by Holly Rayner
Per tradition, the cookies were set to cool while the family ate together around the table, a large turkey already cut and prepared. Yvonne sat across from the twins, who whispered to one another, sharing private jokes and giggling as they played with their food.
Yvonne watched as her mother and Dan looked on, their eyes glowing with love. She felt like she was standing outside, looking into a world she had never really known.
After dinner, her mother pulled the wishbone from the turkey and held it out to her.
“Make a wish,” she said, her eyes bright.
Yvonne smiled as her sisters groaned about not getting a turn to wish, but she felt special to be singled out by her mother. Grasping the slippery bone, she closed her eyes, and made her wish—to have a family of her very own.
When they pulled on the bone, Yvonne won, and her mother grinned.
“I hope it comes true, my love.”
“Me too,” Yvonne agreed.
She checked her watch, realizing that if she wanted to make it to her father’s house in time, she wouldn’t have time to decorate the cookies. Saying as much, she stood, the rest of the family standing to bid her farewell. Her mother hugged her extra tight before she stepped from the warm house back into the cold.
“Give your father and the family our best,” Debbie said, and Yvonne nodded.
“I will,” she promised.
She turned and walked back to her car as the door closed behind her, feeling somehow very full and very empty all at once. As she turned her key in the ignition, she made her way back onto the road, and toward another happy family.
She thought about her wish, and turned the radio back up once more.
Chapter 4
Two hours later, Yvonne wound her way along the dirt road that led to her father’s lake house.
Always the great outdoorsman, her father had opted to get closer to nature after the divorce, while distancing himself effectively from her mother. She’d adapted to only seeing him every other weekend, eventually meeting the woman that would become his second wife, and welcoming from afar another sister and brother from their union.
Turning into his bumpy driveway, she winced as her car dipped and slid along the ragged surface of the gravel, her father’s Swiss-chalet-style house coming into view. The building was triangular, with a pointed tip and a wooden porch on each level of the building. On the second floor, tall glass windows showcased a beautifully lit-up Christmas tree, a golden star sitting at its top.
Yvonne pulled into her usual spot, turning off the engine and stepping out into the cold air of early evening. She shivered as she wrapped her coat more firmly around herself. She so often forgot just how much cooler it was down by the lake—it was a raw, intense level of cold that she was certainly unused to, compared to the city.
She picked up her pace as she walked to the front door, pressing it open. It was unlocked, as ever. Yvonne’s father had purposely chosen to live in the middle of nowhere as it meant that he could feel safe enough to leave his doors unlocked.
The scent of warm ham and various spices met her as she stepped inside, and, in spite of finishing a large lunch just hours before, Yvonne felt a twinge of hunger. She would have to detox for a week after this holiday season!
Her father’s wife, Cheryl, was moving about the kitchen in a frenzy as Yvonne’s other set of half-siblings sat at the kitchen table, looking down at their phones.
“Merry Christmas,” Yvonne called out.
All heads shot up at her arrival, and she was tackled by her preteen siblings Colton and Emma, laughing as she wrapped her arms around them.
“Whoa, I didn’t think you’d miss me that much!”
“We didn’t,” Colton said, looking up at her with a grin. “Mom said we could open a present early if we’re extra nice to you.”
“Colton,” Cheryl hissed, blushing as she looked up at Yvonne.
“I was trying to get them to behave, Yvonne. Please know you are very loved here.”
Yvonne laughed it off, giving the kids one last squeeze before she moved to give her step-mother a hug.
“Totally understand,” she said. “I’d offer presents if it would make these cretins behave, too.”
Emma crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at Yvonne, who wrinkled her nose at the younger girl. Since she had seen her last, Emma had sprouted at least two inches, and Colton was nearly taller than she was. It was as though she were chatting with entire different people, though it hadn’t felt like it had been that long since she’d seen them last, had it?
Her father walked in from the living room then, smiling broadly as he saw Yvonne.
“Baby girl! I’m so glad you could make it. Cheryl is making us quite the feast. I hope you didn’t ruin your appetite at your mother’s.”
“Not at all. I ate just enough to be hungry for round two,” she said, leaning into her father’s warm embrace and breathing in the faint scent of tobacco and a classic cologne. To Yvonne, her father smelled of Christmas, because it was one of the few times of year she ever got to spend quality time with him. When she pulled away, she smiled up into his eyes.
“It’s good to see you, Dad.”
“And you, Sprout. Come, tell me all about your wild D.C. life. Are you thirsty?”
“Always,” she replied, watching as her father opened the lid to one of the pots on the stove and ladled out two mugs of piping hot liquid.
“This is Cheryl’s mulled wine. It’s made with all kinds of fancy spices. We’ve really benefitted from her newfound love of the cooking channel. She’s got a real number worked up for our meal tonight.”
“I can hardly wait,” Yvonne said, taking the proffered mug from her father as they made their way out of the kitchen to leave Cheryl in peace.
She nodded to her stepmother, who gave her a gentle smile as she enlisted her young half-siblings in some kind of potato cutting contest.
“I can finish mine faster,” Emma goaded.
“In your dreams. Mom, if I win can I have an extra piece of pie?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Cheryl said, a sly gleam in her eye.
As the young brother-sister duo feverishly peeled potatoes into an open trashcan, Yvonne felt another sharp pang in her gut. A part of her had always been heartsick that her parents had never had another child together. She was the odd woman out at everything, with no full-blooded sibling to spend all her time with, making fun of their parents together while loving them exactly the same way.
She sighed as she followed her father, and he gazed back at her with a curious expression.
“What is it, Peanut? World got you down? It’s Christmas Eve, after all. Where’s the joy?”
Yvonne studied his face for a moment, eyeing the laugh lines crinkling at the corners of his green eyes—a pair that uniquely matched her own. His skin was tanned, as he vacationed fairly regularly, and the wear was beginning to show. Her father had begun aging; she had just been too busy living her life to see it.
“I’m fine,” she said, taking a sip of her spiced wine. The flavor of nutmeg and cinnamon paired with the warm zing of the crimson merlot sent warmth straight through her, and she held the mug a little closer, hugging it. “This is outstanding. I’ll have to ask Cheryl which channel she’s watching, so I can snag the recipe.”
“I’m sure she’d be more than happy to give it to you,” her father said, leading the way to a series of sofas overlooking the lake.
Just beyond the house, the lake shimmered in the indigo of deep dusk, chunks of ice floating on the edges of the otherwise unfrozen body of water.
“Do you think you’ll get to skate this year?” Yvonne asked.
Her father shook his head. “I don’t think so. Lake’s too big, and it never gets cold enough. Sometimes, I think we should move up north.”
“And leave all this behind? Never.”
They sat together on a loveseat, Yvonne’s father pulling out a soft, fuzzy blanket and covering them both with it.
Together, they sat and enjoyed their winter beverage, paired perfectly with the beautiful view as they caught up on things.
“How’s work?” her father asked.
“It’s good. I work with great people, so that helps,” she replied, her mind darting to Zadid. What was he doing in that moment? Was he warm and cozy like she was, or was he alone, in need of someone to hold by a fire, perhaps? Yvonne bit back a smile at her own school-girlish thoughts.
Before they could talk more, Cheryl announced that dinner was ready, and Yvonne and her father made their way back to the kitchen, where a display-worthy setup was laid before them on the table. There was a decoratively-cut ham, a series of breads of all shapes and kinds, cooked vegetables arranged by color in ornament shapes, and, to top it all off, at least four different pies.
“You’ve outdone yourself, my dear.” Yvonne’s father leaned in and kissed Cheryl’s cheek, and Yvonne’s heart warmed at the look of love she gave him.
While she would always wish her parents had stayed together, they had found good people on their own, and Yvonne had to be happy for them in that regard. They sat together, Colton and Emma picking fights with one another as the conversation turned rowdy right away, Yvonne sitting back and repressing a laugh at the din around her.
She sank her teeth into a piece of spiced bread. The outside was perfectly crispy, the inside flawlessly baked and soft. The bread was warm, melted butter adding the perfect touch of flavor as she paired it with the ham. Next to the ham, there was also roast chicken for Emma, who had decided recently that pigs were too cute to eat.
Yvonne absently wondered if she’d get another chance for a wishbone wish.
“To family, friends, life, and love,” her father toasted, lifting his glass high into the air.
“Cheers!” everyone cried out.
There was no ceremony at her father’s house. He had toasted well into the meal, defying tradition while embracing it at every turn.
“Speaking of love…” Cheryl began, turning toward Yvonne.
Here we go again, she thought. The holidays were turning more brutal with each passing year of her single life.
“Have you found a nice man yet?” Cheryl asked, after Yvonne didn’t take the bait on her initial statement.
“Not yet,” she answered, trying her best not to sound annoyed by the question.
“All we want is for you to have a loving home of your own, Sprout,” her dad said, taking a bite of ham. “Everyone deserves to have a family to come to at the end of the day.”
“Yes, well. Tell that to all the single men in Washington,” she replied, shrugging.
Cheryl pulled the wishbone from the chicken, holding it out to her.
“I want to make a wish!” Colton whined.
Cheryl shook her head. “Wishes are for people who need a little bit of luck and a little bit of love. Let’s see if Yvonne will get hers answered today.”
Yvonne smiled as she firmly gripped the other side of the wishbone.
“Make your wish,” Cheryl prompted.
Yvonne closed her eyes and inhaled.
I wish I had a family of my own.
Might as well keep it the same, she figured. She let out her breath as she opened her eyes and pulled. The bone snapped, declaring her the winner.
“Well, there you have it,” Cheryl said, clearly pleased. “Good things are on the way Yvonne. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you,” she said, sticking her tongue out at her half-siblings as they grumbled about not getting a turn.
They spent the rest of the evening in the living room. Yvonne’s father started a roaring fire in the little wood burner, and the family toasted marshmallows and ate more pie than they should have as they cuddled by the fire. Putting on their favorite Christmas movie, they sat on the couches together as Yvonne’s half-siblings began to drift off.
Looking at her watch, Yvonne moved to get up, standing and stretching. “I should get going.”
Her father and Cheryl stood, making sure not to disturb the sleeping kids.
“Thank you for coming, Yvonne. I’m so sorry you’ll be alone tomorrow,” Cheryl said.
“I won’t be. I’ve got a work friend to have dinner with.”
“Oh, good. You give them our very best, and we’ll chat soon, okay?” her stepmother said.
With one last hug for her father, Yvonne snuggled into her coat once again, the sting of the wind off the lake hitting her hard as she jogged to her car and headed back home.
She had done so much already, and Christmas hadn’t even begun!
Chapter 5
As Yvonne drove down the length of highway back towards the city, her phone rang through the Bluetooth in her car.
Seeing the number on her dashboard, she pressed the answer key. “Mackenzie Thomas, to what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call on Christmas Eve?”
“Come out with us!”
“What? I thought you were getting engaged tonight or something.”
“Kyle is here with me and we’re going to go ice skating at the park across from work. Come join us, it’s going to be amazing!”
Yvonne laughed. “Have you been drinking, by any chance?”
“Of course I’ve been drinking. It’s Christmas Eve! Just please come meet us? Are you still out in the boondocks with your family?”
“I’m about thirty minutes from the city. Also, it’s super late—how is that place even open?”
“When else is an ice skating rink going to be open? Just come. Say you’ll come. I’m not going to stop asking until you say yes!”
It seemed strange that her friend was being so pressing, but Yvonne realized in that moment that she could use some friend time. While her family was wonderful, Mackenzie was a family member that she had selected herself. The thought of a fun ice skating adventure was appealing, even if she was still feeling wiped out from staying up so late the night before.
“Fine, I’ll see you in thirty minutes,” she said, and Mackenzie cheered.
“Best friends for life! See you soon!”
“See you soon,” Yvonne echoed, ending the call.
Her Christmas music came back on, and Yvonne sang cheerfully, enjoying the ability to see so many people she loved in one day. Of course, what she should have been doing was preparing her apartment for the magical Christmas dinner she was planning to have for Zadid, but there would be plenty of time for that. She already had all the ingredients she needed—all she had to do was decorate and cook.
Beyond that, she needed a distraction from the fact that she would be hosting him, in her apartment, alone. It sounded terribly romantic already, and the last thing she needed was to get her hopes up. Yvonne was a sensible woman, but when it came to Zadid, her heart wouldn’t seem to let her brain get a word in edgewise.
She wound her way through empty city streets, everyone home and waiting for the arrival of good old Saint Nick. The parking garage by the office was a graveyard, with only two cars in the lot.
Yvonne couldn’t help but notice that one of them happened to belong to Zadid.
Her mind raced as she considered heading upstairs to check on him. Was he seriously working at the office alone on Christmas Eve? Her phone buzzed then, with a text from Mackenzie asking where she was, and she sighed, resolving to leave him to do whatever he was doing.
Zadid was a grown man who could take care of himself. He didn’t need her barging in, checking on him like they were dating. Their relationship in no way called for that kind of behavior, much to her chagrin. She sent a quick text back to Mackenzie letting her know that she had parked and was walking over.
She stepped out into the street and walked across it, a large ice skating rink glowing in front of her beneath several large lampposts. In the center of the rink, Mackenzie and Kyle were skating together, twirling and laughing as they fell over. Yvonne waved as Mackenzie caught her eye, her friend’s mouth widening in an even bigger smile.
“Yvonne! You came!” She planted a q
uick kiss on Kyle’s cheek before she shot up and skated over as fast as her feet could take her. When she got there, she pulled off her glove, revealing a very sparkly engagement ring. “He did it! He proposed!”
Yvonne held her friend’s hand as she admired the beautiful new piece of jewelry. Kyle skated up to them, looking bashful as he gazed lovingly at his new fiancée.
“Congratulations, and well done!” Yvonne said, holding up Mackenzie’s hand as she smiled at Kyle.
“Thanks,” he replied, sounding pleased. “I’m a lucky guy.”
“That you are. You’ve got one of the best women in the world here. Don’t you ever let her go.”
“I don’t plan to,” he said, taking Mackenzie’s hand and kissing the back of it.
She stared up at him with sheer adoration before she looked back to Yvonne. “Come skating with us! The rental office is still open; you can get a pair. Oh, and if you look over there, they’ve been blowing out a bunch of fake snow for a snowman-building contest in the morning. People are already making some, though.”
Yvonne thought about spending Christmas Eve as the third wheel to a newly engaged couple. The idea was less than appealing, but when she saw the look in her friend’s eye, she knew she couldn’t deny her any extra happiness.
“I’ll go grab a pair of skates,” she said.
“Great! We’ll be here!”
Yvonne walked around the rink until she entered the small skate rental office. A teenage boy in a wrinkled uniform sat behind the desk, looking down at his phone. When he heard the door open, he looked up, hiding the device beneath the desk.
“Hello. Size?”
Yvonne told him, and the boy placed a pair of white ice skates on the desk, taking her cash before glancing back down beneath the counter, now just barely bothering to hide his distraction.
A red-haired man with a full beard was busy lacing his own skates up at the only bench, and Yvonne sat beside him.
“Fine night for a skate,” the man commented.
Yvonne glanced over at him. His blue eyes were bright as he looked at her, and she nodded. “I suppose Christmas Eve is as good as any other.”