I scrub at my face with a makeup remover pad, watching in the mirror as Granny Murray shows off all the clothes she and Aunt Babs found for me when they went shopping today.
“I can’t wear that to work, Gran.” I snatch the skimpy Mrs. Claus teddy out of her hands and shove it in the linen closet.
“This is for under your clothes. You get one of those guys,” she says, “when they’re all ’roided up and horny after a big win, show him a little of this, and you’ll have a ring on your finger by summer.”
“I’m not sleeping with a player, and certainly not after a win, because the Rhode Islanders are the worst team in the league. They will never win a game.”
“Not with that attitude.” Granny Murray snorts. She pulls up my pants again.
I’m starting to see why my cousin Gracie finally evicted her out of her house.
“I need to help Mom with dinner.”
The gravy is bubbling away on the stove.
Mom gives me another big hug and a smooch. “My baby’s back in the nest. Never leave home again, snickerdoodle. I made your favorite: garlic-cheddar mashed potatoes.”
“Yes! I need carbs and dairy today.”
“You need to get a man. You baby that girl, Trina,” Gran rails. “She should be out on the town, roaming the streets.” Granny Murray thrusts a mug at me. “Eggnog. Your Aunt Stacy made it. She doesn’t put enough rum in it.”
Golden liquid is sloshed into my mug.
I take a big, burning swallow.
“Oh, Ellie.” My mom licks her thumb and tries to clean off my face.
“Ooh! Eggnog!” My older sisters clamber into the kitchen.
“You’re here! All my girls!” My mom wraps us into a big hug.
Angie steals my mug and drinks it, while Maxie goes right for the rum bottle.
“There’s red wine in the gravy, girls.”
“You better make sure it gets cooked off,” my dad’s voice booms. “Jace and Adam have a big game tomorrow. We need them to pass a drug test.”
My mom screams.
I catch the spatula and keep the pan of gravy from flying off the stove as she sprints to my brothers—somehow even bigger than the last time I saw them in their black-and-yellow Direwolves jerseys—and hugs them like they just returned from war or something.
“My boys! My little boys! Oh! My children are all here for dinner! I didn’t know you were coming in.”
“We thought we’d surprise you.” Adam grins as my mom squeezes him, then she goes for my other brother.
My dad’s face is lit up with pride and joy as he gazes over my younger twin brothers. Big-time NHL hockey players, both on the Direwolves. An NHL draft-day miracle.
“Don’t worry, Ellie,” Adam says as he and Jace rush to me and both wrap their arms around me, squishing me. “We’ll go easy on the Rhode Islanders tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Angie says as she steals a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “Try not to beat them by like twenty points, m’kay?”
Adam laughs. “Ryder already said that once the point count gets to ten to nothing, he’s going to switch to all us rookies and let us play.”
“Yeah, I bet I score a goal this game!” Jace whoops.
“Your first NHL goal!” My mom hugs him.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” my dad teases softly. “You’ll jinx it, Trina.”
