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“Yes, Mom. I’m here alone.”
Mom frowned. “That’s a shame. Well, don’t you worry. Did I tell you about Luke, my friend Trish’s son? He graduated from Purdue this fall!”
Angie looked at me with pleading eyes. Clearly Mom could be happy about me and Clare and still try to fix up her last child.
“Mom, what did you say was on the menu?” Preston asked as he walked up and distracted our mother by whispering something to Presley, who quickly ran up to Mom and demanded she show her what Santa had brought her that morning.
Angie walked up to Preston. “Thank you for using your daughter as a weapon for the cause.”
He laughed and pulled her in for a hug. “Congratulations are in order.”
With a single nod, Angie looked around the room. She looked exhausted. “I should just tell them now.”
“It would make for an interesting Christmas, that’s for sure,” Preston stated.
I motioned for us to move on. “Come on, let’s not stand in the entryway and make it any clearer you’ve got a secret you’re hiding.”
My mother soon forgot all about Angie being alone and homed in on Clare and me by asking a million questions about our relationship. We decided not to mention anything about my stupid plans to win Mandy back.
“Jennifer, honey, I know you’re happy about Wes and Clare, but give them some breathing room!” Dad urged.
Smiling at us from her end of the table, she said, “I’m just so happy. All three of my boys have found love.”
Then her eyes swung to Angie. “One more to go!”
“Jennifer…” Dad warned again. “Not today, okay? Let’s just have one day of no matchmaking.”
Mom frowned. “Is it so bad that I want all my kids to be happy.”
“How do you know I’m not happy?” Angie asked.
All eyes went to my sister as no one said a word.
Mom wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Are you happy? Are you dating anyone?”
“Mom, I don’t have to have a man in my life to make me happy.”
“I know this.”
Clare cleared her throat. “Angie is going to be working for the Boston Red Sox organization.”
I was really hoping Clare was confident that Angie would get the job, considering she barely spoke to the VP about her.
“What?” Finn, Preston, and my father all said at the same time.
Angie gave Clare a look that said she was grateful for the change in subject.
“Angie, when did this happen?” Mom asked.
Sipping her water, Angie put it back down on the table. “Yesterday. Clare told me there was a position that would be opening that she thought I would be perfect for. It’s working in the marketing department after I graduate. It’s not final yet.”
“But I’m positive she’ll get it,” Clare added.
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” Dad said as he lifted his glass. “To our Angie, working for the Sox.”
Everyone toasted, and soon smaller conversations broke out among everyone. After telling our mother to go and play with the grandkids, the rest of us, minus my father who was crashed on the sofa sleeping, got to work cleaning up. We were all soon packed into the kitchen with Harmony and Rory talking to Angie.
“How do you think Mom and Dad are going to react to the news?” Finn asked as he handed me a plate to dry.
