“I don’t know what it is now,” she went on. “You seem more... content, somehow.”
Before Kim could respond, Lydia apparently felt she had been quiet long enough. She held up the bundle in her arm.
“I have breadsticks.”
Kim looked at the girl with the same warm smile everyone seemed to give Lydia. “How wonderful. Breadsticks sound perfect. Thank you, Miss Lydia.”
“Give them to Kim or Audrey,” her mother said. “We need to go or we’ll be late for the potluck.”
Lydia nodded. “My friends named Hazel and Nora will be there.”
“I love those girls,” Kim said. “I hope you have a great time playing with them.”
“I will,” Lydia assured her. “You should come, too.”
“Not this year, honey.” Kim turned to Holly. “I am sorry to miss the potluck but I don’t think I’m quite ready to face everyone yet.”
Holly’s lovely features softened with compassion and she gave Kim another quick hug. “I completely understand. And so will everyone else. Whenever you’re ready, everyone will be thrilled to see you.”
“Thanks.”
“Also, I wanted to make sure you know you can take all the time off you need after Christmas. I expect that for the next month we will be slow as honey dripping on a cold morning.”
“I would like to come back right after Christmas. I need to return to some kind of routine.”
“Totally understandable. I’ll add you back to the schedule, then. I’ll be in touch with details after Christmas.”
“I’m thinking about going back to school.”
Kim said the words in a rush, as if afraid how they would land with her boss and employer.
“Oh, Kim. I think that’s a great idea!”
“I had a lot of time to think about our future. Mine and Audrey’s. I love working at Evergreen and Ivy. I hope you know how much. But I’ve always kind of wanted to be a nurse.”
That was the first Ryan had heard that particular dream but somehow he could easily picture Kim in that profession. She was smart, caring and compassionate.
“You would make a wonderful nurse!” Holly said with enthusiasm. “What a great idea. Can you do that from here?”
“One of the counselors at rehab was telling me there’s aprogram where most of it is online, at least for the first year. I would go one Saturday a month to Boise for the hands-on training and also do some clinical work at the local hospital here.”
“That sounds perfect. I’m so excited for you, though I’ll miss you at the store when you eventually leave.”
“I have a long way to go before that point,” Kim said. “It’s overwhelming, when I think about it.”
“One day at a time,” Ryan reminded her, earning a grateful smile.
“Right. I want to enjoy Christmas this year to the fullest.”
Holly smiled. “I hope you have a wonderful holiday together.”
“Thanks, Hol. And I hope you and Lydia do, too.”
His sister’s words made him wonder what Holly had decided to do about her ex-husband’s request. He wanted to ask but didn’t want to bring up the question now, in front of Audrey and Lydia.
It wasn’t any of his business, he reminded himself. They were two people brought together by chance in one particular moment of time, whose paths soon would be diverging again. After he returned to San Diego, he likely would never see either Holly or Lydia again.
The thought of leaving Shelter Springs behind, of leavingthembehind, settled in his chest like a weight he couldn’t shake. He had grown to love the sound of Lydia’s laughter ringing through a room and the way Holly’s eyes lit up when she smiled.
