“I—er…I don’t believe so.” The truth is that I haven’t any idea what Callie did when I wasn’t with her. But we’d spent most of our time together over the last few days, so I’m fairly positive she wasn’t working. Given how badly she needed the break from school, I’d be surprised if she wasted her time on it. “I never saw her on her computer until last night.”
“Good.” Luna gives me a self-deprecating smile. “I’m not crazy. I just want her to be careful so she doesn’t burn out. It’s the protective older sister in me, I guess.”
“Sounds fairly typical.” I pull the bacon from the pan and set it on a plate, then serve myself some breakfast.
She hands Oliver a fork and his plate as Rhys comes in the kitchen and helps himself to the breakfast lining the countertop.
Luna chews her bacon. “How did the last few days go? I’m sorry we weren’t here.”
“You couldn’t help it.”
Rhys puts his plate down across from me and lifts an eyebrow. “Debatable.”
Luna gives him a wide-eyed look, communicating something I probably don’t want to know. “We were a little slow out the door, so yeah, we could have helped it if we’d left when we were supposed to.”
“That’s not your fault,” I say, spearing beans with my fork.
Rhys laughs. “Again, debatable.”
“Hush, you.” Luna points her fork at him. “She’s my sister and it’s my job. So, Gavin. How have you been since we saw you last?”
There’s something weird going on here but I’m not going to dive into it. I think back on the last time I stopped in Snowshillto see Hamish and stayed with them for a few days. It was only six months ago, right in the middle of summer. “Nothing, really. Just looking for new ideas to pitch my agent.”
“Do you need to sell a new story?” Rhys asks.
“Need to? No. But I’m not certain I’m ready to be finished creating stories, either.”
Rhys takes a bite of toasted sourdough. “You could wait for inspiration.”
It’s true. I could. Truthfully, ever since Rory put the idea of a Christmas book in my head at Katie’s ugly jumper party, I’ve been bouncing around different ideas. Nothing has settled, but the concepts keep coming.
The door from the living room opens and Mum and Dad let themselves in. My stomach immediately tightens, but it relaxes when they’re followed by Callie. Her hair is still wet from the shower, but her face looks fresh and her layers of jumpers upon jumpers make her look snuggly and warm.
“Smells divine, darling,” Mum says. “I missed your cooking.”
“I’ll try not to take offense,” Dad says lightly. He pushes his glasses higher on his nose, but still, something feels off. They’re acting as though the last three years didn’t happen. Like they didn’t sell me the house under the assumption we would all live here together, then disappear. That they don’t regularly make promises they don’t keep. That I’m supposed to act like I’m not feeling unsettled and unsure with them around.
“Oh, enough.” Mum swats at Dad. “You know he learned from the best.”
The best being Granny? Because I learned from Granny. If they’re trying to take credit for teaching me my way around a kitchen, they’re delusional.
Dad takes a plate and fills it up. “The house looks festive, Gav.”
“I forced Gavin into it,” Callie says, taking up a plate behind my parents. “It wasn’t as ready for Christmas as I wanted it tobe, and he was kind enough to humor me. We’re almost there now, but we still need a tree.”
“Should we take care of that today?” Luna asks, sitting up straight, her eyes sparkling.
Rhys grins at his wife as he chews around a bite. “You just want to show off your skills with an ax.”
“Be fair. I’ve vastly improved. You know I have.”
“Vastly?”
“Rhys.”
“Fine, yes,” he says. “Luna could chop the tree down single-handedly. She’s small but strong.”
“It’s all that yoga,” Callie says from the stove where she’s scooping eggs onto her plate. “You should see some of the stuff she can do.”
