Mrs. Miracle Page 0,15

would be through the Panama Canal.

"Well," he said with a bite of impatience, "which cruise line did you decide on?"

She turned around and glared at her husband. This was the big compromise. He decided where they would tour and she was given the opportunity to choose which cruise line. "I don't care. They all look the same to me. You decide."

Jerry scowled at her.

Sharon could see that her answer didn't please him, but that didn't concern her, either. It didn't matter to her which cruise ship they booked. Not when she had no desire to spend thousands of dollars to visit a destination that had never appealed to her.

"You want me to decide?"

"Feel free." He did everything else, why not this?

"I'd appreciate it if you showed a little more enthusiasm. We've been planning this trip for years."

"We?" That was almost enough to make her laugh. "You were the one who wanted to see the Panama Canal, not me."

It was as though he hadn't heard her. "Why do you always leave everything to me?"

It amazed her that he didn't know. She wondered if her husband had always been obtuse.

"I'm trying to arrange the vacation of our lives," he muttered impatiently, "and you're fighting me every step of the way."

"I'm not fighting you."

"Then the least you can do is show a little enthusiasm," he snapped.

She pinched her lips together to keep from arguing. Jerry was right. This cruise meant a great deal to him. He'd talked of little else for weeks - no, months. Ever since it was decided the twins would move back with their father.

"I'd like to spend Christmas with Seth and the children." The best way to handle discord, Sharon had learned early on in their relationship, was to change the subject. And of late it was the only way they could remain civil with each other, bouncing like a Ping-Pong ball from one subject to the next.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" she demanded defiantly. He had selfishly insisted on the cruise he wanted. All she cared about was sharing the holidays with her two precious grandchildren. "Clay and Neal won't be home and - "

"The twins are only now adjusting to life with Seth. I don't think it'd be a good idea for us to interfere."

"I'm not going to interfere!" She reached for the brush and jerked it through the long, thick tresses. Tugging at the tangles brought unexpected tears to her eyes. She'd been married to Jerry all these years. Had loved him, borne his children, kept his home. Yet the man she'd married, the man she'd spent the last forty years of her life loving, didn't know her. Not really.

It hadn't been easy for her to hand her grandchildren back to their father. Jerry didn't seem to realize or appreciate what it had cost her to send the twins home with Seth. The emptiness in her life had never been more pronounced.

"I just don't think it's a good idea," Jerry insisted.

The hot surge of anger that assaulted her came as a surprise. She fought down the urge to throw the brush and shout. Her fingers tightened around the handle until her hand ached. Sharon wasn't sure what would have happened if the phone hadn't rung at precisely that moment.

"I'll get it." Grateful for the intrusion, she walked over to the bedstand. "Hello," she greeted as if her world were in perfect order, when it felt as if the edges had crumpled beyond repair.

"Grandma, it's Jason."

"Jason." Sharon's heart gladdened instantly. She routinely talked to the twins once a week. She worried about them. Worried that they missed her and would have a difficult time adjusting to their new lives in Seattle. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"I miss you."

She bit down on her lower lip at the swell of tenderness she experienced for her grandson. "I miss you, too. How's everything?"

"Okay. You know Mrs. Hampston quit, don't you?"

Jason asked this with glee, as if he were reporting a good grade on a school project. Sharon had heard that bit of unfortunate news a couple of weeks earlier. She realized the kids weren't thrilled with Mrs. Hampston, but Seth was fortunate to have found someone dependable. Especially in light of what had happened with the other housekeepers.

"Judd and I didn't like her."

"Has your father hired a replacement?" Sharon could hear background noise and suspected Judd was demanding the phone. It was his turn to talk.

The sounds of a scuffle ensued. "Jason! Judd!" It did her little good