Chapter 16
Sixteen
Things got wild fast, and Holly wasn’t sure what exactly she was supposed to do.
All the kids ran over to their grandmother and hugged her before quickly running off and essentially disappearing.
Something she wished she could do right now too, because it felt awkward to be standing in the middle of a not-so-warm family gathering.
“Is someone going to explain whose idea it was to go against my wishes and not only decorate my house, but also still have the company party here?”
Camille Brooks was usually a very sweet and serene woman. But right now Holly was seeing a side of her she didn’t quite know what to do with.
“I told you I did not want a party this year, Lucas! And then you send me that invitation and video as if you’re mocking me! Why would you do that? Are you that upset about me finally finding some joy in my life that you felt the need to rob me of it?”
To his credit, Lucas stayed completely calm.
“I’m not robbing you of anything, Mom. You were the one robbing us of our traditional Christmas,” he said levelly.
“You know this party is a big deal to our employees, and to us.” He motioned to his sisters.
“The fact that you and Dad decided to do all this right before the holidays was pretty selfish.”
“So I’m not allowed to have a life?” she cried. “I should stay in a loveless marriage just so your holiday isn’t ruined? I think you’re the ones being selfish. All three of you!”
“Mom, I think we all need to sit down and talk about this calmly,” Anna carefully said as she came up behind her mother. “The kids are all upstairs and occupied, and…”
Suddenly, Mrs. Brooks spotted her.
And not with the pleasant smile she usually did. It wasn’t quite a sneer, but Holly knew it was forced, if nothing else.
“Holly,” Camille said cordially. “It’s lovely to see you. I’m not quite sure what you’re doing here, but this is a family matter and…”
“Holly is the one who helped me with the party, Mom,” Lucas said as Camille’s eyes narrowed at her.
“Really?” she asked coolly, but then seemed to dismiss the fact that Holly was even there. “I won’t discuss this with the hired help in the room.” Then her smile was a bit smug. “You understand, dear, don’t you?”
“Oh, um…”
“Mom…” Lucas warned, but Holly stopped him.
“Why don’t all of you go inside and I’ll clean up and go when I’m done?”
“Holly, no. That’s not…”
“It’s fine,” she quietly assured him. “Your family is more important. We’ll talk later.”
He seemed reluctant to leave her, but his mother dramatically stormed out of the room, quickly followed by his sisters. “I’ll call you later. I promise. Or…you can go over to the guesthouse if you’d like. I hate asking you to leave.”
“Like I said, Lucas, it’s fine. And I’m going to go home. I need to let Shmoop out and maybe I’ll take him for a nice long walk instead of letting my mom do it. I feel like I’ve been neglecting him lately.”
“That’s my fault. I’m sorry. And…I’m sorry about my mother’s behavior. I didn’t expect her to be so rude.”
“We weren’t sure how she was going to feel, and now we know.” She kissed his cheek. “Go. I’ll take care of this and get out of everyone’s way.”
The look on his face was one of pure misery, but she didn’t allow herself to focus on it for too long. She needed to get their lunch mess cleaned up so she could get out of here without angering Mrs. Brooks more than she already was.
So, as quickly and as efficiently as she could, Holly got the job done. After wiping down the dining room table one last time, she grabbed her purse, phone, and keys and quietly let herself out.
As soon as she was on the road, she called her mother.
“Hey, Holly! How’s everything going?”
“Not great, Mom,” she said, sighing. “Lucas’s mom came home like we all hoped she would, but she was not happy.” Then she told her about everything that went down just minutes ago.
“Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound good. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m a little offended that I needed to leave, but I understand.”
“Then you shouldn’t be offended,” her mother gently reminded her. “This is a family situation and even though everyone knows about it, his mother doesn’t realize that yet. And didn’t you tell me that the plan was for Lucas and his family to all sit down to a dinner together after the party?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so they’re getting a head start on it. I know you were hoping his mother would come home and be thrilled about the whole thing, but…if the marriage is as bad as she claims, I can see why she might not be thrilled.”
“According to Lucas, he didn’t think their relationship was that bad. He said…”
“He saw what his parents wanted him to see, Holly. They may have been putting on a good front for the sake of everyone’s feelings until they couldn’t do it anymore. You know there’s a chance that they are still going to get divorced and this is the last year of this party, right?”
“I know.”
“You can’t keep pushing this agenda because you like it,” her mother said slowly, carefully.
“You’ve always said how much you love that party and how it was your time to get some quality time with Lucas, but the two of you are beyond that now.
You don’t need the party. So if things don’t work out with his parents, then you are going to have to let it go. ”
She sighed and nodded, even though her mother couldn’t see her.
“I’m sure everything’s going to be okay. Once Lucas and his sisters talk to their mother and calm her down, she’ll realize how sweet this whole thing was. Any word from their father?”
“Not yet. I’m kind of hoping that he doesn’t show up until a little later so they can calm Mrs. Brooks down first. I can’t even imagine how much she’s going to flip out when her husband walks through the door. Especially if he brings a date!”
“Oh, my. That would be a good reason for her to flip out.”
“I know.” Another sigh. “Thank you.”
“For what, sweetheart?”
“For you and Dad being such low-drama parents. I love that I know I can always come and talk to the two of you, and if the two of you are arguing, it never lasts long.”
“Well, that’s because one of us usually starts laughing. We can’t yell at each other without one of us cracking up because we know the fight is typically over something silly.”
“It’s one of the things I love the most about your relationship. You guys laugh and talk and do stuff together. That’s what I want.”
“And someday you’ll have it because you won’t settle for anything less.”
“I hope so.”
“So, where are you now? Are you on your way home?”
“Yup. I thought I’d take Shmoop for his afternoon walk today. I think it will be good for both of us.”
“Do you want some company or do you need some time alone?”
She smiled, even as her vision blurred with unshed tears. “I’d really like the company.”
“Okay. Then I’ll see you at your house in a little while. And drive safe. I can hear it in your voice that you’re upset. No crying until you get home,” she teased.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Touching the car screen, she hung up and felt miserable.
Love.
She wanted what her parents had, and she wanted it with Lucas. But with his family dynamic, she wasn’t sure he was capable of it.
And unfortunately, it was something she was going to have to wait to figure out.
At least until after the holidays.
The fireplace crackled in the corner, but the mood was anything but warm.
Lucas, Anna, and Katherine sat scattered across the room.
Anna had made them all coffee, but the mugs all sat half-full or untouched.
A pine-scented candle flickered on the table, its cheerful glow clashing with the tension in the air.
Their mother had been ranting for the better part of an hour. She never stopped long enough for any of them to comment or say anything, and it kind of made him realize that maybe they had all missed the signs and now things were too late.
It also made him regret the whole party plan thing, because now it was going to be awkward as hell.
Although, could he really regret it? If it weren’t for the party, he and Holly wouldn’t have ever crossed that line from coworkers to lovers.
The last month had been the best of his life and even with all the underlying tension with his parents, he was having a great time and was actually looking forward to Christmas—like the actual holiday and not just as a time of the year where his workload lightened.
He couldn’t wait to spend Christmas Eve with her family and possibly Christmas Day, depending on how things went with his parents this weekend.
“And now he’s down in Miami?” his mother was ranting. “Why? Why Miami? We’ve never gone down there in all our lives! We travel to places like Paris and Milan and Martha’s Vineyard! What is he trying to prove?”
And for some reason, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him.
“He’s down there because it’s something he wanted to do!
” Lucas snapped. “Did you ever once ask Dad what he wanted to do or where he wanted to go? No! You’re always telling him where you’re going, what you’re doing, and where he needs to be.
And you know what? You do it to all of us!
Even when you weren’t coming home for Christmas, you were dictating where Anna and Kat should go! ”
“Lucas!”
He looked at his sisters. “Are you going to back me up on this? Because we’ve all shared over the years how we need to be here or there or wherever, because that’s what Mom wants or what Mom told us to do. So…?”
Anna looked flustered and Kat was smirking, but neither were quick to speak up.
So he kept going.
“Both of you were wrong for how you handled things. Packing up and taking off and then throwing me in the middle was not fair! You didn’t want to talk about these issues before you got to this point, and then you bombard me with them while you’re off on vacation!
You ruined all our holiday plans and then you get mad that we made our own? ”