A Mrs. Miracle Christmas - Debbie Macomber Page 0,47
the end of the show, starting with the youngest grades. Mrs. Miracle told Helen she’d meet her at the back of the auditorium.
Helen watched as several parents stepped forward to speak to Laurel, thank her, and exchange holiday greetings. She waited patiently for her turn. It was important that Laurel knew she was there.
“Nana,” Laurel said when she saw her grandmother. For a fraction of a second, her smile faltered before she hugged Helen.
“You did an amazing job,” Helen said, and had rarely been prouder of her granddaughter, especially under the circumstances.
“Thank you, Nana.”
Helen could hear the exhaustion in her voice. “Oh Laurel, it was wonderful. Simply perfect. The children were amazing. You’re amazing.”
Laurel gave her another loving squeeze. “Thanks, Nana. I’m glad you were here.”
Helen understood the underlying message. She knew Zach had taken time off to go, and how pleased Laurel had been that he could attend. But Zach hadn’t showed. Helen’s heart broke for her granddaughter.
“Oh sweetheart,” she whispered, wanting desperately to reassure Laurel. “Everything will work out the way God intends. Just you wait and see.”
A young girl—the second-grader in the red dress that the grandmother next to Helen had pointed out—hurried over to her former teacher. “Mrs. McCullough! Mrs. McCullough!” she said, yanking on Laurel’s sleeve.
Breaking eye contact with Helen, Laurel focused her attention on the child. “Yes, Bella. What is it?” She crouched down so she was eye level with the youngster.
The girl smiled and blinked several times. “I want you to know you’re going to be a really good mommy.”
Helen watched as the color drained from her granddaughter’s face. “Thank you, Bella.” Laurel’s cheeks quivered with a forced smile.
Helen noticed the effort it took for Laurel to blink back tears.
“My mommy thinks so, too.”
At what cost, Helen could only speculate, but Laurel managed to give a gracious reply and gently hugged the child.
“Okay. I have to go now,” Bella said, breaking away from Laurel. “Merry Christmas!”
“The same to you, Bella.”
Helen watched as the girl scooted across the auditorium floor and back to her mother. Bella’s mother gave Laurel a small wave before tucking her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and leading her out of the room.
“I had Bella in first grade,” Laurel told her grandmother. “She’s a sweet, good-natured child, and her mom was a wonderful homeroom parent. It’s a lovely family.”
Mrs. Miracle joined them and complimented Laurel. “You did a fine job.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Reaching out, Mrs. Miracle gently squeezed Laurel’s forearm. “Trust,” she whispered.
Laurel’s returning smile was forced. “I’ll see you both at home.”
“Don’t be long,” Helen said.
“I won’t be,” she promised.
From the forlorn look about her, Helen knew home was the one place her granddaughter needed right now, above all else. As Laurel had done as a ten-year-old girl, she would go to the place where she could find the comfort and the security that her heart needed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Laurel stayed behind to be sure the auditorium/gymnasium was cleared and put back in order. The maintenance staff was busy taking down the folding chairs when Laurel turned and saw Zach standing in the back with his hands in his pockets, studying her.
She stood, frozen in place. A wrecking ball couldn’t have moved her. She was certain all the blood in her body had stopped flowing.
For what felt like an eternity, all they did was stare at each other.
It was Zach who moved first, walking toward her in slow, deliberate steps. He didn’t look any better than she felt. His clothes were rumpled and his hair askew.
“Hey,” he said, his voice low and tight. His eyes locked on her.
Unable to speak, she nodded in return.
“You did good. The program was great.”
“You were here?”
He nodded. “Last row, behind the tuba player’s mother,” he said, one side of his mouth tilted upward in a half-smile. “I said I’d come, didn’t I?”
So that was it. He was fulfilling a promise. She squared her shoulders. “I need to get home.”
“Can you spare the time for a cup of coffee?” he asked.
Oh, how she was tempted. Her shattered heart leaned toward him as though drawn by a magnet. Everything in her wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t. He’d made the decision when he walked out the door and didn’t return. Laurel knew she’d need a clean break, otherwise that door would become a revolving one. She had to be strong. “I…I don’t think…”
“Please?”
That lone word was her undoing. All her resolve melted as her heart caved in. “Okay.”
Because there’s a Starbucks on