When it was finally time to sit down and eat, Lacey found herself sitting directly across from Ean. There as no way to avoid his gaze and there was no way people weren’t going to notice. They were seated at the center of the table and Lacey was sure the lighting even seemed a little bit brighter over the two of them.
As plates were passed and conversation flowed, she began to relax. Everyone shared what was going on in their lives and what they were thankful for and Lacey’s heart was full with gratitude for all that she had in her life; a wonderful family, dear friends and, she thought with a sigh, the opportunity to have a brief and romantic time with the man of her dreams.
If only things were less complicated and Ean lived closer. The possibilities of a future together would be easier to picture if there weren’t so many miles between them. Even if they continued to see each other over the next month while he was home, their time together had an end date and she wasn’t sure her heart could handle it when it was time for Ean to leave.
She wanted to smack herself in the head and snap out of her melancholy thoughts. Sure, Ean had said that he wasn’t ready to let her go but the reality was that he had let her go. In the two weeks since she’d left the mountains, he’d made no attempt to get in contact with her. Seeing him at Ava’s had been a fluke much like today was. Maybe he had thought about it and realized what she had; a short-term affair was just not worth the effort.
While she understood it, it certainly didn’t make her feel any better. It would have been nice for him to try maybe a little bit to change her mind.
“So Ava,” Lacey’s dad was saying. “How much longer till you graduate?”
All eyes turned to Ava and Lacey felt a surge of panic for her friend. “Oh, um, well, if all goes as planned, I should be graduating next fall. I know I took a little bit longer to find my major but by this time next year, I should have my degree in Library Sciences and be on my way.”
“Actually,” Mason cut in, “I think once we’re married that Ava won’t need to go to school. After all, my practice is growing and I could really use some help with organizing some events to draw in some new clients and Ava would be great with that.”
You could have heard a pin drop for a full minute before the whole table exploded in conversation.
“She’s been going to school for so long…”
“Ava? Is this true?”
“Your mother and I have spent a lot of money on your education, Ava…”
“A degree is never a waste of time. You may want that for your future…”
On and on it went. The only two who were silent at the table were Lacey and Ean who merely looked at one another, shaking their heads. Lacey wanted to reach over and smack Mason in the head for opening his mouth and bringing up such a sensitive subject over the holiday table but clearly he was a man who only thought about one thing. Himself.
Lacey lost track of the time; seasons could be changing outside for all she knew. Tempers flared and accusations were flung around and suddenly people were standing and clearing the table. Ava was crying, her father and Mason decided to step outside to ‘talk’. It was a nightmare. She was about to stand and start helping with the cleanup when her mother whispered, “Make sure Ava’s okay,” to her.
As they had earlier in the day, they found themselves back up in Lacey’s old bedroom. “Are you okay?” she finally asked after handing Ava a box of tissues.
“I honestly don’t know. In a million years I never would have thought that Mason would have brought the topic up so tactlessly. Gosh, Lacey, who is this man that I’m marrying? How is it that I don’t seem to know him at all?”
Unfortunately there were no words that came to mind to offer her comfort. “Maybe this will force some of the issues that you’ve been avoiding and you’ll finally know once and for all if the two of you are meant to be.”
With a teary sigh Ava nodded. “I know you’re right but I hate the fact that we’ve ruined Thanksgiving.”
“It was pretty lively in there for a while,” Lacey laughed. “Everyone had something to say!”
“Not you and Ean,” Ava said, her expression perplexed. “Come to think of it, the two of you were particularly quiet during the whole melee. You’ve been pretty vocal up to now, why the silence all of a sudden?”
“It didn’t seem like any more fuel was needed to add to the fire. Ean probably felt the same way.”
“Maybe…,” Ava said, still not sounding convinced. “Something’s going on. I can feel it. Is there something going on with you and Ean?”
No question could have shocked Lacey more. Where had this come from? She thought they were acting somewhat normal. “What? Where do you come up with these things? What could I possibly have going on with Ean?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it but the two of you are on the same page an awful lot lately. And then there are the long gazes I’ve been noticing all day.” She stood and walked over until she was almost nose to nose with Lacey. “You did used to have a crush on him and even though he’s my brother I have to admit that he’s mildly attractive. Admit it, Lace; you still have a crush on Ean.”
Never, never, never! She gave a dismissive laugh and waved Ava away. “You’re crazy, you know that, right?” Trying to put some space between them, Lacey walked over and sat down on her bed. “I mean, when I was younger, sure, I had a crush on Ean but we’re adults now. I’ve seen him twice in the last twelve years and that’s been in the last two weeks. Seriously, Ava, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The lady doth protest too much, me thinks…
“You can deny it all you want but I’m telling you that the vibes were flying down there earlier.”
“That was all of the crazy vibes from everyone fighting; it had nothing to do with me and Ean.”
“We’ll see. Personally I think it would be great if you and Ean hooked up. Then we’d really be sisters!”
Oh for crying out loud! “Okay, back up. Not everyone that hooks up gets married for one thing and for another that would be totally weird if Ean and I did that.”
“What? Hook up? Oh, please! He is totally in to you! For all of the secret gazes you were shooting at him he was shooting them right back!”
The teenager inside of her was doing a happy dance while her adult self did everything humanly possible to contain her composure.
“Sure, whatever. Look, if thinking these crazy things helps you with the whole Mason thing then let your mind go wild. Just do me a favor and keep it to yourself. No need to get everyone in an uproar over something that you think you saw.”
“Oh, I saw it, Lace, and you can be sure that I wasn’t the only one.
****
By the time they went back down the stairs, dinner was completely cleared away, desserts were set out and everyone seemed much calmer. Mason and Ava’s father were deep in discussion along with Lacey’s dad and from the looks of it, no one was happy. Ava turned to Lacey. “I guess I might as well go and face the music.”
“Are you sure?” Lacey whispered. “Maybe now is not the time; maybe you should let them talk before you throw in your two cents.”
Ava hugged her. “I love that you are always looking out for me but it’s time for me to take responsibility for my part in all of these disagreements.” Lacey could only watch as Ava walked across the room. All three men stopped talking at her approach and then made room for her to join them.
“Is she okay?” Lacey nearly jumped out of her skin at Ean’s soft words spoken almost directly in her ear from behind.
“She will be. I think today was a real eye opener for her and the sooner they work this out, the sooner she’ll know how to proceed from here.”
In the large living room everyone was broken up in to groups. In the one corner was where Ava joined what Lacey hoped was a productive conversation. Her two brothers-in-law were watching the football game on the big screen TV. Hers and Ava’s mom along with Lacey’s sisters were talking animatedly about B
lack Friday shopping while Ean and Lacey stood and watched, unsure of where they belonged.
In more ways than one.
While her heart was screaming at her to take Ean by the hand and sit down on the sofa together and just relax, her head was telling her to join the shopping conversation and play it safe.
She hated when her head got its way.
Without conscious thought, Lacey gave a longing look over her shoulder at Ean before heading over to sit with the women to discuss shopping that she had no real interest in. Once she was seated she watched Ean sit down to watch the football game across the room. If anyone noticed her staring, they chose to say nothing and Lacey barely noticed the pause in conversation around her. With a brief sigh, she turned her attention to the women sitting around her and discussed their strategy for attacking all of the sales.
Every few minutes Lacey couldn’t help but glance across the room, first at Ean and then at Ava. She could only hope that Ava and Mason’s situation was getting worked out; hers and Ean’s? Well, that was another story completely. Did they even have a situation to work out? Sure he seemed to be watching her as much as she was watching him but they had already established that they were attracted to one another. Lacey just had to wonder if it was only attraction that Ean felt or something more.
Before she knew it, everyone was being herded back to the dining room table for dessert and this time, thankfully, their time was full of pleasant conversation and laughter rather than the loud arguments of earlier.
Looking around her, Lacey couldn’t help but smile. There was so much love in this room and she truly was thankful for each and every person there. Her eyes met Ean’s and she had to admit, exploring a relationship with him, even a short one, was not something she wanted to fight any longer. As soon as they were done with dessert, she decided that she would seek him out privately and feel him out and see if he was interested in spending time with her while he was home. She could only hope that she wouldn’t lose her nerve and that she wasn’t going to make a fool out of herself.
When dessert was finished, her father called everyone back in to the living room. As everyone piled in, Lacey found herself seated next to Ean and didn’t even think of moving away.
“I am so thankful that we had this day together,” her father began. “It seems like we never have enough time to just come together and relax and enjoy one another’s company. I know that things were a little tense here earlier and I just want to say to Ava and Mason that I hope that the two of your realize the importance of communication. We had a good start here earlier but I hope that you’ll go home and talk to one another about your future and be honest.”
Leaning over, he reached for his wife’s hand. “No relationship is easy, particularly in the beginning. But if you keep the lines of communication open and trust one another enough to say what’s on your mind and what you’re feeling then you have a chance at having a successful marriage. Once you stop talking, or only letting one of you talk, then you’ve lost everything.”
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement and while settling in to their respective seats to enjoy a Quinn family tradition and kick off the holiday season by watching “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Lacey settled in a little bit closer to Ean and sighed contentedly as he reached over and put his arm around her; pulling her close as the opening credits began.
Chapter Eight
Two hours later Lacey was fast asleep with her head on Ean’s shoulder. Everyone was getting up to leave and Ean hated to wake her. At first he nudged her gently to see if that would wake her, when it didn’t he quietly whispered her name until her lashes fluttered and her green eyes were staring widely at him.
“Ean,” she sighed sleepily.
“Hey, look who’s awake!” she heard her father say. It was like a bucket of ice water being thrown at her. “You missed most of the movie, sweetheart. Since when can’t you stay awake past nine o’clock?” He laughed as he looked down at his youngest daughter.
“Since I ate my weight in turkey,” she replied sweetly, lifting her head from Ean’s shoulder and stretching. It took a moment but she finally stood, not too steadily, and was relieved to find Ean slipping an arm around her waist to catch her before she fell over.
At her father’s speculative look she quickly said, “Not to worry, I did not have anything to drink today and I’m fine to drive.” It would have been a lot more believable if she hadn’t followed it with a very loud and unladylike yawn. “Seriously, I’m fine.” Another yawn.
“I don’t think you should drive, Lacey. Why don’t you just stay here tonight? You’re going shopping with mom in the morning so it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
Although the idea sounded tempting, Lacey was anxious to go home, change out of her dress clothes and sleep in her own bed. “Thanks, Dad, but I’ll be fine.” Ean released her as she stepped away from him but Lacey began to wonder how smart it was to drive on her own. She was getting her coat from the closet when she heard her father and Ean talking.
“Ean, talk to her. Please.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll drive her home.”
Normally Lacey would have been annoyed to have them making arrangements for her like she wasn’t even there but in this particular situation, she knew it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, if she could get her sleepy brain in gear, she’d be able to talk to Ean about spending more time together before he went back to Boston.
After saying their goodnights, Lacey locked up her car and followed Ean over to his. He held the door for her as she climbed in and she watched him as he walked around the front and then climbed in beside her.
“You’ll have to give me directions because the last address I have for you is right here,” he said lightly.
Lacey could tell he was treading carefully and it just made her heart beat that much faster for him. She typed her address in to his GPS and they were on their way, silently at first, but then Ean spoke.
“So how did Ava seem when the two of you went upstairs after dinner?”
Lacey explained their conversation to him and how Ava took it as the eye opener that she’d needed. “Hopefully between that and then sitting and talking with our dad’s, she’s got the confidence to tell Mason how she feels.”
“And the wedding? Is she disappointed?”
“Of course she will be if they decide to cancel it but she didn’t seem ready to admit defeat yet. One of them is going to have to have a major change of heart and soon in order for everyone to be comfortable with going forward with it.”
“So no more talk of the cottage being the answer to it all?” he asked as he turned and grinned at Lacey.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “No, no more talk of the magic of the cottage and how that’s all she needs to survive it all.” Then she stopped and gave some serious thought to what they were saying. “I really think Mason’s outburst came as a surprise to her; it forced her to see the real situation first hand rather than through rose colored glasses. I felt bad for her.”
Ean reached for her hand and held it as they drove silently to Lacey’s home. It wasn’t a far drive and when they pulled up in front of her townhouse, she could sense Ean’s uncertainty. “Would you like to come in?” she asked shyly and was relieved when he agreed.
Standing by her side as she unlocked the door and reached in to turn on the lights, Ean merely enjoyed having the opportunity to prolong their night.
“I’d offer you some coffee but just the thought of anymore food is enough to make me feel a little bit green, how about you?”
“Agreed,” he laughed, looking around Lacey’s home. Everything was warm and inviting, just like Lacey. He walked into the living room and admired the built in bookcases that surrounded the stone fireplace. Her collection of books was eclectic and she had them scattered about with shelves of family photographs mixed in. It was a home. He thought of his own place back in Boston and realized that it was lacking the kind of warmth that he felt here. True, decorating is w
hat Lacey did for a living but there were some simple adjustments he could make on his own that make his place a little more appealing.
“Your home is beautiful, Lacey.” Just like you.
She blushed at his compliment. “Thanks. I get a lot of inspiration from my work and I think this place is going to forever be a work in progress. I just wish I had more space.”
“More room to play with?”
“Exactly! One of the things that I loved about this place was that it was brand new when I moved in so the walls were blank, the floors were bare, and I let the builders do the bare minimum so that I could move in. My folks thought I was crazy but I had a blast spending my spare time choosing paint colors and carpets,” she sighed. “Most people don’t want to take their work home with them but I really don’t mind.”
“That’s what happens when you love what you do. Plus, you’re work is something that you can bring home and really use. For me, I’m on a computer all day and when I bring my work home, it’s still all on the computer. Not a whole lot of fun, if you know what I mean.”
By now they were seated on one of her sofas and Lacey had lit the gas fireplace to warm the place up a little. There weren’t too many lights on and overall the setting could be considered romantic.
“So how long have you been here then?”
“About two years.”
“How many times have you re-finished a room?”
Lacey smiled sheepishly. “This is the third color that I’ve tried on this wall.”
“That’s not too bad,” he said, looking around the room appreciatively.
“And my fourth area rug…” she added.
“Oh-kay…”
“And the second set of living room furniture.” It sounded crazy when she admitted it out loud. “You have to understand,” she began, laughing as she spoke.
“No, no, you don’t owe me an explanation,” Ean said, laughing along with her. “I’m sure in your line of work it’s completely normal to keep changing your surroundings.”
The Christmas Cottage Page 9