It wasn’t what he meant, Mac assured himself. He simply wasn’t going to allow anyone to walk out on his sons again.
He wouldn’t risk it, not for anything in heaven or on earth.
After nailing the last piece of baseboard in place, he nodded in approval. The house was coming together just fine. He knew what he was doing there. Just as he knew what he was doing with the boys.
He only wished he had a better idea of what to do with Nell.
“Maybe it’ll happen tonight.” Zeke watched his breath puff out like smoke as he and his twin sat in the tree house, wrapped against the December chill in coats and scarves.
“It’s not Christmas yet.”
“But it’s the Christmas concert,” Zeke said stubbornly. He was tired of waiting for the mom. “That’s where we saw her first. And they’ll have the music and the tree and stuff, so it’ll be like Christmas.”
“I don’t know.” Zack liked the idea, a lot, but was more cautious. “Maybe, but we don’t get any presents until Christmas.”
“We do, too. When Mr. Perkins pretends to be Santa at the party at the firehouse. That’s whole weeks before Christmas, and he gives all the kids presents.”
“Notrealpresents. Not stuff you ask for.” But Zack set his mind to it. “Maybe if we wish real hard. Dad likes her a lot. Aunt Mira was telling Uncle Dave that Dad’s found the right woman even if he doesn’t know it.” Zack’s brow creased. “How could he not know it if he found her?”
“Aunt Mira’s always saying stuff that doesn’t make sense,” Zeke said, with the easy disdain of the young. “Dad’s going to marry her, and she’s going to come live with us and be the mom. She has to be. We’ve been good, haven’t we?”
“Uh-huh.” Zack played with the toe of his boot. “Do you think she’ll love us and all that?”
“Probably.” Zeke shot his twin a look. “I love her already.”
“Me too.” Zack smiled in relief. Everything was going to be okay after all.
“All right, people.” Nell pitched her voice above the din in the chorus room. It doubled as backstage on concert nights, and students were swarming around, checking clothes, makeup and hair and working off preperformance jitters by talking at the top of their lungs. “Settle down.”
One of her students had his head between his knees, fighting off acute stage fright. Nell sent him a sympathetic smile as her group began to quiet.
“You’ve all worked really hard for tonight. I know a lot of you are jumpy because you have friends and family out in the audience. Use the nerves to sharpen your performance. Please try to remember to go out onstage in the organized, dignified manner we’ve practiced.”
There were some snickers at that. Nell merely lifted a brow. “I should have said remember to be more dignified and more orderly than you’ve managed at practice. Diaphragms,” she said. “Projection. Posture. Smiles.” She paused, lifted a hand. “And above all, I expect you to remember the most vital ingredient in tonight’s performance. Enjoy it,” she said, and grinned. “It’s Christmas. Now let’s go knock ‘em dead.”
Her heart was doing some pretty fancy pumping of its own as she directed the children onstage, watched them take their positions on the risers as the murmurs from the audience rose and ebbed. For many, Nell knew, this concert would be her first test. Decisions from the community would be made tonight as to whether the school board had made a good or a bad choice in their new music teacher.
She took a deep breath, tugged at the hem of her velvet jacket and stepped onstage.
There was polite applause as she approached the solo mike.
“Welcome to Taylor’s Grove High School’s holiday concert,” she began.
“Gosh, Dad, doesn’t Miss Davis look pretty?”
“Yeah, Zack, she does.”Lovelywas more the word, he thought, in that soft-looking deep forest green suit, with holly berries in her hair and a quick, nervous smile on her face.
She looked terrific in the spotlight. He wondered if she knew it.
At the moment, all Nell knew was nerves. She wished she could see faces clearly. She’d always preferred seeing her audience when she was performing. It made it more intimate, more fun. After her announcement, she turned, saw every student’s eyes on hers, then smiled in reassurance.
“Okay, kids,” she murmured, in an undertone only they could hear. “Let’s rock.”
She started them off with a bang, the Springsteen number, and it had eyes popping wide in the audience. This was not the usual yawn-inspiring program most had been expecting.
When the applause hit, Nell felt the tension dissolve. They’d crossed the first hurdle. She segued from the fun to the traditional, thrilled when the auditorium filled with the harmony on “Cantate Domine,” delighted when her sopranos soared on “Adeste Fideles,” grinning when they bounced into “Jingle Bell Rock,” complete with the little stage business of swaying and hand clapping they’d worked on.
And her heart swelled when Kim approached the mike and the first pure notes of her solo flowed into the air.
