Mistletoe (Clairmont Series Book 4)

by S. Jane Scheyder

  Christopher clenched his fists, took a deep breath, then shoved Bobby hard onto the closest couch. “Sober up, Bobby. You’re being an idiot.”

  Bobby sprawled, unhurt on the couch. Whatever alcohol he’d consumed had probably cushioned the pain a bit. Christopher stood over him. “If you want to take this any further, we’ll do it outside.”

  Bobby mumbled incoherently, and Christopher turned to Liz. “You believe him?”

  She hardly knew how to respond. She looked from him to Bobby.

  “Liz?”

  She returned her gaze to Christopher, who looked angry and hurt. Guilt wasn’t apparent, but she hardly knew how to process Bobby’s accusation. “You’re acting like we should know each other,” she said, barely above a whisper. “It’s only been three days.”

  Another man might have shown emotion, but Christopher simply nodded. “Okay,” he replied, a muscle tightening in his jaw. “This just got a whole lot less complicated.”

  Thursday

  Liz walked into the dining room, relieved to find the cocoa ready. Filling a mug, she carried it into the kitchen, hoping to catch Becky before breakfast preparations took all of her attention. Happily, Becky walked in a few minutes after she did. Sadly, she looked as bad as Liz felt.

  “Hey Becky. You okay?”

  Becky yawned and pulled her hair into a pony tail. “Been better. How are you?”

  “Doing better with cocoa.”

  “I will test that theory with coffee shortly.”

  “Must be tough to get up so early when everyone around you is on vacation.”

  “I spent a lot of years being on the other side. Trust me,” Becky washed her hands, “this is good for me.”

  “Well, I’ve had a really nice few days here. Thanks for making it so memorable.”

  Becky grinned a tired grin. “I don’t hang out with everyone like I hang out with you. Probably not super professional.”

  Liz smiled. “Well, you’re not getting paid for the therapy, either.”

  “Right. I’ll have to start posting fees.”

  “Smart,” Liz replied. “One more session before you hang out your shingle?”

  “Not sure how useful I’ll be this morning,” Becky began pulling supplies out of the cupboard.

  “Is everything okay? It looked like you were having fun last night.”

  Becky groaned. “Yeah. We shouldn’t dance.”

  “Why not?”

  The look Liz received in response was answer enough.

  “Right. Sorry. So ... I met Grace at the party. I can see why Kelly likes her so much.”

  “Yes. She’s wonderful. She’s happy. She’s currently married to the man she loves. And they live together. Under the same roof. Share the same bed.”

  Liz sat quietly, absorbing Becky’s discontent. Despite her friend’s unhappiness, she envied her, a lot. “So, how long is Tank home? Have you two made any plans?”

  Becky started cracking eggs into a bowl. “Beginning of January to the first question. We actually picked a date for the second.”

  “That’s great! When?”

  “May fifth.”

  “Cinco de Mayo?”

  “Yeah. Tank suggested it when we first got engaged.”

  “When was that?”

  “Late April.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, he was. If I’d have known he’d spend the next year traveling, I wouldn’t have insisted on waiting and having a proper wedding.”

  “And now?

  Becky mixed the batter for the pancakes. “I want to do this right.” She hesitated, considering, then simply said, “It’s just important to me to take the time to do this right.”

  “So, Cinco de Mayo.”

  “Yeah. Four months away.”

  “It’ll go fast.”

  “It had better.” She looked more closely at Liz. “You look worse than I feel. No offense. What happened last night?”

  Liz reheated her cocoa. “Well, the party was great, of course. I was really happy for Kelly.”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t believe the turnout. Some of us, including Grace, were a little doubtful that people would even show up. I think Kelly personally dropped fliers off to every business in town.”

  “I’m so proud of her,” Liz smiled. “She has a gift for pulling people together. I’m glad I was able to see it all first hand.”

  “And you seemed to be enjoying yourself.”

  “I was,” Liz replied. “Everything was fine at the party.”

  “You looked pretty cozy at the end there.”

  “I know. We totally hid behind you and Tank,” Liz gave a sad smile. “But everything’s impossible. And I don’t think Kelly and Cam are going to last.” She moved a platter so that Becky could set her bowl down.

  “I’m sorry, but isn’t that good for you and Christopher? At least eventually? I mean Cam and Kelly are young. They’ll bounce back.”

  Liz slid her a glance. “Where as we ... “

  “Yeah. You’re old.” Becky grinned.

  “We’re old and we’re finished.” Liz took the sausage from Becky. “Here, let me be useful.” She laid it out in the pan and gave a quick synopsis of the evening’s end, feeling more and more sad in the retelling.

  “I basically told him I didn’t know him. What’s wrong with me?”

  Becky regarded her friend sympathetically. “Well, I suppose it could be argued that you don’t. And it’s not like you’re really free to pursue this relationship right now. Part of you has to be thinking that you have to let him go.”

  “Not like that.”

  “I know. But think about it, Liz. What if that’s his way of withdrawing? Maybe what Bobby says is true. He gets close, then withdraws - right at Christmas. It makes sense that he’d jump at the first excuse he finds.”

  Liz hadn’t considered that possibility. “Wow. As sad as that is, it makes me feel a little better. A little less responsible, anyway.”

  Becky stacked a pile of pancakes on a platter and poured a new batch. “Would you put these in the warmer?”

  “Of course.” Liz took the platter into the dining room, and returned to the kitchen. “So, what do you know about Drew?”

  Becky looked up from her pancake art, surprised. “He’s a good guy, I guess. Why?”

  “I think that he and Kelly are close, and I wonder if that’s part of what’s complicating things for her and Cam.”

  Becky thought for a moment. “Drew’s pretty quiet. I think he had a thing for Grace at first, but then she met Alex, and that was that.” She sipped her coffee. “I guess I’m just used to seeing Kelly and Drew as friends. But it could be more. They are kind of inseparable when they’re working together.”

  “I might just be looking for problems, I don’t know,” Liz replied. “Kelly and I are skating this afternoon. I’ll try to feel her out then.”

  “What time is your dinner again tonight?”

  “Everyone’s meeting here at six. That’s going to be awkward,” Liz sighed. “We’ll probably start in here around four, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. Kelly cleared everything with me weeks ago. The kitchen’s yours - I’ll be long gone.”

  Liz nodded and glanced at her watch. “Okay, so twelve hours from now, for better or worse, it will all be over and we’ll be at church.” She took a deep breath. “I can do this.”

  Becky hugged her. “Of course, you can. It’ll all work out.”

  They smiled wryly and tried to believe it for each other.

  ***

  Her ankles were killing her, but Liz was determined to break in the skates and get her exercise. Keeping up with her daughter’s initial spin around the rink was out of the question, but she would catch up eventually. If not, Kelly would have mercy and slow down.

  When they settled into a reasonable pace together, they remained quiet for a time, lost in their own thoughts. The rink was busier than
Liz expected, and they focused on minimizing collisions with small skaters. It took a fair amount of effort.

  “So, you must be really pleased with how the party went last night,” Liz finally said. “It was a great turnout, don’t you think?”

  Kelly brightened up. “Yeah. So many people made an effort to come. Grace was really happy with the whole thing.”

  “Was there a lot of clean-up afterward?”

  “No, it really wasn’t bad. Everyone pitched in, so we got it done fairly quickly.”

  Her daughter’s mood subdued again, and Liz tried to proceed carefully. “Did Cam enjoy himself?”

  Kelly scowled a little. “I think you know the answer to that question.”

  “Well, you were busy. He should have understood that.”

  “He did.”

  “But?”

  “We’re fine, Mom. We just didn’t have a great night last night. Doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Liz held her tongue and kept skating. After a bit she asked, “I’m assuming the shop is closed tomorrow?”

  “Yep. Grace wants everyone to have family time, though I’m sure she’d have plenty of business if the shop was open.”

  “Even on Christmas?”

  “Not everyone has families to hang out with during the holidays. That’s why I wanted a community party; I don’t want anyone to be alone at Christmastime.” Kelly skated quietly for a moment. “I almost wish she’d open tomorrow. I’d work, just to hang out with everyone.”

  Liz skated and processed her daughter’s need for people. In contrast to Liz, she thrived in social settings. “I wish we could have had a bigger family.” Liz tried to quell some of the regret she knew could overwhelm her. It was an old dream, and it had died years ago. “I wish you could have had siblings.”

  Kelly glanced at Liz, questions in her eyes. “Was it a physical thing or a financial thing?”

  Liz met her daughter’s gaze and dove in. “I had to work. It’s not fair to blame everything on your dad, but if things had been more stable, I would have liked to have had more children.”

  Kelly nodded. “I always wanted a sister.”

  Liz swallowed another lump of regret. “So did I. My brothers were great, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister; a built-in confidant.”

  “Well, at least we have each other.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Kelly turned to skate backwards so she could face Liz. “Grace is like a sister, and so is Daphne.”

  “I’m so glad you have them, and that they have you.”

  Kelly’s mood lightened as she talked about her friends. “Yeah, they’re pretty great.”

  Liz wondered, again, at the wisdom of Kelly moving away from this family that had become so important to her. “Drew seems like a nice guy. Hard worker.”

  “Yeah, he is.”

  “Is he full time at the coffee shop?”

  “No, he goes to school part-time, too. His main job at the shop is roasting, and he can do that at weird hours, whatever fits his schedule.”

  “He’s definitely been around to help you out these last few days.”

  “School’s out, so he’s had some extra time. He’s been a big help.”

  “Emphasis on big.”

  Kelly smiled. “Yeah. Makes him useful.” She continued to smile at the thought of him, then seemed to shake herself out of her reverie. “He went to school on a football scholarship then got injured his freshman year. Lost his scholarship and everything. Had to come home and work his way through college here. Family doesn’t have any money,” she explained.

  Liz could hear the affection that went beyond Kelly’s simple words. “So his family’s in the area?”

  “Yeah. They live somewhere west of here.”

  “Cam’s dad has a farm on the north side?” Not sure where that came from.

  Kelly glanced at her mom. “Yeah, it’s a beautiful place. Big log cabin ranch on a hill. It’s pretty amazing.”

  Liz sighed inwardly. “They’ve lived in the area a long time?”

  “Cam was born here. Don’t know beyond that.”

  Liz nodded. “So, do we need to shop for dinner tonight?”

  “I think I have everything we need, but we should probably hit the grocery store, just to make sure.”

  “I’m ready when you are. I’ve had my endorphin fix.”

  Kelly smiled. “I’m so glad you’re skating again. You look, like, ten years younger out here.”

  Liz laughed. “Thanks. Maybe we could have our dinner party on the rink?”

  Kelly smiled. “There’s no one you need to worry about impressing tonight. Although maybe,” she glanced around the rink, “there’s someone here that might work.”

  “No thanks,” Liz replied with feeling. “My life is plenty full right now.”

  “There’s always room for romance, Mom,” Kelly grinned, and took off for a final lap.

  ***

  The ride to the inn was quiet. Cam had been preoccupied all day, and Christopher had been too wrapped up in his own misery to deal with it. He had a feeling that his son was no more excited than he was to feign cheer at a Christmas Eve dinner with the Michaels women, but they could hardly back out. For all that he was hurt by Liz buying into Bobby’s nonsense, he also wasn’t thrilled with the idea of her spending the evening with his brother without someone else there to keep tabs. So now he was the chaperone. Great.

  Kelly greeted them cheerfully at the door, though even her cheer seemed a little forced. She thanked Christopher for the wine, and the cheesecake that he’d picked up at the local bakery, then directed them into the parlor where drinks were available. Bobby was well into whatever he was drinking. Liz wasn’t in the room.

  “Cam. Christopher.” Bobby lifted his glass in a toast to them. “The ladies put out some wine, but I’ve got something a little more spirited,” he grinned at his pun.

  “I’ll have what you’re having,” Cam immediately accepted the invitation and joined his uncle at the little bar that had been set up in the corner.

  Bobby seemed ready to forget, or at least delay dealing with what had happened the night before, and launched into a story about one of his associates back in the city. He was a good story-teller; too bad the alcohol seemed to be a necessary part of the act. Christopher poured himself a glass of wine and sat on the sofa; the same one he’d pushed Bobby into the night before. He was glad it was sturdy; the other furniture in the room wouldn’t have weathered his temper so well. He groaned inwardly at the juvenile display. Whatever Bobby had said to Liz, Christopher had only made it worse by acting like a bully.

  He sat back and watched his son matching Bobby’s drinking pace, which wasn’t smart, considering the evening ahead. Dinner would be followed by the Christmas Eve service at church. At this rate, neither one of them would be fit to go.

  Kelly rounded the corner a moment later and invited them into the dining room. Still no Liz. He could hardly blame her. Things between them had reached a truly awkward state. They couldn’t easily retreat from what they’d started, yet moving forward had reached a whole new level of impossible. It was going to be hard work if they had any hope of building a relationship. Backing down at the first point of resistance didn’t bode well for them.

  Last night’s hurt and frustration having been newly revisited, Christopher wasn’t prepared for his physical response when Liz joined them in the dining room. She wore a simple, black, long-sleeved dress; her sleek hair brushed the lace collar when she turned to acknowledge him. He couldn’t help a brief smile of appreciation, then nodded his hello. Cam walked over and gave her a hug. Bobby had to take it a step further and kiss her cheek. If he’d have lingered any longer, Christopher would have tested the sideboard’s stability. He set his drink on the table and waited for the women to take their seats. The meal had already been spread out on the table; ham, sweet potatoes, bread and variou
s salads. It looked and smelled amazing.

  “This looks wonderful. Thank you,” he directed his comment first to Kelly, then glanced at Liz.

  “Oh, thank you, and you’re welcome,” Kelly replied. “I hope everything tastes alright. Thank you all for coming over.”

  They took their seats, Liz on the other side of the table, and the meal began. Plates were passed and the conversation centered on the party from the night before. It was an easy and relatively upbeat conversation, and Christopher found himself thinking about his dance with Liz. In four short days, he had fallen for an almost stranger; never mind that she seemed to be somewhat fickle. All he could think about was how it felt to hold her in his arms. He glanced across the table at her; their eyes connected then she quickly looked away.

  Cam, at the head of the table, emptied his second glass of whatever he and his uncle were drinking. He raised a brow at Bobby, who stood to take care of him.

  “How about wine with dinner?” Christopher hoped the simple suggestion wouldn’t turn the conversation ugly. He met his son’s challenging gaze, then breathed a little easier when Cam agreed.

  Bobby took the opportunity to retaliate for the evening before. “Oh, you’re right, Chris. You’re always right, aren’t you? The perfect gentleman, isn’t he, Cam? You’re lucky to have such a fine example.”

  “That’s enough,” Christopher warned him. He wouldn’t have their dinner spoiled by another one of his brother’s ridiculous displays, or his.

  “I’m sorry, ladies. I’m not the perfect gentleman,” Bobby smirked, sitting down and reaching for the wine.

  “Well, I’m not sure he is, either,” Cam replied, apparently deciding to go to his uncle’s defense. “You should have seen the way Dad was checking out your mom last night,” he grinned at Kelly, then seemed to remember her mother. “Oh, sorry, Ms. Michaels.” He shrugged. “Guess we’d better keep our eyes on ‘em, huh?” He tried to keep it light-hearted, but both Kelly and Liz looked mortified. Cam turned to meet his father’s gaze.