Free A Family for Christmas by Noelle Adams Page A

the truth was, she didn’t mind if Gabe hid in his office, since it meant
she didn’t have to try to make pleasant conversation and pretend that their
situation was normal.
    ***
    The following week, Lydia
was doing some research on jewelry-making in India when Gabe knocked on her
bedroom door.
    Her
bedroom was large, with a sunny nook where she’d put a comfortable chair and
her laptop. It was a very nice place to work.
    She’d
been spending a lot of time there, since it felt private, like she could relax
and just be herself.
    The
rest of the time, she was trying to cook meals, take Ellie on errands, and
clean up around the house. Gabe wasn’t a slob or anything, but he was obviously
really busy with his work. Lydia wasn’t. She thought it was reasonable to make
an extra effort right now, just to prove that she was doing her part in the
marriage. And Gabe seemed to accept it without question.
    Lydia
put down her laptop when Gabe came in, though. He was carrying his phone.
    “I’ve
got to go to Raleigh this evening,” he said, without preamble. “We’ve run into
a bit of a snag with work.”
    “Okay,”
she said, straightening up. “When will you be back?”
    “Tomorrow.
It will just be a short trip. I’d rather not take Ellie, since I’ll be working
the whole time. Do you mind her staying here?”
    “Oh.”
Lydia blinked, her stomach dropping at the thought of being with the girl on
her own for a day and a half. “Okay. Yeah, I guess that would be okay.”
    “Good.
Thanks. I’m going to pack and take off right away.”
    “Where
is Ellie now?”
    “She’s
up in her room reading. I’ll go up and tell her before I leave.”
    “Okay.”
    Lydia
didn’t like this idea. At all. She didn’t like to be solely responsible for a
child’s welfare. And she definitely didn’t like trying to take care of a girl
like Ellie, who obviously wanted nothing to do with her.
    But
Gabe seemed to think it was important that he leave. He seemed to think that it
was natural that she’d watch his daughter while he went off on business.
    And
Lydia had no good reason not to do it, since she had nothing else pressing to
do.
    In
their preparations for marriage, they’d agreed that Gabe had primary
responsibility for Ellie, but Lydia would help when she could.
    She
could now.
    So,
before she knew it, she and Ellie were standing on the porch together, watching
Gabe drive away in his fancy car.
    Lydia
took a deep breath and looked down at the girl.
    She
was wearing the braids again, and she was frowning as her dad disappeared down
the street.
    “Well,”
Lydia said, trying to sound cheerful. “Looks like it’s just you and me. Do you
want to do something fun this afternoon? We can go to the library or shopping
or something.”
    Ellie
stared up at her with those dark blue eyes. “I’m going to read.”
    Lydia
sighed. “Okay.”
    ***
    At seven the following
evening, Lydia was just about at the end of her rope.
    She’d
done everything she could think of to bond with Ellie. She’d taken her out to
eat for dinner the day before and breakfast this morning. She’d taken her to
the library and to the bakery for donuts. She’d tried to play three different
games. She’d asked about the books the girl was reading and the story she was
writing and the friends she’d had in school. She’d tried to make a game of
cleaning the kitchen so Ellie might want to join her.
    And
nothing. The girl hadn’t even smiled.
    Lydia
had gotten so desperate that she’d called up her mom for advice.
    “She
just doesn’t like me,” Lydia said, for about the fifth time. She’d rehearsed
the last two days, and the frustrated helplessness was catching up to her. Her
voice broke on the last word. “She’s mostly a well-behaved girl. She’s never
nasty, and she obeys her father really well. But she doesn’t like me—no matter
what I do.”
    “You’ve
got to give her some time,” her mother said. “It’s only been a couple