Chapter Four
Angie
“Angie? Maybe we should go inside?”
“Wow, I’m so sorry, I don’t usually do this. Yes, let’s get inside and have dinner.”
They finally got out of the car and walked through the ankle-high snow to the front door.
This was what was going to happen: Angie and her family would spend a nice evening with their new neighbor. Everything else, she would deal with another day, because one thing was for sure: There would always be another day, another list, things to do.
This time of year was the most special of all. None of those moments would ever come back, and they had to be planned, scheduled, and executed well.
Angie unlocked the door, momentarily taken aback by the lack of noise, footsteps, and barking that greeted her. In fact, it was eerily silent. Her heart started to beat faster as they stepped into the house.
Where was her family? They were never this quiet. There was always conversation, laughter, and excited barks. Around this time of the year, Christmas music.
“Hello everyone! I’m home! Neva?” Her voice sounded unnaturally loud.
Behind her, Nadine kept a polite distance.
Angie walked further into the house, stopping cold at the sight of the kitchen/living area. This was her home, with all their furniture, plants, and art on the walls, but it didn’t look like it.
No clutter, no magazines, no toys—belonging to humans, dogs, or cats—lying around anywhere.
Instead of the colorful mix she was used to, the rooms were decorated stylishly for the holidays like out of a magazine, the Christmas tree in the corner shining in colors of silver and gold, matching the rest of the décor.
Angie frowned, unable to make sense of what she was seeing.
This had to be a dream. She hoped she hadn’t fallen asleep while driving home.
Where were the quirky decorations the kids had made over the years? The ornaments she and Neva had bought together, and those they’d brought from their respective childhood homes?
“Neva!”
The urgency in her voice was unmistakable, and to her relief, Neva appeared from upstairs.
“You’re home, great! Just in time for dinner.”
She approached Angie with an affectionate smile and kissed her gently in greeting. Something was off. Why was she dressed this way? Her perfume was new too. It smelled divine—and expensive.
“Did I miss an anniversary?” she whispered. “Are we going out?”
Neva laughed. “No, and no. Our anniversary is on Christmas Day, remember?”
“I do remember. Did you think of the wrapping paper by any chance?”
“Wrapping paper?” Neva asked, sounding confused.
“Yes, wrapping paper, for the last gifts. Didn’t you get my message?”
“What message, Angie? We had them gift-wrapped at the store the other day, remember? Are you okay?” A hint of worry had crept into her tone.
It couldn’t be a coincidence that Neva was the second person to ask her that question today.
Angie didn’t know how to answer it.
Was she okay? Was she so exhausted that she had imagined sending the message, but never did? That was worrisome indeed, as was this altered environment. They always wrapped gifts together. The kids did it in their rooms, and the results were always adorable.
“I’m fine,” she said anyway, “but when did you have the time to do all this?” She hadn’t been away that long, and her living room had turned into…
she wasn’t sure what. Angie didn’t dare ask about the decorations.
She cast another glance at the tree. It had been just the tiniest bit crooked before, but somehow, even that little imperfection had disappeared.
Behind her, Nadine cleared her throat.
Right. She was being a terrible host on top of it all. Those answers would have to wait.
“Um, I hope you don’t mind I brought a guest. Nadine moved into Mrs. Gabriel’s house a few days ago.”
Come to think of it, Angie hadn’t seen any trucks or anything indicating someone had moved in, but she was never home during the day. Strange that Neva had never mentioned it either.
“Oh, that’s no problem. We have enough for everyone. You have time to change too. And Nadine, welcome. Would you like a glass of wine to start?”
“Sure. Thank you so much.”
Angie stood and stared until Neva, clad in that dress much too formal for a regular Friday evening, turned to her.
“Angie?”
“Change. Yes. Got it. Where are the kids? Bert and Ernie…and the kitten?”
It was Neva’s turn to stare, though Angie couldn’t understand why.
“Honey, what kitten are you talking about? You’re allergic. I would never do that to you, no matter how much the kids beg for one.”
Angie let out a sigh in relief. As strange as this was, Neva was still here, and so were the girls.
“Wait. What happened to Fluffy?”
“What do you mean?”
Angie decided the questions had to wait until later. She was hungry and making a fool out of herself in front of a new acquaintance. She caught Nadine’s pensive gaze as she said, “Nothing. I’ll be quick.”
Upstairs in their bedroom, she quickly changed into a top and pants that better matched Neva’s outfit, shaking her head at her confused expression in the bathroom mirror.
She must have misunderstood something. Maybe they never meant to keep the kitten, just watch her for a few days until they could find a permanent home for her?
Angie had to admit she had taken a liking to the tiny bundle, and Bert and Ernie seemed to get along with her too.
Since when did Neva think she was allergic to cats? Spooked, Angie went to Christina’s room. Christina wasn’t there. She hurried to the twin’s room, sighing in relief when she found both of them sitting at their respective desks.
“Girls. Dinner,” she said instead of the greeting she had in mind. “Where’s Christina?”
Both girls looked at her in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
Had she not been clear enough?
“I mean, why isn’t your sister home?”
“Because she’s at school?” Elsa and Fiona exchanged a confused look.
That was too much. She left the room and hurried back downstairs to where Neva and Nadine had sat down in the living room, chatting amiably.
“Neva. I need to talk to you, please.”
“Of course.”
Neva sat her glass on a coaster and got to her feet before she followed Angie into the kitchen, unhurried.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? We seem to be missing a child. And a pet, but Christina is of course priority.” Was she losing her mind? Angie felt her face flush with embarrassment when less dramatic possibilities came to mind. “Is she with a friend? I’m sorry if I forgot.”
“You’ve been really stressed lately.” Neva reached out a hand and brushed her fingers across Angie’s cheek, the tender gesture calming her some. Not enough.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Neva persisted. She touched her palm against Angie’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”
“I know I don’t have a fever,” she said, her impatience returning. “So, where is Christina?”
“Still at Caron Academy. She’ll be home in a few days, as planned.”
She could feel her jaw drop once more. Angie wasn’t okay, not even close. On the bright side, Christina was safe. Neva didn’t seem to be worried about anything—except Angie’s state of mind, but that was another story. How could they even afford Caron?
She and Neva had been stunned when the parents of one of Christina’s closest friends enrolled her in the posh boarding school. Aside from financial obstacles, neither of them could ever imagine having their children away for school, at least not before college.
Neva’s answer wasn’t enough by far, but Angie was nearly dizzy with hunger. They would have to continue this once Nadine had gone home. Unfortunately, she looked quite comfortable on the couch, glass in hand.
If only Angie had known what she’d be walking into…
During dinner, a much more elaborate meal than they usually had on Friday nights, she found no reprieve. It was quiet, too quiet around the table, no one talking.
“So, how was everyone’s day?” she asked, hoping her cheery tone didn’t sound fake. Even though she was hungry, her stomach was still in knots, making it hard to enjoy the food. She took another sip of her wine, while the twins exchanged curious glances again.
“What did I miss?” she tried again.
“It’s all right, go ahead,” Neva said softly.
“Go ahead with what?”
“It’s fine. Christmas is almost here. We can loosen the rules some, can’t we?”
“What rules?” She had trouble not raising her voice.
Nadine smiled. “It was the same at my house when I was little. My parents tried to keep dinnertime quiet, but when the holidays were close, I got too excited.”
“Wait. We don’t…we never…”
Neva’s anxious gaze made Angie halt.
“Since when do we do this quiet dinnertime?”
“Since always?” At this point, Neva sounded almost as panicked as Angie felt.
“Okay.” Something was…more than off. Wrong. There was a time when Angie had felt like they had abandoned all rules—everyone talking at the same time, music playing, the dogs demanding attention…She hadn’t realized how used she had become to all of it until it disappeared.
“We got an A+ in math,” Elsa reported.
“Wow, that’s great.” Both of them smiled and went back to their plates.
For the first time, Angie noticed the soft music playing in the background.
She took a deep breath. She needed to relax more.
The quiet she had longed for so often, should help, not hinder.
She still wasn’t sure what was up with her loved ones, but she made a mental note to let them know she never meant they couldn’t talk at all at the dinner table.
Taking in the sights around her, she found the new décor pleasant, if a little cool. Without a doubt, the gold-and-silver tree was pretty, even though she wondered what happened to the ornaments they hung each year. It was nice to change for dinner, use the good plates on a workday.
“Where are the dogs?” she asked.
Nadine, who had been quite talkative earlier, was following the exchange in silence. Angie could tell she was curious. She would be, too, in her place.