Melody made her way back to her car thinking there was no way in the world she could ever be a daycare provider. Nor could she be a school teacher. If listening to twenty kids talk the way that Michael did on the way home all day long was any indication of what it was like to be a kindergarten teacher, she would add all kindergarten teachers to her nightly prayer list. She suddenly had a newfound respect for her mother who had done both jobs at one time or another.She climbed into her Acadia and put her seatbelt on. She thought she should have asked about Kayla, but she’d only met her the one time. She’d been a good pianist, and her dad had remarked after the lesson that he thought she’d be quite accomplished if she continued to practice and if she had the right teacher. Unfortunately for all of them, the right teacher was no longer around.There had been a time when Melody had considered teaching piano or even becomi

Melody was helping her mother put the books she’d gone through the afternoon before onto a newly-cleared-off shelf when her phone started buzzing. At first, she thought she’d just received a text, but the more it vibrated, the more she thought something might be wrong. She knew it wasn’t nearly time to go pick up Michael from school; it couldn’t be the school calling to say she was late. As she slid the phone out of her back pocket, she wondered what in the world might be going on.There were five text messages all sent within the last minute, all from Delaney.“Where are you?”“Are you at the shop?”“Get down here, girl.”“Seriously, get down here now.”“Are you ignoring me?”There hadn’t even been time for her to

Melody had not made it to church on Wednesday evening. She knew Michael was disappointed, even though she’d explained to him that afternoon on the way to Ms. Karen’s that she wasn’t able to go. She hated to disappoint him, but she just couldn’t handle another Bible study class full of Christmas wishes and stories of rejoicing for everything God had given His people when he’d sent His son to the Earth. She knew all that—she believed all that—but she didn’t want to hear it right now, not when memories of that horrible night two years ago flooded her from all directions.She’d stayed home working on the website, trying to lose herself in her work. It would’ve been impossible to do anyway, but her mother made it even worse when she sent a picture of Michael holding up a craft he’d made in his children’s group, a big grin on his face and the message saying, “He made this Baby Jesus

Reid was quiet, and Melody thought maybe she’d overstepped. He’d joked before about her wanting to kidnap his son—did he think now maybe she had lost her mind? Had she? “Do you really want to do that?”“Yes, I do,” she said. “I’m sorry if that sounds crazy, Reid. But there’s just something about Michael that lifts my spirit. I can’t quite explain it to you, but moving back here has been so difficult on me. When I lived in Chicago, I had distractions. I could sit in my apartment and pretend that my dad was at home with my mom, watching TV or playing the piano. Of course, I didn’t do that because that really would be nuts—but the option was there. I wasn’t constantly reminded that he was gone. Now that I’m back here, I’m bombarded with the scents and sounds I associate with him. I can’t walk down the stairs without thinking I’ll see him standing by t

Turning the TV off, she went upstairs and stood in front of her closet. She knew she’d need to dress warm, but this was also an important date to her. While she’d normally just wear jeans and a sweater, didn’t she need to dress up a bit? After much deliberation, she finally decided on a long emerald green sweater that set off her eyes and thick black leggings that would match her black dress coat. She could wear her black boots as well. She didn’t even know for sure if Reid would even get a chance to see the sweater since they very well may be outside the entire time wearing coats, but she wanted to look nice just in case. An hour later, after a shower and a battle with her makeup and hair, she decided she was finally ready to head downtown. It was almost 4:00 now, which meant she’d be able to help out her mom for a little while before the parade, and she was hopeful that would keep the butterflies at bay and her mind on other things.