Her eyes moistened as she continued, “That Christmas was a bleak one, but our congregation made sure the children had gifts to open. They did their best to bring some light into a very dark time for us.”
Andie, who had been listening intently, leaned forward and gently placed the beautifully wrapped gift on the table in front of Ellen. “Could this possibly be one of those gifts?” she asked, her voice tinged with cautious optimism.
Ellen looked at the gift, her eyes scanning the wrapping paper and ribbon, then shook her head slowly but decidedly. “No, I don’t think so. I remember that Christmas vividly, and I’m certain there were no leftover gifts. Also, this wrapping paper doesn’t look familiar to me. And ‘Urchin’? I have no idea who that could be. The gifts from the congregation were all addressed to the children by name, Linda and Tom.”
A pall of disappointment settled over the room. “You’re sure?” Bunny asked.
Ellen nodded. “Definitely. I’m sorry.”
Andie’s hopes deflated. They’d been so close, and she had been sure she’d found the person who should have the gift. She sighed and took a sip of her coffee. It looked like they would have to start again from square one.
After a heartwarming halfhour with Ellen, Bunny, Sam, and Andie left her apartment with a mixture of contentment and disappointment. As they navigated their way through the maze of hallways in Tall Pines, Sam broke the silence.
“Do you think there’s a chance Ellen could be wrong about the gift? I mean, it was a long time ago.”
Bunny shook her head. “I don’t think so. Ellen seemed mentally sharp, and she was insistent that the gift wasn’t from that Christmas. Plus ‘Urchin’ doesn’t match any of her kids’ names.”
Andie, who had been quiet, chimed in, “I agree. I hope you two don’t mind if we drop off these muffins to my mom since we’re here already.”
“Of course not. We’d love to see Addie,” Bunny said.
The trio continued to the memory-care wing and soon found themselves at Addie’s room. Addie looked up from her seat by the window. After a moment of hesitation, her eyes sparkled with faint recognition. “Oh, Bunny and Sam. It’s been ages!”
“How are you, Addie?” Bunny asked.
“Fine, and you? Are you going to art school now? And Sam, you’re at the police academy, aren’t you?”
Bunny and Sam exchanged a glance, then both looked at Andie, who gave a subtle shrug. They decided to play along.
“Yes, we’ve really been hitting the books,” Sam said.
“That’s good.”
Addie’s face creased in confusion, lost somewhere in the past, so Andie decided to try to bring her back to the present. She stepped forward, holding out the chocolate chip muffins. “We brought you some muffins, Mom.”
Addie took the bag but seemed momentarily distracted, her eyes drifting past them to glance into the hallway as if she were expecting someone.
“Who are you looking for?” Andie asked, following her gaze.
“Jane,” Addie responded, a hint of anticipation lacing her voice.
“Jane isn’t coming today. But would you like to call her?”
Addie nodded, and Andie dialed the number.
“Hey, Andie, how’d it go?” Jane knew that the three of them were coming to Tall Pines in the hopes of finding the person the gift belonged to.
Andie sighed. “No, we struck out. But we’re not giving up. We’re actually at Mom’s room right now. She wants to talk to you.”
Andie handed her phone to Addie, who eagerly took it. “Jane, sweetie, make sure you finish your homework before you go out with your friends, all right?” Addie told her.
Jane chuckled on the other end. “Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t go anywhere until it’s done.”
Andie took back the phone, laughing. “I guess that message was important to Mom.”
“No doubt. Thanks for calling. I’ll see you later at the big art gallery reveal tonight, right?”
“Absolutely. Can’t wait!”
