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Malcolm retrieved the umbrella first and then held it above their heads as they hurried up the slippery, cobblestone walk to the front door. Chivalry definitely wasn’t in the man’s wheelhouse before their reconciliation, so Mitch was happy to see it.
Under the protection of the awning, Lia stepped away, smoothed her hair, and squared her thin shoulders like she was about to walk into a high-profile court case. His sister normally oozed confidence. He never saw her nervous. Ever. Until she had to come face-to-face with their mother.
So strange how the joyful woman full of more holiday spirit than the big jolly man himself could evoke so much fear into his baby sis.
He opened the door. “After you.”
Here we go.
“Jesus, you weren’t kidding,” Malcolm said, ducking to avoid a stretch of holiday garland draped across the doorway.
“There you are,” their mother greeted them. Dressed in a pair of jeans, a festive green-and-red striped sweater, and reindeer antlers on her head, she almost blended in with the decorations.
“Hi, Mom,” Lia said, removing her jacket and hanging it in the closet.
“Can I get you to remove your shoes, darlings? We just had the carpets cleaned yesterday.”
They all removed their shoes and set them in the closet before following Lia into the dining room, where Dad was reading the paper. “Hi, Dad,” Lia said.
Malcolm’s eyes were still wide as he scanned the collection of snow globes on the side table. “It’s like a holiday museum in here…or an episode ofHoarders,” he mumbled.
Mitch hid a grin. “Don’t worry. It’s not genetic.”
“Darling! So good to see you,” his father said, standing to greet them. “How was the flight?”
His sister relaxed just a little. “It was good.”
Then Dad turned to Malcolm. “I’m so glad you were able to make it for an early Christmas before heading up to Napa.”
Mitch noticed his mother’s face twitch and the slight glare she sent Lia’s way. Obviously, she wasn’t thrilled about being the second-choice family to spend the holidays with, but how could she blame Lia for wanting to spend Christmas Day with her husband’s family? Their home was on a beautiful winery, and Malcolm had six siblings along with their families that were flying in to be together. And there was less stress and judgment on his sister with the other family. As least he hoped.
The only thing was, without Lia there, his Christmas Eve departure wasn’t going to go over very well. Which was why he hadn’t told his family yet.
Noticing the stack of board games on the card table, he sighed. Obviously, it was family board game night, which meant he was probably going to be stuck there for a while. He’d skip out, but he was Lia and Malcolm’s ride.
“Let’s all sit and catch up,” his mother said, serving tea in holiday-themed mugs and unwrapping the cookies on the tray shaped like an elf face. They all took their seats around the table.
These were the cookies he’d picked up from Jessica’s bakery. Sigh. He couldn’t go longer than five minutes without thinking about her. Bread and cookies existed everywhere. Would he be able to put her out of his mind once he was back on a plane? He’d be selecting pretzels as his free on-board snack from now on.
“So…I had an idea,” his mother said, looking excited. She clasped her hands together and her gaze shifted between Lia and Malcolm.
Uh-oh.
“Ally…” His father’s warning tone was ignored as his mother waved a hand at him to shush.
“Why doesn’t your family come here for the holidays?” she asked Malcolm.
“Uh…” The poor guy looked completely put on the spot. His already stern-looking features became even more contorted as he shifted on the chair and glanced at Lia for help.
“We already discussed all of this, Mom,” Lia said tightly.
“Right. I know…I just thought our place can accommodate extra guests that can’t book the inn…seeing how both of you choose to stay there.”
So, she was still holding a grudge about that.
“Malcolm’s grandmother is still not allowed to fly,” Lia said, shifting awkwardly and glancing at Mitch now to help.
Oh right, she was friendliernowwhen she needed him to bail her out of an awkward conversation with Mom. He hesitated, wanting to let her squirm for the commitment-phobe comment before in the car, but of course, as always, he came to her defense. He cleared his throat. “Mom, you know all of this was already settled months ago. Plans this big can’t be changed at the last minute. Probably best to just stick to the plan.”
