The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,18

she left the burner on under a pot on the stove. The whole kitchen filled up with smoke.”

Joe was afraid that sooner or later, something like that might happen. He had noticed the older woman's forgetfulness, which seemed to be escalating with every visit.

“You talk to her about it?”

Teddy shook his head, moving thick dark strands of hair around his ears. “I didn't wanna hurt her feelings." He looked up, his features bright once more. “The clock she likes is still in the window at Tremont's. I almost got enough saved to put a down payment on it.”

Joe smiled. “That's great, Teddy.” He knew how much the boy wanted to buy the clock. Last week, Joe had talked to Mr. Tremont and asked him to hold the clock until Teddy could make the down payment. He'd told the man he would personally guarantee the purchase.

“I can't wait to see Gramma's face when I give it to her at Christmas."

“I'm sure she'll love it. It'll mean a lot that you saved your money to buy it for her.”

A noise intruded and Teddy's gaze swung to the door. Joe turned and spotted a dark-haired woman standing in the opening.

“May I help you?” he asked, walking toward her.

“You're Joe Dixon, the owner of the shop?”

“Half owner, yes.”

“I'm Emma Kingsley. I'm raising money for the Dreyerville Women's Shelter. The ladies who run the program suggested I stop by. They said they can always count on you for a donation.”

Joe smiled. “The shelter does important work. I'll be happy to donate. While I write a check, why don't you put one of those collection jars up on the counter? I'll see if I can stir up a little more money from my customers.”

The woman's eyes brightened. “Why, thank you so much, Mr. Dixon.”

Teddy helped Mrs. Kingsley set up the display and Joe returned with a check.

“Your son is a darling boy."

“Teddy's a good kid," Joe said, not bothering to correct her. He handed her the donation, wishing he could afford to give more. But he was sure he could get his customers to come up with a little extra for the pot.

He and Teddy went back to work putting things in order in the shop. As he watched Teddy work, it occurred to him that if he and Syl had gotten married, if their lives had gone the way they had planned, they might have had a son almost Teddy's age.

But Syl had gotten sick and even if she had told him the truth about her illness and they had stayed together, there would have been no children.

At the end of the day, as Teddy climbed onto his bicycle and rode off toward his house, Joe realized how much he wished things could have been different.

6

September crept into October. The huge, sprawling sycamore next to Syl's above-garage apartment turned a brilliant orange-red and began to lose its leaves. The rolling hillsides bloomed with autumn colors. Russet and gold wreathed the lake at the south end of town.

Unable to resist the lure of the crisp fall weather and changing seasons, Syl packed herself a picnic lunch and drove out to the lake on a Saturday afternoon. There was only one other vehicle parked in the narrow dirt lot. She could barely see it through the trees. Syl parked a ways away, took her lunch and her camera, and headed for one of the tables down by the water.

An old wooden dock, slightly tilted to one side but sturdy enough to be used by amateur fishermen, pushed its way out into the lake. Two figures stood on the dock, she saw, a boy and a man, both of them dark-haired.

“Miss Winters!” the boy called out, waving madly. It was Teddy Sparks, she realized, as he handed his pole to the man and raced toward her down the dock.

Her stomach contracted when Joe Dixon stood up from where he'd crouched next to Teddy. She hadn't seen him since that day at his house and she didn't want to see him now.

Teddy slid to a stop in front of her. His arrival steadied her nerves and put an end to the rolling in her stomach.

“Miss Winters! You gotta come! You gotta see what we caught!” He reached out and caught her hand. Syl couldn't help smiling at his excitement. And she couldn't refuse to go with him, even if seeing Joe was the last thing she wanted.

“Hurry up!” He tugged her forward. Her camera dangled from her wrist, along