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Ruth stopped working completely and sat down on the loan barstool. “Good, I had my appointment with Mandy this morning. I wasn’t just avoiding this project, but I was a little.”
“And?” Mia grabbed another box from the floor.
Shrugging, Ruth said, “Things are going as expected. But I think something is up with Mandy.”
“Me too. She hadn’t been herself for a few months. I’m going to dig into it after the holidays. She’s always had a hard time with the holidays.” Mia didn’t want to go into her cousin’s past since, in reality, Mia didn’t know all of it. Some things the sisters kept to themselves about their kids. Mandy’s issues were one of them.
“I don’t know her all that well, but I just feel she’s not the same as she was a few months ago when book club started.” Ruth tossed the newly emptied box and tossed it toward the corner.
“I know. I’ve known her forever.” She picked up a pile of straws, looked at them, and added them to the spoon drawer, then moved them to the cabinet with the cups. In reality, she had no idea where straws went. “What are you and Anderson going to do for Christmas? It’s your first one.”
Ruth nodded. “Yes, it is. We are going to go to his parents and stay overnight with them. Then come back and spend the day with my mom.”
“Are you going to get together with Rafferty?” Mia added another pile of plates to the other set. How many plates does a single man need? But then again, if he wanted a plate for every glass at a party, he was covered. On the other hand, if all his guests wanted to eat, they would have to share forks.
“No,” was all Ruth said.
“Why? He’s family,” Mia pointed out since they were alone.
“Because we’re not really a family. We’re just related.” It seemed Ruth didn’t want to talk about it.
Mia grabbed a stack of pans from the counter and found a lower drawer to put them in. From her position on the ground, she looked up at her friend, who was actually her secret sister-in-law. Sometimes, Ruth was a little mean to her secret brother. If she would just let the past be the past, she could be friends with the man. Her husband was already friends with him, so it seemed like it would be easy to Mia.
“Fine.” Putting her hands up in surrender, she wasn’t going to push it. She didn’t need Ruth to get suspicious of her feelings for Rafferty.
“So, how are things going with you and Rafferty?” Ruth handed Mia more pans.
“What does that mean?” Mia asked. Did she know? Had she known the entire time? Why didn’t she ever say anything?
“Here you are, helping him for no reason,”
“He’s helping me later,” Mia focusing on putting the pans away.
“We all know he’ll back out of that,” Ruth stated with authority, as if she knew Rafferty better then Mia did.
“No, he won’t.” She shook her head There was no way he was getting out of helping her. No way.
“He’s Rafferty. He doesn’t change.”
It was the truth. It was Mia’s biggest issue with him and the reason she had been avoiding him for months. Because he was a playboy, just playing with her. And when he was done playing, she would be heartbroken. Even if kissing him made her insides turn to jelly.
“I know. Rafferty is… Rafferty,” Mia stated as the man in question came in the front door, yelling about having gotten it all.
Mia’s eyes met Ruth’s, and they laughed as they went out to see what the excitement was about. The guys were lugging in Rafferty’s couch. It looked heavy, but not heavy enough to where Mia thought she should help. Instead, she directed them to put it facing the fireplace.
“No, I want it looking at the TV stand,” Rafferty said, pulling it the other way.
“No, looking at the fireplace. Anderson, turn it this way,” Mia said sternly.
“Mia,” Rafferty grunted, still holding up the couch.
“Rafferty.” She stared him down, not caring.
“I’m just going to move it when you leave,” he told her, reminding her whose house they were at.
“Then maybe I’ll never leave, so you can’t ever move it!” she yelled as Anderson set his end down and Rafferty pulled his end a foot, and then dropped it in anger.
Turning his anger on his friend, he said, “Anderson, why did you drop it?”
