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“I think that’s a great idea.” I stretch up to kiss Henry’s neck, reveling in the taste of his skin. A great idea that he came up with all on his own.
CHAPTER21
“This really is a cute neighborhood.” Plump snowflakes float down, melting the second they land on the windshield of Henry’s Porsche Cayenne—a vehicle I had no clue he owned until we walked up to it in the underground garage.
“Which is why that real estate agent tried to help her sister get it, and for a steal.” Henry navigates the side street with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console. It’s midafternoon on Christmas Eve, and the drive here was hectic, with all the last-minute holiday shopping. “Alex and Tony got them eighty thousand more.”
My mouth gapes. Barbara should go to prison for that. “So, it’s officially sold?”
“All the conditions passed yesterday. They close in early January.”
And then Violet and Audrey’s home, only three blocks away, will be someone else’s. How hard must that be for Violet when she’s already seen so much? I can’t imagine the day my family farm no longer belongs to a Mitchell.
I reach over to squeeze his hand. “That was good of you to step in like that.”
“As if you gave me much choice.” But he wears a permanent smile as he pulls into Gayle and Howard’s driveway, and we unload gifts from the trunk.
A festive wreath hangs on the door, but otherwise there isn’t much in the way of decoration. I suppose it’s too much for them to be climbing ladders to string lights at their age. Too bad they don’t have a Jed next door to come over and help.
A set of eyes watches through the front blinds. “They’re here!” comes a muffled shout.
We’re not on the porch for more than two seconds when the door flies open, and we’re met with a grinning Violet, Gayle behind her. Bing Crosby croons in the background and the scent of cloves and cinnamon permeates the air.
“Let them in!” Gayle ushers her granddaughter back into the living room and waves us through in her customary way, dropping her voice to whisper, “She has been watching that window like a hawk for the past two hours, waiting for you.”
“I have not!” Violet retorts. “This is where the cookies are.”
Howard pokes his head out of the kitchen. “Merry Christmas! Tea will be ready soon.”
“My, my.” Gayle admires the festive floral arrangement in my arms, bursting with red, white, and green flowers and foliage. “What is all this?”
I slip off my boots. “Just a little something for your table.” My favorite part about enjoying Henry’s wealth is buying gifts for others, and the fact that he never made a single comment about how outrageously expensive these were makes me love him more. Most people don’t realize how generous Henry is.
Violet’s curious eyes are on him and the armload of wrapped packages he carries. She trails him to the Christmas tree like a small, eager child while I follow Gayle to the dining room.
“Henry said you had family coming over?” Their table is set for eight with crammed placemats and folding chairs. I move a few things out of the way to fit the arrangement in the center.
“Yes, a cousin and her family. It’s been a while since we’ve had Christmas here. We’d been going to Audrey’s for years.” Gayle adjusts a setting. “They’re bringing the turkey and dressing with them, and Violet is helping to peel all the vegetables. It’s a bit too much for us these days. Both of us have such terrible arthritis.”
“Get out of here!” Henry scolds but his tone is pleasant.
We turn to find Violet hovering over his shoulder like a nosy cat as he stoops to unload gifts under the tree. She inhales deeply. “Farm Girl Soap!”
“I’m serious, I’ll put them all back.”
“Violet! Help Gramps with the tea,” Gayle urges, waving her away with a shooing sound.
“Yes, Gramma.” Violet skips past us, wearing an impish grin and not a hint of shame, disappearing into the kitchen.
Gayle shakes her head, but she’s chuckling. “She’s always been outgoing and energetic, but when Audrey’s health declined, she seemed to lose that spark. I haven’t seen her so full of beans in … well, alongtime.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“Yes, I … I hope so.”
I frown, wondering what she means by that.
“Abbi!” Howard hollers from the kitchen. “Violet said you two were heading to your parents’ today?”
