Simon Dodson. He was walking across the parking lot and headed directly toward her. And he was frowning.
Chapter 6
Simon says: The best match for you is the one I arrange.
J ust as Simon approached, an elderly gentleman stepped up to the pot and inserted a folded bill.
“Thank you and Merry Christmas,” Cassie told him cheerfully.
“No, thank you, ” the old man returned. “You see, I was on a troop train in World War II and your organization met us at the station as we disembarked and handed out doughnuts and coffee. That small kindness meant the world to those of us going off to war. I’ve never forgotten it.”
Cassie hardly knew what to say.
“A lot of us didn’t come home from the war, but I’ll bet you those of us who did will always rememberthe friendly smiles and support you gave us. I’m an old man now and I don’t have many more years left.” He grew teary-eyed as he spoke. “Merry Christmas, young lady,” he whispered, gently squeezing her hand, “and thank you again for the sacrifice you’re making on behalf of others.”
Now it was Cassie who had tears in her eyes. She brushed them aside as Simon came closer. The old man had disappeared inside the mall by the time he arrived.
“How was it?” he asked.
Cassie tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “My grandfather was in the Second World War, too.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“That elderly gentleman,” she said, sniffling, “the one who was just here. He told me about something that happened when he went off to war and thanked me as if I was the one who’d been kind to him.”
“I didn’t see any old man.”
“You didn’t? He was here a minute ago and was…just wonderful.” She didn’t understand how Simon could have missed him. It was unlikely that he’d have eyes only for her.
“What happened to your coat?” Simon asked, apparently not interested in hearing about the man who had touched her so deeply.
“Oh, that,” she said, glancing down. “That was a lucky break. Well, to be honest, it didn’t seem like it at the time, but I collected a lot of pity donations as a result.”
He didn’t ask her to elaborate. “Your shift is over. You can leave now.”
“What about my substitute?” Cassie wasn’t about to be lured away from her duty station until the next person was firmly in place.
“That would be me,” a cheerful middle-aged woman said from behind Simon, the supervisor at her side.
Cassie handed over the bell, and the supervisor took her full kettle and replaced it with an empty one. “Good luck,” Cassie told the new bell ringer and meant every word. She nearly added that the woman was going to need it.
“You didn’t tell me how your morning went,” Simon said. He walked into the mall with her.
Cassie stood just inside the sliding glass doors for a moment, soaking in the blast of warm air. Until now she hadn’t fully realized how utterly cold she’d been. Four hours had felt like forever.
“You don’t want to know,” she said. Her teeth had only now stopped chattering.
“I don’t ask questions if I don’t want an answer.”
“Okay, fine. I misplaced a glove, and my nose lost feeling in the first half hour.” She looked at him and muttered, “It’s still there, isn’t it? My nose, I mean.”
“Yes.” His mouth twitched, but he didn’t admit he was amused.
“My feet feel like blocks of ice. A jealous wife threw coffee on me and some sweet old lady slipped a fifty-dollar bill into my coat pocket because she felt sorry for me. I threw it in the pot,” she added righteously.
Simon arched his brows. That apparently was his only comment.
“Furthermore, I recognized your plant.”
“My…plant?”
“The man you sent. Okay, so I made that remark about saying hello to Tiny Tim. Oh, and about seeing a shrink. I probably shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it. He was obnoxious. Did you pay him extra for being rude?” she asked. That sounded like something Simon would
Chapter 6
Simon says: The best match for you is the one I arrange.
J ust as Simon approached, an elderly gentleman stepped up to the pot and inserted a folded bill.
“Thank you and Merry Christmas,” Cassie told him cheerfully.
“No, thank you, ” the old man returned. “You see, I was on a troop train in World War II and your organization met us at the station as we disembarked and handed out doughnuts and coffee. That small kindness meant the world to those of us going off to war. I’ve never forgotten it.”
Cassie hardly knew what to say.
“A lot of us didn’t come home from the war, but I’ll bet you those of us who did will always rememberthe friendly smiles and support you gave us. I’m an old man now and I don’t have many more years left.” He grew teary-eyed as he spoke. “Merry Christmas, young lady,” he whispered, gently squeezing her hand, “and thank you again for the sacrifice you’re making on behalf of others.”
Now it was Cassie who had tears in her eyes. She brushed them aside as Simon came closer. The old man had disappeared inside the mall by the time he arrived.
“How was it?” he asked.
Cassie tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “My grandfather was in the Second World War, too.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“That elderly gentleman,” she said, sniffling, “the one who was just here. He told me about something that happened when he went off to war and thanked me as if I was the one who’d been kind to him.”
“I didn’t see any old man.”
“You didn’t? He was here a minute ago and was…just wonderful.” She didn’t understand how Simon could have missed him. It was unlikely that he’d have eyes only for her.
“What happened to your coat?” Simon asked, apparently not interested in hearing about the man who had touched her so deeply.
“Oh, that,” she said, glancing down. “That was a lucky break. Well, to be honest, it didn’t seem like it at the time, but I collected a lot of pity donations as a result.”
He didn’t ask her to elaborate. “Your shift is over. You can leave now.”
“What about my substitute?” Cassie wasn’t about to be lured away from her duty station until the next person was firmly in place.
“That would be me,” a cheerful middle-aged woman said from behind Simon, the supervisor at her side.
Cassie handed over the bell, and the supervisor took her full kettle and replaced it with an empty one. “Good luck,” Cassie told the new bell ringer and meant every word. She nearly added that the woman was going to need it.
“You didn’t tell me how your morning went,” Simon said. He walked into the mall with her.
Cassie stood just inside the sliding glass doors for a moment, soaking in the blast of warm air. Until now she hadn’t fully realized how utterly cold she’d been. Four hours had felt like forever.
“You don’t want to know,” she said. Her teeth had only now stopped chattering.
“I don’t ask questions if I don’t want an answer.”
“Okay, fine. I misplaced a glove, and my nose lost feeling in the first half hour.” She looked at him and muttered, “It’s still there, isn’t it? My nose, I mean.”
“Yes.” His mouth twitched, but he didn’t admit he was amused.
“My feet feel like blocks of ice. A jealous wife threw coffee on me and some sweet old lady slipped a fifty-dollar bill into my coat pocket because she felt sorry for me. I threw it in the pot,” she added righteously.
Simon arched his brows. That apparently was his only comment.
“Furthermore, I recognized your plant.”
“My…plant?”
“The man you sent. Okay, so I made that remark about saying hello to Tiny Tim. Oh, and about seeing a shrink. I probably shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it. He was obnoxious. Did you pay him extra for being rude?” she asked. That sounded like something Simon would
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