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  “Can I go to bed now?” Ashley asked.

  “Sure, but do me a favor,” Keith said. “Don’t go kissing Mark like I, uh, kissed Marianna Hester until you’ve figured out how you feel for him. That could really mess with a guy.”

  “Well, that’s one thing you won’t need to worry about anyway. I doubt I’ll get the chance to,” Ashley replied glumly as she headed for the stairs.

  Before she had gone up too many steps, she heard Justin say, “I told you. Total drama fest.”

  “I’m starting to feel sorry for this guy,” she heard Keith reply.

  Ashley went through her bedtime routine of washing her face and brushing her teeth, but her mind was far away. She knelt to say a prayer, and though she longed to pray about Mark, her mind seemed unable to go there. She ended up praying for the usual things and got in bed. After she turned out her lamp, she lay staring up at the ceiling. For a while, she could hear a faint murmur of voices downstairs, but soon she heard the front door open and close as Justin went home. Keith came upstairs, and after a few minutes, he too had gone to bed.

  A heavy silence fell over the house as everyone else went to sleep, but she still lay awake. Unexpectedly, she heard a car pull in nearby and a moment later, a car door shut. She was sure that it came from Mark’s house. He sure had taken his time dropping Kari off. The knot in Ashley’s throat made it hard to breathe, but she refused to think about it. Eventually she fell into a restless sleep with troubled dreams.

  Chapter 10

  When Loved Ones Are Near

  When Ashley came downstairs the next morning, dressed in her most comfortable pair of old sweats and a paint spattered t-shirt, she found her dad in the kitchen setting cereal boxes and bowls on the counter. Chloe was sitting on a stool, patiently waiting to be fed.

  Ashley told them good morning and said, “I take it that Mom isn’t any better this morning.”

  “No, and she’s pretty upset with me because I wouldn’t let her get up and make breakfast. I only convinced her by saying that no one would want to eat anything cooked by someone who was contagious.”

  “I’ll go in and talk to her in a little bit and tell her not to worry about anything else. I can do anything she needs me to get done today. Hey Chloe, what kind of cereal do you want?”

  “That one,” she said pointing to a box of fruity marshmallow cereal.

  Ashley poured some, added milk, and handed her the bowl. “I hope your mom doesn’t mind you eating that. It has a lot of sugar.”

  “She’s still asleep. So is Daddy,” Chloe pointed out simply.

  “Got it. You hear that, Dad? We’re sworn to secrecy.”

  “I won’t tell,” he promised. “Hurry up and eat it before your parents wake up.”

  Ashley considered making some scrambled eggs, but she opted for corn flakes instead. She knew she was going to have enough work to do today without making unnecessary dishes. After she finished her cereal, she went to talk to her mom.

  “Good morning. I’m sorry you aren’t feeling better,” she told her as she sat on the edge of her bed.”

  Her mom had a pillow over her eyes. “So am I,” she said, her voice a little weak. “How are you doing? Have you recovered from last night?”

  “As much as I’m going to. At least for now. I won’t stay and bother you. I only wanted to know what I can do today to take over for you.”

  “Oh, sweetie, thanks. I was hoping you could take care of some of the cleaning. I’m sorry, but I don’t know what else to do. Can you clean the bathrooms?”

  “Sure. I’ll get that done in no time. While I’m working on it, think about what else you need me to do.”

  “That won’t be too hard. Thanks, Ashley. Don’t let Jessica help too much. She needs to rest too.”

  “No problem. Last I heard, she was still asleep anyway. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

  Within a few minutes, Ashley had gathered all the cleaning supplies she needed and gone to work on the bathroom between her room and the guest room that Keith, Jessica, and Chloe were using. She worked quickly and quietly so that she could get it done before Keith and Jessica woke up and needed to use it.

  Before she could wipe down the sink and counter, she had to move the makeup and toiletries that she had left strung all over the place. She felt bad that she hadn’t cleaned it when she’d cleaned the guest bedroom yesterday, but better late than never. About fifteen minutes later, the bathroom was sparkling clean and smelling nice. She was just putting out clean towels when Jessica came in.

  “Wow,” Jessica said, “You’ve been busy.”

  “Yeah, well, I left it a mess last night. Sorry.”

  “Hey, no big deal. It made Keith feel right at home to have makeup all over the sink.”

  Ashley laughed. “Good. Well, I’ll get out of your way.”

  “Hey, before you go, do you know where Chloe is?”

  “Yep. She’s hanging out with her Grandpa.”

  “Great. I’ll grab a shower while I can then.”

  A few minutes later, Ashley was busy cleaning the other upstairs bathroom. It was the bathroom Shawn used and was even messier than hers had been. She grumbled a little to herself as she gathered up the pile of dirty towels Shawn had left on the floor. She wasn’t surprised at the state of this bathroom because she had cleaned it many times before. Her brothers had been expected to pick up after themselves, but cleaning the bathrooms had usually been her chore.

  Today it seemed less of a chore than a way to distract herself from her gloomy thoughts. She tried listening to Christmas music on her ipod as she worked, but it was so cheerful that it jarred on her nerves. She soon turned it off. Scrubbing vigorously at soap scum seemed to do more to improve her mood.

  Downstairs, Ashley hurried around, tidying the living room the best she could. It was a little difficult since there were odds and ends everywhere that belonged to visitors, like baby toys, shoes, a cell phone, and doll that she thought might belong to Chloe. Soon, however, she was able to move on to other tasks.

  When Keith and Jessica at last came downstairs, she was able to vacuum without worrying about bothering them. She vacuumed upstairs and down, and was proud of herself for not skipping the stairs.

  Not long before noon, she walked through the house, feeling a great sense of satisfaction at how clean everything looked and smelled. Her spirits were definitely improving, and as long as she didn’t let her thoughts stray into unpleasant channels, she was able to feel hopeful about the rest of the day. She went to her mom’s room to ask for further directions.

  “How are things going?” her Mom asked her worriedly from the other side of the bed.

  Ashley told her all the things that she had gotten done and was pleased to see her mom relax a little. “So, besides cleaning, is there anything else you need me to do?”

  “Well, I needed to get some of the baking out of the way.”

  “Like what? Anything I could manage?”

  “Of course. Let’s see, I think that it would be good to get the gingerbread and sugar cookies done today. Oh, and help me remember to put the ham in the oven at about 4:00 today.”

  “Don’t you get out of bed until you feel better. I can handle things.” She was half way to the door when she heard her mom call her name. She paused and turned back around. “Yes?”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind doing all this?”

  “I’m positive. It’s actually kind of fun. I’m feeling very domestic this morning.”

  As she walked past her dad’s office, she heard voices and went to see who was in there. She found Chloe and her dad carefully sorting socks on his desk. Chloe looked up from her job when Ashley came in and said, “I’m helping Grandpa with the socks. I’m good at it. Mommy lets me do it at home too.”

  “Well, I can see you’re doing a great job. I wish I had a good helper.”

  “I’m almost done. Then I can help you.”

  “Thanks. I’m about to go clean the dining room and I nee
d someone who’s really good at dusting to help me.”

  “I’m good at that.”

  Ashley laughed at Chloe’s earnest expression. “Perfect. I’ll be waiting for you.” She had to work hard not to laugh when she saw that Chloe’s face became a study of concentration as she tried to work quickly.

  Back in the kitchen, Ashley dug out her mom’s gingerbread and sugar cookie recipes and set the butter out to soften. She turned the oven on to preheat and put a Christmas CD on to play in the little CD player that her mom had mounted under one of the kitchen cabinets. Maybe she’d enjoy it more this time.

  She was gathering up dusting supplies when she heard Chloe calling her from the dining room. She called back that she was coming. When she got there, Chloe’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. She was clearly ready to get down to business.

  “Wow,” Ashley told her, “I can’t believe you beat me in here. Good job. Do you think you could handle this?” she asked, handing her the feather duster.

  “Yes, because I do this at home too.”

  “Good. You dust everything you can reach, and I’ll polish the furniture. Then, when we’re all done, you can help me make gingerbread cookies.”

  It was great to hear Chloe let out a squeal of excitement as she rushed over to dust the nativity set on the buffet behind the table. Since Chloe knew some of the Christmas songs that were playing, they both sang along as they worked, and the time flew by. Soon, Ashley was pleased with how the dining room looked so they went in to the kitchen to wash hands and make cookies.

  Jessica was in there, looking over the recipe that was laid out on the counter. “I see you’re about to make some cookies. Mind if I help?”

  “Of course not. The more the merrier,” Ashley told her.

  “Mommy, guess what? I helped Grandpa with his socks and Ashley let me use the duster.”

  “Wow! What a good helper you are. Is Grandma still feeling sick?”

  “Yes. She told Grandpa that she’s…mis-a-ble.”

  “She’s miserable, huh?” Jessica translated. “Well, maybe when the cookies are done, she’d like us to bring her a couple with a glass of milk.”

  Chloe nodded her golden head seriously, and Ashley handed her a stick of butter to open. She loved the way Chloe’s long eyelashes spread across her rosy cheeks and how she stuck out her tongue slightly as she concentrated on her task.

  Ashley said to Jessica in a whisper, “She is so adorable.”

  “Thanks,” Jessica said, smiling.

  “She’s so different than Daniel and Becca. Does she ever get hyper or anything?”

  “Yes, she can, but not often. Believe me, it’s nothing I’ve done. She just came out that way.”

  “It will be interesting to see what this one’s like,” Ashley said, motioning to Jessica’s very round stomach.

  “Yeah, but I have a feeling that boy or girl, I’m in for it. There’s no way I could be lucky enough to get another easy baby.”

  “Ok,” Chloe piped up. “Do I put this in the bowl?”

  “Yep,” Ashley told her. “Now for the fun part.”

  A couple of hours later, there were plates and racks of cookies cooling all over the kitchen, and the whole house smelled heavenly. Jessica and Chloe had taken her mom some cookies and then gone to the living room with a few of their own to eat while they watched a movie. They were both ready for a break.

  The Christmas music had been turned off, so the kitchen was quiet now. Left alone to clean up, Ashley struggled once again not to think about Mark. Every time she did, she got a tight feeling in her chest and a hollow feeling in her stomach. Although, after eating a few cookies and way too much gingerbread dough, her stomach wasn’t feeling at all hollow. In fact, even though she hadn’t eaten any lunch, she thought it would be a while before she was hungry again.

  When she’d wiped up the last of the flour and cookie crumbs from the counter, she went in to check on her mom. She was sitting up in bed watching television. An empty, milk glazed glass set on her bedside table next to a plate that only held a few crumbs. She smiled at Ashley and said, “Well, the cookies are good.”

  “I know. I’ve had a few myself. You look like you’re feeling better.”

  “I am. I’m mostly just tired and achy now. The fever and sore throat have gone away. Whatever this bug is, it seems to be short-lived, even if it is miserable.”

  “Well good. I’m glad that when I eventually catch it, I’ll be over it fairly quickly. So, what should I do now?”

  “Nothing. You’ve done enough – at least until it’s time to put the ham in. But I think I’ll feel up to getting out of bed soon. Why don’t you lay down here for a while and talk to me?”

  So for next couple of hours, Ashley and her mom talked and laughed and caught up. They talked about presents, planned the Christmas festivities, and were just talking about how precious Chloe was when Keith came in and joined them. He lay down across the foot of the bed and happily joined them in their discussion of his daughter’s perfections.

  After a while he asked what the plan was for the evening. Ashley waited for her mom to answer¸ because she didn’t have a clue.

  “Well, Daniel and Becca are supposed to come over when they get out of school today so they can play with Chloe and get out of Kayla’s hair while she gets some stuff done. I’m cooking dinner, but besides that, I think Shawn and Ashley have a dance to go to.”

  “I thought Shawn said that they weren’t having the dance because of the weather?” Keith pointed out.

  “Oh. Well in that case, I guess we’ll all be hanging out here tonight.”

  “Suits me,” Keith said. “I’m enjoying the peace and quiet.”

  “Enjoy it while you can. Pretty soon, peace and quiet will be in short supply,” Ashley laughed and got up. “In fact, I’m going to go shower while things are calm around here. I’m feeling pretty grungy after cleaning all morning.”

  As she was getting out of the shower a little while later, she heard her phone ringing. She wasn’t in any hurry to answer until she remembered that Mark had her number. She went running and practically hurdled over the bed to get to it.

  “Awww, man,” she said, disappointed when she saw that it was Shawn. There is something wrong with me. “Hello?”

  “Well, don’t sound so happy to talk to me.”

  Ashley couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry. What’s up?”

  “I wanted to let you know that the dance is back on for tonight.”

  “Really? What about the weather?”

  “Well they pushed back the time when it’s going to start freezing. It’s not supposed to switch over to freezing rain until just before midnight, so everyone will have time to get home before it starts. We’ll have to end it a little early, but the girls are determined to go ahead with it.”

  “That’s good,” she said, because she knew Shawn wanted to go. She didn’t feel much inclination to go to the dance though. “But do you mind if I stay home?”

  “Yes I mind. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a decent partner to swing dance with.” Then a little more hesitantly he added, “And I want you to meet Erin.”

  “Yeah, but I’d feel bad leaving again since Keith’s family is here.”

  “Well, I’m going and so is Mark.”

  “Mark’s going?”

  “Yeah. We’re riding with him.”

  Normally, Ashley would be thrilled to be going to the dance with Mark, but she wasn’t going with him. They would only be sharing transportation. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to pass up the opportunity to be around him. “What time are we leaving?”

  “About 6:45 or so. When Mark gets off work we’ve got to meet up and go back out to the Garrett’s house with Dad to work on their furnace and take them some stuff for Christmas. Then we’ll have to shower and change so it might be a little later than that. It all depends on how soon we all manage to get off work.”

  “Ok.”

  “Of course, we’ll p
robably still have to wait for you to get ready, so who knows when we’ll get there.”

  Ashley fumed for a few seconds and said, “Whatever. I’ll be ready on time.”

  “We’ll see. I’ve got to go. See ya later.”

  “Bye,” Ashley said. She put her phone down and turned back to her closet. She hurried into jeans and a t-shirt then agonized over what to wear to the dance. After all, she was sure that Kari would be at the dance. She would have to look amazing if she wanted Mark to pay any attention to her.

  Chapter 11

  The Prettiest Sight to See

  Looking for something to wear made Ashley realize how badly she needed to unpack. For the next little while, she worked on putting her clothes away and starting some laundry. She even braved the cold long enough to clean out her car. She borrowed one of her mom’s laundry baskets and filled it up with all of the junk that had accumulated in her car since the last time she’d cleaned it out.

  As she was heading back inside with her things, a few cold rain drops landed in her hair and trickled down her scalp to her neck. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation and she hurried to the cover of the porch.

  A heavy rain soon began to fall and she listened to it beating against the roof as she sorted through her stuff in her room. A few minutes later, she heard the doorbell ring and the sound of children’s laughter as Daniel and Becca came over to play with Chloe. Their excited chattering reached her upstairs, making it more difficult to finish her task because she wanted to go see them. The kids weren’t going anywhere though, so she continued what she was doing. Her good intentions were foiled however when Chloe and Becca came up to her room.

  “Hey there. What are you up to?” she asked, noticing that Becca’s brown curls were damp with rain.

  “We wondered where you were,” Becca replied, coming to see what she as doing.

  “Well you found me,” Ashley replied, tossing a pair of flip flops from the basket into her closet.

  “Ooooh, nail polish,” Chloe said.