Free Debbie Macomber by Where Angels Go Page A

She couldn’t help it. She wondered if he was being pressured by his family about meeting her, too. It was worth asking.
    She ended the conversation with her mother by booking a lunch date for later in the week.
    That evening, as soon as Beth got home from work, she logged on to the game. Peter came on ten minutes after that. The first thing he did was ask about the amount of gold they’d accumulated toward their purchase of a mount. The fact that he avoided the kind of personal comment they’d exchanged the night before was telling. She suspected he was uncomfortable with the way their conversation had turned toward the personal. It had unsettled her, too, and at the same time excited her.
    Beth took his cue and simply answered his question.
    They played for an hour, but neither one seemed focused on the game.
    I need to leave early, she typed in.
    Do you have a hot date?
    It wasn’t a date at all. Beth was meeting Heidi to go over the details of their weekend in Leavenworth. An appointment, she told him.
    Business or pleasure?
    He was getting mighty inquisitive. Pleasure, she answered.
    There was a slight pause. Have fun.
    You, too.
    No problem meeting tomorrow night?
    He’d never asked before. None.
    Good. Talk to you then.
    Beth put Borincana safely away and exited the game. The happy feeling that had greeted her that morning had completely evaporated. She didn’t understand what had happened with Peter or why. Was he backing off, losing interest? He’d been eager to confirm that she’d be playing tomorrow, though, so he might just prefer his romance virtual. He might be afraid of taking their relationship into the realms of reality.
    What a sorry lot they were, both of them more comfortable in the guise of a fantasy character than dealing with real life. They were two sad, lonely people reaching out at Christmas, wanting to connect and too afraid to try.

8
    C arter waited at the bus stop with his sister and stamped his feet to ward off the cold. With only two school days—including today—left before winter break, everyone was talking about Christmas and what they expected to find under the tree. Carter knew that his parents couldn’t afford gifts. Still, there were several wrapped ones from his grandparents that his mother had already set out. Their Christmas tree was pitiful, but he didn’t care as long as there were presents. He just hoped all of his weren’t socks or underwear.
    As the big yellow bus belched to a stop, Carter grabbed his sister’s hand. His mother had instructed him to look out for Bailey, and Carter took his duties seriously.
    The bus doors slid open and Carter pushed Bailey ahead of him. As he climbed the steps and felt the warm air on his face, he pulled off his woolen mittens, stuffing them in his pockets. Bailey raced down the aisle toward her friend, Maddy. Ignoring her now, Carter took a seat next to his best friend, Timmy Anderson.
    â€œWant to trade lunches?” Timmy asked. Carter tried to remember what his mother had packed in his Pirates of the Caribbean lunch pail. She’d baked cookies the night before and there was the usual peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, plus an apple. He had an apple every day, no matter what. Timmy did, too.
    â€œWhat you got?” Carter asked.
    Timmy opened his Spider-Man lunch box. “Potato chips, a Twinkie, a pudding cup and an apple.”
    â€œNo sandwich?”
    Timmy shook his head.
    Timmy’s lunch was filled with all the treats Carter only got if he traded. He loved Twinkies, but his mother baked really good chocolate chip cookies.
    â€œWell?” Timmy pressed. “Wanna trade or not?”
    â€œOkay.”
    The two boys switched lunch pails. Timmy seemed to like Carter’s lunches better than his own. He wanted to trade almost every day.
    The bus made another stop and three more students got on. Cameron and Isaiah Benedict came aboard, scrambling into the seat in