Silhouette Christmas Stories

'There,' she said, plunking down a bottle of ketchup like an exclamation point. She had her lashes lowered, trying to shield the laughter in her eyes from him, but parted lips and a rosy blush betrayed her. 'Now, is there anything else I can get for you?'

Though he was shaking inside with his own laughter, Tony managed to keep his face and voice absolutely deadpan. 'No thanks, this is great.' Karen's eyes flew open, then widened at the unmistakable challenge in his when he added softly, 'If I think of anything, I'll let you know.'

Oblivious to any adult undercurrents, Andrew was already tucking into his sandwich, taking bites out of the middle, the way Tony himself had done when he was a kid. The boy did stop chewing, though, to watch Tony pour ketchup on his plate, dip a corner of his sandwich into it and take a bite.

'Is that good?' he inquired, looking skeptical.

Tony offered the ketchup bottle. 'Why don't you try it?'

Andrew shrugged. Tony poured him a small dollop. Andrew dipped, took a wary and tentative bite, chewed judiciously and finally conceded, 'Not bad.' Tony just grinned.

Karen had moved away from them, following the train track. Though he wasn't looking at her, Tony could tell she was nervous again. It had seemed as if she'd gotten over it while she was in the kitchen, but it was back now, once more confirming his suspicions that he was the cause of it. He decided he liked the fact that he made her nervous. Eventually, of course, he'd want her to feel comfortable with him, but right now that fidgety self- consciousness was telling him what he wanted to know, which was that she was aware of him in all the right ways.

'Does it work?' she asked, bending down to give the locomotive an experimental push, rolling it a little way along the track.

She caught Tony with his mouth full, so all he could do was shrug. Andrew, whose mouth was also full, said, 'It's going to. Tony says he can fix it-right, Tony?'

For some reason, instead of answering with the confidence he felt, Tony glanced over at Karen. He found her studying him in a way that made him feel uncomfortable; all the nervousness was gone now, her eyes quiet and watchful, full of appeal and an unspoken warning. So he found himself hedging his bet. 'Well, I don't know, kid. I said I'd try.'

There was a little silence, and then Karen said meaningfully, 'Andrew, do you have homework this evening?' It was a tone even Tony recognized.

Andrew groaned. 'Spelling. Mom-'

'Better finish eating and get started on it,' his mother gently but firmly interrupted. 'The train will still be here tomorrow.'

Tony, who knew a hint when he heard one, polished off the last of his applesauce and stood up, taking his plate with him. 'I gotta go anyway, kid. We'll work oh this some other time.'

'Tomorrow? Can you come over tomorrow night? Please? Mom, can he?'

They both looked at Tony. He shrugged in what he hoped was an offhand way and muttered, 'It's all right with me.'

'Mom? If I promise to do my homework first?'

'Well… ' Tony could see the ominous 'We'll see' hovering on the tip of her tongue, but when she opened her mouth, the words that came out instead were, 'All right. If you do your homework first. Now, scoot-and take your dishes to the kitchen!'

Obviously satisfied with the terms, Andrew 'scooted.'

As soon as her son was out of earshot, Karen lifted her head and drilled Tony with a look that reminded him of the one she'd given him that morning when she'd finally accepted the loan of his car.

'Is it true?' she demanded without beating around the bush. 'Can you fix that train?'

Tony shrugged. 'I think so, yeah.'

Her eyes clung to his, searching, searching- It gave him a strange feeling, as if he needed to take a deep breath but couldn't.

Finally, in a voice tight with controlled emotion, she said, 'Please, don't tell him that unless you're sure. Don't promise something you can't deliver. I don't want him-'

'Lady,' Tony said softly, 'I don't make promises I don't mean to keep.'

He saw a flicker of something in those transparent eyes of hers, something he couldn't quite name. And once again, although he wasn't touching her this time, he felt the struggle as she fought him and the easing when she let go.

'So,' he said, 'do you want me to give it a shot or not? It's your call.'

She closed her eyes, let out a breath and nodded. 'Yes… thank you. It's very nice of you. Andrew will be so-'

Nice. That damn gratitude again. Impatiently shaking it off, Tony said, 'Tomorrow, then? About the same time?'

'Yes. Yes, that will be fine.'

'Fine, I'll see you then.' He was so distracted that he was out the door before he remembered he still had her car keys. And vice versa. He turned back with a smile that felt trampled. 'Oops,' he muttered as he handed them to her, 'almost forgot.'

'Oh-wait a minute, I have your keys right here…' Just like that, she was nervous again, like a bird in the presence of a cat. She flitted away for a minute, came back with her purse, fumbled in it for the keys and gave them to him. 'Thank you so much-it was really nice of you to do that. And, uh… ' She took a deep breath. 'Do you have my bill?'

Tony took it out of his back pocket and handed it over. He watched her unfold it, holding his own emotions carefully in check while he watched hers play like shadow pictures across her face. He thought he recognized dread, all mixed up with pride… blank, uncomprehending shock… and finally, confusion.

'I don't understand,' she said, throwing him that fierce blue glare that demanded nothing less than truth. 'This is so much lower than the estimate. What about the battery and… all those other things you told me I needed? This is only-' she gave the paper in her hands another glance '-a routine service!'

'Plus wiper blades and antifreeze,' Tony pointed out. Then he shrugged and tried to wave the subject off, wanting to get away before she nailed him to the wall; outright lying didn't sit well with his Italian-Catholic upbringing. 'Listen, I'd rather tell you the worst up front and have the surprise be pleasant, that's all. Turned out you were in better shape than I thought. It happens. Hey, I'll see you tomorrow night. You can pay me then, okay?'

She hesitated while suspicion struggled with relief, then finally nodded and whispered, 'Okay.'

Relieved himself, Tony fled. He was two steps down the stairs when he heard her call his name. Feeling as guilty as only an honest man can, he paused and looked back.

She was still standing in the doorway, holding the bill in her hands, and for a moment Tony's heart stopped beating. Then he realized that she looked different somehow. More relaxed, as if a load had been lifted off her shoulders. And he realized then that she had called him by his first name. Tony…

'How's your hand?' she asked softly, a smile in her voice and eyes. Even from where he stood, Tony felt the gentle warmth of it, like candle flames.

He glanced down at his bandaged hand, then looked up at her, slowly flexing it, remembering her touch. 'Oh, it's okay,' he said gruffly. 'You did a good job.' Karen…

'Good… I'm glad. Well- I'll see you tomorrow, then.'

'Yeah, tomorrow. I'll be here.'

'Bye.'

'Bye… '

Their voices were low and husky, the words uttered absentmindedly, as if, Tony thought, they both knew that what was being said was far less important than things that weren't spoken of at all.

About midway through the next day, it occurred to Karen that she was looking at the people around her in a new light. Which one? Which of these people- friends, acquaintances and co-workers- could have sent Andrew that train? Even relative strangers were suspects. Maybe she had a secret benefactor-a fairy godmother, a guardian angel, someone who admired her from afar. Ridiculous as that seemed, it almost made