LITMIR.BIZ

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      Molly squeezed him a little tighter. “Yes, I think I did, but—but it gets hard to remember.”

      “I don’t ever want to forget Mommy and Daddy!”

      “I don’t think you ever will, sweetie. You’re a little older than I was and you have that great picture of the three of you.”

      “Yeah. Daddy threatened to tickle me if I didn’t smile at the camera. I wanted to go see Santa instead of having a picture taken. But now I’m glad I did.”

      “Me, too,” Molly said and kissed him on top of his head. “Well, now I need to finish wrapping things so I can put everything away. And if you didn’t like my ideas for presents, you can think of something else to get Uncle Richard and your grandma.”

      “Yeah, I need to think.” He left her arms and wandered back into his room.

      A few minutes later he ran back in. “We can get Richard a football!”

      “Hmm, a football. He told you he likes to play football?”

      “No, but I’m sure he would.”

      “And with whom would he play football?”

      “I’ll play with him!” Toby said in an excited voice.

      “I see. You see, Toby, the art of gift giving is to get the person something he or she wants. Not something you want.”

      “Oh.”

      “Want to try again?”

      “Yeah,” he said, sounding discouraged.

      Molly began wrapping the presents she bought that day for Elizabeth, Richard and Toby. They were inexpensive gifts, in hopes that they would enjoy them without feeling the necessity to reciprocate.

      Toby wandered back in. “What are you doing?”

      “I’m wrapping presents.”

      “Are any of them for me?”

      “Maybe one or two,” she told him with a big smile.

      “Can I shake them?”

      She handed him a box she’d already wrapped. He shook it diligently.

      “It doesn’t make any noise!” he complained.

      “I never said it did,” Molly said, grinning.

      “Do I have any others?”

      “Yes, but they aren’t wrapped yet.”

      “Can I take them downstairs to put under the tree when you get finished?”

      “No, sweetie. I’ll take them down the night before Christmas. If I take them down early, Richard and Elizabeth might think I’m hoping they’ll get me something. That’s not why I bought the presents.”

      “Oh. Will they think that if I buy them something?”

      “You’re supposed to buy them presents. They’re your family now.”

      Toby nodded as he digested the information. Then he looked her straight in the eye as he said, “You know what, Molly? I wish you were my family, too.”

      Molly had to look away, afraid he’d see the tears glisten in her eyes. When she looked up, Toby was gone.

      She never got the chance to tell him she wished so, too.

      Chapter Six

      RICHARD made arrangements with his friend to pick up a Lab puppy for Toby on Christmas Eve. He hadn’t asked his mother if they wanted a male or a female, so he’d chosen a male.

      When Louisa knocked on his door to tell him dinner was served, he followed her into the dining room to discover the other three already at the table.

      “You must all be hungry,” he said with a smile as he joined them.

      “Yes, we are,” Elizabeth said. “Toby and I napped through our snack today. How about you, Molly?”

      Richard raised his eyebrows and stared at Molly, eager to hear her response. She didn’t look up.

      “I—I had a snack, Elizabeth. Richard was eating when I, uh, came downstairs, and he insisted I join him.”

      “Well, that was nice of you, son.”

      “Yes,” Richard said, “but Molly wasn’t—”

      “Very hungry!” Molly said a little louder than usual, cutting Richard off before he could say anything else. This time she glared at him.

      So what did Molly not want his mother to know? That she’d left the house, or that she’d used Albert? His mother wouldn’t have complained about either of those things. He’d keep her secret…unless he needed something she didn’t want to give him.

      He immediately reminded himself he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. But she seemed to be good at keeping secrets. Like her mother in Seattle.

      Toby’s question intruded on his thoughts. “Are we going to decorate the tree this evening, Uncle Richard?”

      “Yes, of course. Are you excited about that?”

      “I can’t wait!”

      “Good. Then all we’ll need will be some presents to go under it.”

      “Yes, Molly—”

      “Needs to take Toby shopping so he can buy some presents for the both of you,” Molly inserted.

      Richard could swear her hand was on Toby’s leg, warning him not to speak. He checked with the boy. “Is that what you wanted to say, Toby?”

      “Uh, yeah. Uncle Richard, do you like football?”

      “As well as the next guy. I watch it on Sunday afternoons sometimes.”

      “No, I mean do you like to throw a football?”

      “I haven’t done that in a long time, Toby.”

      “But he played when he was in high school,” Elizabeth added.

      “Really? Could you teach me how to throw a football?” Toby asked with excitement. “My dad didn’t know how.”

      “I could if we had a football.”

      Molly jumped.

      Richard asked, “Are you all right, Molly?”

      “Yes. Toby accidentally bumped into me,” she said. “It’s no big deal.”

      Richard looked at Toby’s red cheeks. Were they sharing secrets between them? Was that why she’d interrupted Toby earlier? But why would they be arguing about football? That didn’t make any sense.

      “Would you like for Santa to bring you a football, dear?” his mother asked Toby.

      “That would be great, Grandma,” Toby replied. “You’ll still teach me to throw it, won’t you, Uncle Richard?”

      “Sure, buddy, I’ll do that. Unless it’s still this cold outside. If it is, we’ll have to wait for a thaw.”

      “Okay.”

      “Is there anything else you think you would like for a present?” his mother asked the boy.

      Toby immediately looked at Molly and she shook her head.

      “Uh, I’d like, uh, some books.”

      “That’s all you can think of?” Richard asked.

      “Um, yes. Don’t you like books?”

      “Sure, I like to read when I have some spare time. That hasn’t happened for a year or two, but I keep hoping.” He felt Molly staring at him.

      “What’s wrong,

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