A Mummy for Christmas Read Online Free Page B

anymore.”
    “Like Melissa,” Stan said. “You used to be best friends.”
    Haley-Jo pulled a face. “She was mean to me. That’s why I don’t play with her anymore.”
    “The same thing happens with grown-ups sometimes,” Carly said.
    “How was God mean to you?” Haley-Jo looked confused. “God loves us. He isn’t mean to us.”
    Carly paused, not sure how to answer that one. “I guess, I just got upset because He let something happen.”
    “What was that?”
    Stan shook his head. “Eat your dinner, wombat, or there is no pudding.”
    Haley-Jo reluctantly started eating.
    He looked over the table at Carly. “Sorry,” he mouthed.
    She nodded. Best thing would be to shove her feelings aside and change the subject, fast. “This is the best shepherd’s pie I’ve had in a long time. Did you help make it, Haley-Jo?”
    The child nodded. “It was fun. I like cooking.”
    “What’s your favorite thing to make?”
    Fortunately, the child went with the change of topic, and Carly’s insides gradually stopped twisting and turning. She wasn’t here to discuss her failed marriage or falling out with God.
    “What did you want to talk to me about?” Stan asked as they finished eating.
    “Actually, it was both of you. My editor was intrigued about Haley-Jo’s request to Father Christmas, and he wants me to do a couple of follow up articles on being a single parent at Christmas.”
    “I don’t…” Stan began.
    Haley-Jo grinned. “Will I get my picture in the paper?”
    Carly nodded. “You will.”
    “Wow. I’ll be famous. Take that, Melissa.” She pointed with her finger.
    “It’s up to your father.”
    Haley-Jo turned on him. “Please, Daddy. Please, please, please, please.”
    “OK,” Stan said reluctantly. “You still need a bath, and it’s a school night.”
    The child scowled. “I am not having my picture taken in jammies. They’ll laugh at me.”
    “I can take your photo first. Then I’ll help your dad with the dishes while you’re in the bath.”
    “You don’t have to,” Stan said. “You’re a guest.”
    “Yeah, I do. It can be my way of thanking you for a lovely meal.” Besides the fact she’d probably learn more about him while chatting over a sink full of dishes than in a full on interview.

3
    Having sat for a couple of photos, Stan took Haley-Jo upstairs and ran her a bath. He gave strict instructions on not bath skating and flooding the place, before he came back downstairs to find Carly had stacked the dishwasher and hand washed the couple of pans and dishes. He found her in the lounge looking at the photos on the mantelpiece. “Was I that long?”
    She smiled. “There wasn’t much washing up to do.” She held out the photo in her hand. “Who’s this?”
    Stan swallowed, his heart aching as he gazed at the woman in the picture. “That’s Julie, my wife.”
    “Haley-Jo’s mother?”
    He nodded. “She died four years ago.”
    “It must be hard, doing this alone.”
    “I have a lot of help.” He indicated the couch.
    Carly sat and pulled a small recorder from her bag. “Is this all right?”
    He nodded, perching on the couch beside her. “Sure.” Her scent overwhelmed him. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but that, combined with her nearness, almost crushed what little composure he had. He hadn’t been this close to a woman in years, not even in church. He always made sure he sat on the end of the row with Haley-Jo beside him.
    Carly turned on the recorder. “So you’re a pilot.”
    He nodded. “Yes. I do the domestic routes mainly, with one or two long hauls a month. The airline would like me to do more, but it’s not really compatible with being a single parent.”
    “That leads onto my next question. How do you balance work and child care?”
    “The school has a breakfast and a supper club that I use a couple of times a week if I have to be in extra early or back late, or my mother can’t collect her after school. If I’m on the long haul