Holiday Sparks

“Of course I wouldn’t.” The trill of a girl’s laughter had Darcy turning around mid-tease. “Oh, you have company.” She tilted her head to the side and gave Ben an I’m-going-to-strangle-you look. “You must be Brittany.”

The girl was young and had tomboy stamped all over her. She was an obvious relation thanks to her brown eyes. They were all Ben’s. Her sleeve was tucked into her jacket and she wore two crooked ponytails in the same shiny dark hair as her uncle’s.

“So, you’re my Uncle Ben’s girlfriend, huh?”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot up. Ben clamped his hand over Brittany’s mouth and dragged her back against him. “I’m sorry, Britzilla here meant to say pleased to meet you.”

Brittany tugged his hand away. “I was getting to it.”

Darcy’s chest ached for a reason she couldn’t name. She smiled up at him. “Did you bring me something to eat, you wonderful man?”

“I am the wonderful man, and yes, there is saucy food for my saucy—er, I mean yes, for you.”

Darcy laughed as Ben tried to censor his usual bawdy humor. Jaime waved from the customer service desk and Darcy logged off her register. “I cou

ld kiss you.”

“I knew there was going to be kissing.”

Darcy laughed and took the bag from Ben’s niece. “How about I carry that for you?”

“Thanks.” The little girl slid her hand into Ben’s and looked up. “Can we eat now? I’m starving! And hot. It’s a million degrees in here.”

“I agree with both of those statements.” Darcy shrugged out of her cardigan. Working near the door sometimes got cold, but as usual, the heat was way too high in the store. “Need help with your jacket?” she asked Brittany. She couldn’t help but notice the empty sleeve.

Ben hadn’t mentioned his niece was handicapped, but it wasn’t exactly a conversation starter either.

“I got it.” She pulled on a tab with an extra-fat marble on the end and shrugged out of her jacket. White straps held her arm securely across her chest.

“What happened?”

“I fell off my bike.”

“Ow,” Darcy said sympathetically.

“Definitely. Breaking your collarbone sucks.”

Darcy frowned. The story niggled at her memory and she wasn’t sure why. She swung the bag. “Well, a hoagie from Lou’s should make you feel a little better.”

“Anything by Lou makes everything better.”

Ben smiled but the crinkles didn’t fan around his eyes like they normally did. She frowned at him lightly. “Let’s go to the break room and you can tell me all of your Uncle Ben’s secrets.”

Ben coughed and Darcy looked at him sharply. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, it’s just dry in here.”

She shrugged and led them both to the back. She swiped her card for the back swinging doors and punched in a code at the break room door.

“Wow, it’s like a bank back here.” Brittany looked around. “Is there something important back here?”

Darcy laughed. “It’s just to keep curious customers out.”

“I’m a customer.”

Darcy clipped her badge to the girl’s collar. “You’re me today.”

“Cool.” She bustled into the break room. “Wow, you’ve got lockers just like I do at school!”