Chapter 8
Eight
“Are we going to the tree lighting now?” Lexi asked, hope shining in her eyes.
Jane nodded as she placed the last dirty dish in the dishwasher. “Has everyone cleaned up their rooms?”
“I’ll go check.” Lexi ran off, her booted feet stomp, stomp, stomping on the wooden floors. “Logan! Have you picked up your toys?”
The frustrated yowl from Logan indicated that he hadn’t and Jane shook her head, pushed her hair out of her face.
Today had been a trying one. Her kids were still tired from the never-ending Thanksgiving celebration, even though she’d put them to bed early last night.
They wanted to be with their cousins. They’d whined about it continuously all day and she’d finally relented, calling Mindy to see what everyone was doing that night.
They were going to the Lone Pine Lake annual Christmas tree lighting, of course. Mindy said it as if Jane had lost all her marbles for forgetting such a beloved Lone Pine event. Now, Patrick and his family were coming to pick them up in less than half an hour.
Despite her wanting to make this holiday season the best ever for her kids, Jane would much rather stay home.
She was tired, worn out from a day spent with over-stimulated, crabby children.
She’d taken down all of her Thanksgiving decorations that morning, which spurred Lexi to start begging for the Christmas decorations to come out.
Three boxes sat on the floor in the garage—their old decorations Patrick had pulled out of storage and brought up with him from San Jose.
They hadn’t decorated last year, since they’d spent Christmas at her parents’ house.
She didn’t want to open that box. Didn’t want to revisit all the bittersweet memories that came with it. The box represented her old life, a life she didn’t want to focus on anymore.
The decorations she’d collected over the years were probably too fancy for their current digs, anyway.
Her old house had been a showcase, a place to flaunt her decorating skills and their wealth.
She would’ve never admitted that last part before, but it was true.
Stephen had loved showing off his home, his wife, and his children.
He bought only the best of the best. Their home had been gorgeous, especially during the holidays.
After this year, she decided she would get rid of those decorations, give them away to any of her siblings who wanted them and then donate the rest to charity.
New decorations were needed, homemade ones by the kids, themed ones from the local shops.
Patrick’s house was styled in a sort of rustic mountain-cabin theme, so it made sense to have their future tree decorated in a similar way.
A knock rapped on the door and Jane checked the clock. If it was Patrick, he was early. And he was never early, considering he and his wife had four kids to round up.
“Just a minute,” she called as she folded a dishtowel and hung it on the oven handle before going to the door.
She found Mac standing on her doorstep. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice greeting,” he muttered as he walked past her and into the house, bringing the cold air with him. “Patrick called and asked me to pick you up. His car is too full, since now he’s taking Mindy’s kids.”
“Isn’t Mindy going?” Jane shut the door, worry filling her.
Mac shook his head, his expression grim. “She and Marty are having a big talk. I’m guessing one of them is going to drop the divorce bomb on the other. Mom is gonna freak out, especially if they decide this right before Christmas.”
“I hope everything’s all right.” Sure, she knew her sister and Marty weren’t happy together, but she still felt terrible. And Mac was right. It was their mother’s greatest pride and joy that none of her children were divorced. If Mindy took that plunge, she’d throw the curve.
Jane felt as if she’d already thrown the curve a bit, what with being the official widow of the family and all.
“Mindy always lands on her feet.” Mac glanced around the living room. “Are the munchkins ready to go?”
“They just need to put their coats on.” She rested her hands on her hips. “And what are you doing, going to the tree lighting ceremony anyway? You’re single, why are you hanging out with all the families on a Friday night?”
He shrugged, looked a little embarrassed. “It’s not only families who go to the tree lighting.”
Jane smiled as she went to the hall closet and grabbed a handful of coats. “Is there someone in particular you want to see?”
“Not at all,” he said too quickly. “Is there anyone in particular you want to see?”
“No,” she answered just as swiftly. And damn it, she felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment.
Like Chris would be at the tree lighting anyway.
He was a young, single man, too, who didn’t have to hang out at an event so geared toward families and children.
For all she knew he was out on a hot and heavy date.
Please don’t let him be out on a hot and heavy date.
She really needed to get over herself. But she hoped he’d be there tonight. She wanted to see him. Talk to him. Flirt with him…
“So what’s going on with you and Chris?”
“Kids, let’s go! Uncle Mac is here!” Jane ignored her brother’s question, instead involving herself with getting the children ready to leave. But she could tell he kept a close eye on her throughout.
“You’re avoiding my question,” he said once they’d loaded up in her SUV and were on their way with Mac behind the wheel.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced out the window, smiling faintly when she saw so many houses already decorated with Christmas lights. Reaching over, she flicked on the radio and searched until she came to a station playing Christmas music.
“You and Chris? When I found you two in the dining room alone yesterday, it looked kind of serious. And he told me you went to the movies together.”
“It was nothing. We’re just friends.” Jane even waved her hand for emphasis, dismissing their date.
“That’s exactly what he said.” Mac was quiet for a moment, as were the children.
As if they were absorbing every single word the adults were saying. “Can’t we talk about this later?” She gave a subtle flick of her head toward the back of the car.
“Oh. Yeah. No problem.” Mac looked remorseful, and Jane hoped he suffered just a little bit. Much like she’d suffered when he started drilling her.
“He’ll be there tonight, you know,” Mac said. “Santa rides in on the fire engine every single year.”
“Santa’s going to be there?” Logan’s hopeful little voice sounded from the backseat.
“He sure is.” Jane turned sideways to talk to him.
Tried to ignore the fact that Chris would be there after all.
A heady mixture of nerves and excitement trembled through her.
She was going to see him, but she didn’t want to make a big deal about it, not in front of Mac.
“And if you’re a good boy, you’ll get to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas. ”
“Yay! I can’t wait to see Santa.” Logan clapped his hands together.
“What about you, Lexi? Are you going to sit on Santa’s lap?”
“No. I just want to see my cousins.”
“They’ve played together for the last two days. She loves the girls,” Jane told Mac, and he nodded.
“Yeah, and Madison told me something but I don’t want to talk about it.” Lexi sounded stressed. Jane turned, peering into the semi-darkness of the backseat, trying to make out her daughter’s face.
“What is it?”
Lexi shrugged. “I told you I don’t want to talk about it.”
“All right. Maybe we can talk about it later.” Worry filled Jane. She didn’t like to see any of her children upset, and from the sound of it, something was bothering Lexi. Could it be all the talk about Chris? Maybe it wasn’t smart, seeing him while she was with her children.
But they were such a part of her life, how could she avoid it?
The drive to the small downtown area of Lone Pine Lake was short, and when they arrived, both the streets and the small parking lots that surrounded the area were packed. Mac finally found a spot along the road, though they’d have to walk a bit.
Making sure everyone was bundled up against the cold, Jane and her family exited the car and headed toward the giant, unlit tree.
A large crowd surrounded it, and Jane noticed a makeshift booth set up to the right of the tree selling hot cocoa and snacks.
They found Patrick in line, flagging them down and looking desperate for help.
Mac stood with him so they could carry all of the drinks, and Jane went to find Lyssa, Patrick’s wife.
It was cold, the coldest night yet, and Jane knew just by the scent in the air that snow was on its way.
After growing up there, she knew it was a sense a local just didn’t forget.
“Jane, there you are! We’re so glad you came.” Lyssa wrapped Jane in her warm, parka-covered embrace, and Jane returned the hug with equal fervor.
She considered herself lucky that Patrick had married such a nice woman.
She’d thought Marty was nice once, too, though lately he’d seemed so distracted and downright grumpy.
Her heart panged and she hurt for Mindy, wished that she was there with them.
She hoped everything would be okay. She knew her sister was strong.
But was she strong enough to make it through a possible divorce?
“Lexi is thrilled to be here. She loves spending time with your girls.” To prove her point, Lexi took off with Madison and Emma, the three of them chattering and giggling as they crowded closer to the tree.
“Ah yes, they get along so well. It’s so nice to see. Too bad we have to leave Sunday.” Lyssa frowned, pulling baby Noah closer to her.
“You’ll be back for Christmas, though, right?”
“Yeah, and this time we’re renting a cabin at the resort. The kids are excited. We went on a tour with them earlier.”