Justin let out a long breath. “Look, it’s just one more day. Then I promise I’ll be home on the very next morning ferry.”
“That’s all well and good, but why are you telling me? Shouldn’t you be explaining this to Kennedy?”
There was a pause. “That’s where I need the favor.”
Oh, hell to the no.
“Sorry, no can do, Justin. I draw the line at relationship interference.”
“Oh, come on. I can’t handle Kennedy getting all whiny on me. You know women better than any man.”
Perhaps Matt did know women. He’d dated enough of them, which had to be the reason why he knew Kennedy wasn’t a whiny kind of woman. But Justin should know that. Instead, it seemed as if his brother didn’t know his own fiancée at all, which stirred his anger even more. Kennedy deserved better. She also deserved a freakin’ engagement ring.
He had to remind himself it was none of his business.
“Please, Matt,” his brother pleaded. “I wouldn’t normally ask this, but I have another meeting in fifteen minutes. I don’t want her feelings to get hurt, and I know I can trust you to explain it better than I ever could. So will you do this for me? For family.”
Matt clenched his teeth. He was a moron and a complete sap, more so because he found himself agreeing. Anything to get off the phone before he told Justin off.
“Awesome. Thanks, man. It’s nice to know I can always count on you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Matt muttered. “Just get your ass on that ferry first thing Friday morning, okay?”
“Will do. See you then.”
After Justin disconnected, Matt shoved his phone into his pocket and walked back into the living room.
His mom frowned when she saw his expression. “Who was that, dear? Is there a problem at the winery?”
Matt rubbed his forehead. “Uh, no. It was Justin.”
Kennedy’s gaze cut to him. Her eyes were wide and round as if offended Justin didn’t call her first. Yeah, he didn’t blame her one bit.
“Is he okay?” she asked.
For now, Matt thought bitterly. Unless he pulls another stunt like this and puts that look on your face again. Then he’s going to be toast.
“What’s the matter?” his mom asked.
“Um, nothing is the matter.” He pasted on a smile he wasn’t anywhere near feeling and went on. “In fact, everything is fantastic.”
Flippin’ freakin’ fantastic.
Kennedy bit her lip. “Is it?”
“Oh, sure. It’s just that Justin’s portfolio thing went better than he hoped, and his boss wants to take him out to celebrate, since it’s Christmas and everything. He won’t be home until Friday now, but he promised something extra special for Kennedy when he comes home.” Or else…
Kennedy’s gaze fell to her lap. “He doesn’t have to do that,” she said quietly.
Kennedy’s face, her obvious disappointment, was like a razor to his jugular. Slowly killing him. He had to stop the bleeding STAT. Then he quickly remembered what she’d told him at lunch. “Uh, the reason he called me was because he wanted to make sure I took Kennedy to Hospitality Night downtown for shopping, and then to the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony at city hall.”
What the hell am I saying?
Caitlyn must have been wondering the same thing because she looked as if he’d grown an extra eyeball. “Matt, you hate that quote hokey end quote Christmas stuff. Last year when I asked you to take me, you said that you’d rather stick a—”
“You can come, too, Caitlyn.”
His sister sat back with narrowed eyes. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother Matt?”
“You’re a riot,” he said with a deadpan look. “Did Mom enroll you in clown school on the side or something?”
She nudged Kennedy with her elbow. “Don’t worry. We’ll have a good time even with Matt there.”
Kennedy’s gaze traveled back to Matt. “Thanks. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to go.”
“Great.” AKA not great. Because he was playing with fire here. The only saving grace he had was that there would be an eighteen-year-old smart-mouthed chaperone with them. Thank you, God.
As his sister drew Kennedy’s attention back to her with a list of all the stores she had to see, his mother came over and patted him on the back. “I can’t believe you’d do that for Justin. You’re very sweet.”
“That’s what all the guys tell me down at the winery.”
She chuckled, then, leaning in, added, “You are sweet. Especially because I know Kennedy’s not your favorite person.”
He glanced over at Kennedy’s smiling face. He wanted to smile back, but guilt swooped in and punched him in the gut. “Yeah,” he murmured, turning away, “it’s a regular Christmas miracle.”
…
True to his word, Matt did not stay for dinner. Thank goodness for small miracles. After the whole awkward lunch “incident,” Kennedy felt a little space between them would be for the best. But his mom had received a phone call from her pharmacy telling her that her blood thinner was ready for pickup. Matt offered to get it for her and drop it by later that night. Kennedy hoped that meant much later.
After dinner, Kennedy and Caitlyn worked companionably side-by-side and helped clean up. She was feeling more and more a part of the family with each day. When all the dishes had been put away, Kennedy grabbed a pot off the stove and was about to place it in the sink, but she noticed it contained chopped fruit and smelled of cough medicine. “What’s this?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
Barbara smiled. “That’s what we’re baking with tonight.”
Kennedy frowned into the pot of funky fruit again. There was definitely rum in it, but not a lick of chocolate anywhere. “Oh,” she said, masking her disappointment, “I thought you said we’d be doing Christmas baking.” I.e. cookies. Chocolate cookies. Hint, hint.
“Heavens, no,” Barbara said with a chuckle. “I already made cookies this afternoon while you were out.”
Caitlyn hung up the dishtowel on the oven door. “That’s right,” she said with a smirk, “Mom likes to make them when no one is around so she can immediately hide them on us.”
Barbara planted a hand on her hip. “I wouldn’t need to hide them, missy, if you and Matt could control yourselves. If I left them out, there’d be none for Christmas.”
Kennedy placed the pot back on the stove. “So what will we be making, then?”
“Tonight I’m going to show you how to make the famous Ellis fruitcake.”
Fruitcake. Of all things. Her heart sank a little. “Oh…that…that sounds…” Unable to come up with a polite adjective, she let her sentence trail off.
Barbara nodded. “I know you’ll love it. It was a particular favorite of my husband’s, but the whole family looks forward to it every year. It’s tradition. Isn’t that right, Caitlyn?”
“That’s right, Mom,” she said brightly. “It wouldn’t be Christmas without it.”
Kennedy forced an enthusiastic smile, too. She could be into this as much as everyone else. After all, this was what she wanted: all the traditions that went with being a part of Justin’s family. And she got it all right. Plus, the fruitcake.
She definitely got the fruitcake.
“I saved us a bit of time,” Barbara added. “The chopped fruit and rum had to be boiled and then cooled for at least an hour, so I did that this afternoon, too. Why don’t you sift the flour while I beat the butter?”
“And I’ll supervise,” Caitlyn offered with a laugh, flopping down on a stool behind them.
Her mom chuckled. “You mean wait to lick the bowl when we’re done, don’t you?” Barbara handed Kennedy the sifter and the bag of flour. “Honestly, the kids were like seagulls around the holidays whenever I was baking. Especially the boys. It seemed as if they had holes in their stomachs the way they ate. They all had major sweet tooths, that’s for sure.”
“Remember when Matt and Justin used to arm wrestle
to see who’d get the first slice of fruitcake?” Caitlyn said, grinning.
“Oh, my, yes.” She chuckled. “Dad would referee. For a while there, even that was becoming tradition, too. I know I have pictures of it in one of the albums. We can look through them later if you’d like.”
“That would be wonderful.” Kennedy had never seen any baby pictures of Justin and was even a bit curious to see what Matt had looked like as a little boy as well.
Barbara sighed happily as she beat the eggs. “Since Matt was the eldest, he realized the truth regarding Santa first, but he was so good about making sure Justin and Caitlyn still believed. He even took it upon himself to set his alarm clock to get up in the middle of the night and ring sleigh bells outside their bedroom doors.”
Caitlyn’s mouth dropped. “Matt was the one who did that? I had no idea. But man, when I was little he had me convinced that Santa had just come to our house.”
“He was very protective of you two. Kind of like he is now, whether you want to believe it or not.”
Kennedy smiled, enjoying hearing the kind of family life Justin had. And it made her all the more thankful that she would soon become a part of it. She also realized that she had misjudged Matt and how he’d first treated her. He truly had his brother’s best interest at heart and was devoted to his family. It was one of the things she liked most about him. She handed Barbara the flour then went and brought the fruit mixture to her as well.
Barbara added all the ingredients together then transferred the mixture to a baking pan. “Believe it or not, this cake has to bake for two hours, then we lower the heat and bake it an additional thirty minutes. After it cools, we’ll drizzle more rum on it.” She elbowed Kennedy as she brought it to the oven. “The extra rum is what makes it extra good.”
Kennedy and Caitlyn giggled as the back door flew open.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Matt said, wiping his boots before entering the kitchen. “It’s all fun and laughter when I’m not around.”
Even in his mother’s kitchen, Matt made a compelling presence, and suddenly Kennedy felt like a breathless girl of sixteen. She needed to get a grip.
“Yeah, it is more fun when you’re not here,” Caitlyn said with a teasing grin. “So thanks for bringing the party down with your arrival. We women were enjoying some quality bonding time.”
Matt snorted. “Suddenly you’re a woman?”
Caitlyn lifted her chin. “That’s right. Kennedy even asked my advice on bridesmaid dresses.”
He raised his hands mockingly. “Oh, well, then. I stand corrected.”
Barbara took the prescription bag from his hand and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for picking up my medicine, dear.”
“Not a problem.” He arched an eyebrow at Kennedy. “So…bonding with the girls, huh?”
“And making fruitcake,” his mother added in a singsong voice.
Matt exchanged amused glances with Caitlyn. “Ah, yes. Wouldn’t be Christmas without the fruitcake.”
Kennedy narrowed her eyes. Hmm… Something definitely fruity is going on here.
“Ha, see?” his mom exclaimed, turning to Kennedy. “Caitlyn said the exact same thing. I told you they look forward to it every year.”
Suddenly the phone rang. Barbara glanced at the clock on the microwave and frowned. “Oh, dear. That has to be my church group calling again. This is the first year I’m not helping with the Senior Christmas Dinner, and it’s been chaos. I’d better get that,” she said, rushing into the living room.
Kennedy folded her arms, determined to be let in on the joke. “You know what’s fascinating?” she asked, taking a step closer to Matt. “It isn’t very often that one finds a whole entire family completely crazy about fruitcake.”
Matt didn’t meet her gaze. “Yeah, I guess that is kind of interesting.”
“It’s ridiculous,” she said, throwing her hands up. “And totally defies odds because less than two percent of people like fruitcake. So, listen, buddy, if I’m going to be a part of this family, I want the truth.” She poked him in the chest to make sure he knew she meant business.
Matt looked at his sister. “What do you think?”
“We can let her in on the secret,” Caitlyn said with a huge grin. “She’s definitely one of us.”
Matt hesitated. “Okay. The truth is…we all hate the fruitcake.”
“I knew it!” she exclaimed then frowned. “But I don’t understand. Why pretend to like it, then?”
“Honestly? Because none of us has the heart to tell her the truth. It makes her so happy. She’s one of the two percent who actually enjoys it.”
“And your dad,” she added. “He liked it, too. Your mom said so.”
Matt shook his head gravely. “No, he hated it the most.”
Kennedy blinked then looked to Caitlyn. “He did?”
“Yup.” Caitlyn shrugged. “Like Matt said, we didn’t have the heart to make her feel bad on Christmas. At least this time she didn’t put any figs or dried pineapple in it. That was a particularly bad year. Although Justin tolerated it the best out of all of us.”
Kennedy cracked a smile. “So your mom goes through all this trouble of making a fruitcake every Christmas and she’s the only one who eats it?”
“Oh, no,” Matt assured her. “We’ll all choke down a slice. You, too, since you’ll soon be part of the family. And we’ll all tell her how great it is. It’s tradition.”
“Tradition,” Caitlyn echoed firmly.
Kennedy laughed. Oh my, if she didn’t already love this family, this aspect of it only endeared them to her more. “Well, your secret is safe with me. I love traditions myself.”
“That’s good,” Caitlyn said, cracking herself up, “because you and Matt are standing under the mistletoe.”
What?!
Kennedy cautiously looked up as if to find the Sword of Damocles dangling over her, but instead found a small green ball of mistletoe tied up with ribbon. Crap! Her gaze dropped to Matt, who held a gleam of interest in his eyes, and her cheeks caught fire.
“Oh, well, that’s a silly tradition,” she said hurriedly, “I mean, we don’t have to do that.” Do we?
Barbara walked back into the room. “What don’t you have to do?”
Caitlyn pointed to the ball. “Matt and Kennedy are under the mistletoe.”
“Oh, how nice,” Barbara said, clasping her hands. “Kiss her, Matt. It’s Christmas after all.”
Matt glanced at Kennedy and stiffened, but without further argument leaned in to her. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird in anticipation. She caught the pleasant scent of pine and soap on his skin as he brushed his lips against her cheek, hovering for just a few brief seconds before he was once again at a safe distance from her. Such a simple kiss, yet her emotions whirled and skidded.
“I’d better get going,” Matt murmured, backing into the door.
His mom frowned. “Are you okay, dear? Maybe you should sit down a bit first.”
“No, I need to get kissing—er, going. I need to go.” His gaze reluctantly returned to hers, and his voice dipped. “I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. Then he was out the door as if suddenly spooked.
Unfortunately, she knew exactly how he felt.
Chapter Seven
Kennedy finished the last of the software proposals she’d been working on for a few new investors, then decided to let it sit for a day before sending them out. Everything was riding on them, so she had to make sure it was done right—and it would be. She couldn’t tolerate anything less. Order and control came second only to air and water for her.
She scrolled through her emails for the third time that morning. Normally, she’d get anywhere from 50-100 emails a day. For some reason it looked a little light. Not even any joke emails from her cousin.
Relax, Kennedy. People know you’re away, and they don’t want to bother you.
Holiday breaks were going on. Family time. It had nothi
ng whatsoever to do with people taking their business someplace else. After all, per Boston magazine, she was the matchmaking queen of the Back Bay. For now, anyway. Control slipping, she eyed the paper bag she had next to her.
Stupid stress-induced asthma. She picked it up and took a slow, measured breath. Everything would be fine. It had taken years to build her business. Surely it couldn’t be destroyed in a matter of one Christmas vacation.
Maybe she’d put a call in to Mia. Just a brief check-in. Nobody could fault her for that. She and Justin were both workaholics. It was what drew them together in the first place. They understood perfectly how each other’s minds worked. But even with all that, as much as she empathized with Justin working a few extra days on their vacation, a part of her still felt neglected. Hurt that she wouldn’t come first in his life just once. Especially at Christmas.
Who was she kidding? Even her first thought had been to call Mia, and not her fiancé. Work came first for her, too. She and Justin really were two peas in a pod.
She picked up her cell phone. After two rings, Mia answered. “Match Made Easy, this is Mia Reynolds. Let’s make your match today.”
Kennedy smiled into her phone. “Is that greeting something new you’re trying out while I’m away?”
“Kennedy! You’re not supposed to be calling now. You’re supposed to be enjoying the holidays with Justin.”
Thankful that Mia couldn’t see her face, she said, “Oh, we’re not doing anything special right now.” Or anything at all. “Since I had a free moment, I thought I’d see how you were holding up. “
“Well, okay then. Since you asked… I ended up hiring that escort we both liked. He’ll be a great addition. Handsome and dependable. I also have a meeting with Celeste, the new marketing consultant, tomorrow.”
She jerked to her feet. “You’re meeting without me?”
“Tomorrow was the only time we could do it before Christmas.” Mia paused. “Is that a problem?”
Is it? “Uh, no, no. Not at all.” It wasn’t like she had to control every aspect of Match Made Easy. That’s why she had Mia as her right-hand woman in the first place, so she wouldn’t have to be overseeing things 24/7. But still, a part of her felt queasy in loosening the reins.
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