paradise."
Her mother's head came up. "I've waited a good long while for you to realize this. It sounds like you've done some heavy-duty thinking these last few weeks."
"I have," Jody admitted, and a good deal of it had been enlightening. "More than anything I realize I've clung to a half-filled glass, afraid to let go of that small bit of happiness I'd found and reach for the quart jar that was sitting right in front of me."
Helen's frown deepened. "I'm afraid you've lost me with all this talk of glasses and quart jars. I thought we were talking about you and Jeff."
"I'm ready to get back to my life now," Jody said pensively, "ready to reach out in faith and trust God for Timmy's and my future. I'm going to squeeze every bit of joy I can out of what's left of my life. For the first time since Jeff's death I feel like I have one.
"I don't want to spend the rest of it alone, either. There's a man for me out there - someone who'll be a good father to Timmy, and a good husband for me. A man who'll be a friend, a partner, and a lover."
Helen bit into her lower lip. "I've waited years for you to tell me this. I don't know what happened to open your eyes to the truth, but I'm eternally grateful." She stood and hugged Jody. "I'll leave you to talk to Timmy now."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Any time," her mother said. "I love watching Timmy. He's a delight."
"For that, yes," Jody said with tears in her eyes. "But for everything else too, for being there when I needed you, for listening to me, and most of all for standing with me, loving me, giving me the emotional support I needed. You're the best mom in the world."
"You were like this as a little girl," her mother said with a smile, "buttering me up before Christmas."
Jody laughed and the two hugged.
"Mom," Timmy said, standing in the doorway. "Why are you and Grandma crying?"
They both started laughing then, which was sure to confuse him all the more.
"Where's Glen?" Timmy wanted to know next.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Helen said, reaching for her coat and purse.
Timmy watched his grandmother leave. "What's going on around here?"
Jody smiled and patted the top of his head. "I need to talk to you."
"Did I do something wrong?" His eyes grew round with concern, or perhaps guilt, Jody didn't know which.
"No," she assured him, placing her hand on his shoulder and bringing him close to her side. "This isn't about anything you did, I need to tell you something important about Glen and me."
"Mom," Timmy muttered dejectedly, leaning against the doorway in the bathroom as if his weight were too heavy to support, "are you sure we have to go to church? It isn't even Sunday."
"We've been through this before," Jody said, adding the finishing touches to her makeup. "It's Christmas Eve. After church we'll go to Grandma's house and open our gifts with her."
"Will she have hot chocolate and goodies like she did last year?"
"I'm sure she will. Is the car loaded?" Jody asked.
"I did that a long time ago. I wish you'd hurry."
"We have plenty of time." She knew what Timmy really wanted was for the minutes to go by fast so he could get to the gift-opening part of the evening. The Christmas Eve church service was just unnecessary nonsense as far as he was concerned.
"I'll only take a little bit longer," Jody promised. "Don't let me forget the cheese roll and the crackers. They're in the refrigerator."
"Ah . . ."
There was something in Timmy's voice that clued her in to the fact that there was a problem with the cheese roll.
"What?" she said, lowering the mascara brush and turning her head away from the mirror to study her son.
"About the cheese roll."
"What about it?" Jody returned the brush to the holder and tightened the top. Setting the cosmetic bag aside, she faced her son.
"I had a little party with my friends the day Grandma was watching me."
"Yes?" Jody prompted.
"Everyone had something yummy to bring and you took almost all the gingerbread cookies and, besides, I like the cheese roll better than cookies anyway."
"In other words there isn't any left."
Timmy nodded and hung his head. "I have the feeling this isn't going to be a very good Christmas anyway."
"Because of Glen?"
Timmy lifted one shoulder halfheartedly. "I understand why you aren't going to marry him and everything. But I was