Page 37 of Sleigh My Heart

“Ava mentioned she died.”

“In a car accident last year.” The tiniest of cracks slipped through.

An accident… like Nick’s mom. She was hit while on a traffic stop.

Her breath caught. The sudden realization struck her. He didn’t have anyone else.

“I’ll take her. She can come with me to Mom’s. We are baking cookies tonight.”

Uncertainty, confusion, and then relief all flashed on his face. “I owe you.”

What had she just agreed to?

He pulled out his phone and called the school. “It’s all set. Just tell her Grandpa and I had something come up. I will be there to pick her up after.”

“Okay, don’t worry about Ava. She’ll have a blast at Mom’s. My nieces and nephews will be there as well.”

“She’s in for a treat. Your mom makes the best cookies. She used to send them to me when I was in basic training. The guys loved them.”

“She did?” Why did she not know about that?

“Yup. There was more than one fight over the last cookie.” His smile was small but beautiful. She’d missed it over all these years.

“Mr. Jolley?” A man in a lab coat and file folder walked up to them. “I’m Dr. Burns, the staff physician here at the hospital. I wanted to discuss the findings of your father’s toxicology report.”

“His what? Why would they run that?”

“It’s standard policy. It just came in and I had a minute.” He led them to a nearby family waiting room. Nick gestured for her to follow. Inside, he closed the door, and they sat. “We found traces of cannabis in your father’s blood. Was he on any CBD ingestibles?”

“Dad? No. Not that I know of.” Nick leaned in.

Michelle couldn’t imagine Nick’s dad smoking a joint for some relaxation, but with age, several people used CBD products to relieve aches and pains.

“His levels were elevated. He also had increased blood sugars and glucose levels.”

“He’s Santa. He lived on cookies and peppermint candy this time of year.” Michelle doubted Russ Jolley had changed that much over the years.

The doctor’s brows raised in question.

“He plays Santa at the mall, has for years,” Nick said.

“I see. I just wanted to let you know. As his family, you will need to watch medicines and diet.” The doctor shook their hands, then left.

“Could your father have been using CBD products?” Michelle asked as they walked back to the main area.

“I doubt it. He was into all-natural healthy eating, but he had a prescription from his doc for the pain in his hip. I’ve seen him take it on occasion.” He paced, hands in pockets. “I’ll ask him.”

“If his levels were elevated, he could have walked out into traffic. The minivan driver was distracted. She couldn’t say if the light had changed yet.”

His phone alarm sounded. “Ava.”

“Don’t worry.” Without thought, Michelle gave him a quick hug before leaving.

She got into her vehicle and closed her eyes. “I like kids. I’m the favorite aunt. I can do this.” Blowing out a breath, she opened her eyes.

But could she win over Nick’s daughter? It shouldn’t matter, but for reasons she didn’t want to dig into, it did.

Chapter 10