“You’ll be met by a volunteer. The vehicle will be easily accessible for Chantal.”
“Wait! The kid is coming with us?” He sounded indignant.
“What does that mean?” Joy stood and whirled to face him. “Of course she’s coming. Did you think I’d just abandon my child on the train?” The man was a colossal jerk.
His face went red, and his brows pinched together. “No. I was just surprised.”
Joy snorted.Why did she get stuck with him?
“You’ll be given a list of the songs they are performing,” Jenny spoke into the middle of their disagreement. “Be sure you know the words. You’ll have three hours in Boulder to buy what you need, then the train rolls out. We’ll be stopping at a farm outside of town for the bonfire you’ve all been hearing about. It’s part of the town Christmas Fair. We hope you’ll take part while we’re there.”
Joy loved the stop they’d made yesterday. They had visited a Christmas tree farm/petting zoo where she had bought a tiny stuffed reindeer for Chantal. They were going to place it on the table in their room. Chantal loved the reindeer, but she went crazy for the make-your-own hot chocolate station.How would she convince her daughter that they didn’t want to go to the bonfire?
“The rest of you can visit Boulder while we are stopped. We won’t hold the train if you are late. We’ll arrive in Boulder in twenty minutes. Please register with the staff before you leave the train. There is a list of attractions for every stop in a folder in your room. Are there questions?”
A flurry of questions erupted, though Joy was only dimly aware of them. How was she supposed to work with a man who didn’t want to be around her daughter? The very idea was ludicrous. He said he wasn’t good with kids, yet he’d managed to talk to Chantal yesterday without trouble. Chantal had spent half an hour last night talking about how nice he was and how he didn’t treat her like a kid or a cripple.
Joy hated that word. Cripple. So derogatory and demeaning. Her daughter was a child with a disability. Although she wasn’t that either. She faced mobility challenges and dealt with them very well. Her upbeat attitude constantly surprised Joy.
Chapter Five
Sethwaitedforthecrowd to disperse before leaving the train. A twenty-something man stood on the platform holding a sign with their names. Joy and Chantal were making their way toward him. He watched Chantal move; she didn’t seem to have any difficulty with her crutches, though there were a couple of icy patches on the platform. He gave them a moment to reach their driver before striding forward to join them. He didn’t want them to feel rushed. They had plenty of time to do their shopping. At least he hoped they did.
The dull winter sun made Joy’s hair shine like gold. She wore a stylish, but well-loved, red wool jacket. The black and gold scarf draped around her neck glittered in the dim sunlight. She looked happy, but nervous.
He echoed those emotions. He was worried about failing. The burn unit needed this money. With the winners being broadcast on both Canadian and American television and widely on social media, the publicity would be enormous. He’d get a chance to talk about fire prevention and safety too, thus raising awareness.
“Are you Seth?” the dark-haired man asked.
“I am.”
“I’m Adesh. I’ll be your driver. The car is just over here.” He pointed and led them through the thinning crowd. “Where to?” he asked once they were all piled into the back seat.
They hadn’t had any time before now to come up with a plan. “Can we have a few minutes to decide?” Seth scratched his ear. He turned to Joy. “Any thoughts on how to create a coordinated look? Do we want actual choir robes, or something else?”
“I was thinking black pants for the boys, skirts for the girls, and a brightly colored top. Maybe rich green or red?”
“If they all had button shirts, they could wear matching ties,” Chantal said. “Or white shirts and bright ties.”
“Interesting idea. I like the idea of choir robes, myself.” He watched his partners to see what their honest opinion was. Chantal frowned; Joy looked thoughtful. “Jenny did specify choir robes,” he reminded them.
“She also said some other sort of cohesive outfits. I think the pants idea would work.” Joy snapped her seatbelt closed and watched her daughter do the same.
“Hm. I still prefer robes. It is a children’s choir. Let me do a quick internet search and see if I can find robes.” After five minutes, he came up dry. Only one shop carried choir robes, and their lead time was too long.
“I guess matching outfits is the solution,” Joy said. “I’m not sure how to do it. Retail probably won’t work. We’d have to hit dozens of stores to find everything and might fail in the end.”
The worry in her voice bothered him. They both wanted this badly. He didn’t like the idea of potentially sharing the prize money. He’d rather have it all. But since he didn’t want to lose, he searched frantically for a solution.
“Mama, I’m hungry. Can we think and get something to eat at the same time?”
Seth laughed. “I could use coffee. Maybe we could hit a drive-through. If it’s okay with you, Joy.”
“We really should get started.” Joy’s frown sucked all the good vibes from the car.
“If I may,” Adesh said. “There’s a small coffee shop about five blocks down and probably not out of our way if we’re searching for garments. It isn’t a drive-through, but they have the best coffee and treats.” He smiled at them in the rearview mirror.
“Fine.” Her frown said it was anything but fine. “Take us there.”
