Welcome to Serenity (39 page)

She shrugged as her gaze went to her dad, who was surrounded by a couple dozen kids, many of them belonging to her best friends. Two college-age youngsters—most likely Maddie’s son Ty and Dana Sue’s daughter Annie, whom Tom had heard so much about—were trying to organize the little ones into a line, while not even glancing at each other.

Tom pointed out the pair. “Ty and Annie, right?”

Jeanette followed the direction of his gaze. “Yes.”

“Looks as if they have some issues to work out, too,” he said.

“I know,” Jeanette said. “Neither Maddie nor Dana Sue knows what’s going on between them these days, just that they’re not speaking.”

“Maybe the holidays will work their magic on them, too,” Tom said.

Jeanette regarded him with surprise. “You actually mean that?”

He nodded. “By the way, your dad really seems to be in his element.”

“He always had a soft spot for kids and for Christmas. He just lost sight of that for a while.” She grinned. “You should be very grateful to him, by the way. You were their next choice to fill in as Santa.”

“I’ll be sure and thank him for saving me from that,” Tom said, though somehow the prospect wasn’t nearly as disturbing as it once would have been. He brushed a stray wisp of hair back from Jeanette’s cheek. “Sounds to me as if we have a lot to celebrate,” he said.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “Are you feeling that holiday spirit yet?”

Tom laughed. “Well, I’m feeling something, all right.”

“Hey, watch it. It’s Christmas and this is a PG-rated, family celebration. To say nothing of the fact that I will not have your parents walking in here and finding us in a liplock.”

“Later, then,” he said dutifully.

“Definitely later. Merry Christmas, Tom.”

“The very merriest, darlin’.”

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