“Let’s see. Sadie and her husband, Eddie. They have a couple of kids I think but I don’t remember their names. And then there’s Sam—he works at the diner with Allie and he’s Sadie’s brother—”
“Everyone knows everyone, huh?” says Emily. She’s from a small town herself, originally, and the look in her eyes is half wistful.
“Something like that,” I say. “And then there’s Sam’s boyfriend, I think he’s called Andrew? And Allie and the girls.”
“The girls?” asks Ethan, and I catch him and Emily exchanging a quick glance when I turn around.
“Yes,” I say, picking up the plates and heading over to the table with them. “She has two girls. Lottie and Emma. She adopted them.”
“Oh,” says Ethan.
Emily is just blinking at me, not sure how to respond.
“They were her sister’s,” I say.
I don’t want to say she died in front of the kids and set off another, far more significant existential crisis, so I opt for more cryptic language: “Accident.”
Ethan’s face falls, and Emily instinctively leans over to squeeze Riley, who’s sitting beside her.
“What about her parents? Allie’s, I mean. Will they be there?” she asks.
I shake my head. “They’re in a retirement village a few towns over that got snowed in the same time we did, but it hasn’t cleared yet. They’re gonna go to the village’s Thanksgiving dinner instead and come here for Christmas.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” says Emily. She looks down, clearly still rattled by the thought of the tragedy that befell Allie’s family, and a somber silence settles on the room.
“Well, dig in everyone!” I say, in an effort to lighten the mood, and I head back to get the coffee.
By the time breakfast is done and the dishes are washed by hand—I really do need to find a plumber—it’s after noon. We spend an hour in the sitting room, chatting and playing some of the games the kids have brought along from home. Leo triumphs at the pizza card game where you have to collect all the different toppings, and Riley is surprisingly good at Jenga, for a tiny kid with chubby fingers.
“So Allie is…” says Emily, once the games are tidied away and Riley has fallen asleep in her lap.
“More than just the woman who’s helping him clean up this place, judging by the spring in his step,” says Ethan.
“She’s nice,” I say with a shrug.
“She’s his giiiiiiiiirlfriend,” calls Leo, from where he’s sitting on the other side of the room, playing with his dad’s phone.
“Button it, Leo,” says Ethan. “And you’d better be good this afternoon. Don’t embarrass your uncle in front of his new girlfriend.”
All three of them burst into gales of laughter, and all I can do is smile and shake my head, defeated.
It really is great to have them here.
“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” says Sadie as she opens the door. She’s smiling widely, if a little manically, wearing an apron that says THE BOSS across the front, and she has a dishtowel draped over her shoulder.
“Come in, come in. We’re still waiting on Sam and Drew, but if you go through, Eddie will get you some drinks. Just in there.” She points at a door leading left off the hallway. “I’ll be there in a minute. My rutabaga’s going to burn!”
She rushes off to the kitchen, and I notice that Emily is grinning. This is just her sort of atmosphere.
I lead everyone through to the living room, and the first thing I see is Allie, standing on the far side of the room, setting out nibbles and glasses and chatting to Eddie. The early afternoon light is coming in from outside and making the crests of her curls glow. She’s wearing a pale green blouse that brings out the color of her eyes and she’s paired it with skinny jeans and boots, and when she turns and notices me, a wide smile breaks out across her face. As she makes her way across the room towards me, I realize she’s wearing just a little more makeup than normal.
She is stunning.
“Hey!” she says, leaning up to kiss me on the cheek. I guess I did set the rules the other night.
“Hey,” I say. “This is Ethan, Emily, Leo, and Riley. Everyone, this is—”
“Allie!” Ethan cuts in, grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “We’ve heard so much about you!”
Goddamn Ethan, he just can’t resist a chance to troll me. Allie’s eyes go a little wider, and she starts to blush and she reaches for a response.
“OH! Well, I… er—I hope the drive wasn’t too bad!”
I sent her a text last night, lamenting the fact that we’d have been able to get some time together if I knew that Ethan and Emily would be arriving so late. She reminded me quite firmly that she was busy helping Sadie, and then added a load of kissy emojis that made me too happy to be irritated any more. God, what kind of sap have I become?
“It sucked!” says Ethan.
Emily digs him in the ribs.
“It was just fine,” she says, shaking Allie’s hand. “Thanks, Allie.”
The kids only manage a quick hello before they’re off, having spotted Allie’s girls and Sadie’s kids playing some kind of board game in the corner of the room. They immediately insert themselves into the fray, chatting and playing together in that effortless way that kids do.
“Drink?” says Eddie, coming over to our little group. “Drink? Drink? Drink?” He points to each of us in turn and makes a little drinking motion as though he’s holding a glass. “There’s a pretty decent selection over there on the table.”
We head over that way and everyone grabs a drink. Beers all around except for Emily, who opts for water because she’s driving us all home later. Allie goes off to distribute juice boxes to the kids, and Eddie gives my hand a bone-crushing shake.
“Nice to finally meet you,” he says, with a nod. “How’s the old house?”
“Great,” I say. “It’s really coming along.”
“It’s a beautiful building,” says Emily. “Don’t you think?”
“Oh, yeah,” says Eddie. “Something of a landmark around here. You pass that house when you’re a kid, you know you’re almost home. You’re selling it on?” Eddie asks, looking back at me.
I’m acutely aware of Ethan and Emily’s eyes on me, and of the fact that my head isn’t doing what I want it to. I meant to nod, but instead, I’m doing some half-nod, half-shake sort of a thing. Probably because the idea of finishing the house, selling it, and heading back to the city is becoming less appealing by the day.
BING BONG!
I’m saved, literally, by the bell.
“That’ll be Sam and Drew. ‘Scuse me,” says Eddie, squeezing between Emily, Ethan, and myself en route to the door.
I introduce Sam to everyone and he, of course, charms them at once—though he seems a little more subdued than usual. But we barely have a chance to get acquainted before Sadie calls us through to the dining room. All eight adults are seated around the main table, with the kids’ table just beside it.
The spread is amazing, with the turkey taking pride of place in the middle of the table. Everyone oooos and aaaaahs at Sadie, and I can’t tell if she’s flushed from the heat of the kitchen or blushing from the praise. Eddie stands up to carve and serve while the rest of us chat among ourselves.
I love it.
Look, I wasn’t expecting any of this. I was expecting to come to Sunrise Valley, hate everything about the place, send regular emails to Ethan about shitty WiFi, get the house finished, and go home, relieved to be back where I belong.
But my own place is dead compared to this. Clinical. Minimalist and cold and barely more than a place to eat and sleep. Compared to this house, alive with children’s laughter and talk and the scent of fresh bread and turkey, my place looks like a fancy motel.
I’m not sure that’s what I want anymore. And I’m having a harder and harder time convincing myself that I don’t deserve more, lately.
“Sam’s quiet, isn’t he?” Allie whispers. Sadie
was very insistent that everyone sit in their assigned seats, and she made sure to put Allie right beside me.
“Yeah,” I say, looking over to Sam, who’s quietly eating his meal and has barely said a single sarcastic thing since he arrived.
“What about you? You okay?” she asks. I feel her hand slide under the table and close over mine, and she gives me a gentle squeeze.
“Yeah,” I nod, smiling as I turn to look her in the eye. “Never better.”
Chapter 15
Allie
Sadie is positively glowing after dinner. Everything was delicious, everything went smoothly, everyone had a great time, and she knows it.
“Someone’s happy,” I grin at her, as I head to the kitchen to help her stack the dishwasher.
“Well, duh. It’s a miracle I pulled that off. I was so nervous!” she laughs.
“You should’ve let me help out today, not just with the prep last night. You’ve barely had a moment to sit down all day.” I say, almost apologetically.
“Yeah, I know. But you’ve been so busy for the last few weeks, I didn’t want to give you another job. And besides, I obviously didn’t need any help.” She winks at me, and I grin.
“True,” I say. “You’re a master of your craft.”
“So… they’re all really lovely,” she says, purposely not looking at me. She busies herself with moving plates and cups about, but she goes on all the same. “Greyson’s brother and his wife. Aren’t they?”
“Oh my God,” I grin. “You said his name! What happened to Something McWhateverpants?”
She snorts. “Well, he’s a guest now. And since you seem completely smitten…”
“I am not!” I protest.
She raises a brow at me, knowingly, and all I can do is blush. Elder sisters, man. They see right through your bullshit. Libby was exactly the same way.
“They’re lovely,” I say, trying to get this conversation back on a less embarrassing track.
“Oh, nicely avoided,” she croons, sounding impressed. “Ten out of ten.”
I laugh and grab a handful of bubbles from the sink, flicking them at her, and they land right in the middle of her forehead. She gasps and looks shocked for a moment, then grabs the dish towel that’s been draped over her shoulder all day and flicks me with it.
“Out!” she shouts, as I jump away with a hoot and a laugh. “Out of my kitchen!”
I grin at her and she nods toward the door. “Go on, I’ve got this. Go and spend some time with Greyson and his family. We’ll be heading for our walk soon, anyway.”
The walk is a tradition. I’m not sure how far back it goes, but every Thanksgiving afternoon, once we’ve had enough time to let our dinner settle a bit, we all head out for a walk up to the summit of the hill that sits just behind the house.
“All right,” I agree. “If you’re sure.”
“Get!” she says, flicking the towel toward me again.
I’m still grinning as I head back into the sitting room. Every chair and seat is full. Emily is sitting on Ethan’s lap, Drew is sitting on the arm of Sam’s chair, Greyson and Eddie are on opposite ends of the couch. The children are still happily playing together, and Leo and River, Eddie’s eight-year-old, seem to have bonded over being the “big kids.”
“Allie!” says Drew, when he sees me come in. “Hey, doll. Did I tell you I adore your blouse?”
Drew is awesome. He’s lived in town for about a decade now, another transplant from the city looking for a quieter life. He had some trouble adjusting at first until he started working as an apprentice mechanic in the auto-repair shop, and then he seemed to settle right in. He’s worked there ever since. He and Sam got together about four years ago and, while nobody would have thought to put them together before that, it turns out that they’re basically a perfect couple.
“Oh,” I say, looking down at it. “Thanks, Drew. I got it from Maisy’s, I think. That little boutique on Main Street.”
“Well you look great,” he says. “You’re glowing.” He flicks his gaze to Greyson and back to me, and I feel another flush rising on my cheeks.
Sam, much to my surprise, doesn’t take the opportunity to say something sarcastic or embarrassing. He’s been my best friend since we were in sixth grade and I seriously can’t remember a time when he’s passed up an opportunity to act the clown. But there he is, sitting quietly with his right leg bouncing up and down like he’s nervous.
“Sit here,” says Greyson, getting to his feet and offering me his seat.
“Oh, no.” I shake my head. “Thank you, though. We’ll be heading out for a walk in a little while.”
“A walk?” asks Leo, looking up from the phone he and River are sharing.
“It’s trashon!” calls Lottie from the other side of the room. She’s sitting with Riley, Emma, and Finn, playing with a collection of dinosaurs and dolls.
“Tradition,” I correct her, and she nods.
“Yeah. Trashon.”
“You’re welcome to come,” I tell Greyson, and glance at Ethan and Emily to include them in the invitation. “We just head up the hill out there and watch the sun go down. My grandma always said that even when you find yourself struggling to be thankful for anything, you can go up there and look out at a beautiful sunset and be thankful for that. So we do it every year.”
“That’s a great idea,” says Ethan. “We’ll come.”
Emily nods beside him, smiling.
Greyson is still on his feet beside me, and when I look up to him he nods.
“I’m in.”
He looks amazing today. He has a fair bit of stubble along his square jaw and he’s wearing a chunky knit sweater that makes me want to curl up against him. And there’s an extra sparkle in his eye. I’m pretty sure it’s because his family is in town, which is adorable.
“Great!” I say. “It’ll probably be a while before we go, though. There’s no rush.”
“Lottie! Emma! Come and get dressed right now, we’re in a rush!”
The room has been a flurry of activity ever since Sadie breezed in and announced that we’ll be going for our walk in ten minutes, otherwise we’ll miss the sunset—and all the parents, myself included, immediately realized that’s barely enough time to get the kids into their coats and gloves. Especially when they’re all in the same room together.
“Wrong sleeve, Emma, darling,” I say when I notice she’s trying to put her coat on upside down.
Greyson is standing in the middle of the chaos as it swirls around him, looking bemused and amused and also very, very hot. I’m all for tradition, but I’d much rather be climbing him than the hill out back.
Once everyone’s ready, we head out, jump over the gate behind the house, and start to head towards “the mountain.” Eddie and Sadie insist on calling it that, like it’s a point of pride for them, but really it’s just a big hill.
There are still patches of snow here and there, and the kids hone in on them. Greyson is walking along beside me with his fingers laced between mine, but he breaks the hold when Leo tosses a half-soggy snowball at him, and sprints toward the squealing child, who runs off up the hill.
“Hey,” says Emily, catching up to walk alongside me.
“Oh, hey,” I reply, smiling at her.
“You have a lovely town here,” she says. “I’m from one just like it. Out in Pennsylvania, though.”
“Oh really?” I say, my brows lifting with surprise. “I didn’t know.”
“Yup. I still miss it sometimes, especially during the holidays.”
“You moved to the city to be with Ethan?” I ask, my chest suddenly a little tighter. I hate asking the question because I hate what it implies. I like Greyson. I really, really like Greyson an awful lot. But I don’t want to move the girls out of Sunrise Valley and away from their family.
“No,” she says, shaking her head and smiling. “I moved to the city to work in finance. I met Ethan when I already lived there.”
“Oh,” I say, nodding
. “I see.”
I don’t know if it’s better or worse that her situation was so different from mine.
“So you still work in finance?” I ask.
“God, no,” she says. “I didn’t still work in finance when I met Ethan. It wasn’t for me. I started a business selling smellies on Etsy, and it sort of took off.
“Smellies?” I ask.
“You know. Wax melts, diffusers, that sort of thing. And then I went to Ethan’s company for help with marketing, and it became pretty clear while we were working together that there was a spark between us. He waited until our business was done, and then he asked me out the very same evening. And here we are.”
“Awww, how romantic!” I croon. “And that’s really cool, that you started your own business.”
She smiles, a little bashfully, but clearly proud of her success. “Yeah. And it basically runs itself now, so I get plenty of time with the kids.”
“That’s great,” I say, and I mean it. If I could do something like that, life would be so much easier. It’s not that I don’t love working at Bet’s. It’s that I hate being away from the girls.
“So… you must be pretty special, Allie,” she goes on. “I’ve never seen Greyson so happy.”
I look over to where he is, grabbing up handfuls of snow as ammunition. All the kids have started attacking him with slush, and Ethan, Sam, and Drew have joined in. It’s grownups against kids, and it’s not looking good for the grownups.
“Really?” I ask.
“Mmmhmm. Never even known him to have a girlfriend.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’d call myself that…” I say.
We haven’t had that talk yet. I’m not sure either of us is ready for it. The prospect of Greyson leaving once the house is finished is still looming over us, and we’re doing our best to ignore it.
“Well, whatever you are. You’re good for him. He’s been so hard on himself since…” she trails off.
“Since what?” I ask, pulling my gaze back to Emily and slowing my stride.
“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t say…”
My Smalltown C.E.O. Scrooge: A Festive Romantic Comedy Page 11