Chapter Seven
It s the yap-yappiest season of all
Ivy
Something is tickling my toes. When I open my eyes, there s enough glow shining from the streetlight outside the bedroom window for me to see that Hamish has his teeth on the very edge of my right sock, which is still very much attached to my right foot.
What are you doing? I whisper. He holds my gaze as he inches the sock away from my toes. Are you stealing my sock?
He is. Soon as the sock is free, he shakes his head back and forth to apparently kill whatever life may be left in that sock as he settles down on the floor to devour his feast.
Guess that s my cue to get up.
Drop it, Hamish. Since there s nowhere for him to escape with his spoils, my sock is only slightly drooly by the time I wrestle it out of his mouth. I switch on the lamp next to the bed so I can see well enough to exchange it for another pair.
What time is it? I pick up my phone. Five thirty? Feels later. I double check the date on my phone just to make sure it s still December twenty-first. Yep. Still the twenty-first.
Probably good that I didn t sleep any longer then. I want to be ready to sleep again tonight. The sooner I get back to a regular sleep schedule, the better.
Need to go potty? I ask Hamish. He s whining and pawing at the door, so I m guessing the answer is yes.
All right, buddy. One second. I text Lucy. Are you here? Please be here, I mutter as I step to the window. Maybe I ll spot her car. I peek through the blinds. Maybe not.
The snow obviously didn t slack any during my hour-long nap. It s still coming down at a steady clip. Good thing we got here when we did.
Hamish continues pawing at the door. I know, buddy. Hold on.
Since Lucy s not texting back, I try calling.
Are you here? I m here. So you better be here, I tell her voicemail a few seconds later.
Then I tap on the screen, so I can pull up the app and send a video message to both her and Ella.
Ignore my voice. I know I sound awful. But thankfully I m feeling better and. .. Look where I am.
I tap the camera so it s facing away from me toward the room.
The green room, as Beau s mom said, is green.
The walls are a dark green, as are the curtains on the two windows—one facing the backyard, the other facing the neighbor s house.
The dresser with an attached mirror is more of a seafoam green, but the desk with a glass top that displays family pictures and newspaper clippings from Beau s high school baseball days is painted a bright emerald.
I tap the camera back on me. In case you didn t pick up on all the subtle clues, I m in the green room.
Got here almost two hours ago. Hamish hasn t broken or destroyed anything, so I think we re off to a good start.
Ella, if you re able to make it for the New Year s Eve engagement party, this room has a trundle bed, so you could bunk in with me.
Just be aware that Hamish will try to steal your socks while you re sleeping.
And Lucy, I better see your face in the next ten seconds. I m coming downstairs.
I end the message and open the door before Hamish loses his mind. Here comes the beast, I whisper-yell in warning as Hamish tumbles down the stairs like a fifty-pound bowling ball.
Before I can follow, a flash of dark fur bolts from the bedroom opposite mine and darts past my feet in hot pursuit of Hamish. What in the—
Is there another dog?
I collide into a solid wall of muscle. The same solid wall of muscle I remember trying to ignore every time I fixed the EKG leads back in September. Beau.
Whoa, his deep voice says. Sorry. I didn t—wait... Strong hands grip my shoulders and push me back a few inches. Ivy? Beau s blue eyes widen.
Hey, Beau, I say, having to tip back my head to see him better. If he s here, then Lucy must be, too. Good seeing you again.
Beau s staring at me like I ve risen from the dead. To be fair I sound like I have. Probably look like it too. Where s Lucy? I try clearing my throat. Downstairs?
He shakes his head like he s still seeing a ghost. Or maybe he just doesn t hear me over all the barking, yapping, tumbling, and crashing taking place downstairs.
I can t tell if Hamish has made an instant friend or a new sworn enemy.
Either way I better go check it out. I point down the stairs, because that seems more productive than trying to talk.
The stairs have a small landing that veers left toward more stairs leading to the kitchen or right toward a short staircase descending to the living room areas. I veer left.
Beau s mom is just letting the dogs outside when I hit the bottom step.
Well, she says with a merry laugh. That s quite a greeting to come home to. Who s Hamish s little friend?
I shrug. Easier than trying to croak out an answer I don t know.
How are you feeling, honey? Get a little rest? She s still wearing her coat, so she must ve just gotten back from church. I saw Beau s car. Glad to see he made it in okay, she says, unwrapping her scarf. They say the snow s not letting up anytime soon. Ready for some soup?
I nod and step further into the kitchen, trying to see if I can spot Lucy through the doorway that leads to the dining room, or the other doorway that circles back to the living room area.
We ve got some hot tea if you think that will help your—Beau! She clunks the soup lid back in place and rushes around the kitchen table to wrap her arms around him.
Beau returns his mom s hug while still eyeing me with that weird look on his face.
If I didn t know any better, I d think he was shocked to see me here.
But... no. Lucy obviously told him I was coming.
She had to have told him I was coming, because Beau s Mom mentioned how Beau told her I was coming when she texted me back about the dog.
So why is Beau looking at me like he had no idea I was coming?
Something feels off. I need my phone. I start for the stairs, but Beau and his mom are blocking the way, his mom still hugging and giggling about what a wonderful Christmas this is already shaping out to be.
Where s Dad? Beau asks, his eyes still locked on my face.
Still at the church. You wouldn t believe how hectic everything s been since Phylis retired as office manager in the fall.
We re having trouble finding a replacement, and let s just say everybody s starting to realize all Phylis did behind the scenes that isn t running so smoothly now.
But anyway, that s a conversation for a different time.
I d much rather have a conversation about you two, she says, stepping back over to the soup and adjusting the burner.
Us two? Beau and I lock gazes. My hooded sweatshirt starts shrinking into a corset that wants to squeeze all the air out of my lungs. Us two?
Actually, better wait, his mom says. Janey s walking over and will want to hear everything.
For the first time since coming downstairs, Beau s eyes dart away from me to his mom. What do you mean Janey s walking over? She s already home?
She never left, his mom says, grabbing some bowls from the cupboard. Walter took the girls to see his folks over in Galena for a few days and do a little skiing, but she stayed home because of the baby.
Beau s starting to look like his navy-blue Henley has turned into a corset.
That s probably her now, his mom says when the front door rattles open. Come in, come in, she shouts as a deep male voice calls back, Look who I found!
Oh, I really hope that deep male voice found Lucy.
But when the owner of the deep male voice steps into the kitchen, I see that it s Beau s dad, Rob, and he s got his arm wrapped around a young woman with long dark hair who is very pregnant and very much not Lucy.
Hi Aunt Cecilia. Beau. She gives me an extra-big smile. Ivy.
Found her waddling up the porch steps just as I pulled into the drive, Rob says, shedding his coat and reaching out for a handshake. Great seeing you again, Ivy. Glad to know Beau didn t let you slip through his fingers after all.
I might be panting at this point. I don t know. All I do know is Beau doesn t seem to be drawing air any better than I am as I numbly shake Rob s hand in return.
Where s Hamish? Beau says to the pregnant woman I believe his mom called Janey.
Outside, Cecilia answers, finally taking off her coat to hand it to Rob.
The baby s outside? Beau spins toward his mom.
Uh... baby s right here, Janey says with a confused laugh as she points to her protruding stomach, which is straining against the fabric of her sweater while she removes her coat to hand over to Rob.
Beau looks back and forth from Janey to his mom. Why d you tell me Janey had her baby?
When did I say that? his mom says, pulling a wooden spoon out from a crock full of cooking utensils.
When you texted me and said She s here! She s here!
I was talking about Ivy, you nut.
You thought I named my baby Hamish? Janey says to Beau while Rob returns from putting the coats away and says, Who s Hamish?
Where s Lucy? My voice, not strong to begin with, is fading even more.
Is that the other dog I met? Beau s mom points toward the window with her wooden spoon.
Lucy is Beau s fiancée? I say, hearing the question in my own voice because that s all there seems to be right now. Questions. Lots and lots of questions.
I thought you were Beau s fiancée, says Janey. Or about to be, anyway.
She is. That s what Beau told me. Beau s mom points to Beau then to herself with the wooden spoon.
When did I say that? Beau darts a quick glance at me.
His mom s voice grows in volume with every one of her words.
When you called and said you were bringing a special girl home for Christmas named Ivy that you d just spent a fortune on in hopes that you d be spending many more Christmases together.
Now she s whipping the spoon in my direction as if I m exhibit A.
Beau cuffs the back of his neck as he shifts from one foot to the other. I was talking about the new puppy I got.
While everyone shouts back an assortment of exclamations and questions, I steal the wooden spoon from Cecilia so I can aim my own question at Beau like a sword. You named your dog Ivy?
He lifts his hands in surrender. I ve already switched it back to Pinky Collar.
So are you two getting engaged or not? Janey asks, propping her hands on her waist.
Beau s engaged to Lucy, I say, really wishing I could point the wooden spoon at Lucy right now as exhibit B.
Who s Lucy? everyone but Beau shouts back.
My friend. The nurse I set Beau up with back in September. The one who just called me yesterday and said they got engaged, then invited me to spend Christmas with you guys.
As everyone just stands there staring back at me the same way I imagine I stare at Yesenia when she s speaking rapid-fire Spanish, I rack my brain. Lucy did say they were engaged, right? There s no way I misunderstood.
No, I start muttering to myself like a madwoman. She said it. I heard her. I saw the ring. I know I was exhausted, but I remember what she said. And I remember what I said. I told her how happy I was because Beau was such a great guy—
Thank you, says Beau.
—and how he has such a great family.
Very kind, says Rob.
I called Beau yummy for crying out loud.
Only because I couldn t think of a different word, I quickly add when I see Beau s mom and Janey exchange hopeful glances.
The point is Lucy has to be engaged to Beau.
Why else would she have told me to come here?
Nothing else makes sense. The only reason she would ve told me to come here is if she wasn t engaged to Beau and.
.. and... She wants me to get engaged to Beau.
When I meet everyone s gaze, I can tell we re all speaking the same language again. Because everyone s fighting hard not to smile.
Nooo, I say waving the wooden spoon around. This can t be happening. Lucy wouldn t do this. I m the matchmaker here. Not her.
Everyone s smiles are turning into full-blown grins. Beau s right dimple creases his cheek as he shoots me a wink. Pretty sure this is happening. Pretty sure Lucy did do this.
She set me up, didn t she? My words are barely a croak at this point.
Well, I still don t know who this Lucy is, but I do know this, Cecilia says, grabbing the spoon back and lifting it in victory. Tonight we eat in her honor.