Free The Best Christmas Ever by Cheryl Wolverton Page B

in a car with anyone other than the person supposed to pick her up. And walking home. He shuddered at the thought. “Look, I have to go. My housekeeper is on the other line. Thanks for calling.” He hung up before she could get another word in.
    “Sarah,” he said into the other line, “she’s two blocks over at Stephanie Williams’s house.”
    Oh, thank you, Father, she whispered.
    Justin was certain he could hear tears. “You might remember that next time you plan to pick Mickie up,” he growled. He heard a swiftly indrawn breath but didn’t care. He was still shaking himself. He tersely gave her directions to Stephanie Williams’s house and hung up the phone.
    “So, what has you looking so grim? Did you find a virus in our latest software package?” Bill quipped as he entered the office.
    “Stephanie Williams just took my daughter home from school. It seems Mickie thought Sarah forgot to pick her up.”
    “And?”
    “And?” Justin asked, staring incredulously at Bill. “Well, for starters, I’m absolutely furious with Sarah. What are you shaking your head about?”
    “I’d say you’re feeling the aftereffects of terror.”
    Justin frowned. Bill was right. But he didn’t haveto like it. “Sarah has been here over a week. She should have been watching the time.”
    Bill raised an eyebrow.
    “Mickie was about to walk home!” Justin exclaimed.
    Bill chuckled. “I remember you telling me that Mickie once tried to walk to work to visit you.”
    Just like that, his fear and anger melted away. And with that, guilt swept in. He felt like a total heel for the way he’d treated Sarah on the phone a few minutes ago. Why hadn’t he remembered this wasn’t the first time his daughter had thought someone had forgotten to pick her up, after she’d waited only a few minutes? He knew it all came from the way Amy had left in the middle of the night, without saying goodbye to Mickie. The slightest incident triggered Mickie’s feelings of abandonment, of being forgotten. Why had he been so angry at Sarah?
    Yeah, Mickie had tried walking to his office, which was a forty-five-minute drive from his house. He shook his head and curved his lips as he remembered how Mrs. Winters had called him, hysterical that she couldn’t find Mickie at school. He’d been terrified, too, until the school cross guard came walking back to the building with Mickie. Luckily, Mickie had asked the cross guard for directions downtown, explaining she had wanted to see her daddy. He shuddered recalling, the long talk he’d had with his daughter about waiting where she was told to wait and trying to solve problems herself.
    That had been just after Amy died.
    “Is Sarah safe or should I go rescue her?”
    Justin glanced up at Bill. “What do you mean?”
    “Well, that look is off your face, which means Mickie is safe and sound and so is Sarah, so I guess she’ll still be safe when you get home,” Bill said, ignoring Justin’s question.
    He slouched in the chair in front of Justin. “So how’s it going on the home front?”
    Justin leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands over his stomach. “Fine. Why?”
    Bill grinned. “I know both of you and how you’re usually at each other’s throats. I just wondered.”
    Justin shrugged. “Sarah’s different.” He thought about how she’d had dinner ready each night, and went to extra lengths every day to have everything done. She was working herself harder than any other housekeeper he’d ever had. He’d never thought of her as the domestic type. He’d also noticed circles under her eyes. He didn’t think she was resting well, though she always smiled and had a kind word for him or a sweet smile and a hug for Mickie.
    “She’s eaten up with guilt.”
    “What?” Justin regarded Bill, almost having forgotten he was there.
    “Guilt. You know what that is. She doesn’t think she’s good enough for anything.”
    This was new to Justin. He sat up straighter. “What do you