definitely overstepped a boundary here. But what else could he say? He wasn’t going to disabuse Aiden’s faith in angels. He doubted he would succeed even if he tried.
* * *
Good grief, Tom was encouraging Aiden’s angel fantasy. And as much as she was overjoyed that Aiden had behaved, she couldn’t let this go on any longer.
“Aiden, there is no angel,” she said.
Her son looked at her. “You’re a liar,” he said. “I don’t like liars. I want to go home now.” He turned and headed down Chancelor Street toward home.
“Aiden, stop,” she said, chasing after him. She got a few steps before Tom grabbed her by the arm.
“Teri, why on earth did you say that?”
“What?”
“About the angel.”
“Because the angel isn’t real. If he comes out here at midnight, he’s going to be disappointed. It’s not like with Santa. I mean, I can buy presents and fill stockings. But how can I possibly make an angel appear at midnight?”
“You can’t. You just have to have faith.”
Teri had no answer for this. So she pulled her arm out of his grasp and followed Aiden.
Tom followed her.
When they got home, Teri unlocked the door for Aiden, but then turned to face Tom.
Her emotions reeled. She was so angry with him that her hands shook.
“You don’t know me or my son,” she said.
“Look, Teri, I—”
“No, Tom, you’ve had dinner with us a couple of times. You bribed Aiden with McDonald’s. But you don’t live with him day to day. So you don’t understand. If he goes to the town square at midnight he’s going to be disappointed. Honestly—” Her voice broke. “It’s hard enough with my family banishing me. I just need to have a reasonably calm and peaceful holiday. That’s all I want. A calm holiday that Aiden can enjoy on some level. Going on a wild goose chase after angels doesn’t sound like a calm and peaceful holiday to me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Look, Tom, things are happening way too fast. I think we need to back off a little bit, you know? And I’m just not sure that encouraging Aiden about this angel is healthy.”
“Okay. I understand about you and me. It is happening fast. But the truth is, I’m deeply attracted to you.”
Teri’s face heated. She was attracted to him. The wild, crazy, lonely woman inside wanted to throw open her door and let the man in. But she couldn’t. She was Aiden’s mother first. She had to protect her boy. “I’m sorry, Tom, really I am. Good night.” She tried to close the door on him, but he leaned in, blocking the jam.
“Teri, I understand why you need some time and space. I do. And I know you don’t think I have the right to give you advice about Aiden. But I want you to think about letting Aiden go to the village green at midnight on Christmas Eve. It could be like the way you take him to Golfing for God instead of church on Sunday. Going to the green could be a substitute for midnight mass.”
“And what if nothing happens? What if the angel abandons him?”
“That’s generally not what angels do.”
“And what, you’re an angel expert?”
“No, but—”
“Good night, Tom.” She closed the door firmly in his face.
CHAPTER SEVEN
T om had plenty to occupy his time over the next week. He worked overtime at the clinic on digitizing the medical records. It was a thankless job, especially since Dana, his assistant and the woman who worked with the records, was angry with him. Lillian Bray had definitely done some damage to his reputation.
Tom also introduced himself to Father Weiss at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, bought some items for his new apartment, finished his Christmas shopping, and mailed off a package of gifts to his mother, sister, and nephew in Framingham.
But being busy hadn’t done one thing to drive Teri Summers from the back of his brain. She’d settled in there, like the snow on the Berkshires in late November. She wasn’t going anywhere for a long, long time.
If she
* * *
Good grief, Tom was encouraging Aiden’s angel fantasy. And as much as she was overjoyed that Aiden had behaved, she couldn’t let this go on any longer.
“Aiden, there is no angel,” she said.
Her son looked at her. “You’re a liar,” he said. “I don’t like liars. I want to go home now.” He turned and headed down Chancelor Street toward home.
“Aiden, stop,” she said, chasing after him. She got a few steps before Tom grabbed her by the arm.
“Teri, why on earth did you say that?”
“What?”
“About the angel.”
“Because the angel isn’t real. If he comes out here at midnight, he’s going to be disappointed. It’s not like with Santa. I mean, I can buy presents and fill stockings. But how can I possibly make an angel appear at midnight?”
“You can’t. You just have to have faith.”
Teri had no answer for this. So she pulled her arm out of his grasp and followed Aiden.
Tom followed her.
When they got home, Teri unlocked the door for Aiden, but then turned to face Tom.
Her emotions reeled. She was so angry with him that her hands shook.
“You don’t know me or my son,” she said.
“Look, Teri, I—”
“No, Tom, you’ve had dinner with us a couple of times. You bribed Aiden with McDonald’s. But you don’t live with him day to day. So you don’t understand. If he goes to the town square at midnight he’s going to be disappointed. Honestly—” Her voice broke. “It’s hard enough with my family banishing me. I just need to have a reasonably calm and peaceful holiday. That’s all I want. A calm holiday that Aiden can enjoy on some level. Going on a wild goose chase after angels doesn’t sound like a calm and peaceful holiday to me.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Look, Tom, things are happening way too fast. I think we need to back off a little bit, you know? And I’m just not sure that encouraging Aiden about this angel is healthy.”
“Okay. I understand about you and me. It is happening fast. But the truth is, I’m deeply attracted to you.”
Teri’s face heated. She was attracted to him. The wild, crazy, lonely woman inside wanted to throw open her door and let the man in. But she couldn’t. She was Aiden’s mother first. She had to protect her boy. “I’m sorry, Tom, really I am. Good night.” She tried to close the door on him, but he leaned in, blocking the jam.
“Teri, I understand why you need some time and space. I do. And I know you don’t think I have the right to give you advice about Aiden. But I want you to think about letting Aiden go to the village green at midnight on Christmas Eve. It could be like the way you take him to Golfing for God instead of church on Sunday. Going to the green could be a substitute for midnight mass.”
“And what if nothing happens? What if the angel abandons him?”
“That’s generally not what angels do.”
“And what, you’re an angel expert?”
“No, but—”
“Good night, Tom.” She closed the door firmly in his face.
CHAPTER SEVEN
T om had plenty to occupy his time over the next week. He worked overtime at the clinic on digitizing the medical records. It was a thankless job, especially since Dana, his assistant and the woman who worked with the records, was angry with him. Lillian Bray had definitely done some damage to his reputation.
Tom also introduced himself to Father Weiss at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, bought some items for his new apartment, finished his Christmas shopping, and mailed off a package of gifts to his mother, sister, and nephew in Framingham.
But being busy hadn’t done one thing to drive Teri Summers from the back of his brain. She’d settled in there, like the snow on the Berkshires in late November. She wasn’t going anywhere for a long, long time.
If she
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