and I think he was trying to con us,” Linc muttered.
“I guess he succeeded,” Mel said, just as Ned asked, “But why? What’s the point?”
“The point is that he’s trying to make us miserable,” Linc said. “As miserable as he is, the old coot.”
The three of them fell into a glum silence. It sure didn’t feel like any Christmas Eve they’d ever had before.
Chapter Sixteen
By the time Grace and Cliff arrived at church for the Christmas Eve service, both her daughters and their husbands were already seated. So were Lisa, Rich and April. Maryellen held Drake, who slept peacefully in his mother’s arms. Katie, as well as Tyler, were with the other local children getting ready for the big Christmas pageant.
Katie was excited about being an angel, although Tyler, who’d been assigned the role of a shepherd, didn’t show much enthusiasm for his stage debut. If he displayed any emotion at all, it was disappointment that he couldn’t bring his drum. Kelly had explained to him that the shepherds of the day played the flute, not drums, because drums would frighten the sheep. The explanation satisfied Tyler, who was of a logical disposition, but it didn’t please him.
Grace and Cliff located a pew directly behind her daughters and Lisa. As they slipped in, Grace whispered that she’d prefer to sit closest to the aisle, craving the best possible view of her grandchildren’s performances. Once they were seated, Cliff reached for her hand, entwining their fingers.
Maryellen turned around and whispered, “Is everything all right with Mary Jo?”
“I think so.” Grace still didn’t feel comfortable about leaving her alone. But Mary Jo had been adamant that Grace join her family, so she had. Now, however, she wished she’d stayed behind.
Cliff squeezed her hand as the white-robed choir sang Christmas hymns, accompanied by the organist. “O Come All Ye Faithful” had never sounded more beautiful.
Olivia and Jack, carrying his Santa hat, came down the aisle and slid into the pew across from Grace and Cliff. Justine and Seth accompanied them. From a conversation with Justine earlier in the week, Grace knew Leif had gotten the coveted role of one of the three Wise Men.
As soon as Olivia saw Grace, she edged out of her pew and went to see her friend. Olivia had wrapped a red silk scarf around her shoulders, over her black wool coat. Despite everything she’d endured, she remained the picture of dignity and elegance.
She leaned toward Grace. “How’s Mary Jo?” she asked in a whisper.
Grace shrugged. “I left her at the house by herself, and now I wish I hadn’t. Oh,” she added, “apparently her brothers are in town….”
“Problems?”
Grace quickly shook her head. “Mary Jo actually seemed relieved to hear from them.”
“Is she going home to Seattle with her family, then?” Olivia stepped sideways in the aisle to make room for a group of people trying to get past.
Grace nodded.
“How did they find out she was with you?” Olivia asked.
“They tracked her down through Mack McAfee. He phoned the house and talked to her. Then Mary Jo spoke with her oldest brother and decided it would be best to go back to Seattle.” Grace had been with her at the time and was struck by the way Mary Jo’s spirits had lifted. Whether that was because of her brothers or because of Mack … Grace tended to think it was the latter.
“Mack appeared to have a calming effect on her when I saw them at the library,” Olivia said, echoing Grace’s thoughts.
“I noticed it after she got off the phone, too. I gather he suggested she should go home with her brothers.”
“I’m glad,” Olivia said. “For her own sake and theirs. And for Mom and Ben’s …” She paused. “As necessary as it is for them to know about this baby, I’d rather it didn’t happen the second they got home.”
“Her real fear was that her brothers were going to burst onto the scene and demand that David do the so-called honorable thing.”
“David and the word honor don’t belong in the same sentence,” Olivia said wryly.
“Mary Jo’s brothers were arriving any minute. I’d like to have met them. Or at least talked to them.” Grace would’ve phoned the house, but by now Mary Jo should be well on her way to Seattle.
Olivia straightened. “We’ll catch up after the service,” she said and returned to the opposite pew, beside Jack.
No sooner had Olivia sat down than Pastor Flemming stepped up to the podium. He seemed to be … at peace. Relaxed, yet full of energy and optimism. The worry lines were gone from his face. Grace knew this had been a difficult year for the pastor and his wife, and she was glad their problems had been resolved.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, his voice booming across the church.
“Merry Christmas,” the congregation chanted.
“Before the children come out for the pageant, I’d like us all to look at the Christmas story again. For those of us who’ve grown up in the church, it’s become a familiar part of our lives. This evening, however, I want you to forget that you’re sitting on this side of history. Go back to the day the angel came to tell Mary she was about to conceive a child.”
He opened his Bible and read the well-known passages from the Book of Luke. “I want us to fully appreciate Mary’s faith,” he said, looking up. “The angel came to her and said she’d conceive a child by the Holy Spirit and she was to name him Jesus, which in those days was a common name.” He paused and gazed out at his congregation.
“Can you understand Mary’s confusion? What the angel told her was the equivalent of saying to a young woman in our times that she’s going to give birth to God’s son and she should name him Bob.”
The congregation smiled and a few people laughed outright.
“Remember, too,” Pastor Flemming continued, “that although Mary was engaged to Joseph, she remained with her family. This meant she had to tell her parents she was with child. That couldn’t have been easy.
“What do you think her mother and father thought? What if one of our daughters came to us and said she was pregnant? What if she claimed an angel had told her that the child had been conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit?” Again he paused, as if inviting everyone to join him in contemplating this scenario.
Pastor Flemming grinned. “Although I have two sons and no daughters, I know what I’d think. I’d assume that a teenage girl—or her boyfriend—would say anything to explain how this had happened.”
Most people in the congregation smiled and agreed with nodding heads. Grace cringed a little, remembering as vividly as ever the day she’d told her parents she was pregnant. She remembered their disappointment, their anger and, ultimately, their support. Then she thought of Mary Jo and turned to exchange a quick glance with Olivia.
“And
