Paige's Miracle

Chapter 4

"Oh, Mr. Kinsley—"

"Daniel. Please."

"Okay, Daniel. You didn't have to do this." Paige's disquiet was subsiding. There was a genuinely disarming quality about the man. Then she felt her eyes go as wide as Jason's. Her embarrassment at having to accept charity from a stranger warred with her gratitude for all he'd done for them—essentially giving them Christmas. Flustered and a little uncertain, she motioned behind her with her arm. "You mean you are responsible for all of this?"

He laughed again. "Guilty as charged." Sobering, he added, "How could I not do it after learning about Jason?"

His obvious sincerity further lessened her discomfort. Their eyes held for a long moment. Something warm, something elemental—a shared understanding, perhaps—passed between them.

With her eyes still on his, Paige broke the silence. "Mr. Kinsley—Daniel," she corrected herself before he could. "I don't know how to thank you. Come in, please."

As Daniel stepped inside, Jason dashed over. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the box.

"Jason! This is Mr. Kinsley."

"Sorry, Mom. Hello, Mr. Kinsley. Um, what's that?" he asked again.

"It's a gift for you." Daniel glanced at Paige. "Where should I put it?"

Paige looked around the living room. "How about here?" she suggested, leading him to the coffee table. When the oven timer dinged, she excused herself.

She opened the oven door and checked the turkey, which was coming along nicely. She realized that it, too, was courtesy of their Wish I May Foundation sponsor. The person who was currently in their living room. The person who'd already been so generous to them and had come to deliver another gift. It was hard to believe.

Not wanting to leave Jason with a stranger for long, regardless of how trustworthy he seemed, Paige rushed back to the living room.

Colorful wrapping paper was scattered everywhere. The large box was open and stood next to the coffee table. Daniel's jacket was slung over the back of the sofa. His sleeves were rolled up, and he was removing pieces of the set.

Jason beckoned to her. "Look, Mom! Look at all these pieces!"

She joined them. "I see."

"Mr. Kinsley is helping me. Is that okay?"

Paige's eyes met Daniel's. She'd never seen eyes that shade of green, and they shone with pleasure. "Sure. We shouldn't keep him too long, though. I'm certain Mr. Kinsley has plans."

"I've got time, if you don't mind me helping Jason put the train set together."

Paige hesitated. "All right. I'll just finish getting dinner ready." Still cautious of a stranger with her son, she turned back to Jason as she was about to enter the kitchen. "Call if you need anything."

Paige prepared the vegetables, got the makings for the salad ready and continued to marvel at Daniel Kinsley. She hadn't known his name until he introduced himself. All she'd known from her discussions with Laura Andrews was that Jason's sponsor was a lawyer with an important firm in Hartford, Connecticut. This had to be highly unusual, a sponsor delivering gifts personally, but Paige was certain that Laura wouldn't have given Daniel her address if she didn't trust him.

Paige scooped the cranberry sauce into a small serving dish. She'd made all the dinner preparations she could for the time being. She put the oven mitts back in the drawer next to the stove and stepped through the kitchen doorway into the living room.