Jax was quietly hanging ornaments on the tree by herself.
Without a word to her, I breezed through the double swinging doors and into the kitchen. Sweets was manning the stove with a green Habernackle’s apron on.
I pulled both of my icy cold hands inside of my sleeves, sticking only the tip of one finger out to push my glasses further up my nose so I could peer over the edge of the pot on the stove. “What smells so good? I’m starved.”
She pulled the lid off as a gust of steam swirled out. She grabbed a long handled stainless steel spoon off of the stove top and stirred the mixture. “I’m making us a Christmas Eve stew,” she responded brightly.
“Stew?” I asked her with surprise as Jax appeared in the kitchen.
“Yes, stew. Carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and some meat I found in the cooler. I hope your mom and brother don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “They won’t mind. We have to eat. I thought you only baked!”
She giggled. “Baking is my first love, but I can cook too.”
Jax looked up at me excitedly. “Mercy, you want to help me finish decorating now? I saved you some of the ornaments!”
My stomach rumbled anxiously. “Not now Jax. I’m hungry,” I grumbled, harsher than I had intended.
Jax nodded and looked down at her feet. “Oh, okay. Maybe later?”
“Sure, yeah, maybe later.”
A timer on the oven made a beeping noise. “What’s in the oven?” I asked Sweets.
She grabbed a set of pot holders and pulled me out of the way so she could open up the oven. “I made molasses cookies and sugar cookies.”
“You had time to do all of that in the time it took me to nap?” I asked her incredulously.
She sat the tray down on the counter and looked at me sheepishly. “I bake when I’m stressed out.”
“And when you’re happy, right?”
She giggled as she closed the oven. “Yeah, and when I’m happy.”
“What time is the stew going to be ready?” I asked her, rubbing my stomach. “I could literally eat that entire pot by myself.”
She leaned her head to the right. “It’s pretty much ready. We could eat. Why don’t you could go get Alba and Holly?”
“Where are they?”
Sweets shrugged. “I haven’t seen them since we got here.”
“They’re upstairs,” Jax chimed in.
“Ok. I’ll go tell them we’re eating soon.”
I followed Jax back into the dining room and went hunting for Alba and Holly. I knocked on Holly’s door first. “Holly, we’re going to eat. Sweets made supper, and then Jax wants to decorate.”
“Ok,” Holly called back. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
I went on to the next door and knocked.
“Yeah?” Alba called grumpily.
“Dinner time,” I hollered out to her.
“I’m not hungry,” she yelled back.
I opened the door and peered inside. She was sitting at the little table and chairs in her room looking at her phone miserably.
“Knock much?” she barked.
“Sorry,” I said, even though I really wasn’t sorry. Her bad attitude was starting to wear on my nerves. “You need to eat. Sweets made a stew. It looks pretty good.”
“I said I’m not hungry. Eat without me.”
I stepped inside the door and shut it behind me. “What’s your problem? We’re all in the same boat. None of us are where we wanted to be for Christmas or with the people we wanted to be with. You’re not the only one.”
She looked at me incredulously. “Are you kidding me? This is where you and Jax were supposed to go. You’re not missing anything.”
I put a hand on my hip. “I am too. My mom and my brother aren’t here. Do you think I wanted to spend Christmas without them? It’s my first Christmas with a brother. And a cousin for that matter.”
She rolled her eyes. “Jax isn’t even your real cousin. I don’t know why you keep calling her that.”
“You know why I call her my cousin, so just knock it off alright. Come down and let’s eat, I’m starving.”
Alba didn’t budge. Instead, she looked down at her phone angrily. “Yeah, well, this whole thing is your fault. And I have a right to be upset about that fact. Like I said. Eat without me.”
“It’s not my fault, and that’s messed up that you keep saying that it is,” I retorted angrily.
“It is your fault, and now I don’t get to be with my husband on Christmas.”
“Ugh!” I shot her an angry look and then promptly spun on my heel and left the room, slamming the door shut behind me. I didn’t have time to deal with Alba’s bad attitude.
I went downstairs and into the kitchen to check on dinner one last time. “Sweets. Do I need to do anything?”
She pulled an empty pot off the stove top and walked it around the island to put it in the sink. “You can set the table for us,” she suggested.
“Ok.” I went into the dining room and grabbed a set of placemats from under the counter and a handful of pre-wrapped silverware packages and quickly set one of the many tables.
Jax, who had been decorating the tree, turned around to look at me excitedly. “Do you have time to help me finish decorating now, Mercy?”
“Sweets asked me to set the table. I don’t have time,” I told her gruffly. I was still smarting over Alba’s accusations that this whole thing was my fault.
Her face fell, but it was quickly replaced with another bright smile. “How about we all play a board game after dinner? I found some in the closet upstairs. It could be fun! We’ll all sit by the tree! I have Christmas music on my phone!”
I shrugged. The combination of my hunger and Alba’s crabbiness had left me feeling overwhelmingly grumpy. I didn’t feel like spreading any holiday cheer. “I don’t know, Jax. Can we talk about it later?”
She bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, trying hard to keep it together, I could tell. I let out a deep breath. It wasn’t fair that she made me feel guilty about not doing whatever she wanted me to do. Why did I need to be her surrogate mother? That wasn’t my responsibility.
The astonished sound of Jax’s voice pulled me out of my pity party for one. “Holly!” she cried.
I looked up to meet Jax’s wide eyes and witness her dropped jaw. I followed her gaze to the stairway to see Holly decked out from head to toe. Not only had she gone upstairs and showered, but she’d also done up her blonde hair in perfect ringlet curls, made herself up impeccably, and changed into the Christmas bikini that she’d told us about earlier in the day.
Holly held out a hand on either side of her as she hit the last step, then in her sparkly silver high heels, she slowly spun around. “What do you think?” she asked brightly.
My jaw dropped. The bikini top barely served to cover a fraction of her chest. It looked more like a red band-aid strategically covering her umm, most important parts. The red hood with the white fur edging had more fabric than the bikini itself. She had top cleavage and bottom cleavage, and all I could see was boob. I felt like covering my eyes. “It’s a bit much don’t you think Holly?”
Jax giggled. “Don’t you mean it’s not quite enough?”
“Yeah, more like what she said,” I agreed stoically. “Maybe you should go put a robe on over that. We’re going to have dinner.”
Holly shook her head indignantly. “No way! This is my Christmas Eve outfit. I was supposed to be poolside right now. With a hot pool boy checking on me every fifteen minutes. Instead, I’m stuck here with a group of girls and not a single boy in sight. I don’t even get to flirt with Reign.”
“I don’t get it,” I said seriously. “If there are no boys around to impress, what good does it do you to wear that here? Aren’t you cold?”
“What good it does, is it makes me feel hot, and I need to feel hot right now.”
The downstairs was warmer than the upstairs thanks to the heat from the kitchen, but the cold winter air
had invaded much of the b&b, and it was definitely not hot inside. I shook my head. I didn’t have the energy to argue with her.
Sweets came out of the kitchen then, carrying a set of bowls. “Here, Mercy. You’ll need these…” She stopped talking when she saw Holly, and her mouth dropped open. “Holly!” she cried.
Holly beamed then did a little catwalk shimmy, spinning around so we could see the extent to which her bikini bottom covered her in the back – or, more appropriately – didn’t cover her. “What do you think?”
Sweets’ eyes widened. “Umm, it’s very, uh – festive! But we’re going to have dinner now. Go put something on for dinner.”
Holly giggled. “This is what I’m wearing to dinner, silly,” she insisted, her blonde, perfectly curled hair, danced around her shoulders.
Sweets shook her head somberly, her own brown hair bouncing about. “I just made a nice Christmas Eve stew for the five of us. You cannot wear that to supper. It’s just – well, it’s inappropriate is what it is.”
Holly laughed like Sweets was out of her mind. “Oh, you’re being an old fuddy-duddy, Sweets. There’s nothing wrong with wearing this to dinner.”
“I’m not joking Holly. You can’t wear a skimpy bikini to dinner. Save it for the beach.”
Holly stomped the heel of her shoe down, making a hard thudding noise on the wooden floor. “When am I supposed to wear it to the beach?!” she demanded. “It’s winter now! This is a Mrs. Claus bikini. I can’t wear it in the summer. It’s meant for Christmas, and I can’t fly home for Christmas. This is a once a year outfit, and I want to wear it! It’s my Christmas too, and I had my heart set on wearing it! I can’t believe you want me to change!”
Sweets sighed, frustrated and out of words. I could tell she didn’t want to argue, but she was upset that Holly wouldn’t relent.
Suddenly we heard footsteps on the staircase. “You heard her,” growled Alba’s voice menacingly. “Go put something else on.”
9
Sweets, Jax, Holly, and I turned our eyes towards the stairs where Alba stood angrily with one hand on the wooden railing.
Holly rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh look who’s here now. The Grinch has come to crush our holiday spirit,” she grumbled aloud.
When Alba got to the bottom of the steps, she strode over to look directly into Holly’s face. “You’re not wearing that.” Alba’s lips curled as I hadn’t seen them do before.
Holly stood her ground, put a hand on either hip, and threw her shoulders back. “Yes, I am.”
“No, you’re not. I’m not going to sit around all night and have your boobs shoved in my face. Go put some real clothes on,” Alba said with venom in her voice.
Holly’s nostrils flared. “These are real clothes, and you can’t tell me what to do!”
“Yes, I can,” Alba said and held her finger out, magically sending Holly reeling into the air where Alba kept her suspended effortlessly.
Holly’s arms and legs flailed. “Put me down!” she screamed.
With my face upturned and while watching Holly floating precariously in the air, I stepped forward. “Let her down, Alba.”
“No. I’m tired of all of you ruining my Christmas. First you and your boyfriend. Now her. I’m not dealing with this today.” With a slight flick of her finger, Alba moved Holly up the stairs, towards the second floor as Holly fought to get released from Alba’s telekinetic grasp.
“Put her down, Alba, this isn’t helping anything,” I instructed with as much patience as I could muster.
Sweets looked up at Holly. “Holly. Tell her you’ll change. Dinner is ready, and we’re all starving.”
“I’m not changing!” she hollered down to us. “Tell her to let me go!”
“Alba! Let her go. You’re ruining our Christmas fun,” Jax cried angrily. “It’s Christmas Eve, and we have so much fun stuff to do tonight. I don’t want us all to fight.”
“Can the ooey-gooey stuff, Shorty. I don’t want to be merry and bright tonight.”
“Well, I do!” Jax argued. “So put Holly down and – and, let’s just eat the dinner that Sweets made for us. I’m sure we’ll all feel better after we’ve eaten.”
Alba growled at Jax. “I’m not eating with her if she’s wearing that.”
I looked at Holly. Even though I didn’t think Alba was going about it the right way, I had to agree with her. “Holly. Go put a t-shirt on over the bikini so we can eat. If you want to sit in your room after dinner and wear it and enjoy it, then fine. Go for it. But we want to eat, and no one wants to sit at a table with your boobs hanging out.”
Holly’s jaw dropped. I knew she was shocked that I had sided with Alba. She crossed her arms across her chest, letting a noise escape her throat, and turned her back to us.
When she’d fully turned, and Alba had a chance to see her practically bare bottom, she rolled her eyes and flicked Holly loose against the back wall of the second-floor hallway. “Get dressed!”
Holly stormed into her room and slammed the door.
“Do you have to be so grouchy?” Jax asked her bluntly. “This isn’t just your Christmas, you know. We’re all stuck here together, and I’d like to have a nice Christmas Eve with all of you.”
Alba pulled out a chair at the table and dropped onto it. “Let’s just eat,” she said, ignoring Jax’s plea.
I slunk down into a seat, across the table from Alba and crossed my arms across my chest. Jax tentatively sat down next to me as Sweets went back into the kitchen to get the food.
“Mercy,” Jax whispered to me as I scrolled through the pictures of my last date with Hugh on my phone.
“What?” I barked.
“Did you say we’re going to hang up stockings after dinner together?” she asked hopefully.
“Seriously Jax? When are you going to understand? There’s no Christmas cheer here!”
She bit her bottom lip and nodded at me, her eyes glossing over slightly.
In that moment I felt like she was playing me. Like she was trying to suck me in with crocodile tears and make me feel guilty. Well, I’d had enough. I wasn’t going to feel guilty. I couldn’t be responsible for anyone else’s happiness. I could only be responsible for mine. The fact that she was trying to make me feel guilty angered me.
When Sweets carried in the big pot of stew and set it on the table, I shut my phone off and put it on the table. I cranked my head around and yelled towards the second floor, “Hurry up, Holly. We’re eating!”
Sweets took the seat between Jax and Alba. The four of us waited until we heard a door upstairs open with a creak, and then the door slammed shut. Wordlessly, Holly made her way down the stairs. No one turned to look at her. When she finally got to the table, she was wearing a suitable pair of red thermal pajamas and a pair of slippers. She pulled out a chair and dropped into it, immediately crossing her arms across her chest angrily.
An awkward tension fell upon us as Sweets silently dished out bowls of steaming hot stew, passing the bowls around the table until everyone had one.
Tired of the uncomfortable silence, Jax looked up at Sweets gratefully. “Thanks for making us dinner, Sweets. It smells really good.”
Sweets gave Jax a warm smile. “You’re welcome, Jax,” she whispered.
We all ate in silence for several long, painful minutes, until finally, Jax looked around the table. She took a deep breath and then began hesitantly, “Come on guys! It’s Christmas Eve! Can’t we all just get along? We have a nice meal, thanks to Sweets. There are even Christmas cookies for dessert. We’ve got a great place to stay. Thanks to Mercy. We have a heater that works, and it’s finally starting to warm up in here. We have Christmas decorations and a few board games. We have blankets and pillows and our cozy pajamas on. We could all bring our blankets and pillows downstairs and put them next to the Christmas tree and have a girl’s sleepover tonight. Why can’t we just have a fun night together?”
No one spoke. I could tell Sweets wanted to say something but
was holding her breath. I was sure she was waiting for one of us to speak first. I felt the same way. I was waiting for Holly and Alba to make up and release the tension that had been building since breakfast.
Finally, Holly sighed. “Fine,” she said with tight lips.
Everyone looked at Alba.
Alba’s eyes looked around the table incredulously. “Why is everyone looking at me? You want me just to make you all feel better about ruining my Christmas? Well, don’t hold your breath! She made Mother Nature angry,” she said and pointed at me. Then she pointed at Holly. “She made us late for the airport.”
Holly’s eyes widened. “I did not!”
“All she can think about is food,” Alba continued, hitching her thumb towards Sweets. “And you won’t shut up about having a holly jolly Christmas,” she said, mocking Jax’s voice. “All I want is peace and quiet. Can’t you just zip up that flapping mouth of yours and be quiet for five seconds? No one wants to hear your cheerfulness!”
Jax stood up angrily. “Why do you have to be so mean, Alba?”
“I’m not being mean! I’m being real! You’re acting like a six-year-old. We’re stuck in a blizzard at a crummy hotel on Christmas. We all have somewhere else we’d rather be. Why should we all pretend like we’re having fun when clearly we’re not?!”
Jax’s face reddened. She looked at me for help. “You’re where you want to be, right Mercy?”
After a day of stress and anxiety, my patience was gone. I didn’t think what Alba had said was completely true, but I didn’t have the energy to deal with standing up for Jax. “I think we should just all eat our dinner and go to bed,” I finally said.
A Very Mercy Christmas: A Witch Squad Holiday Special (A Witch Squad Cozy Mystery Book 5) Page 5