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“There’s a bigger table reserved for all of you, and Crystal at the restaurant tomorrow, of course,” Jaxon announced as he lazed on the sofa, and sipped at an insulated glass of the mulled wine he’d made for everyone. “I upgraded the small one the two of you usually share,” he told Nick and Kris. “Hopefully I’ll be able to take some time out to join you.”
Holly lounged with her feet curled up under her, sandwiched in the middle of Nick and Jaxon. “Is this what you guys normally do for Christmas?” she asked, curious.
“Pretty much,” Nick agreed with a nod. “My parents are retired and refuse to come back from sunnier climes. There’s not usually any opportunity for me to fly out to them at this time of year, and since I took over the business from them, they wouldn’t expect it anyway. They didn’t take time off at Christmas, so God forbid I should.”
“My parents live abroad,” Kris said, without going into any more detail.
“And mine died a long time ago,” Jaxon admitted, sadness ringing in his voice. “It used to be different when Crystal was younger, since I became her guardian. But now she’s in college she doesn’t want to hang out with her older brother any more than necessary. Apparently, I cramp her style.”
Nick laughed and threw a wink in Holly’s direction. “What he really means is Crystal doesn’t want Jaxon scaring off her boyfriends.”
Jaxon scowled, not looking in the least bit impressed. “She’s not old enough for boyfriends.”
This was a different side of the usually playful man.
Kris shook his head. “She’s twenty, Jax, not twelve. Crystal grew up and became a little honey.”
Jaxon grabbed a throw pillow and tossed it at Kris’ head. “Do not ever refer to my kid sister as a honey.”
It was nice, Holly thought, this camaraderie that they shared. It made her yearn for people in her own life who she could share this kind of friendship with. It made her wish she lived closer so she could maintain this connection.
Yeah, that would just get awkward after a while.
She still didn’t want to listen to that damn voice.
“So, what about you, Holly? Do you have any Christmas traditions?” Nick asked, changing the subject.
Smiling softly, Holly conjured a vision of her mother. “My mama loved Christmas, as you know. Every single year before she died, I used to get a lump of coal in my stocking. I was a pretty good kid, but Mama said no one was perfect, so me and Ivy always got coal. Then, on Christmas Day, we’d throw our lumps of coal on the fire, and Mama used to tell us that we burned up all our naughtiness, ready for a clean slate the following year.”
Maybe it was a tradition she should have continued. Then, she might not have found herself on the Naughty List.
“I like that idea,” Nick said quietly, as he idly wound a lock of her hair around his finger and let it spring free. “One day, when I have kids, I’m going to do that too.”
Holly felt tears spring to her eyes. She liked the idea that someone else would continue her mama’s Christmas tradition.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was Christmas morning. Early.
Holly couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this excited about celebrating Christmas Day. …certainly not in any of the years since her mother had passed.
They had a light breakfast since they were all looking forward to an enormous, filling dinner, and Jaxon shared the news that he was splitting the dinner rush with his assistant chef and should be able to leave the restaurant early.
They exchanged gifts, and Kris seemed shocked that Holly had bothered to buy him anything, even though he’d presented her with a bottle of very expensive perfume. It didn’t seem to put him in any better of a mood, though. If anything, it had made him worse, and she couldn’t help wondering if she’d gone too far with the SAD light, and he was offended.
She should have known better. It wasn’t like Kris had much of a sense of humor.
Nick gave Holly a beautiful necklace; three rubies on a gold chain that resembled holly berries, but not so overtly Christmassy that she couldn’t wear it all year round. And Jaxon presented her with a pair of matching earrings. It seemed too much, really, but it warmed her heart that she would have something special to remember them both by when the only thing left to her was memories.
But they also gave her something equally special. It was nestled on a bed of tissue paper inside an elegantly wrapped box trimmed with ribbon. When she took off the lid, there it was.
A lump of coal.
It was so beautiful it made her eyes sting, and she had to swallow against the thickness in her throat.
The two of them guided her over to the open fire and flanked her as she removed the coal from its setting, then ceremoniously threw it into the flames and watched it burn.
Dinner was delicious, and Holly wore the beautiful jewelry the guys had gifted her. The atmosphere in the restaurant was one of fun and friendship for all the patrons who were dining, and it had the atmosphere of one big party.
