Package Deal(112)
“If you put a stamp on it, we can mail it.”
“Getting mail is fun. Maybe he’ll write me again.”
Her mother smiled. “Next time you see him, why don’t you ask him?”
“I think I’ll just write him another letter.One of the girls in our class has a pen pal. I think I’d like to have one, too.”
Her mother nodded and cleared her throat. “Are you done with your homework, Cece?”
“Almost.”
“It’s getting close to bedtime. Better get on it.”
Two weeks later, Amanda asked Marcus, “Are you coming over for Thanksgiving?”
“Is Cecelia okay with that?”
“Let me ask her.” Amanda put down the phone. “Cece, would it be okay if Marcus eats some of our turkey on Thanksgiving?”
“As long as he leaves me a drumstick.”
“I’ll tell him. She says—”
He chuckled. “I heard her. She can have the right drumstick if I can have the left one. What time do we sit down?”
“Around four. I hope you’re not one of those men who eats in front of the television on Thanksgiving.”
“I’ve been known to do that, but I’m willing to sacrifice for the sake of a good home-cooked meal.”
Amanda laughed. “See you then.”
“I just remembered something—something I have to talk to Cecelia about. Privately. Could you hand her the phone?”
“Cece, Marcus wants to talk to you. I’m going upstairs.”
Minutes later, Cecelia called up the stairs to her. “You can come back down. Marcus wants to talk to you.”
Amanda sat down at the kitchen table and took back the phone. “What’s with all the mystery?”
“I have some things I need to show you, later this week. Maybe Friday—after Thanksgiving, since we’re both off.Do you think you could see your way clear to coming over to my place on Friday?”
“Cece, too?”
“Uh, no. Just you.”
“So you want me to get a babysitter.”
“That would be a good idea. I’m not sure how long what I have here will take—to show you, and all. A babysitter. Yes.”
“Your voice, it sounds kind of funny. Are you hurting again? Is your incision still bothering you?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m less tired every day, and now that the nurse doesn’t come anymore, my house—it feels more like mine again.”
“Would you like to explain to Cece why she needs a babysitter? Every time I have to do that these days, it gets harder and harder to convince her she isn’t old enough to stay by herself.”
“I’m sure you can handle it. Call me back if you can’t work it out.”
The rain stopped the night before Thanksgiving. New snow on the mountains beckoned the skiers and snowboarders, reflecting against the blue sky and contrasting with the dark green of the trees on the foothills.Marcus arrived at Amanda’s house with a huge bouquet of Thanksgiving flowers in tints of gold and yellow.
Cecelia glanced at him, but said nothing. She went up to her room to read before Amanda called her downstairs a halfhour later.
The three of them sat down to a larger-than-usual spread and took their time eating. They were just finishing dessert when the phone rang.
“Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Joan. Yes, we’re just about done.Tomorrow? Well, no. Actually, I do need to leave the house for a short time. Oh. Just a minute.” She turned to her daughter.
“Cece. Sam wants to know if you would like to sleep over at her house tomorrow.”
“I’d love to! Tell her yes!”
Amanda laughed. “I suppose you heard that, Joan.When would you like me to drop her off? Okay, three it is.”
Marcus smiled at her. “That was nice of her. I guess you don’t have to worry about asking Janet to watch Snookums here.” He reached across the table and poked Cecelia in the ribs.
She giggled and said, “No one’s called me Snookums before.”
“Well, it’s time someone did.”He got up from the table. “I want to check the scores…to see if I owe Mike any money. What do you think, Snookums? Want to check the scores with me?”
“Okay.” The two of them went into the living room and sat down next to one another, Marcus’s arm over the top of the couch, just above Cecelia’s blonde mop.
Amanda smiled. She would have to tell her mother how easy Cecelia was with Marcus these days. From what she could see, her daughter had a friend in Marcus who was like a father. And Snookums? Her daughter had never allowed anyone to call her by a pet name before. But she had accepted Marcus’s name for her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.And, all because of his injury—or maybe it was what he had said in his letter.