The Christmas Elf, A Secret-Santa Story

Chapter 37 - Heart to heart

Sunday 25 December

"Are you going to let me in on the secret now?" Eileen asked as soon as Claudia had closed her own front door. They kept their coats on, because it was freezing inside.

Claudia gave her a look that probably worked better on a naughty six-year-old and shook her head. "If that's why you agreed to come with me, I'm going to have to disappoint you." She led the way up the stairs and into her daughter's bedroom.

Eileen followed and observed as Claudia grabbed a knapsack and put in two toys that had been specifically requested and then went to the closet for a pretty little velvet dress with long-sleeves. "For later," she said.

"Guess we're dressing up," Eileen observed. "Hey! It's Christmas lunch – of course, we are," Claudia said. "You better start thinking of what you'll be wearing."

She then led the way to her own bedroom and started to pack up additional make-up and decide on a dress. "Are you tired of us yet?" she asked suddenly. Eileen frowned, wondering if this was what Claudia hadn't wanted to ask in front of her parents.

"No. Definitely not. I think we would be happy if you stayed for the entire holidays, though I am sure you'll want to get back to your own home eventually." She shrugged, "It's not that we are not happy when it's the three of us, but having the two of you there makes the house feel comfortably full and more Christmassy somehow."

"I know exactly what you mean," Claudia said. "It's not that I'm not happy when it's the two of us but having you three to share the holidays, makes it more."

Eileen looked at her and they shared a smile that said they were totally in agreement. "Are you alright with your dad not making it?" Eileen asked. Claudia shrugged. "It would have been nice to see him and we'll head to New York and spend Easter break with him because we both miss him and he misses us. But I think what helps us both is that I know he has his friends and that now he knows I have the same."

A companionable silence fell for a couple of minutes, until Claudia looked up again from packing. "Have you thought more about what to do about Michael?" she asked.

"Do?" Eileen asked, suddenly uncomfortable. She regretted sharing the bare facts she had with Claudia but she had been really upset at the time.

"Yes, what are you going to do?" Claudia asked. "Are you going to ask him about Lisa?" Eileen leaned against the doorjamb and thought about it. She had moved from her initial shocked pain to her usual and more comfortable position of analytically dissecting events.

"No," she said. "I don't think I want to. I know that Jonathan and Abigail were staying with him and that the storm came in pretty hard after we left. Remember my dad was waiting to rush us indoors?"

Claudia nodded and surprised Eileen by saying nothing. Her initial anger at what she had deemed Michael's betrayal was nowhere in evidence this time around. Since she seemed to be waiting to hear the rest, Eileen continued with her thoughts.

"Lisa may be an old friend, but she also could have easily made insinuations that have no basis in reality."

Claudia nodded. "I agree."

"You do?"

"Yes, I think she could easily have imagined she had a chance with him and be trying to warn others off – directly or indirectly. I saw the way he looks at you and I saw the way he looked at her."

"Really?" Eileen's surprise was growing by the minute at the about-face. "What made you change your mind?"

"I have a lot of baggage from my own failed marriage and now I have had time to think about whether I am projecting other people's doings onto Michael. I feel like I owe him an apology."

Eileen was relieved that Claudia had justified her own willingness to give Michael the benefit of the doubt. It had been shaky going for her and she kept questioning whether she should be trusting her own, untested, instincts in this area. She was curious about one thing though, "Why would you owe him an apology though?"

"He may have called and I may have been a bit of a pig to him?" Claudia's cheeks were red and her eyes soulful.

"You don't get to play the puppy-eyes card twice in one day, missy," Eileen said sternly. "Entire story. Now."

As Claudia related the brief conversation, Eileen suddenly understood why he had not tried to call her. He had called. She had not gotten the message.

"Are you mad at me?" Claudia asked in a small voice.

Eileen sighed as she thought about it. "No, I don't take kindly to the fact that you felt you had to step in to fight my battles for me. Or that you didn't immediately tell me. But I guess I can understand why you did it and I'm glad you're telling me so soon after."

She tried to picture Michael's reaction to Claudia's response and failed. It could have been anything from bewilderment to guilt to outright anger. "Guess I should call him when I get back to the house," she said.

Claudia lifted the bag, "All done. And Eileen? Thank you so much for understanding."

Eileen held out a hand for one of the bags. "I'll be a whole lot more understanding if you tell me where we're going?"

"Nice try," Claudia said with a laugh, "but I've had better from a six-year old." Eileen laughed in response and the two left the house.

Once they had traversed the cold and silent street and were back inside, Eileen immediately went to the phone. It kept ringing until she was about to hang up. "Hello?" a breathless female answered.

"Hello?" she said, wondering if this would be a replay of the last conversation. "May I speak to Michael please?"

"Eileen?!" the other voice was a please yell.

"Yes?" Eileen responded.

"It's Abigail! I know Michael would love to talk to you – hold a sec." A loud crash sounded in the distance and Abigail yelled, "Can't you two do anything without me?!"

Eileen's ears were ringing from the yell that was too close to the phone as Abigail continued with, " - but he's a little tied up right now. Can he talk to you a bit later?" Before Eileen could respond, Abigail yelled again, "If you fall off that ladder Jonathan, I am so not visiting you in the hospital. I told you to wait!"

"Sure," Eileen responded into the moment of silence after the yell, "you sound like you're all in the middle of something. Was it storm damage?"

"Yes," Abigail said, "some minor repairs going on. Talk soon?"

"Absolutely," Eileen said and hung up, more bemused than upset she hadn't spoken to him. She hoped everything was alright at the pub.

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Author's note: hope you guys enjoy this chapter! The fun continues soon!