Free Their First Noel by Annie Jones Page A

secure from out here but no one is answering. I don’t know if Greer just called on her own and Andy isn’t even awake or if something is actually wrong.” The sheriff’s voice was heard then a crackle and a response Andy suspected was over a walkie-talkie. “If I don’t get an answer in a couple seconds, I’ll find a way in.”
    Andy reached the door before the man—who was only a couple years older than Andy—got too worked up.
    â€œHey, Jim,” he told the mayor’s son as he let him inside. “Thanks for getting here so fast and for not breaking the door down once you got here.”
    Jim Walker placed his walkie-talkie on the spot on his shoulder where it usually lay quiet. He tipped his hat back with one hand then laughed. “I did a quick survey of the grounds before I knocked. Besides your truck and a pint-sized hybrid with South Carolina tags, no vehicles on the grounds. No signs of forced entry. I figured Greer was overreacting.”
    Andy grimaced. “What did she say?”
    He followed Andy into the lobby, and slipped his hat from his head and began unsnapping his leather jacket. “Well, she whispered for starters, and said, ‘You have to come and bring the big guns. They got Andy already but I won’t let ’em get me.’”
    â€œBig guns?” Andy rested one hand on the banister and shook his head. “I have to talk to Mom about how much TV she’s watching. I’m going to go upstairs and let the kid know it was just Corrie Bennington, you know the baker who helped your mom with the lights yesterday? She’s making gingerbread in the kitchen. Sorry about that.”
    â€œNo problem. While I’m out here, need anything else?”
    â€œActually, Corrie asked me to bring you and Greer with me into the dining room and set up a table. Got something in mind, I guess. She thinks she’s being helpful.”
    â€œWell, then, let’s let her play it out. No reason to be rude.” He positioned his hat on the counter where guests would one day register then tossed his jacket next to it. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them enthusiastically as he said, “You go see to your sister, I’ll get the table ready.”
    Andy hesitated. He had expected his friend, upon finding nothing out of order, would just go about his business. That he wanted to cooperate with Corrie’s scheme without even knowing what it was because it was the nice thing to do, needled Andy. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Why hadn’t he been that gracious when Corrie asked him to go along with her?
    Because he didn’t need her help, he argued in his head. Why encourage that waste of effort and time when he had everything under control?
    He couldn’t help sighing at his own bullheadedness as he trudged upstairs to tend to Greer. It didn’t take much, once he mentioned Corrie’s name, to refocus the girl’s energy. She wrapped herself in her robe and took off like it was daybreak on Christmas morning, insisting that Corrie would need her immediately.
    Andy took the time to change out of the clothes he had slept in and into some fresh jeans and a work shirt. He washed his face and neck to get the last of the flour, then brushed his teeth and checked his email to make sure his mom hadn’t sent any new information. He wasn’t stalling, he told himself, or worse, pouting because he didn’t want to surrender to Corrie’s offer. He was just going about his business. Stick with the plan. She was the one intruding, after all. Doing things that weren’t even necessary. Again, he knew that waspride talking, and when he got sick of hearing his lame justifications, he made his way down the stairs.
    â€œMmmm. What smells so good?” he called out when his foot hit the concrete floor and he turned toward the dining room across the way from the big, open lobby.
    â€œOnly a southern