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Here we go.
Penelope follows me in, and I gesture for her to go ahead of me. In the foyer, she pauses, taking in the Christmas spectacle before us. Her eyes dart from one end of the space to the other. It’s a lot to take in.
“Hey Mom, are you here?” I call as we round the corner into the kitchen.
“Hi honey,” she says as she turns down the Christmas tunes. She stands in front of the oven with her favorite elf apron on. It jingles when she walks. My heart swells at the sight of her. I’m a proud Mama’s boy.
“Mom, meet Penelope. Penelope, meet Mom,” I say. I give my mom a kiss on the cheek, then ruffle Nora’s hair—which I know pisses her off.
“Hi Penelope, you can call me Suzanne. It’s so nice to meet you! Are you hungry? I just made some scones.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, too, I’ve heard so much about you,” Penelope says. “They smell amazing, but I’m still stuffed from the pancakes at the diner but thank you.”
“Where’s Dad?” I ask Mom. He can usually be found in his reading chair by the window or out in the woodshed.
“He’s outside in the shed.”
“I’ll introduce them when he comes in. Did you see it started snowing?”
“Nora told me, how exciting! Just in time for the festival. Will you still be here to come with us, Penelope?” I roll my eyes and Mom playfully smacks me on the arm.
“Mom, she’s leaving when her car is fixed,” I say quickly so Penelope doesn’t feel obligated to respond.
“To be honest, between you and me, I’m hoping it isn’t ready yet so I can stay. I’ve never been to a small-town festival before,” she says, surprising me. I look at her with wide eyes and she giggles at my reaction.
“Well, you are more than welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” my mom says. “I have a room for you to stay in. Where is your luggage?”
“I put them at the front door,” I say.
“That was nice of you to carry them inside,” she says as she winks. I know that look and it means she’s up to no good. “Did Brent tell you about the festival?”
“Only that it was hell,” Penelope says. She glances at me, stifling a laugh with her palm.
“Of course he would say that. Don’t listen to my grumpy son, he gets it from his father,” Mom mutters.
“I heard that, Mom.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about honey,” she says before turning back to Penelope. “It’s the first event of the season and everyone will be there. There’s so much to do, you’ll love it.”
Penelope’s eyes light up at my mom’s words, and I have a feeling she’s going to be just as enamored with the festival as everyone else in town. Nora turns from where she’s sitting on a stool at the large island in the middle of the kitchen, and her words spill out a million miles a minute, telling Penelope what she can expect.
Nora begins ticking things off on her fingers. “Hot cocoa. Games. Reindeer—”
“As you can tell, there’s lots to do,” I say. My kid could go on for hours about Christmas and her favorite is the festival.
“Dad, I wasn’t done. Don’t you know it’s not nice to interrupt someone?” She grumbles as she takes her attitude into the other room.
“Brent, honey, why don’t you take Penelope upstairs and let her get settled in. The Monarch Room isn’t booked, so she can stay in there. Don’t feel like you have to come down for dinner, Penelope. Just get comfortable.”
Is this the same mom I’ve had all my life? Don’t come downstairs for dinner? I must be dreaming. The woman still makes me come in from my house some nights to eat with them.
“I’ll show you to your room. This way,” I say to Penelope.
She follows me down the hall, passing the expansive dining room, and I stop at the front desk to grab the key to her room. I hand her the key before grabbing her luggage and making our way to the dark wooden staircase that leads to the rooms. I put my hand on her lower back as we ascend the stairs, and it feels so natural.
“Your room is right down the hall. It’s one of my mom’s favorite rooms, so I’m not surprised she told you to stay in there. She usually keeps it open for family or anyone who is visiting,” I ramble as I show her to the room.
We stop outside the Monarch Room and her eyes widen as she takes in all the Christmas madness around her. On the door to the room is a huge wreath filled with lights, butterflies, and a huge bow.
