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Before I know it, my alarm goes off and it’s time to pick my little girl up from school. Dress shopping is the last thing I want to do today, but the smile on Nora’s face will make it worth it.
I’m going to tell her about Penelope before we get my mom from the inn, so hopefully the shopping and decorating will take her mind off it afterward.
As soon as I pull up outside the school, I get out and Nora barrels down the steps with her friends.
“Hey, Dad!” She throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me close.
“Hey, munchkin, ready to go get a new dress for the ball? Grandma is going to come with us so we are going to grab her now. Sound good?”
“Yeeeeees,” she squeals in my ear. I help her into the truck. I’m not looking forward to this conversation. Closing the door once she is settled in her seat, I walk around the front of the truck, open the driver side door, and get inside.
“Hey Nora, I have to tell you something really quick before we go,” I say cautiously as she turns in her seat and looks at me. “Penelope left this morning back to Manhattan, back home. She wanted to be there for Christmas.”
“She did?” Nora starts to cry. I knew this would happen. “But what about the ball? And Christmas here with us?”
How do I put this? “Honey, unfortunately she needed to get back to work. But it’s okay, we’ll see her again, and the ball will be amazing as usual.”
“Okay, Dad,” she says, whimpering and wiping her tears. I lean over, using the sleeve of my coat to dry her face. “I’m going to miss her.”
“Me too, Nora-Bean, me too.” And that’s the truth. “Let’s go get Grandma and take you shopping, little lady.”
We pull away from the curb and make our way back to the inn, honking in the driveway to let my mom know we’re there to get her. I notice that the paparazzi are gone, and I sigh in relief.
“Hey guys. How was school, Nora?” my mom asks when she slides in next to Nora.
“It was good, I can’t wait for Christmas break,” Nora says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “What color dress should I get?”
“Hmmm, maybe a pretty red one?”
They get lost in conversation about dresses, shoes, and jewelry until we get to Main Street and park. For the next two hours, we browse the shops. I follow them around, carrying their bags. Luckily, Nora is so distracted that she never once mentions Penelope. I’m so relieved that I don’t even care how much of my money they’re spending.
My mood never lifts. Anger and heartbreak still course through my veins, but I fight to bury it, faking contentment instead.
As soon as we get home, Nora runs inside our house to put the shopping bags down. Mom ordered pizza on the way home, so it won’t be long before it arrives.
Running back outside, she meets us in the driveway, and we all make our way into the house to wait for the food and start on the planning.
“Grandma, can I help plan too?”
“Of course you can sweetheart. Dad said Sally is coming to help, isn’t that right Brent?”
“Yes, I am!” Sally says as the back door opens, and she blows in with the cold wind. “The planning committee is here!”
“Yayyyy let’s do this,” Nora yells, clapping her hands. This little girl just loves Christmas.
“Brent, ready to help me?” Dad calls from the living room where he’s probably reading his book.
“Yep,” I say. I’m not in the mood for anything Christmassy, but I promised I’d help, so here I am.
Together, Dad and I pull out a blank piece of paper from behind the check-in desk and figure out a timeline to get ready for the ball. We need to move a lot of the furniture out into the shed and there will be a company bringing in tables and chairs for people to sit. Nora, Mom, and Sally are zero help as they sit in the kitchen and talk about what they’re wearing to the ball. But I don’t mind. Nora is busy with the people she loves, which is what she needs right now. It’s what we all need.
“Let’s get as much planned as we can tonight so I don’t have to do this again,” Dad says, chuckling. He doesn’t hate Christmas, but he isn’t as much of a fan as Mom and Nora are.
We finish the to-do list just as the door chimes, signaling the arrival of pizza. I answer the door, grab the pizza, and head to the dining room where we all sit down to eat.
Once we’re in our seats, with our plates filled with pizza, and the air filled with comfortable conversation, I glance at the empty chair to Sally’s right. It’s where Penelope always sat.
It’s where she should be sitting now.
