Home with My Sisters

by Mary Carter

Josh panned the camera over to Roger. “Roger. He works here.” He brought the camera back to his face. “Do you want me to go inside and show you how drunk Mom is?”

  “Just a minute,” his grandmother said. She put her drink down, crushed out her cigarette, removed her sunglasses, and unfolded her legs until her bare feet were on the floor of the sailboat. She moved her face closer to the screen.

  Josh instinctively pushed the iPad back. “What’s wrong?”

  “Dear heart. Will you bring the camera closer to that man?”

  “Roger?”

  “Roger,” his grandmother said. “Yes. Will you bring the camera closer to Roger?”

  Josh glanced up. Roger was already looking at him. Why would his grandmother want to see him? “He’s kind of creepy,” Josh said. “I heard Granny say he was in a car accident.”

  “When?”

  Josh shrugged. “I think a long time ago. I was listening, but I didn’t hear everything.”

  “He said his name was Roger?”

  “Granny said. He doesn’t talk much.”

  “He lives in the house?”

  “No, in a cabin. I’ve never gone in it.”

  “What has he said?”

  Why was she so interested? Maybe she didn’t want him around her grandchildren if he was creepy. “I think he hurt his brain. He doesn’t talk much. I don’t want to get closer.”

  “He’s got a beard, and a cap, and sunglasses,” his grandmother said.

  “So?” Josh said.

  “Sorry. I’m just . . .” His grandmother was clasping her hands together, staring at the screen. “Pan over again, like you’re showing me the scenery.”

  Josh sighed, then did as she asked. Roger turned his face away, so he zoomed in on the back of him. Just then, Roger turned his head toward the phone. That ought to give her a good look. After a few seconds Josh turned around and pretended to pan the rest of the place. When he turned to see his grandmother again, he was surprised to see tears spilling out of her eyes.

  “Grandma Carla? What’s the matter?”

  “Are they all drunk?” she said.

  “Aunt Hope doesn’t seem like she’s drunk. She’s making dinner.”

  “I need to talk to her,” his grandmother said. “Right away.” He didn’t even get a chance to tell her that his mom was cheating on his dad. What was the big deal about Roger? He was the one who called his grandmother, and she didn’t even want to talk to him.

  “Okay,” Josh said. “I’ll take you inside.” Josh stepped inside. Granny scolded him and told him to come in through the front entrance so he could take off his boots. He thought he heard his grandmother call her a witch. “Where’s Aunt Hope?” he said, glancing at the empty kitchen.

  “She’s taking a shower,” Granny said. “Now go around front.” Josh closed the door and headed around to the front.

  “Aunt Hope is in the shower,” he said.

  “Tell her to call me the minute she’s out,” his grandmother said. “Tell her it’s urgent.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Well, nice talking to you.”

  “Let me talk to Granny.”

  Uh-oh. What had he done? Grandma Carla sounded strange. Was she mad?

  “Okay, bye,” Josh said, then pushed END. Oh boy. He made her cry. Then he made her mad. And then he hung up. He’d pretend it was an accident next time he talked to her. He shut off his iPad in case she tried to call back. Why was he always messing things up? It wasn’t really his fault, though. It was Roger. Roger made her cry. Why would Roger make her cry? Did she feel sorry for him for being brain-damaged? Someone else was always getting the attention around here.

  * * *

  By the time Hope showered and dressed and came down for dinner, Faith and Joy were passed out on the sofa, snoring like a couple of old men. Brittany was soon at Hope’s side, helping her set the table. Faith had found some holiday-themed plates in the china cabinet and was using ones with snowmen on them.

  “I can’t believe you went sledding without me,” Brittany said. She sounded truly hurt. Hope forgot how painful everything could be when you were a kid.

  “Your mom wanted to make sure it was safe first,” Hope said. That sounded way better than Your mom was so loaded we could have talked her into anything.

  “Austin skated with me,” Brittany said.

  “Was it fun?”

  “It was so much fun,” Brittany said, jumping up and down.

  “Sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to skate with you.”

  “Austin is a really good skater.”

  Hope smiled, but she didn’t want to start thinking about Austin, and she definitely wasn’t going to replay the look she saw on his face when he saw her in her wet bra and panties; she’d save that for tonight when she was alone and could daydream. “Did Josh skate?”

  “He just slumped on the bench at first, but then Roger got him to skate.”

  “Roger got him to skate?”

  “And he laughed.”

  “Josh?”

  “Roger. And Granny came running out of the house because she heard Roger laughing.”

  “Oh.” Sounded like a nice enough afternoon. “Where is Josh?”

  “It wasn’t my turn to babysit him,” Brittany said.

  “Funny,” Hope said. They finished setting the table. Brittany counted the plates.

  “Who all is coming?”

  “You, me, Josh.”

  “That’s three.”

  “Granny, Faith, Joy.”

  “Six. Harrison is seven.”

  “And Austin and Roger.”

  “Nine,” Brittany said, confirming the number. She turned her head to the window. “You think he’ll come inside?”

  Hope didn’t have to ask who she meant. “I’m hoping he will.”

  “I like him too. He’s nice. A little weird. But nice.”

  “Do you want to go ask him if he’ll come in for dinner?”

  Brittany’s eyes widened. “Me?”

  “If you feel comfortable. And can you find your brother while you’re at it?”

  “It’s snowing and cold out there.”

  Hope laughed. “I’ll go with you.”

  “Okay.”

  Harrison was watching television in between the snoring women. Hope asked him to keep an eye on the oven; then she and Brittany bundled up. Hopefully Austin would answer his cell phone and all they would have to do was find Roger and Josh.

  “It’s really coming down,” Hope said the minute they stepped outside. She turned to Brittany. “Why don’t you go back in, sweetie. I didn’t realize it was this bad.” Brittany looped her arm in Hope’s.

  “I want to stay with you.”

  “I don’t want you to get frostbite.”

  “I don’t want you to get frostbite.”

  “I’ll be quick.” She turned Brittany around and gently shoved her toward the door. “We’ll go sledding all day when this clears up. I promise.”

  “If you’re not back in twenty minutes I’m coming back out,” Brittany said.

  “I’m just going to find Roger and Josh,” Hope said.

  “Twenty minutes,” Brittany said.

  “Yes, ma’am. Put on Christmas carols and see if you wake up the sleeping beauties,” Hope said. She pulled her hood tighter and sank into the snow. It almost covered her entire boot, at least a foot already. She hadn’t been paying attention to the weather, and wondered how much they were in for. It was starting to get dark, and the wind was whistling through the trees something fierce. It was stunning, and sharp, and bitter, and beautiful.

  “Josh?” she called. “Joshua?” She headed for the barn. Just beyond it was Roger’s cabin. She thought about calling Austin first, but that would mean taking her cell phone out of her pocket and taking her gloves off to dial. Roger had plugged in the tree, and the mechanical creatures, and although the falling snow had rendered all the lights a bit fuzzy, Hope felt a surge of Christmas spirit. Maybe that’s what they all needed, to get snow
ed in for a few days and work out their differences. Or maybe they’d kill one another and their bodies wouldn’t be discovered until a spring thaw.

  “Josh?” she yelled into the wind. “It’s Hope. Come in for dinner.” She stopped. Snow swirled all around. “Roger? Roger, are you out here?” His cabin was in view now, but she didn’t see any lights on. Did he sit in there in the dark? Surely it was too early for bed.

  “Hope?” She turned at the sound of Austin’s voice to find him running toward her. “It’s a blizzard. What are you doing?”

  “Josh is out here. And I wanted to invite Roger to dinner.”

  “We’d better find Josh,” Austin said. He sounded worried. Was the storm worse than Hope thought? She called his name again, and then Austin’s voice shouted it out.

  “You sound really worried,” Hope said. “Is the weather that dangerous?”

  “Not yet,” Austin said. “But it’s a big piece of property. Easy to get lost in the woods.”

  “Josh really isn’t the type to wander away,” Hope said.

  “Are you sure he’s not in the house?”

  “I didn’t look under beds, but pretty sure.”

  “We can go to Roger’s cabin. He knows these woods better than anyone.”

  “I was going to call you next, invite you to dinner,” Hope said as they trudged toward Roger’s cabin.

  “There’s no light on,” Hope said. “Where could he be?”

  “The door is ajar,” Austin said. Hope squinted and sure enough she could see the door to Roger’s cabin was indeed open a few inches.

  CHAPTER 25

  Hope and Austin stood in front of the cabin door. “I hope Josh isn’t sneaking around in there,” Hope said.

  “Roger?” Austin called. “Are you in there?”

  “Josh?” Hope called.

  Austin stepped closest to the doorway and snuck his hand around. A few seconds later the cabin was lit up. Once Hope’s eyes adjusted she could see into a small kitchen with a card table. Josh was standing by the fridge. He’d whirled around and was staring at them with a stricken look plastered on his face.

  “Josh!” Hope said. “What are you doing in here?” The cabin was sparse. A rocking chair was positioned by a small wood-burning stove, a ratty sofa faced the windows, and a coffee table bridged the gap between the two. Dishes were piled in the sink. Hope wondered if Yvette was the one who usually washed them. Other than that there was no personality to the cabin. No photographs on the fridge, no knickknacks that Hope could see, no bookshelf filled with books. It made her a little sad. Who was Roger? What was it like to be him?

  “Is Roger here?” Austin said. Josh shook his head no. “This is private property, let’s go.” Josh skittered toward them and the minute he was out the door, Austin switched off the light. “Was the door open like this?” Austin said.

  “Yes,” Josh said. “I swear.”

  “We can’t just leave it open,” Austin said. He closed it.

  “Do you think he’s in there?” Hope said.

  “He’s not,” Josh said. “He’s in the barn.”

  “Why would he leave the door open?” Hope said.

  “I think he wanted me to go in and look around,” Josh said.

  “Why would he want you to do that?”

  “How should I know?” Josh snapped.

  Hope stopped, as she realized she sounded like her sister when she squabbled with him. She was supposed to be the fun aunt. “Dinner’s ready. Let’s get inside.”

  Josh shrugged, then shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the house. “Grandma wants you to call her,” he said.

  “Carla?” Hope said.

  “I don’t have to call her that,” Josh said.

  “When did you talk to her?”

  “I dunno. A little bit ago. She only wanted to talk to you. Said it was urgent.”

  “Is she stuck in Cuba? She’d drive Castro to distraction.” Hope laughed.

  “They didn’t go to Cuba.”

  “Oh,” Hope said. “Did she say why?”

  “Some Bohemian disappeared.”

  “What?”

  “And there’s going to be a revolution.”

  “Okay.” Her mother was a piece of work. What was she up to now? “I take it she was drinking?” Or was she smoking something?

  Josh shrugged. “She wants you to call her.”

  “And we’re talking about?” Austin said.

  “My mother.”

  “You call your mother Carla?”

  “Says it all, doesn’t it?”

  “I think she was freaked out by Roger,” Josh said. “That’s why I was looking in his cabin.”

  “Why? What did you tell her about Roger?”

  “I told her we might have to share the property with him.”

  “Ah,” Hope said. “Mystery solved.” She shook her head. Her mother was like Joy when it came to wanting something for nothing.

  “She wants to buy a yacht so we can all sail to Cuba for Christmas next year.”

  “Of course she does.” They were passing the barn. Hope stopped.

  “You said Roger is in the barn?”

  “Are you going to tell him?” There was a tinge of panic in Josh’s voice.

  “I’m going to invite him to dinner.”

  “But are you going to tell him?”

  “Did you take anything?”

  “No.”

  “Are you ever going to do that again?”

  “No.”

  “Then I won’t tell him.”

  “Thank you.”

  “He deserves his privacy. And Grandma had no right saying anything about him at all.”

  “She didn’t say anything. Not really.”

  “Why don’t you two go to the house. I’ll look for Roger in the barn.”

  “We’re in this together,” Austin said. “We’ll all have a quick peek.”

  “Why is he in the barn anyway?” Josh asked.

  Hope entered the barn. There was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling emitting a soft glow. Her eyes took in bales of hay lining the dirt floor, the wooden planks making up the walls, the stalls, a shovel propped in a corner, and several parked tractors. There was a hayloft with more hay. So far no sign of Roger.

  “Were there ever animals in here?” Hope asked.

  “Oh yes,” Austin said. “Rupert kept some of the horses here. The ones that pulled the sleighs in town.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “He arranged for them to be adopted by another horse farmer,” Austin said. “He knew Yvette wouldn’t be able to handle them.”

  “He sounds like he really loved her,” Hope said.

  “I think he had a hard life growing up. His first wife died in a car accident. I think he felt Yvette was a kindred soul.”

  Because her only son died in a car accident. “It must be tough having your job,” Hope said. “You must hear a ton of sad stories.”

  “I do,” Austin said. “I hear a lot of stories.”

  “But you’re not allowed to tell us because they’re all private, right?” Josh asked.

  “Right,” Austin said. “They’re all private. Anybody can call anytime and not worry.”

  Suddenly a bell jingled. The three of them halted.

  “What was that?” Josh asked.

  “Santa Claus?” Hope said.

  “Funny,” Josh said.

  Austin looked up at the ceiling and laughed. Hope looked up to see what was so funny. Mistletoe hung directly above them.

  “What’s that?” Josh said. Austin and Hope locked eyes. A jolt of electricity ran through her. He gave a little smile.

  “Somebody is playing matchmaker,” he said. Hope had a sudden and awful thought. She wished Josh wasn’t right behind them. Would they have kissed if he wasn’t?

  “Roger,” Hope said, calling out to the dark recesses of the barn. “I want you to come into the house for dinner. Please?” Silence greeted them. “Ring the bell if
you’ll come,” she added. Again, silence.

  “It’s cold,” Austin said. “Let’s get inside.”

  “Do you want me to bring you a plate then? Bring it to your cabin?” Hope asked. A second later came the ring of the bell. Hope smiled. At least he wanted to eat. They exited the barn.

  “Race you to the house,” Austin said to Josh. Josh sprinted ahead. Austin started forward, then suddenly whirled around and latched his arm around Hope’s waist. He pulled her into him and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, and it didn’t take long before she was kissing him back. Warmth shot through her entire body. When he let go, they were both out of breath.

  “It’s bad luck to ignore mistletoe,” he said with a wolfish grin. Then before she could reply he took off across the snow, trying to beat Josh to the house.

  CHAPTER 26

  Dinner began as a quiet affair. In addition to the roast chicken they had mashed sweet potatoes and a green bean casserole. They didn’t fight or burn anything and Harrison, who was thrilled to discover Yvette owned a bread maker, impressed all of them with homemade bread. Turns out he had gone to culinary school and hoped to open his own restaurant someday. The bread practically melted in your mouth. “You should sell loaves of this at the coffee shop,” Faith said, practically humming into the bread. “I’d drive to Seattle for this.” Everyone was at the table on time except for one. Hope eyed the empty place setting, wishing Roger had changed his mind and joined them. She’d bring him a plate as soon as they were done.

  “I can’t remember the last time this table was filled with people,” Yvette said, looking them each in the eye as if thanking them. The lights of the Christmas tree were on and Bing Crosby was playing in the background.

  “How did you and Rupert meet?” Hope asked. She was still thinking about that kiss with Austin. And trying not to look at him across the table. Every time she even thought about him, a smile threatened to break out. She watched as Yvette’s face relaxed and a smile came upon her face as well.

  “In a pub downtown,” she said. “Isn’t that cliché?”

  “Totally,” Joy said.

  “Did he have some smooth moves?” Harrison teased.

  “He had a horse and carriage outfit, a sledding outfit, and a log house on twenty acres,” Yvette said.

  “Those are some smooth moves all right,” Harrison said with a wink.