“I guess I should be grateful she had a little discretion.”
His clipped tone didn’t invite further discussion but Holly was compelled to add one more thing.
“I do know that he and Diane have been a great support to Kim and Audrey since they moved to the Lake Haven area. She once told me the father she remembered in her youth wasn’t anything like the man he had become over the past few years.”
His mouth tightened but he said nothing and she decided not to add that perhaps in light of the holidays—the season of miracles, hope, reconciliation—he might try giving his father another chance.
None of this was her business. She and Ryan weren’t friends.Not really. They were polite acquaintances who were helping each other out.
Had he really almost kissed her or had she imagined that?
He placed the last container of food in the refrigerator, closed the door and carried the basket back to the living room, where they found Doug helping his granddaughter hang a garland over a door frame while Lydia watched on carefully, brow furrowed in concentration like a pint-sized project supervisor.
“Hope this is okay here,” Audrey said. “I think I remember Mom hanging it here last year.”
“It looks perfect,” Holly assured her. “Exactly where I would have put it.”
Audrey grinned as her grandfather finished hanging the garland. He stepped away and shifted his head, studying his handiwork. “Not bad.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” Audrey said, giving him another hug.
“Thanks, Auddy’s Grandpa,” Lydia echoed.
He smiled at the girls. “You’re both very welcome. I’m happy to help.”
“We can always use another pair of hands, if you want to stick around a bit,” Holly said brightly, though she didn’t miss the glare Ryan sent her from behind his father’s back.
“I would love to help but I need to go. I’ve got to get back to Diane. I don’t like to leave her alone for long. I wanted to drop some of this food over before it goes bad. Whatever you don’t think you will eat in the next day or two should probably go into the freezer.”
“Thanks for thinking of us,” Ryan said, the words stiff and formal. She could tell they hadn’t been easy for him.
What had caused this rift between father and son? It must have been something that happened in his youth, perhaps after his mother’s death from cancer when he and Kim had been teenagers.
Her heart ached with compassion for both of them.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you both later. Lydia, Holly, it was nice to see you both again.”
After another hug to his granddaughter, Douglas Caldwell picked up his basket and headed out the door, leaving a charged silence behind.
Doug Caldwell had a forceful personality. Not unlike his son. She had to wonder if that might be part of the reason the two of them seemed to butt heads.
Whatever might be awry between them wasn’t her business, she reminded herself again. Ryan didn’t strike her as an unreasonable man. He likely had good reasons to be angry with his father.
She turned her attention back to her decorating crew.
“What’s next, oh mighty taskmaster?” he asked, with an exaggerated bow.
She rolled her eyes as Audrey giggled. Lydia giggled as well, though Holly was quite certain she didn’t know what was funny.
“We’re almost done outside. I’m sure the two of you can finish on your own, now that we’ve started. Why don’t we decorate the tree next?”
“We need some Christmas music,” Audrey declared. “I don’t think you’re legally allowed to decorate a Christmas tree unless you’re listening to appropriate music, are you?”
Her uncle rolled his eyes but directed a smart speaker in the room to play instrumental Christmas music and a moment later, a jazzy version of “Jingle Bells” poured out.
“Much better,” Audrey said with a grin as she opened another box containing ornaments.
“Where do we start?” Ryan asked, eying the tree with so much apprehension that Holly almost laughed. Had the man really never decorated a Christmas tree before?
