“I was just going to tell you about that,” he said.
She laughed. She loved how they thought the same way and seemed to have similar ideas and thoughts. So much more compatible than Roland.
She needed to push him aside, though, because she didn’t want him to ruin her entire day. She wanted to enjoy this time with her partner.
“I felt like they could use some gas cards, and I put out somefeelers for donations. After all, the hospital is an hour and a half away, and they’re making the trip five times a week.”
“Yeah. That’s a great idea. I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve been thinking more about decorating the outside of their house, which hasn’t been done, and I’ve heard from several sources that it’s really bothered Mrs. Hatter that she hadn’t been able to put up decorations. It would also make the kids happy.”
“I don’t suppose they have a Christmas tree yet? I hadn’t thought to ask.”
“No. They don’t.”
“I can bring one with me. That is not a problem,” he said. She could hear a grin in his voice.
“Perfect.”
They continued to talk about a few other things that they could do, with her partner thinking about the practical needs and Nelly moving more along with items that were decorative and comforting.
The seamless way they worked together eased the stress that she felt over her daytime interaction with Roland.
“Well, that sounds good. I think we could have all of that ready by tomorrow. They should be getting back in the afternoon, and I bet they’ll be tired. I’m guessing they’ll be in bed early.”
“Still start at midnight?” he asked.
“Yes, if that works for you?”
“It does.” Her partner paused for just a moment and then said, “I just wanted to thank you. Working with you feels so easy, and especially after the horrendous time I had today with other people I have to work with, it’s just been really nice to get to be with someone that I’m so compatible with.”
“Same.” She could feel the tension of the day draining out of her after being with him for a little while. “It just feels so good and enjoyable to be with you. I didn’t realize when we agreed to work together that it was going to be like this. I look forward to it, to be honest.”
“I do too. It’s been a blessing.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”
“Same.”
She smiled and then raised a hand, waving before she turned around and walked back toward her vehicle. She had parked in the same place she had before, because she noticed that he parked at exactly the opposite spot. It was funny that they coordinated so well, because they did it again. She started walking one direction, and after a moment, she could hear his footsteps receding in the other.
It felt good and right to be working with someone like him, and she smiled to herself. What a lovely meeting. So much different than the committee meeting at church.
Which was a little bit sad, since it was a church meeting. It should have gone better. And it was partly her fault. She needed to do better.
Chapter Fourteen
“So how’s the whole Secret Saint thing going?” Judd asked as Roland watched the last customer walk to their car with their Christmas tree and a wreath that they bought on the spur of the moment.
Normally his mother made a lot more wreaths to sell, but she hadn’t made nearly as many as she usually did. He tried not to think about what that could mean but instead focused on the fact that he was going to try to slip away in ten minutes to go pick up Robert and his two siblings, since Summer had a client coming and she would be doing her horse therapy that afternoon.
It wasn’t that the kids couldn’t stay there—they could—but often they would go hang out at Grandma’s house, only Roland had offered to take the kids to the Christmas tree farm and let them help out with him, and Marjorie hadn’t argued with him at all. Which was very unusual and fueled the worry that had been nagging in his brain for the last few weeks.
He shook that aside though and focused on Judd.
“I actually got a partner.” Judd was the one person in the worldhe could talk to about that. Although of course he wasn’t going to spill his partner’s identity—if he could, although it would be hard to do since he had no idea who she was.
“Really?” Judd seemed surprised.
“Yeah. We work together really well. She has a lot of strengths where I have weaknesses, and I’m able to do a lot of handyman things that she had been skipping over. Her contacts are amazing. Plus, she’s a lot more organized than I am.”
