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Make desserts.
Bake gingerbread cookies for her youngest’s Christmas party at school.
There were probably another half a dozen things she had forgotten about, but that list was long enough to make her want to stay here in her favorite café, sipping her favorite coffee forever, and throw responsibility to the wind. Sometimes being an adult sucked.
At least she had a couple of days where she had the daytime mostly to herself. Her kids had another day of school, so today and tomorrow she could at least try to get a handle on things. Which was why she would give herself another ten minutes to sit and relax before she got to work on her mountain of a to-do list.
Reaching into her bag, Maeve pulled out her Kindle and opened her favorite book, two chapters, and then she’d leave.
The next few minutes flew by as she immersed herself in the imaginary land of books, and by the time she finished the second chapter she glanced up, surprised to see that nearly thirty minutes had passed. Reluctantly, she put her Kindle awayand finished the last mouthful of coffee, then it was time to brace for the cold outside. She hated winter and was already counting down the days until summer would be back.
She put on her coat, her scarf, gloves, and a beanie and then picked up her bag and sighed miserably before heading outside. It wasn't that she didn't like Christmastime, she did, it was just that it was usually so busy that the whole day flew by, and she hadn't even had time to sit down and enjoy it.
But her kids enjoyed it, and that was enough for her. The smiles on their faces, their delight as they opened gifts, the fun they had playing with their cousins, overeating way too much junk food. That was what Christmas was all about, sharing the joy with the people you loved. She guessed she could put up with the snow and the cold for that.
And the snow was pretty.
Kind of.
She supposed.
At least like this when it was all fresh and white and covering everything in a dusting of powder. The trees lining the shopping strip were all strung with lights, and even though it wasn't even lunchtime yet it was dull, and the twinkling lights made everything look so merry.
Maeve wondered how many Christmases like this there would be. Her parents were getting older, her father’s health hadn't been so good this year. And her in-laws were getting older as well, both of them were still healthy, but that couldn’t last forever.
Her kids were getting older too. Her youngest had started fifth grade in the fall, next year he would be in middle school. Her middle one was thirteen now and was already embracing everything that being a teenager meant, Maeve was already preparing to battle a myriad of dramas with her daughter. And her oldest was sixteen, driving, had a part-time job. Next yearhe would be starting his final year of school then he would be out of the house and off to college. Would he still want to come home for Christmas, or would he want to go and spend it with a girlfriend’s family? What about when her kids were grown and had families of their own, would there still be a Christmas gathering with all of them?
She missed the days when her kids were still small, and they had been so excited to leave out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. She remembered how they would ask to go out into the yard after dark to see if they could see Rudolph’s shiny nose in the black night sky. She remembered when they used to write letters to Santa and leave them on the floor by the chimney and then get so excited to wake up in the morning and find them gone. Maybe one day she could do all of those things with her grandchildren.
Looking both ways before she crossed the street, Maeve hurried to her car, quickly threw the shopping bags into the trunk, and then jumped inside, eager to get out of the cold. Sure, the snow might be pretty to look at, and it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it, but she still couldn’t wait for it to go away.
It wasn't until she had clicked her seatbelt in and put the key in the ignition that she realized she wasn't alone in the car.
A strangled scream was cut short when something cold was shoved against her neck.
“Drive,” a harsh voice demanded.
“P-please,” she whimpered. Just moments ago her biggest worries had been the snow and the long list of chores she had to work her way through. Now she might never get that list finished. She might never see her family again. She might never even step out of this car again.
“I said drive.” The man pressed the knife into the skin on her throat just deep enough to draw a trickle of blood to emphasize his point.
She didn't know what to do.
If she did as he said, then she was practically handing herself over to be murdered. There were people outside, all she had to do was roll down her window and scream for help. Could he slit her throat before someone came? Maybe if he realized she wasn't going to do as he wanted, he would just jump out of her car and run.
“Drive,” the man hissed again. He sounded manic, possessed, and Maeve knew without a doubt that if she didn't do as he said then he would kill her.
Her hands were shaking as she put them on the steering wheel and started to drive. “P-please,” she whispered again. “I have a family. I’ll drive you wherever you want me to go, but please don’t hurt me.”
The man said nothing.
He just leaned up against the back of her seat and kept his knife at her neck.
What did he want from her?
Who was he?
Had he robbed a bank or something and wanted her to drive him away from the scene?
