Free Songs of Christmas by Thomas Kinkade Page A

some more?” The light in his blue eyes was so encouraging, Amanda was tempted to comply.
    Instead, she rose from the bench and grabbed the binder. “Uh, no. I’m not. Time to go,” she replied. “See you.”
    “Really? I was hoping to hear the rest of the song.”
    Amanda quickly escaped up the center aisle and dared a glance back at him. “Sorry, show’s over. Next performance is Sunday. No tickets required,” she added with a wry grin.
    “Yes, I remember.” He nodded, as if acknowledging that he didn’t attend church much. “Wait. You never told me your name. Or should I just call you Music Girl?”
    Amanda couldn’t help but smile at that twist. She turned at the top of the aisle. “It’s Amanda . . . Amanda Harding.” She paused. “So . . . should I just call you Window Guy now?”
    He laughed, a warm, deep sound. “It’s Gabriel . . . Gabriel Bailey. I thought you’d never ask.”
    She left the sanctuary and headed to her office. And couldn’t stop smiling. Gabriel Bailey . . . Pie Guy, Spy Guy . . . and Window Guy . . . was extremely cute and clever.
    And even though dating was low on her list right now, Amanda knew she would happily agree to go out with him . . . if he asked her.
    She ducked into the choir room with a surprisingly happy feeling. Who would have thought she would meet a guy like that at this job? Would he be around a lot, working on the windows? Or was this just a random thing? Maybe she could find out somehow.
    At least you know his name now, she told herself. And he knows yours. That’s a start.
    * * *
    “EMILY? IS THAT YOU?”
    “Yes, it’s me, Mother. I have the monitor.”
    Emily had returned to her mother’s house on Tuesday after work, bringing the baby monitor and some other items she thought they might need. She let herself in with her own key, since she knew that the task of answering the door was a long and sometimes painful one for her mother and that Mrs. Fallon might be helping Ezra.
    Her mother had called from the living room but appeared in the foyer with surprising speed. “Thank goodness you’re here. Something terrible has happened.”
    “What is it?” Emily’s heart jumped. “Is it Ezra? ”
    What a fool I was to leave them alone. They didn’t even get through his first day home. I knew this was a recipe for disaster. Even with Mrs. Fallon here—
    “Ezra is fine. Comfortable as a clam.” Her mother waved a thin, bony hand, heavy with antique rings. “It’s Mrs. Fallon. Her daughter, rather. We just had a call. There’s been an accident. Holly is in the hospital. Yale Medical Center, so that’s good. Not critical, thank goodness, but very serious. An injury to her back. They’re not sure yet if she’ll need surgery.”
    Emily gasped out loud. “The poor woman . . . what about the babies?”
    “The children are home with their father, safe and sound,” Lillian cut in, dispelling her fears about the triplets. She turned and walked back into the living room, leaning heavily on her cane with each step.
    “Martha wants to go down there right away,” Lillian added. “At least until they can get some help in.”
    Emily nodded. She knew how devoted Mrs. Fallon was to her only child, Holly, and her husband—and now her three, practically newborn, grandchildren.
    She doubted Mrs. Fallon would return to Massachusetts any time soon, even if Holly and her husband did bring in more help. Her mother was fooling herself to think otherwise. Mrs. Fallon was a dedicated employee, no question, but her family needed her now.
    “Where is she?” Emily asked.
    “Upstairs in her room, packing.” Her mother balanced on her cane a second, then dropped heavily onto the sofa. “She’s driving to New Haven tonight. The sensible thing would be to wait until the morning, but she won’t listen to reason.”
    Emily didn’t reply. Lillian had always been a very reasonable parent, never swept away by emotions, rarely rushing anywhere on