santa knew what he was doing when he sent Chad. I remember Dad taking me to the hospital to see him. I had to stand on my tippy-toes to look into the nursery. The instant I set eyes on him I knew in my heart of hearts that deep down I really wanted a little brother.” Santa had come through after all.

From the time her parents brought Chad home from the hospital, Lindy had doted on him. She couldn’t bear to hear him cry and did whatever she could to entertain him. Although there was a six-year difference in their ages, Lindy and Chad had developed a special bond that continued to this day.

“I don’t know that I can wait until Thursday to see him,” Lindy said. Her brother and his small family came regularly for dinner Thursday night, which was her brother’s day off from the warehouse.

“Ashley is only working part-time, so I’m sure if you give her a call, you’ll be able to connect.”

“Will do.” Lindy couldn’t wait to see her brother and Ashley, although her nephew, Peter, was the real draw. That kid had had her heart from the first moment she’d held him in her arms. He’d gazed up at her and their eyes had linked. From then on, Lindy was a lost cause.

Chad and Ashley had married young. Chad had told Lindy he knew right away that Ashley would one day be his wife. Even as a teenager, Ashley said she felt the same about Chad. Without question, he was the one for her. If Lindy didn’t love them so much, she could almost be jealous.