Wrapped Up In Christmas

Not to mention that Bodie planned to leave Pine Hill as soon as he finished her job. She held no false hopes that he might want to stay. Boring Richard hadn’t wanted to stay. Why would someone as travel-seasoned as Bodie want to stick around?

“Mr. Lewis,” Maybelle greeted as she returned to the table with her order, her blue eyes studying him as she sat down.

Bodie didn’t look the slightest bit intimidated by Maybelle’s stare. Leaned back in his chair, he held her gaze. “Maybelle.”

“I see you got my name right this time,” she said drily, as she arranged the items on her food tray.

“Yes, ma’am. I’m a quick learner.”

He made his claim with a smile that made an approaching Claudia exclaim, “Look! He really is a quick learner.”

“Or our Sarah is a good teacher,” Maybelle countered, her tone still dry, as if she wasn’t willing to give Bodie more credit than he deserved.

“Smiling never looked so good,” Rosie said with an appreciative sigh.

The Butterflies had bought a half dozen cookies and a cup of coffee apiece.

Bodie’s gaze shifted to Sarah questioningly.

Eyeing all three women innocently taking sips of their coffee in sync, Sarah shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”

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nbsp; He also probably didn’t want to know all the things he’d learn over the next several minutes.

Why Rosie and Claudia felt it necessary to tell him all about her was beyond Sarah. Once he’d flashed his smile a few more times, they had warmed up and were now recounting tales from her childhood she’d just as soon they kept to themselves.

Maybelle, on the other hand, sipped her coffee and watched him with suspicion.

“Then there was the time she decided she was going to take up a special collection for the Johnson family after their house burned down,” Claudia told him, sounding very much like a proud family member. “Right in the middle of church services she walked up to the front and told the congregation about the little girl in her class whose house had burned. She insisted the family needed our help.”

“She borrowed my handbag, dumped its entire contents on the pew, and passed it around for collection for the family,” Rosie added, laughing at the memory.

“Never seen Rosie move as fast as she did that day, trying to keep prying eyes from taking note of her belongings,” Claudia said, laughing at the memory. “Doubt those church pews had ever seen the likes of some of the items in her bag.”

Sarah met Bodie’s gaze and gave a little shrug. “Bethany Johnson was my best friend. I had to do something to help her even if it did get me grounded.”

“You were grounded?” Bodie asked, looking amused at the story.

Grateful he wasn’t bored, Sarah nodded. “It’s not a good idea to interrupt the preacher during sermon, especially when he’s your dad.”

“Don’t let her fool you. She has William wrapped around her finger and always has,” Maybelle assured, her voice clearly trying to sound disapproving, though her gaze was indulgent when she glanced toward Sarah.

Sarah smiled. Her father loved her and had always provided for her every need. Yes, he’d often leaned on Aunt Jean and the women surrounding her, but raising a daughter alone couldn’t have been easy for him. She’d never begrudge him accepting the help they offered as she cherished those times.

Just as she cherished the women embarrassing her with their tales.

When they started in with another story, she shook her head, but let them run with it. It wasn’t as if she could stop them if she’d tried.

She’d heard their stories before, but while listening to them, she realized she didn’t recall their having told them to Richard or any of her past boyfriends. She marveled that they’d opened up so quickly to Bodie. Without even trying, Bodie had them eating out of his hand.

Well, two of the three. Maybelle seemed intent upon withholding her approval.

When an attendant came in to say her tree was ready, a round of disappointment sounded.

“So soon?” Rosie pouted as Sarah and Bodie stood to leave the table.

Bodie pulled his coat off the back of his chair and began putting it on. “Got to help Sarah get this tree in the house and then get back to work. Nice running into you here.”