Chapter 5 #2
“My lips are sealed. On all of it.” Nick’s shoulders relaxed as they resumed walking.
Holly obviously had her own reasons for her holiday aversion, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her one-on-one and find out what those reasons were.
In a culture obsessed with Christmas, it’d be kind of nice to spend this season with someone who understood and didn’t share the hype.
A car door slammed, and a mix of voices, some young, filled the front yard.
Ryan paused and raised his eyebrows. “That’s odd. Sounds like—”
“ Cowabunga! ” A boy’s shout was broken off by a crash, followed by an adult shout.
“—my nephew.” Ryan grinned. “I think my sister Olivia is here.”
Nick’s arms slowly fell to his sides. More family? He was still adapting to the ones already here.
Ryan eagerly jogged toward the house, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted. “Livs?”
Nick followed at a more hesitant pace. The front door burst open as Ryan rounded the side of the house, and Grace, Thomas, and Lydia piled down the steps. More gracefully than Holly had, which made him smile.
“You came!” Grace rushed to greet the pretty but tired-looking brunette in the driveway, who was sporting sweatpants and a messy bun. Two elementary-aged kids, a girl and a boy, ran actual circles around the front yard, a blur of blue jeans and puffy jackets.
“You say that like you gave me a choice.” Olivia shut the van door with her hip—thankfully she’d blocked in Ryan’s Subaru and not Nick’s truck—and grinned as she hugged her mom. She was broader-framed than Grace but had her same defined cheekbones and gray-blue eyes.
“You always have a choice.” Grace beamed at her.
“Not without a guilt trip,” Olivia stage-whispered to Ryan. “I heard that.” Grace pursed her lips, but her eyes still sparkled. “Now, where’s that husband of yours?”
Olivia hugged Lydia before hoisting her travel bag onto her shoulder. “Unfortunately, Paul can’t come until Christmas—too many meetings.”
“That’s what happens when you’re the head honcho.” Thomas swept Olivia into an embrace, bag and all. “We’ll be glad to see him whenever he can make it.” He snapped his fingers at Ryan. “Hey, grab that luggage for your sister.”
Ryan rolled his eyes as he pushed up his sleeves and complied. He grunted as he slung the bag over his shoulder. “The princess has been here all of thirty seconds and I’m doing her bidding.”
“Some things never change, baby bro.” Olivia shoved loose strands of hair out of her eyes and hollered at her kids, who had started a shoving match. “Janie! Mason! If Santa sees you…”
The threat hung heavy in the air as the kids immediately froze, arms glued to their sides.
“Well, this is half of the Sinclair Fabulous Five, anyway. Holly’s inside.” Ryan shifted Olivia’s bag to his other arm. “Not a bad turnout after all.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Chloe’s much too Gen Z to leave California now. Better ‘vibes’ for her influencer reels.” She huffed. “And Kat—”
“Is right there !” Grace squealed and bounced on the balls of her feet like a woman half her age as she pointed to a small SUV coming up the drive. “Oh, this is the best day ever. My ducklings.”
The two grandkids immediately started quacking as they resumed chasing each other around the porch. Nick drew in a tight breath. More family. More people to keep up with.
More people to keep secrets from.
Speaking of—where was Holly? He glanced up at the house, but there was no sign of her. He sort of wished he could hide out in there with her.
“So who’s this guy creepin’?” Olivia nodded toward Nick, making direct eye contact without flinching.
Heat flushed his neck. “I’m Nick. Ryan’s friend.” Best to leave Holly out of it for now. No use in complicating everything further.
Ryan winced. “Sorry, bro. I should have introduced you sooner. It just feels like you’ve always been here.”
It definitely didn’t. Nick tipped his head toward Olivia. “Nice to meet you.” He barely refrained from adding ma’am to the end of his sentence. Something about Olivia commanded respect—and a bit of fear.
“You too. I apologize in advance for whatever my children might do to you during your stay with us.” She ducked back inside her minivan and reemerged with a purse and a tote bag overflowing with Pringle cans and candy packages. “Do you have kids, Nick?”
He shook his head, tucking his fingers into his pockets. “No kids.”
“Great. Then you can’t judge me.” Olivia tossed him the bag of treats and winked. “Now, where’s Holly?”
“Inside avoiding Christmas.” Ryan grinned.
Olivia sighed. “My favorite little Grinch.” She cut her eyes to Nick. “Don’t call her that. She doesn’t like it.”
“Nick and Holly have that in common.” Ryan reached out and snagged a chip can from the tote.
“What?” Olivia’s brows bunched. “The movie The Grinch ?”
He crunched a chip, offering the open can to Lydia. “Hating Christmas.”
“ Oh. ” Olivia’s bun shifted as she reeled toward Nick. “You too, huh? You might be in the wrong place, then.” She laughed. “Just wait.”
“About that…” Ryan lowered his voice, causing Olivia, Lydia, and Nick to step closer. “Mom hasn’t decorated inside yet. Things are a little weird.”
“That, and the fact she practically demanded we all come home.” Without missing a beat, Olivia hollered at her kids. “Mason! Quit throwing rocks.” Then she frowned. “What do you think is up?”
Ryan shrugged. “You’re the oldest. You find out.”
“I’m also the busiest.” Olivia narrowed her eyes at him, not even shifting her gaze as she yelled out the side of her mouth. “Janie! If you keep sticking your tongue out at your brother, he’s going to keep throwing rocks at you.”
Kat’s white SUV rolled to a stop behind Nick’s truck, and he fought back a wave of claustrophobia. He wasn’t trapped. He could leave anytime he wanted.
But he wouldn’t. That wouldn’t be fair to Holly.
Where was she?
The family clustered around Kat, welcoming her as she slipped out of her car. She was taller than Olivia and slender like Grace, and had her father’s darker hair, which streamed out the back of a baseball cap. She wore an oversized Wildcat’s hoodie and leggings.
Did she know about his and Holly’s Christmas date? Nick’s stomach pinched. He and Ryan needed to regroup—and fast. He needed a notebook to keep up with all this. It was going to be much harder to conceal his real goal with all the extra family pouring in.
There wasn’t a single person on this property who knew everything. What if he slipped up? What if Ryan slipped up?
The claustrophobia morphed into anxiety. He just had to lay low. Stay off everyone’s radar. Cinch the deal with the Sinclairs, have a fun time with Holly…and everyone would win.
Kat’s husky voice sounded across the yard as she held up both hands. “And before you all ask, no, Devin won’t be done with his deployment and back stateside until after New Year’s. And no, I don’t want to talk about how sad it is he’s missing the holidays.”
The family murmured their reluctant acceptance.
Kat tightened her ponytail with an air of authority. “We’re going to have a great Christmas anyway.” Her tone left zero room for argument.
“Of course we will. Now, we’ll have to shuffle everyone around roomwise, but we’ll make it work.
You can bunk with Holly in her old room.
Olivia and the kids will take yours and Chloe’s room, since it’s bigger.
” Grace winced. “Nick, I’m afraid this means you’ll be in the media room—it has a pullout sofa that all our guests say is like a cloud. ”
“Totally fine.” Nick held up both hands in surrender. Where he slept was currently the least of his problems. “I haven’t even unpacked yet.”
“Perfect.” Grace lightly clapped her hands together. “Oh, this is wonderful. I just wish Chloe could be here.”
“I offered to pay her ticket,” Thomas reminded.
“I know, dear.” Grace touched his shoulder. “UCLA is so far away. It’s fine—we can FaceTime her while we open gifts.”
“ Yoo-hoo! ”
Nick shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted toward the house.
A woman stood at the front door, one hip cocked and the other resting against the frame. She wore white leggings, a short, flared red skirt, and a white T-shirt with black suspenders. A Santa hat perched on her head, clashing with her red hair.
Nick gulped. Holly?
His mind reeled. No. But it was. Strains of “Santa Baby” poured from the house, adding to the mixed messages firing in his brain.
Ryan’s gaze darted between Holly and his siblings and back again. “What in the—”
“Is anyone else seeing this?” Olivia stared, wide-eyed.
Nick blinked rapidly. His fellow Christmas-hater looked like the holidays had thrown up on her. And she didn’t seem to mind.
What was going on?
“There you are, Nick!” Holly grinned and wiggled her fingers in a wave.
Oh no.
She gestured for him to come inside. “It’s time to decorate cookies. Mom’s got a ton of red and green icing.”
At that, every head swiveled toward Nick. Every eye bored a hole in his profile.
So much for laying low. He swallowed again, but his mouth went dry. “Um…”
“Oh, hey, guys. When did you get here?” Holly shifted her gaze to her sisters. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry—What?” Olivia frowned. Kat tilted her head.
“Come on, Nick! I’ll save you a piping bag.” Without waiting for his reply, Holly turned and flounced inside, her skirt swinging. The screen door shut behind her with a decisive snap, blessedly cutting off the remnants of “Santa Baby.”
Silence filled the yard.
A concerned crease formed on Ryan’s brow. He grabbed Lydia’s hand and pressed it against his forehead. “Am I getting a fever?”
Nick halfway wanted someone to check his head too. This felt like a fever dream, for sure.
“Well…” Thomas slowly planted his hands on his hips. “Looks like someone’s finally getting into the spirit of Christmas.”
“Or the eggnog,” Olivia muttered.
Ryan snorted. Lydia swatted him.
“Come on, everyone, you heard your sister.” Grace’s smile was even brighter than before as she headed for the porch steps. “Time for cookies!” Mason and Janie filed after her into the house, lugging their bags. Kat, Thomas, Lydia, and Olivia followed close behind.
Ryan hung back with Nick and grinned. “Seems like the Grinch’s heart grew a few sizes this afternoon.”
Nick winced. The song had changed to “White Christmas,” and it seemed to seep out the cracks of the house. He particularly hated that song—it was the one his mom always chose to set the mood before clients arrived on Christmas Eve. “What happened?”
Ryan shrugged. “Maybe she’s just really excited about the cookies?”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “Does she often bake while dressed like an elf?”
“Can’t be certain, but I’m guessing no.” Ryan clapped him on the shoulder, his grin widening. “Looks like this Christmas might be a little different than we expected.”
“You can say that again.” The wind stirred. Nick crossed his arms over his chest, half expecting to see a tumbleweed blow by as ominous Western music played in the background.
But the ominous music was currently being provided by Bing Crosby, and there were no tumbleweeds.
Just a growing sense of dread rolling across his chest.