Mrs. Miracle Page 0,53

accident. As it had then, it felt now as if her heart would never heal.

"Would you mind terribly if I stayed and spent Christmas with Seth and the twins?" Before she could answer, he rushed to add as if he needed to convince her, "Seeing that I'm already here and all."

The tightness in her throat made it difficult to answer with words, so she nodded.

"We can get along that long, can't we?"

"I'm sure we can," Sharon managed. "If we're both on our best behavior."

The silence was back, less strained this time. Having reached an agreement, even one that set the terms of the dissolution of their marriage, produced a certain accord. The irony of it didn't escape Sharon.

With some hesitation Seth stepped into the room and glanced from one to the other. "Is everything okay between you two, or do you need more time?"

"Everything's fine," Jerry lied, answering for them both. Sharon was grateful he did; she wasn't sure she could have sounded nearly as convincing.

"You'll be staying on for the holidays, then?" Seth directed the question to Jerry.

"If it's not a problem?"

"None. It'll be good to have you."

Unable to deal with the small talk, Sharon stood abruptly. "I've had a full day. I hope you'll both excuse me." She faked a yawn. "I can't believe how tired I am."

"Sure, honey," Jerry said, sounding as if there weren't a thing wrong with the world.

"By all means, Sharon," Seth added. "Thanks for all your help with the twins' costumes."

"It was a pleasure."

"Sit down," Jerry invited his son-in-law, "and tell me how everything's going with you and the kids."

Sharon managed a smile as she slipped past her son-in-law and down the hallway to the guest bedroom. The voices of the two men faded as she closed the bedroom door.

Jerry was by far the better actor. It helped that Seth and her husband were such good friends. The two could easily talk the night away.

Sharon slumped onto the side of the mattress. Her lower lip trembled and she bit into it hard, until she sampled the sweet taste and knew she'd drawn blood. With her eyes closed she rocked gently, her arms cradling her stomach. She felt alone and afraid. The future without Jerry frightened her almost as much as the future with him.

A divorce was what she wanted, what she'd asked for. She should be pleased that Jerry had been so willing, so agreeable. He could have made it difficult, but he too seemed to want out of a marriage that had suddenly turned sour.

Sharon couldn't blame him. Even when they tried to make the marriage work, they were both miserable. He had his own ideas of what their lives should be like now that he'd retired, and she had hers. How sad that their visions no longer matched.

How sad indeed.

Brushing the hair from her face, she gathered a reserved measure of energy and undressed. The nightdress Mrs. Merkle had loaned her was three sizes too large. The flannel gown hung on her like an empty potato sack. It was by far the most unflattering piece of apparel she'd ever worn.

With her thoughts tangled and dark, she removed her makeup and cleaned her teeth, then sat up in bed, reading. When someone knocked politely, her gaze flew to the door.

"Yes?"

Jerry stood in the doorway, a suitcase in each hand. "Seth has to be in the office early tomorrow morning," he said, walking into the room. He closed the door, and the latch clicked softly as it connected.

Sharon's reading glasses slid down the bridge of her nose. Surely Jerry didn't intend to sleep with her. She opened her mouth to say as much when she realized that he had no choice. Consequently neither did she.

Jerry must have read the look in her eyes because he said, "We slept together for nearly forty years. I imagine we can do so for a couple more weeks, don't you?"

"I'm sure we can," she answered crisply.

"In fact, I think we should make the most of this time."

She didn't like the implication and tugged the blankets more closely around her breasts. "How do you mean?"

He grinned as if he found her actions amusing. "With Judd and Jason. It'll probably be the last time we'll spend time with them together."

"You're right." That too was a sad realization. The twins were the glue that had held them together for the last four years. Neither of them had realized it at the time, but the truth couldn't be ignored in light