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Authors: Sandra D. Bricker
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tableside.
“Marla!” she cried. “You’re . . . here! With . . . your kids! Hi, kids.”
“Merry Christmas,” the woman said. “I see you had the same idea
the girls and I had.”
“A latte?”
“Shopping,” she corrected. “Our steward mentioned the shops
would be open today, and I thought it might be a good time to have some girl time.”
“The boys are with our daddy, shooting ’skeeters,” the youngest
chimed in.
“Shooting . . . mosquitoes?” Joss asked, and she looked to Marla.
“Skeet shooting. Rod’s first love.”
“Mama, can I have a cupcake like that?”
“I want hot chocolate, Mama. You said I could. With
marshmallows.”
“Angela,” the woman said, and the oldest of the girls looked up
from the glass bakery case. “Take your sisters and get a table.”
The girl kicked into mother-hen-in-training mode, and she had
the flock of them settled in a booth before the young waitress jingled her way toward them.
Patrick had always planned on having a family one day, but a fam-
ily this size? He couldn’t even imagine trying to herd cats in this way.
“So what did you buy?”
“Pardon?” Joss asked, and Marla nodded toward the shopping
bags piled beside her. “Oh! Nothing. I mean, nothing much. A dress I can wear to dinner tonight, some earrings. Oh, and a cute little sarong in case I decide to grab some pool time.” She reached into one Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 62
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
63
of the bags and revealed a clenched section of the purple floral skirt-thing she’d bought before they ducked into the café.
“Oh, how pretty.”
“How about you? Did you get anything?” Joss asked her.
“There’s one thing you learn with this many children,” she said,
and she shot a grin at Patrick before continuing. “It’s a slippery slope when it comes to purchasing en masse .”
“So, what?” Joss teased. “You never actually buy anything?”
“It’s very complicated business, Joss,” Marla said in a hushed
voice, leaning on the table with a smile. “I keep track of those things that really speak to me—for me and for each of the girls—and then I sneak away later to zip through and pick them up. So we’ve had
a nice time together, everyone gets a little something in the end, assuming there are no battles during the process. Everybody wins.”
“Except the boys,” Patrick said with a laugh.
“Oh, there’s a whole other system for the boys.”
Joss chuckled. “So what you’re telling me is that, to be a mother, you also have to be a sort of evil genius.”
Marla grinned at Patrick. “Hold on to this one. She catches on
fast.”
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 63
7/23/13 1:06 PM
64
Merry
Humbug Christmas
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 64
7/23/13 1:06 PM
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Murphy’s Law gave to me . . .
six teeth a-breaking
five cold sardiiiines!
four dirty words,
three French friends,
two hearty shoves,
and a Partridge with the first name Keith.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 65
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 66
7/23/13 1:06 PM
6
For a dress she hadn’t tried on before she bought it, this one
looked pretty good.
Joss turned slightly and examined her reflection in the mirror.
Not over-the-top like some of the getups she’d already seen onboard but dressy enough she’d fit in with the Christmas dinner crowd.
And if it turned Patrick Brenneman’s head a little in the process, so be it. She poked the new sterling earrings into her lobes, and they skimmed her shoulders. She grabbed her purse on the way out the
door.
The main dining room shimmered under low lights and what
looked like a thousand flickering candles. Upon closer inspection on her way across the room, Joss realized the flames were simply bat-tery-operated facsimiles. With several yards to go before she reached her assigned table, her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met Patrick’s and he smiled at
“Marla!” she cried. “You’re . . . here! With . . . your kids! Hi, kids.”
“Merry Christmas,” the woman said. “I see you had the same idea
the girls and I had.”
“A latte?”
“Shopping,” she corrected. “Our steward mentioned the shops
would be open today, and I thought it might be a good time to have some girl time.”
“The boys are with our daddy, shooting ’skeeters,” the youngest
chimed in.
“Shooting . . . mosquitoes?” Joss asked, and she looked to Marla.
“Skeet shooting. Rod’s first love.”
“Mama, can I have a cupcake like that?”
“I want hot chocolate, Mama. You said I could. With
marshmallows.”
“Angela,” the woman said, and the oldest of the girls looked up
from the glass bakery case. “Take your sisters and get a table.”
The girl kicked into mother-hen-in-training mode, and she had
the flock of them settled in a booth before the young waitress jingled her way toward them.
Patrick had always planned on having a family one day, but a fam-
ily this size? He couldn’t even imagine trying to herd cats in this way.
“So what did you buy?”
“Pardon?” Joss asked, and Marla nodded toward the shopping
bags piled beside her. “Oh! Nothing. I mean, nothing much. A dress I can wear to dinner tonight, some earrings. Oh, and a cute little sarong in case I decide to grab some pool time.” She reached into one Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 62
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
63
of the bags and revealed a clenched section of the purple floral skirt-thing she’d bought before they ducked into the café.
“Oh, how pretty.”
“How about you? Did you get anything?” Joss asked her.
“There’s one thing you learn with this many children,” she said,
and she shot a grin at Patrick before continuing. “It’s a slippery slope when it comes to purchasing en masse .”
“So, what?” Joss teased. “You never actually buy anything?”
“It’s very complicated business, Joss,” Marla said in a hushed
voice, leaning on the table with a smile. “I keep track of those things that really speak to me—for me and for each of the girls—and then I sneak away later to zip through and pick them up. So we’ve had
a nice time together, everyone gets a little something in the end, assuming there are no battles during the process. Everybody wins.”
“Except the boys,” Patrick said with a laugh.
“Oh, there’s a whole other system for the boys.”
Joss chuckled. “So what you’re telling me is that, to be a mother, you also have to be a sort of evil genius.”
Marla grinned at Patrick. “Hold on to this one. She catches on
fast.”
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 63
7/23/13 1:06 PM
64
Merry
Humbug Christmas
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 64
7/23/13 1:06 PM
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Murphy’s Law gave to me . . .
six teeth a-breaking
five cold sardiiiines!
four dirty words,
three French friends,
two hearty shoves,
and a Partridge with the first name Keith.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 65
7/23/13 1:06 PM
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 66
7/23/13 1:06 PM
6
For a dress she hadn’t tried on before she bought it, this one
looked pretty good.
Joss turned slightly and examined her reflection in the mirror.
Not over-the-top like some of the getups she’d already seen onboard but dressy enough she’d fit in with the Christmas dinner crowd.
And if it turned Patrick Brenneman’s head a little in the process, so be it. She poked the new sterling earrings into her lobes, and they skimmed her shoulders. She grabbed her purse on the way out the
door.
The main dining room shimmered under low lights and what
looked like a thousand flickering candles. Upon closer inspection on her way across the room, Joss realized the flames were simply bat-tery-operated facsimiles. With several yards to go before she reached her assigned table, her breath caught in her throat when her eyes met Patrick’s and he smiled at
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