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My gasp was loud in the cavernous space. “Lance. Is that what I think it is?”
He didn’t answer me. He simply stared at the four-foot-tall plastic Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms. She was faded and the bottom of her dress had cracked, but otherwise it was in good shape. I stepped around the back of it and noticed a hole where a light must have once been threaded through. The back of the piece was in worse shape than the front, but that was no problem since no one would see it.
I stood up and brushed off my hands, my gaze traveling to Lance who was still staring at it with his mouth slightly ajar. “The light is missing, but it could be easily replaced.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze flicking to mine. “Do you think she knew?” he whispered, his hand going to his lips where it trembled. “Do you think she saw it here before she died?”
I put my arm around his waist and stood staring at the figure with him. “Anything is possible, Lance. Why do you think she wanted just Mary and Jesus, but not Joseph?”
He stepped forward and knelt in front of Mary, checking the crack at the bottom before running his hand over the tiny head of baby Jesus. When he stood again, his hands went on his hips and his head hung to the floor. “I don’t know.”
I rubbed his back a couple of times to ward off the shiver that ran through him.
“But if I had to guess, I would say she wanted to tell the world one last time that a mother’s love is constant and all consuming. She never needed a man to do the job of raising a strong, caring, morally correct son. That may be the message she wanted to leave others with this year. Then again, maybe that’s the message she wanted to leave me with this Christmas. Her love is constant, even now that she’s gone.”
“I think you’re right.” I waited a beat and then patted him on the back. “What do you think about buying her and taking her home? The repairs will be easy with a little bit of epoxy and some paint.”
“Yes.”
That was it. Just yes, but I would take it for now.
“She’s too big to carry, so let’s pay for everything tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come back with Coop and pick her up, okay?”
He didn’t answer. He simply turned, took my hand, and led me back to the checkouts, his hand squeezing mine the entire way.
Chapter Eight
As it turned out, the new Christmas sandwich wasn’t something you could take to go. When we got to the diner at nearly seven, the place had cleared out and we had our choice of booths. I picked booth six because it was away from prying eyes. That was where we sat finishing the last of our dinner. Lance was more himself again after being away from the thrift shop the last hour. I didn’t know what would happen when I brought Mary home, but I couldn’t worry about that tonight.
I pointed at the final bite of sandwich on my plate. “That was incredible. Who came up with that recipe?”
“Me with help from Mason. I had the idea, but I needed help keeping it all together, so the bread didn’t fall apart.”
“Whatever you guys came up with it worked. I’ve never had anything like it before.”
It was a sandwich to end all sandwiches. The first layer had sliced turkey and stuffing, topped with another slice of bread, and then homemade cranberry sauce and brie cheese.
He leaned in from across the booth. “We don’t use butter on the bread before we grill it. We use mayo.”
“Mayo?” I asked, my brows raised.
He smiled for the first time since we found the Virgin Mary at the thrift store. “Apparently, it’s a hack from the UK. We gave it a try and we were floored when it actually worked.”
“You wouldn’t know it either. It blends into the sandwich like, well, butter.”
He laughed and pointed at me before he put the final bite of sweet potato nachos in his mouth. That was the side that came with the sandwich, but there was so much food, we had decided to share an order.
“Those,” he said, pointing at the empty plate after he swallowed. “Were all Brittany.”
I raised my brows, and he tipped his head on a nod. “Yes, I’m not kidding. I wasn’t too keen on the combination until she made it for us. Sweet potato chips instead of tortilla chips, grilled chicken, cheese, and avocados. I never would have guessed they’d be so good together.”
“It’s top notch,” I agreed, rubbing my too full belly. “I’m glad you know how to make them. I might need a few more helpings before the holidays are over.”
“The good news is, I can make them any time of the year.” He winked and picked up his glass of pop, sipping from the straw nonchalantly.
Was he implying he’d make them for me any time of the year? It kind of felt like that if I was being honest. I hoped so because I wouldn’t mind seeing him any time of the year.
“Indigo? Lance?” Ivy asked as she came through the swinging doors from her office. “I thought I spied you back here.”
