“Ignored her, did you?” he asked mildly.

Sarah pretended not to hear his question. “I think Melody Darrington might have planned this.” The scheme took shape in her mind. “Melody must have.”

“Isn’t she the club secretary?”

“You know Melody,” Sarah snapped. “She’s the cute blonde who sold me the tickets to the dance.”

“I wasn’t there when you picked up the tickets,” Jake reminded her as he climbed into bed.

“But you know who I mean.”

“If you say so.”

“You do. Now listen, because I think I’m on to something here. Melody’s the one who told me we couldn’t rent the hall for Kristen’s wedding unless I performed a community service for the club.”

“Yes, I remember, and that’s how you got involved in the Christmas basket thing.”

“Melody’s also the one who assigned me to that project,” she went on. “There had to be dozens of other projects I could’ve done. Plus, she insisted I had to fulfill those hours this year. That makes no sense whatsoever.”

“Why would Melody do anything like that?”

“How would I know?”

Her husband looked skeptical. “I think you might be jumping to conclusions here.”

“Melody gave us half of the same list, too.” Outrage simmered just below the surface as Sarah sorted through the facts. She tossed aside the covers and leaped out of bed. Hands on hips, she glared at her husband. Of course. It all added up. Melody definitely had a role in this, and Sarah didn’t like it.

“Hey, I didn’t do anything,” Jake protested.

“I’m not saying you did.” Still not satisfied, she started pacing the area at the foot of the bed. “This is the lowest, dirtiest trick anyone’s every played on me.”

“Now, Sarah, you don’t have any real proof.”

“Of course I do! Why did Melody make a copy of that list, anyway? All she had to do was divide it.”

“Sounds like an honest mistake to me. Didn’t you tell me the office was hectic that morning? Melody was dealing with you, the phones and everything else when she gave you and Mary the lists.”

“Yes, but that’s no excuse for what happened.”

“You’re angrier with yourself than Melody.”

Sarah knew the truth when she heard it. The outrage vanished as quickly as it had come, and she climbed back into bed, next to her husband.

For a long time neither spoke. Finally Jake turned on their bedside radio and they listened to “Silent Night” sung by a children’s choir. Their pure, sweet voices almost brought tears to Sarah’s eyes.

“In two days, it’ll be Christmas,” she said in a soft voice.

“And Noelle’s birthday.” Her husband smiled. “Remember our first year? We could barely afford a Christmas tree, let alone gifts. Yet you managed to give me the most incredible present of all, our Noelle.”