“But I need to know more about this scheme you two came up with.”
“I made him watchThe Parent Trap,” Olivia started. “So…”
Her father smiled. “So you thought you could do a little matchmaking. And Red went along with that? Because I got the impression he didn’t exactly relish skating as Santa.”
Benny almost smiled, not sure what “relish” meant but getting the idea. “He hated it, but he did it for me.”
“And you pushed him for me,” Olivia said.
“And Gracie went along with it for…” Marshall closed his eyes and sighed before whispering, “Me.”
Benny felt his chest hurt. “It was stupid,” he said. “Making an old man skate was stupid and trying to get you and my mom… Well, that was stupid, too.”
“And hopeful,” Olivia said softly. “But Benny’s right. It was pretty dumb, especially considering how smart we are.”
Marshall moved his hand to cover hers. “You had good intentions, both of you. And Gracie had good…instincts. I’m the one who jumped to the wrong conclusions.”
Benny wasn’t sure what all that meant but nodded anyway.
Marshall didn’t say anything for a minute.
Benny just sat there, quiet, waiting to find out what their punishment would be. The phone was history, that much he knew. But if anything happened to Grandpa?—
“This isn’t your fault, you two,” Marshall finally said. “Not even close. And it sure wasn’t Gracie…scheming.” He winced as if he thought about something that hurt. “And Red wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t kind of want to.”
“He does love attention,” Benny said. “But not the kind with twenty firemen and an ambulance siren.”
“Nobody likes that attention.” Marshall’s whole face looked like it hurt when he reached for Benny to hug him. “Do you know how to pray? Do you want me to pray for Red right now?”
He blinked. “You can, but I just want to know if he’s okay. My mom said we could go, so can you take me there? I really want to see Red. He’s like my dad and my grandpa and my best friend all mixed up together. What if…what if I never see him again?”
“You certainly will, but, yes, let’s go. I’ll pray quietly on the way there.”
“Oh, what about Kat?” Benny asked. “Are dogs allowed in the hospital?”
Marshall smiled. “You know, Ben, it says a lot about a man who thinks about others—and dogs—at a time like this. We can take Kat and keep her on a leash. If they tell us she can’t come in, then we can wait in the car. You need to be close to your family.”
“Thank you, Mr.…Marshall. Thank you for not being mad about…what we did.”
“WhatIdid,” Olivia chimed in.
“Well, there’s enough blame to go around,” Marshall said. “Even some for me. Come on, team. Let’s go. The hospital is less than five minutes from here.”
Benny’s heart lifted because they weren’t in trouble…and Marshall called him part of the team.
Now if only Grandpa was okay.
A few minutes later, they piled into Marshall’s truck, with Kat between Olivia and Benny in the back. The heater roared and snow hit the windshield under the streetlights as they drove.
Over Kat’s head, Olivia looked at him. “It’s gonna be okay, Benny,” she whispered. “You’ll see.”
Benny wanted to believe her. He really did.
He stared out the window as the Christmassy town blurred by them, everything twinkling and happy and festive. Benny feltlike the only person in the world who just had Christmas crack in half.
They pulled into a big parking lot next to the hospital and found a spot, but before they got out, Marshall tried texting Mom again, shaking his head.
“It’s not going through,” he said, staring at the phone. “That’s good.”
