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two talked privately for a while. I assumed they'd cleared up whatever was wrong between them, but my feeling is that it hasn't gone away."

"Are they fighting?"

"No," he said, holding the coffee mug with both hands. He leaned forward and braced his elbows against his knees. "Not in the least. It's like they're polite strangers. It's 'please' and 'thank you' at every turn. Jerry brings her coffee in the morning, and she makes sure the newspaper is just so for him."

"That sounds like the routine of a long married couple."

"I suppose," he said, but it didn't look as though he were reassured. If anything, he seemed convinced of the opposite.

"You think it's for show, don't you?"

His grin was slightly off center. "Yes, that's exactly what I think. It's like they're playing this game, making it seem that there couldn't possibly be anything wrong with their relationship."

"But you think there is."

"I know there is."

She didn't ask how he knew. "Then why would they go through this pretense?"

"I don't know. Possibly because it's close to Christmas and they don't want to upset the twins. Or because of me." He rubbed a hand down the side of his face and glanced guiltily at her. "Then again I've been distracted by a certain travel agent of late and wouldn't know my head from a hole in the ground."

Happiness filled her heart. "It's an honor to be considered a distraction."

He chuckled. "If only you knew."

"Tell me." Her ego could do with a few strokes.

"You tell me what sent you running to me like an injured rabbit after having dinner with your mother."

Reba glared at him, then smiled. "You don't play fair."

He didn't respond, merely seemed content to wait until she'd satisfied his curiosity.

"Vicki will be with my family Christmas Day." From the emotionless look in his eyes, she could tell he didn't understand. "There appears to have been a breakdown in communication between my mother and me. Since I'm the chair for the Christmas program, I can't attend dinner Christmas Eve, and apparently my sister is obligated to attend some shindig with her husband's family."

"You don't want to be with your parents at the same time as your sister?"

"I won't have anything to do with her. I already explained that, remember?" She knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn't help herself.

"Spend the day with me and the kids," Seth invited her.

She hadn't come seeking an invitation. She shook her head. "No, but thank you."

"Why not?"

"It's a pity invitation."

Seth chuckled. "Hardly. I'd like it more than you know. Come, please."

Pride should have been enough to keep her from accepting, but pride was cold comfort. For the first time since the disastrous day of her near wedding, she had someone in her life.

"Reba?" Seth coaxed.

"I'll come." Such a little thing. She had no right to be this happy.

Chapter 22

You have to wonder about humans. They think God is dead and Elvis is alive.

- Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, personal friends of Mrs. Miracle

The irony of it was that Sharon had gotten along with Jerry better in the last several days, since they'd agreed to a divorce, than in the previous twelve months. She sat next to him in the movie theater and forced her attention back to the screen. Agent 007 was back in action. James Bond had returned to save the world from the latest fiend.

She reached for a handful of popcorn, and Jerry angled the bucket toward her, granting her easy access to the buttery-topped kernels. A time not so long ago and they wouldn't have been able to agree on which movie, which theater, what night, or anything else. She wasn't entirely sure how they'd managed it this time. It was as though the decision to separate had freed them, and they could once more return to the congenial couple they'd once been.

The temptation was to forget the troubles of the past and enjoy this newfound accord, but Sharon knew this "honeymoon" wouldn't last. They'd agreed to make the best of it until after Christmas - it made sense not to ruin the children's holidays with the distressing news of their failed marriage.

The action-packed movie involved almost everyone else in the theater, but Sharon had a difficult time keeping her thoughts on the characters on the screen.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. With the two of them sitting in a movie theater as if nothing were amiss, as if they were as deeply in love as the day they'd married. Or more