A Case of the Heart (16 page)

The snow started falling a couple hours away from their destination. She noticed the flakes begin to multiply and become thicker. “I’d hate to miss the Christmas Eve service. Do you think we can still make it tonight?”

Alex squinted through the windshield. “You’re in a four-wheel drive truck. We’ll make it.”

They got to her parents’ in plenty of time, thanks to Alex’s experienced driving. The old house was pretty surrounded by the white drifts. The brown shutters and front door stood out against the white snow. Bare branches on the big oak tree in the front yard hung low with the weight of the heavy flakes.

Liz walked through the foyer and into the kitchen. Nothing had changed since the last time she was home. Her mom loved blue, and all the carpet and walls were varying shade of the color.

Both parents liked antiques and had a number of pieces. Some family heirlooms had been handed down from relatives and added to the decor. The kitchen was dimly lit. The hardwood floors and paneled walls were all dark-stained with black appliances.

The dining area connected to the kitchen. Mom already had the Christmas dishes set with silverware and platters and a bouquet of red and white carnations in the green centerpiece vase.

Liz heard the blare of the TV coming from the family room. She yelled hello, and her dad came pounding in, hugging her and shaking Alex’s hand. “Dad, this is Alex.”

“How were the roads, Alex?”

“Not bad at all until we got close to town.” Alex mused at her dad’s eagerness to meet him.

“And this is my mom.” Dotty descended the stairs and into the foyer then hugged them both. “I’m so glad you made it through that awful weather. Go in and sit down. Liz and I will get us something to drink.”

“He seems like such a nice young man.” Dotty busied herself by getting out a tray to carry the coffeepot and cups. She got a dishrag to wipe the already spotless counter avoiding Liz’s stare. “You two act like you’ve been together for years.”

Liz nodded and secretly pondered her mother’s words. “We’ve worked closely together for a while.” She took some cups from the cabinet and set them on the tray with the coffee pot.

“Yes, I know. You’ve mentioned him before.”

“I have?” Liz racked her brain trying to remember.

Fans of lines sprayed around Dotty’s eyes as she smiled wide. “Yes, you have.”

Liz grabbed the tray and headed into the family room, wondering how she could have talked about him so much before, and why she’d never noticed. “Are you coming?”

Dotty followed after her into the living room.

Lee leaned toward Alex. “So what kind of salary does a police officer make these days?”

Liz set her coffee mug down, hard, on the coffee table, trying to get her father’s attention but got Alex’s instead. He caught her gaze and grinned.

Then Mom chimed in. “Oh honey, don’t do that.”

Good, Liz thought, at least her mother has some sense. She turned to Liz. “Here’s a coaster.”

“Would you like to help me get dinner started, Liz?”

Liz gave Alex an apologetic look and followed her mother into the kitchen. When Dotty got out her spices, Liz knew what they were having and smiled at the memory she had shared with Alex.

When they all settled in for a lasagna dinner, Alex looked at his plate, then to Liz. “Hey, this looks familiar.”

“I’m sure Mom’s will put mine to shame.”

“Well at least she doesn’t have sauce all over her face,” Alex said with a grin.

Liz giggled, and Dotty gave them a puzzled look.

Her dad missed the whole thing due to his bum left ear and started in with his questions again. “So you were raised Catholic, Alex?”

“Dad...” Liz thought Alex had probably had enough with the questions.

“It’s okay, Liz.” Alex put his hand on hers, rubbing his fingertips against hers.

They finished dinner and drove to church for the Christmas Eve service. It was the same every year with the nativity scene out front and Pastor Frank’s rendition of the Christmas story. Even singing the same Christmas carols never got redundant. That service was what made Christmas seem real and what it was all about.

When they all got home Dotty made some cider and they sat around the Christmas tree.

“That tree looks the same as when I was a kid.” Liz blew into her cup.

“It is the same tree.” Lee laughed as he responded and the others joined in.

“I can’t believe Pastor Frank can give the same exact sermon every Christmas Eve,” Liz commented.

“I find it comforting,” Dotty said.

Liz shrugged. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

“I thought it was perfect. A small group of people who all know each other enjoying a message they can count on each year.” Alex took a sip of his cider. “I’ve never heard the Christmas story straight out of Matthew like that before.”

“Well, we’re glad you enjoyed it, Alex. It’s nothing fancy but it’s from the heart.”

“It’s been a long day. I’m going to turn in.” Lee helped Dotty take the mugs and said their good nights.

After Liz’s folks went to bed, she and Alex took their bags upstairs to get settled in.

Liz gave him a choice between the bedrooms he could sleep in. She showed him her sister’s room with big yellow smiley faces and peace signs on the wall and a purple flowered bedspread. Next was her brother’s room. Larry Byrd and Magic Johnson posters adorned the walls and a basketball hoop hung on the opposite wall of the bed.

Liz grabbed the miniature basketball on the floor and threw it to him. “You can shoot baskets in this room.”

He picked her brother’s room.

They walked into her old room with horse posters and a horseshoe bedspread with matching lamp.

Alex grinned approvingly as he walked in. “I didn’t know you liked horses.”

“I used to ride all the time when I was a kid.” She pointed to a picture on the dresser of herself on her horse.

“Come downstairs with me.” She took his hand, and he followed her down the staircase. They walked past the old grandfather clock to the living room with blue carpet, and into the family room with a huge picture window. The flakes twinkled as they moved through the sky, settling in on a soft layer that had fallen before them.

He sat in her dad’s overstuffed chair, and she crawled into her mom’s recliner. They sat quietly and looked at the snow.

His gaze followed the snowflakes falling to the ground. “Maybe we’ll be like this some day, grandparents sitting in our recliners with our kids coming to visit for Christmas.”

She couldn’t hide the astonishment she felt at his comment. “Through all the years I’ve known you, I never in a million years, ever thought I’d hear you say something like that.”

A slight look of disappointment covered his face. “You didn’t think much of me before we started working this case together, did you?”

She tried to make light of it. “I always thought of you as the kind of guy my mother told me to stay away from when I was a teenager.”

His brows drew together. “I wasn’t ever that bad. How did I get that reputation?”

Liz sighed. It obviously bothered him enough to need some resolution. “What I figure is, you’re very handsome, and people like to talk.”

He almost looked embarrassed, but that wasn’t his style. He reached out for her hand and held it, tracing small circles with his thumb in her palm. They sat quietly watching the snowfall until she fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty

Liz felt a soft kiss on her forehead.

Alex peered at her from the top of the recliner. “Good morning. Merry Christmas.”

She sat up, orienting herself to where she was. It took her a minute. Alex was waking her up, and she was at her parents’ house, sleeping in the family room, in her mom’s chair.

Alex handed Liz a warm cup of coffee and sat next to her as she peeled off the blankets he’d layered on her. She took in the pungent smell of java, waking her to her senses.

“Your sister just pulled up in the driveway, and your dad said your brother’s on his way over. You’d better get up and around.” He took a sip of his coffee and half smiled. “I can’t believe you slept here all night.”

“Didn’t you?”

“I went up and played a little ball.” He held up his palm and flicked his wrist as if throwing a basketball, then pulled her out of the chair.

As she walked past the couch, she saw her dad reading the paper. They said their good mornings as she heard her mom rattling plates around in the kitchen. She felt like a kid again and was glad to be home.

When the whole family finally arrived, Liz went through the introductions. Liz introduced her much shorter but equally brunette sister, Marie.

“And look at you, Marie,” Liz gushed. “You’ve lost weight, and you’re gorgeous.”

Her brother Joel shook Alex’s hand. “I can see the resemblance in you and Liz.” Alex smiled. “Except for height difference.”

Alex ribbed him about his room, and Joel laughed at the thought of Alex sleeping in his childhood bedroom. “Hey, Joel. I understand if you want your room back so you can play a little hoop before bed.”

Joel chuckled. “I wouldn’t deprive you of the experience.”

They sat around and talked while the kids ran through the house chasing one another and checking out the presents under the tree. They eventually tired and settled in to watch
The Grinch.

Liz grabbed them one at a time and asked questions to find out how they were. Since she only made the trip home a couple times a year, they changed quite a bit between visits. Alex on the other hand would physically torture the kids by tickling them until they begged for mercy. But they kept coming back for more. Liz watched him remembering an uncle she had that did the same thing to her. She loved it and hated it at the same time.

They began to pester Liz’s father, knowing he was the one to decide when to open gifts. The boys grabbed his newspaper, and the girls planted kisses on him until he gave in.

“I think we’re ready to open presents.” Lee laughed and pushed the little people off him.

A shrill scream came up throughout the house from five little kids. They raced to the tree grabbing at presents until they found one of their own.

The adults watched the children and laughed at the sight. By the time they were finished, the entire room was littered from wall to wall with wrapping paper and toys. The kids scurried off to play with their new treasures.

Alex came up next to Liz sitting on the floor amidst all the paper and pulled out a small red velvet box and handed it to her. He went and sat on the couch without saying a word. She moved to the couch next to him with a look of surprise. “You didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Open it.” He stared at her intently as she lifted the lid and it clicked open.

She gasped. Inside the box, hung a gold chain with a locket. It was an oval shape, and fluted around the edges with an engraved cross in the center.

“It’s gorgeous.” She looked at him with a smile. “Did you pick this out all by yourself?”

He stuck out his chin and sat up straight. “I saw this and instantly knew it was for you.”

“I love it.” She put her arms around him for a moment. He held her tighter and ran his hand down her hair.

“Can you put pictures inside?” She pulled away from him and held out the locket. He reached over to open it for her.

She took in a breath and laughed. “Where did you get this?” A picture of Liz at age five was perfectly set in the right side of the locket. She had pig tails, and her wide grin showed off her missing two front teeth.

He leaned closer and admired it with her. “Your mother helped me this morning while you were sleeping. She did a great job. I just gave my nod of approval as to which picture to put in. She did the rest. You look cute with freckles.”

“I still have a few.”

Their eyes locked for a few seconds.

He smiled. “I know.”

She grinned back at him. “What goes in the other side?”

He snapped it shut. “That’s for you to decide.”

She thought of the picture in his office of him about the same age as she was in this picture. They would look cute together in that locket.

Liz handed him a small white box wrapped in green and red ribbons.

“I wasn’t expecting this.” His lips curved down, and his brows lifted slightly, showing her he really was surprised.

“Well, it’s Christmas, and even those on the naughty list get something.” She smirked and sat back on the couch hoping he would like the gift and not think she was being too bold.

He stopped pulling on the ribbons and grinned. “A lump of coal?” He lifted the lid of the box and tilted his head. “Impressive.”

Her eyes widened. “You like it?”

He nodded and looked in the box inquisitively. “Are those Roman numbers?” He pulled the bracelet out to study it. The flat, half-inch wide, silver band had Roman numerals along its length. He slipped his wrist through the slot and admired it.

“Look on the inside.”