Chapter 22
HELPED NUDGE THE WAY
“I’m so glad that you could come today,” Diane said. “You’ve been so helpful. This morning has been crazy, but most come early as you can tell.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Alana said. There was only an hour left for the gifts to be picked up by the families and the room looked almost vacant. “I was thrilled to help this year.”
“We can always use volunteers. Especially this close to the holiday when I’m sure you’ve got a lot going on yourself.”
“Not much,” she said.
Brennan left at seven thirty this morning. She’d made them breakfast after they’d made love another time. The second was softer. Sweeter. Slow and tender.
She got to see both sides of him and would rate them the same.
Thirteen out of ten.
Boy, did he make her body sing a song it’d never heard before.
They hadn’t made plans for the weekend and she wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on him.
She’d see him at work on Monday; then they were both off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He said he’d work remotely the rest of the week so he could spend it with Becca. It’d been set up before the two of them started dating.
They’d figure the next week out and when she could see him again. She had a gift for Becca but hadn’t told him yet.
She didn’t know if it was too soon for that and was still keeping it close to her chest for now.
It was best to see how this weekend went.
When he left, he seemed fine, but she noticed he was preoccupied.
“I’m sure you’ll have the holiday with your family next week though,” Diane said. “Are you going to Boston for it or are your parents coming here?”
There was no hiding who she was or who she was related to, and she never bothered.
“They are coming here,” she said. It’d give her time to tell her family about Brennan. She hadn’t talked to her mother much in the past few weeks. Nothing more than some texts here and there. That was normal for them.
The doors opened and a couple of families came in. She took their names and then found the bags and boxes with their gifts and handed them over.
Ten minutes later, Diane said, “You don’t have to stay. There are only ten left and we’ll clean up now.”
It was a little after eleven. She was getting hungry anyway, but being here kept her mind off of Brennan and what he’d been doing.
A knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach at the thought of his potential anger.
There was no worry about him being with his ex. That ship sailed faster than what she felt for Jonathan.
The concern was his mental state and if Rene didn’t show up. That it kept him on edge and could upset Becca.
“If you don’t mind,” she said. “I think I will take off. I’d love to be involved again next year for sure.”
“We’ll reach out when we are ready,” Diane said. “We have a lot of fundraisers we do throughout the year if you’re interested as well.”
She knew about them since she dealt with their books and saw where the revenue came from.
“I’ll let you know,” she said. In the past she would have jumped on that, but now that she had a boyfriend, she didn’t have as much free time to gobble up all the events on the island to keep her busy.
When she pulled into the driveway twenty minutes later and saw her parents’ car in the garage, she was so glad that she and Brennan had plans and had departed.
Oh lord, if they’d showed up when Brennan was here, she’d have to explain that.
She intended on telling them, but just not today. They’d never said a word they were coming this early.
Not that they had to. It was their house.
She pulled in her spot and got out, then went in through the mudroom. Her mother was in the kitchen baking, the scent of vanilla and chocolate filling the air.
Christmas cookies!
“Hi, Mom,” she said, moving forward and giving her a hug. “What a surprise.”
“Your father and I came today and will stay for the week. He’s going to work remotely for a few days, but otherwise we are taking some time off.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said. She slid her jacket off and hung it up. “And you’re making cookies here. I can help.”
“That was the plan,” her mother said. “I hadn’t known you’d be out.”
“Sorry. I was handing out toys for families for the drive I’ve been part of for the past two weeks.”
“Told you,” her father said.
“Dad,” she said, going toward him for a hug. “What did you tell Mom?”
“That you’d be doing that today and not home relaxing. By the way, the house looks nice and festive.”
She’d put the tree and decorations up last week too. In the same spot they always were by the fireplace.
Being an adult didn’t take away from those memories.
“Thanks. It was fun to decorate it.”
Last year her parents did it when they helped her move and get settled. Not that there was much to move. She’d put all of her furniture into storage from her apartment and moved her clothes and some other personal possessions here.
Her plan wasn’t to always live here, but she wanted time to decide if this was where she really wanted to be and then to find the right place to move into.
It made little sense to pay for a place that was difficult to find when this was sitting empty the majority of the time.
“And you had no problem finding everything in the basement, I see.”
“No. I didn’t bring it all out. Just the things in here.”
Her mother and father used to string lights outside when they were younger, but that was a lot of work for her to do. It was more about seeing the trees and stockings, a few other knickknacks on the fireplace mantel and then calling it a day.
The timer went off and her mother pulled out a sheet of cookies. Only one kind so far so they couldn’t have been here long.
“When did you arrive?”
“We took the ten o’clock ferry over and then I went to the store to get the makings for my cookies and some more food for the week.”
“Sorry. I normally get food on the weekends too.”
There was always something to eat here but not enough for guests.
“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t decide until this morning. I hope it’s not interrupting any of your plans,” her father said.
“No plans other than wrapping gifts and now I can help you bake. How many kinds are you making?”
“Just three,” her mother said. “I’m going to freeze a large platter to bring to Sophia’s on Wednesday for dinner. The entire gang will be there. Penelope, Emily and their families, us, and Kirk are all coming over on Christmas Eve too.”
“It will be great,” she said.
“We haven’t spent Christmas with my sister and her families in a few years,” her father said. “Your mother is itching to see the babies.”
Normally they didn’t bring up baby talk around her. She’d thought she’d be married and have a child by now. Everyone thought it.
“I can’t wait either. I love watching them. Micah is a handful. I think he’s got his mother’s outgoing personality and Griffin’s fearlessness.”
“So I’ve heard,” her mother said.
“I’m going to throw my sheets in the laundry,” she said. “Before I forget. Then I’ll be right back to help with the cookies.”
Alana ran to her room and stripped the bed. She always washed her sheets on Saturday morning, nothing off there, but she hoped her parents couldn’t figure out that she had sex last night.
That was a horrifying thought even though they knew she wasn’t a virgin by any means.
Once she had everything set, she returned to the kitchen and looked at the three recipes her mother had on the counter.
“The sugar cookie dough is chilling, so I only have the chocolate caramel bars left.”
“Yum,” she said. “My favorite. I’ll start getting everything out for you.”
When she heard the TV turn on in the family room a distance away, she decided she could let her mother know first about Brennan.
“I thought about making a big pan of sauce tonight,” her mother said. “I know you love meatballs and then can have a bunch left in the freezer.”
“That would be great.” She waited until her mother looked at her. “Mom. I’m seeing someone.”
“I know, dear,” her mother said, laughing.
“What? How? Did Kelsey tell you? Or Karen?”
Her mother squinted one eye at her. “No. The neighbors saw you at Duke’s last night and then noticed the same SUV in the driveway late last night.”
There were no secrets on this island. “They saw it this morning too and called you, huh? And that is why you came early?”
Her mother moved closer to hug her. “Do not be embarrassed. I’m happy for you. You said you were trying weeks ago but then said nothing else. I had hoped there was someone. Who is he and how did you meet? You said Kelsey or Karen, so they must know him.”
“His name is Brennan Austin and he’s a partner at the firm. He transferred here from Boston a few months ago with his three-year-old daughter.”
“Ahh, you love kids,” her mother said. “Have you met his daughter?”
“His daughter is the one who threw us together. Or helped nudge the way,” she said.
“Now this I’ve got to hear.”
“And I want to tell you,” she said, smiling. In the past she’d kept so much of her personal life private and regretted that.
No more. If she was missing something, she wanted someone else to tell her the signs.
She just hoped there wasn’t anything to worry about.