happy birthday,” she whispered. It was a quick prayer, but a heartfelt one.
Chapter Six
O kay, what did they do now? Mike stared into the fire wondering how to handle having strangers spend the tail end of Christmas Day. This was one time when he wished his mom hadn’t converted to gas logs. He had nothing to stir around, and no reason to go outside for wood.
How did they all stay comfortable? Tyler’s “birthday party” had kept things going for a while. But now the fire was dying, it was getting dark outside and the dishes were done. Christmas Day had just about run out of steam.
Tyler was stretched out on the couch with Dogg’s big head on one knee. Maybe he could take the two of them for a walk, if the kid had a coat. It would burn off some excess energy.
Mike looked at Lori, sitting in the chair where she had nursed Mikayla earlier. She was asleep sitting up. It had to have been a rough day for her. This was the first Christmas without her husband, and her first full day of being the mother of two. He couldn’t even imagine how much pressure that put on a little thing like her.
The baby was sleeping in her infant seat. She was so tiny. Definitely getting better looking as the day passed. Time was making her look less red and squashy. She was still awful pink. But that nose was getting some shape, was maybe going to be pug like her mom’s. What color were her eyes? Or did all newborn babies have kind of bluish eyes like kittens? It was a good question, one he had no answer to.
He wasn’t going to wake Lori up to ask her. The nap would be over soon enough anyway. Naps always were, even on Christmas. Mike moved in his chair and Dogg perked up in response. His big brush tail thumped the floor, hoping for some more attention. He was getting plenty from Tyler, but there was always hope in his canine heart for more.
Mike knew how he felt. There had been plenty of times in his life where he felt the same way. Were other people satisfied with the attention they got? Was that feeling of yearning for that mentalpat on the head something unique to him and Dogg? Surely not.
As he thought, Mike watched Dogg. His ears perked up even more, and he slipped from under Tyler’s hand, heading to the front hall. When he got about halfway to the door, the bell rang.
Mike got up to answer it before the noise of barking and company in the hall could wake up everyone. Carrie stood in the doorway with a paper bag in her hands and a troubled expression.
“Hey. What’s up?” Something was wrong. Carrie wasn’t that serious unless she was on a call, normally.
She came in and Mike closed the door, shutting out the cold air behind her. Dogg pushed his pointed nose into the underside of her arm, and she let go of the paper bag with one hand to pet him.
“I’m not sure. Help me out with something. Maybe I’m just remembering wrong.”
This sounded strange. Carrie was usually the detail person. “Go ahead.”
“Yesterday when we were at Lori’s trailer, I know you didn’t have much time to look around. But how would you describe the place?”
Mike tilted his head back, thinking. “Neat. Clean. Nothing much new, but pretty tidy, especially with a kid living there.”
“Okay. That’s what I thought, too. Somebody tossed the place since we’ve been there.”
Great. So much for Christmas winding down quietly. “Anything missing? I don’t remember much worth taking in there.”
“Me, neither. But what was there had been looked through. Drawers dumped on the bed and floor, even in the kid’s room. Kitchen cabinets all open and stuff shoved around. Whoever did it was quick. There wasn’t a lot of vandalism.”
“That’s a plus. It means it probably wasn’t teenagers out to impress each other.”
Carrie nodded. “Nothing broken, no spray paint tagging on the walls. But Lori definitely had company. I hate to be the one to tell her. I mean, doesn’t she have enough to deal with already?”
“You’d
Chapter Six
O kay, what did they do now? Mike stared into the fire wondering how to handle having strangers spend the tail end of Christmas Day. This was one time when he wished his mom hadn’t converted to gas logs. He had nothing to stir around, and no reason to go outside for wood.
How did they all stay comfortable? Tyler’s “birthday party” had kept things going for a while. But now the fire was dying, it was getting dark outside and the dishes were done. Christmas Day had just about run out of steam.
Tyler was stretched out on the couch with Dogg’s big head on one knee. Maybe he could take the two of them for a walk, if the kid had a coat. It would burn off some excess energy.
Mike looked at Lori, sitting in the chair where she had nursed Mikayla earlier. She was asleep sitting up. It had to have been a rough day for her. This was the first Christmas without her husband, and her first full day of being the mother of two. He couldn’t even imagine how much pressure that put on a little thing like her.
The baby was sleeping in her infant seat. She was so tiny. Definitely getting better looking as the day passed. Time was making her look less red and squashy. She was still awful pink. But that nose was getting some shape, was maybe going to be pug like her mom’s. What color were her eyes? Or did all newborn babies have kind of bluish eyes like kittens? It was a good question, one he had no answer to.
He wasn’t going to wake Lori up to ask her. The nap would be over soon enough anyway. Naps always were, even on Christmas. Mike moved in his chair and Dogg perked up in response. His big brush tail thumped the floor, hoping for some more attention. He was getting plenty from Tyler, but there was always hope in his canine heart for more.
Mike knew how he felt. There had been plenty of times in his life where he felt the same way. Were other people satisfied with the attention they got? Was that feeling of yearning for that mentalpat on the head something unique to him and Dogg? Surely not.
As he thought, Mike watched Dogg. His ears perked up even more, and he slipped from under Tyler’s hand, heading to the front hall. When he got about halfway to the door, the bell rang.
Mike got up to answer it before the noise of barking and company in the hall could wake up everyone. Carrie stood in the doorway with a paper bag in her hands and a troubled expression.
“Hey. What’s up?” Something was wrong. Carrie wasn’t that serious unless she was on a call, normally.
She came in and Mike closed the door, shutting out the cold air behind her. Dogg pushed his pointed nose into the underside of her arm, and she let go of the paper bag with one hand to pet him.
“I’m not sure. Help me out with something. Maybe I’m just remembering wrong.”
This sounded strange. Carrie was usually the detail person. “Go ahead.”
“Yesterday when we were at Lori’s trailer, I know you didn’t have much time to look around. But how would you describe the place?”
Mike tilted his head back, thinking. “Neat. Clean. Nothing much new, but pretty tidy, especially with a kid living there.”
“Okay. That’s what I thought, too. Somebody tossed the place since we’ve been there.”
Great. So much for Christmas winding down quietly. “Anything missing? I don’t remember much worth taking in there.”
“Me, neither. But what was there had been looked through. Drawers dumped on the bed and floor, even in the kid’s room. Kitchen cabinets all open and stuff shoved around. Whoever did it was quick. There wasn’t a lot of vandalism.”
“That’s a plus. It means it probably wasn’t teenagers out to impress each other.”
Carrie nodded. “Nothing broken, no spray paint tagging on the walls. But Lori definitely had company. I hate to be the one to tell her. I mean, doesn’t she have enough to deal with already?”
“You’d
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