Angel Unaware Read Free

in the family had seen or heard from her since she’d walked out of rehab after only a week, and that was years ago.
    Having to be Penny’s caregiver had seemed like a big thing at the time of the accident. After all, Penny’s was Rosalie’s blood, and he owed his sister that much. She’d raised him, taken on the task of being a mother after theirs passed away, and gave up her life to work two jobs to send him through college.
    Not until he’d actually arrived here and realized the enormity of the task he’d taken on, did it fully hit him how totally unprepared he was to look after his niece. That had been a little less than a year ago, and things had not gotten better. If anything, they’d gotten measurably worse.
    In his defense, kids and marriage had never been high on his list of must-dos. He’d enjoyed the freedom of his bachelor lifestyle. No one to report to. No one to worry about. No one to —
    “Have you done any Christmas shopping?” Millie’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Penny’ll be expecting a visit from Santa, you know. You only have four weeks. And what about a tree? She’ll definitely expect a tree.” Tony could almost hear her brain ticking off the items on her mental to-do list. “Aren’t Rosalie’s decorations in the attic?”
    Christmas ? Presents ? A tree ?
    Damn! With everything else going on in his life, he’d forgotten all about the upcoming holiday. Tony ran his fingers through his hair. Just what he needed, one more problem to add to the growing list.
    What did he buy a six-year-old for Christmas? He’d never had a problem with one birthday present or one Christmas present for Penny. Now, he’d have to make sure that on Christmas morning more than one gift was under the tree, not to mention stuffing a stocking, planning a Christmas dinner and cooking it, and putting on a holiday face. The mountain of problems he was facing just seemed to keep getting higher and higher. But there was one that he didn’t have to add to the list.
    “I brought my aluminum tree with me when I moved here. Rosalie’s in-laws gave it to me when they moved out West.”
    “Aluminum?” Millie’s disapproving frown spoke volumes. She clicked her tongue disparagingly. “I haven’t seen one of them for almost fifty years. I thought they died along with the hippies and the Beat Generation.” She shook her head. “No. Trust me, Tony, the child needs a real tree, one that makes the house smell like Christmas. Not a decorated replica of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz .”
    Tony sighed. “The aluminum tree will be fine. Besides, trees and Christmas presents are the least of my worries. What Penny needs more than a real tree is a woman’s touch. Now that she’s started school, she needs someone who knows how to handle a little girl, someone who can pick out her clothes and comb her hair.”
    He dropped into the closest kitchen chair and recalled his disastrous attempt at braiding Penny’s long, copper curls the previous morning. It had taken hours to untangle her hair, and the whole incident had upset her so much, she’d ended up missing school that day. Which meant he’d had to stay home with her and have his foreman oversee the work at the Falcone Builders’ construction site, something that had been happening all too frequently lately.
    He leaned back and emptied his cup of coffee in one long swallow.
    “You know you can call on me whenever you need help.”
    Tony patted Millie’s hand. “I know. You’ve been a big help and for that you have my undying gratitude, but you have your own burdens to see to. Besides, I need someone who will live here all the time so I don’t have to worry about Penny. I’ve been leaving a lot of my construction business in my foreman’s hands. I’m lucky Jake’s a good man. But I can’t keep doing that.”
    Millie sighed, untied her flowered apron, and folded it neatly before sliding it into the tote bag with the casserole dish. Then she sat across