Mary and Ian followed close behind.

James wondered where they were going to grab a bite now before the Christmas pageant got underway. Norm’s had the best Christmas buffet in town.

They piled back in to Mary’s car, and she started the engine.

“What was all that about, Dad?” James asked.

“Never you mind about that.” He twisted in the passenger seat to glance back at the kids sitting next to James. “I was just thinking, we might want to get supper after the pageant.” He sneered slightly at James. “You spent so much time in there yammerin’ with that man that there isn’t a whole lot of time for eatin’ now.”

“We could’ve stayed. Mary didn’t mind,” James countered, suddenly feeling as defensive as a chastised teenager. He looked across the front seat at Mary. She didn’t look back, but he caught the almost imperceptible shake of her head.

OK, so she didn’t want to press the matter. If she didn’t care, then he didn’t care, either. He settled back in the seat and put his arm around Abigail. “You excited to sing, sweetheart?”

Her face split into a wide grin and soft curls bobbed across her shoulders as she nodded emphatically. “It’s so fun, Uncle Jimmy! I get to be in the front row.”

“That’s fantastic, Abigail…I mean, Abby. I can’t wait to see it.”

Her enthusiasm was refreshing, but caused a twinge of melancholy. He’d missed out on so much of his family’s lives by being gone. Maybe a decision to stay home for good would be the right thing to do. He’d thought as much several times over the last few days, so maybe this was where God wanted him.

“Don’t forget your bag, Abby,” Mary reminded as she pulled into the parking spot at the auditorium. “Let’s get you changed into your pageant outfit.”

As they walked into the lobby, James spotted Rick across the way. Rick eyed him and waved.

A grunt from behind heralded the moment his father spotted Mary’s ex-husband.

“Be nice, Dad,” Mary said softly. “C’mon, Abby. Let’s get you ready.” Mary ushered Abby down the curved corridor to the back of the main stage.

“Can I just go?” Ian mumbled.

“Yeah,” James’s father said. “With me. Into the auditorium. And no complaining. Don’t you know it’s Christmas?” He gave Ian a tug on the arm and led him through the open double doors on the other side of the common area.

His family took dysfunction to a new level, James thought.

Rick approached, and James greeted him with a chin nod.

“How’d you get here so fast?”

“We kind of lost our appetites after…well, you know: after.” He shrugged. “We’ll eat later.” He motioned to the empty corridor that led to the vending display. “Wanna talk?”

James nodded. “Sure.”

“You know, this gal I’m seeing, the one at Norm’s—I know what that looks like. Half my age. I know what I’m going through. I’m not stupid; I’m reacting. It’s a cliché, but you know what? It feels good. She makes me feel good about myself, and with all due respect to your sister, that’s something I went without for a long time.”