My father went for the raspberry. The fake stuff was left untouched as we all dug in and ate ravenously. The bacon disappeared quicker than the pancakes, and by the time we were done, I was stuffed to max capacity. I leaned back and patted my stomach. “Well, I don’t need to eat until dinner time now.”
Asher copied my posture and sank down onto his bottom to lean back in his chair and rub his tiny belly. “Me too.”
My dad shook his head at the both of us. “Nonsense. Lunch will roll around, and the two of you will somehow have room for even more food. Mark my words.” He stood up, collected our plates, and began loading the dishwasher.
I looked at Asher and nodded at my father. Asher slid off his chair and began helping to clear the table. I sat for a minute as my food settled and then started to help as well. The kitchen was clean in minutes, and when Asher heaved the dishwasher door closed, he peered up at my father and me. “Dad, I have a question.”
“Of course you do. What is it, kiddo?”
“Penguins have wings, right?”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“And they’re technically birds, right?”
“Yes,” I said, wondering where he was going with this interrogation style line of questioning.
“So why can’t they fly?”
I glanced at my dad, who was smirking. He shrugged his shoulders. “This is your territory, Cal. Not mine. Why can’t penguins fly?”
I scowled at my father. Then I looked down at Asher. His eyes were wide as he stared up at me, ever the curious child. I put my hands on my hips. “You know what, kiddo? I don’t know the answer to that question, but we can find out. Let’s look online.”
“Okay.” Asher nodded.
I pulled out my phone and typed in his question. When I found the answer, I nodded. “Here it is. Penguins can’t fly because their wings function more like flippers than bird wings. They’re made for pushing them through the water, like a seal. Make sense, Ash?”
Asher nodded. “Yeah, it does. Thanks, Dad.”
“What are you doing in school today?” I asked my son.
Asher pursed his lips. “Umm, I think more show and tell. And watching a Christmas movie. Maybe the Grinch.”
I smiled down at him. “How about we go to the zoo instead?”
Asher’s eyes lit up as he gasped with excitement. “Really?”
“Really. Go upstairs. Dress warm. And make sure you put on socks because you’ll be wearing your boots. Hurry up. Chop chop!”
Asher bolted out of the kitchen and upstairs. My father chuckled. “He’s a spoiled little fella, isn’t he?”
“He deserves it.”
“That he does. He’s a good kid. A great kid. And how better to spend your time off than with him?”
“You’re coming too, Dad.”
My father grinned. “You bet your ass I am. You aren’t leaving this old fart at home.”
“You’re sixty six, Dad. You’re not an old fart.”
“That’s a matter of opinion. You wait and see how your knees feel when you’re closing in on seventy. You’ll see where I was coming from.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved him off. “So you’ve said. Many times.”
“Because it’s true.”
I smiled at him, and we both sat at the kitchen table to wait for Asher to get ready. “So, I was invited to my fifteen-year reunion at Westview High tomorrow night.”
My father raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
I nodded. “David invited me. They’re hosting it around Christmas because more people are in town. They’re hoping for a better turnout than the ten year.”
My dad put on an innocent expression. “More people like Lina Nelson?”
I looked at him sharply. “I haven’t spoken to her since graduation night. I’d be shocked if she shows up. She’s living out in the Big Apple and has a career in modeling, last I heard.”
“Well, it will be nice to see everyone,” he said.
“I’m still not sure if I’m going.”
“What? Why not? It would be nice to see some old friends. It would do you good, son. You’ve disconnected from a lot of personal relationships. Maybe this is perfect timing.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
We arrived at the zoo shortly after it opened that Thursday morning. Not many people were there, as most kids were still in school, so we had free rein of the park. As per Asher’s request, we did the path in reverse, starting at the end and working our way back to the beginning.
Asher lingered outside each and every exhibit for as long as my father and I could bear. He was especially fascinated with big cats, which I understood, because they were powerful and magnificent creatures that stalked my son on the other side of the glass.
Asher told us random facts he knew about all sorts of animals. He did his best to read the informational signs about each species in front of their pens. Some of it, I read to him. He loved the monkeys and zebras, and oohed and ahhed over the giraffes, which soared over his head to eat foliage from a tree in their habitat.
My son grabbed my hand and pointed across the path to a building surrounded by picnic tables. “I’m hungry, Dad.”
I nodded. “I could eat. I wonder if they’ve got any penguin burgers.”
Asher wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Eww, they better not.”
I shrugged. “You never know. Let’s head over and see what they’ve got.”
My son nodded, and we began making our way over to the concession stand.
My father laughed beside me. “Did I not say this would happen? Breakfast was barely three hours ago, and you’re already moving on to your next meal.”
“He’s a growing boy,” I said.
“And what’s your excuse?”
I shrugged. “I want to feel included.”
My father laughed and so did I. Asher joined in, even though he didn’t really seem to understand what was so funny.
We ordered burgers and fries and sodas—penguins were not on the menu—and Asher chose what he deemed to be the best table. The food was overpriced and mediocre, but the company was exceptional, and the joy in my son’s eyes made it one of the best meals of my life.
8
Lina
My plane touched down at nine in the morning on Thursday. After the rigorous work of getting off the plane, finding my way through the terminal, and retrieving my luggage, I made my way out through the gates and peered through a gathered crowd to try to spot Kelli.
She must have seen me first because I heard her cry my name. People parted out of her way, and she burst free from them to throw her arms around me, squeezing me tightly. “Lina! It’s so good to see you!” She pulled away and looked up at me. “You look as gorgeous as ever. Wow.”
“So do you, Kelli.” I smiled. I wasn’t lying. Her skin was clear and bright and so were her eyes. Her smile was radiant. She looked good. Especially since the last time I’d seen her, things hadn’t been going well for her and her mother. “I’m happy to be here. Thank you again for inviting me. This will be the best Christmas I’ve had in a while.”
Kelli went to grab my suitcase, but I waved her off. She grinned and turned toward the exit to the parking lot. We began walking. “It will be an awesome holiday. I have so many things planned. So does Mom. I hope you’re ready to celebrate in style this year. We’re not holding back.”
“Sounds perfect.” I could already picture the house I’d spent most of my high school years living in. I could smell the apple cider simmering on the stove in the kitchen and the pine of the very real Christmas tree Judy put in front of the big bay window in the living room. It could be seen from the street and was quite possibly the most magical tree I had ever seen—and I had seen some pretty wonderful trees while working on Christmas-styled photo shoots. But nothing held a candle to Judy’s tree.
We found Kelli’s white SUV in the parking lot, and I loaded my suitcase into the back before climbing in the passenger seat. As soon as she turned
the car on, the heat started to flow in through the vents, and I aimed them at myself while holding my freezing cold hands in front of them. “Damn, it’s cold.
“Yep, I love it. Mom is out right now, but there’s a pot of spiced apple cider on the stove for us.”
I smiled. “Of course there is.”
We drove away from the airport and hit the interstate. The drive was about thirty minutes long, and we talked about every little thing that popped into our minds. Kelli asked me about modeling and how it was going. I lied and said it was going great, that I couldn’t have hoped for better. “My agent thinks my big break is right around the corner. And he’s not usually wrong.”
“That’s so exciting, Lina. Congrats!”
“Thank you. What about you? How’s work going?”
Kelli sighed. “Well, unfortunately, it’s not going at all. Mom has really been missing Dad the last few months, so I asked my manager if I could change my hours to part time. I didn’t think there’d be any harm in it. Nurses everywhere are looking for work, so I assumed they’d be able to fill my shifts easily.”
“But?”
“But he told me I couldn’t cut my hours based on my contract, and I’d have to wait until March to change things. But who knows if I’d even want to be part time in March? Honestly, the whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way, so I ended up telling him to stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
I laughed in surprise. “You quit?”
“Damn straight, I quit. Now I’ve been unemployed since August and am living back at home with Mom and her cat. Not that I’m complaining. It’s just… not where I saw myself at thirty-two, you know?”
“I know the feeling all too well,” I said. I definitely never thought I’d be modeling at this age. In fact, I’d been told countless times over that I was well past my prime and pursuing this career was foolish. But I kept booking shoots and ads, and like Joe said, if the money was good now, why not take advantage of it?
We turned down Kelli’s street. I inched forward, peering out my window as Kelli turned into the driveway.
“Wow,” I breathed. “It looks exactly the same.”
“Yeah, I guess it does. Minus the new garage door.”
I looked the house over. It was a stunning old colonial that had been remodelled when the Rollins family purchased it ages ago. The white siding was a crisp white that matched the thin layer of snow on the grass on the front lawn. The windows were framed in black shutters which matched the black front door. The same gold lion head knocker sat below the peephole, just like I remembered.
I got out of the car. The air was clean, fresh, familiar.
Kelli got my suitcase out of the back as I admired the white fence and the detached garage. She was right. The door was new. Where it used to be black and solid wood, it was now black and set with frosted windows to give it a more modern feel. Kelli’s dad probably did it so that he had more natural daylight when he worked on the cars in there.
Poor Mr. Rollins.
Kelli and I walked up the drive and in through the front door. The smells I’d been anticipating, pine and cider, greeted me with a wave of nostalgia. “It smells so good in here,” I practically moaned.
“You know how Mom gets this time of year. Come on. Let’s get a cider, and we’ll get comfy in the living room.”
I glanced to my left, through the open rounded archway into the living room. It was stunning, just as I remembered. The couches were still the same off-white ones that had been here when I lived in this house. They were covered in various pillows in shades of red, green, and gold. A couple were plaid. The coffee table was decorated with a plaid runner and had a centerpiece of a glass vase filled with greenery and Christmas ornaments inside it.
Unlit candles were placed on every surface. The fireplace was massive and white brick. To the left of it was the Christmas tree, standing tall and elegant in the frame of the living room window.
I let my purse slide off my shoulder and put it on the couch as I walked by to stand in front of the tree. “It’s beautiful. This might be your mom’s best tree yet.”
“It’s a good one. So full and green. She added a bit more gold ornaments this year that really make it magical. Here, let’s turn the lights on.” Kelli came over and slid her foot under the white tree skirt. She stepped on the same switch I used to use to turn the tree on, and the lights winked to life, casting the living room with a warm, festive glow.
My heart swelled. “Thank you for inviting me, Kelli.”
Kelli wrapped her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulders. “You’re always welcome here, Lina. You don’t have to wait for an invite to come home.”
Home.
I hugged her back. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s get that apple cider. I’ve been thinking about it since I left the airport. There are also some butter tarts and lemon squares. Oh, and Nanaimo bars. Want some?”
“Um, yes. I want all of them.”
“Good answer.”
I followed Kelli into the kitchen. It was the same as I remembered, too. White cupboards below black quartz countertops with flakes of silver glitter in them. Judy had impeccable taste. Kelli turned on the element beneath the pot of cider and covered it with a lid. Then she opened the freezer and took out the assortment of treats, placing them on a festive serving tray with a laughing Santa Claus and a bashful Rudolph.
When the cider was warmed, she scooped some into crystal mugs for us, and we went to the living room and curled up on opposite ends of the sofa.
My first sip of cider had my taste buds working overdrive. It was so damn good. And it tasted like memories. I remembered sitting in this very spot, sipping cider, talking with Judy and her husband Neil the night before my very first Christmas at their house. They’d incorporated some of my family traditions into their own, like opening a new set of pajamas on Christmas Eve and wearing them to bed to lounge in them all day on Christmas day. They had also introduced me to all of their traditions, like stocking stuffers and Christmas crackers at the dinner table.
Sitting with the Rollins had been hard that night. They made me feel welcomed, but I missed my parents, and Christmas was especially hard the first time you went through it after losing a loved one. Kelli and Judy were going to figure that out this year. My heart ached for them both.
And for myself.
Neil had been a joyful presence in the house. He’d helped me with many things, including navigating some bullying in high school and stepping in to be the one to set guidelines with boyfriends and curfews. At the time, it annoyed the hell out of me, but now, I could see it for what it was: love.
I tucked my legs up under myself and sipped more cider from the very edge of my mug. It was so hot, it almost burned.
Kelli was watching me over the rim of her own mug.
“What?” I asked curiously.
“Nothing.”
“I can tell it’s not nothing. You have that look in your eye like you want to say something.”
She smiled. “You know me so well.”
“Then spill it.”
Kelli sipped her cider and then put it down, swapping it for a lemon square. She took a bite, closed her eyes as she chewed, and swallowed. Then she opened her eyes and met my gaze. “It’s the fifteen-year Westview High reunion tomorrow night.”
“What?” I asked. “Why? The reunion isn’t supposed to be until the middle of June.”
“I know, but nobody came to the ten-year one because so many people have moved away. They figured this year, they would have it around the holidays when people were already coming back to see family. Clever, isn’t it?”
“So is not telling me about the reunion before you swindled me into coming back here,” I said.
Kelli laughed. “I knew it would deter you, and that’s no reason not to come spend Christmas with your family.”
“I don’t think I’m too keen on the idea of meeting up with everyone from school. It’s been so long. An
d to be honest, I don’t know if I care enough to see those people. Is that rude?”
Kelli shook her head. “No, not really. But how can you not be the least bit curious? Did Leo marry Jordan? Who has kids? How old are they? Who’s working where? I just… I don’t know. I can’t help myself. And I don’t want to go without you.”
I frowned. “What if Cal is there?”
“Cal who?” Kelli asked innocently.
“Don’t play dumb.”
Kelli smiled into her cider. “Sorry. Just pulling your leg. I doubt he’d show up. He’s a big shot lawyer downtown now. He doesn’t have time for the little folks like us. Well, little folks minus you. The jewel in the rough.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop it.”
“I can’t help it. You bring out my worst side.”
I shook my head at her and leaned forward to grab a Nanaimo bar from the plate. I took a bite. “Your mom has to teach me how to make these things. They’re so good.”
“I’m sure she’d be happy to. She’s been trying to teach me for years, but you know how I am in the kitchen.”
“Useless?”
“Exactly. I just create a big mess making something that’s going to taste like ass. So why bother?”
“Fair point.”
“So you’ll come to the reunion?”
I sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
9
Callum
“What’s this?” Asher asked as he lifted up my paisley patterned pocket square from where it lay atop my bed. He turned it in his hands, studying it the way a chemist might study a blood sample, and then set it back down.
“It’s a pocket square,” I told him.
Asher looked up at me. He was standing right at the edge of my bed to look at the suit I’d chosen for the reunion. “What does it do?”
My Holiday Reunion: A Second Chance Holiday Romance Page 5