years old,” Winnie said, her voice suddenly stern. “I’m not a child. While I appreciate your concern, the decision is ultimately mine and I’ve made it. Christmas at Holiday House is going forward, and that’s my last word on the subject.”
“No matter what I think.”
Winnie sighed. “I know you have my best interests at heart, darling. I appreciate that, I really do. I love you and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”
“But?”
“But I need you to accept that I am still perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”
“I never said otherwise.”
“You want me to move out of the house I have lived in since the day I married your grandfather. To sit in a rocking chair in some assisted living center and waste the rest of my life instead of using this house to benefit a cause I care about.”
“I never said I wanted you to waste the rest of your life. I just don’t want you overdoing it. There’s a big difference between sitting in a rocking chair and running a marathon. You just got out of the hospital, Winnie.”
“I spent one night there, only because that young pup of a doctor wanted to cover his ass and make sure I didn’t have another injury they hadn’t found yet.”
That wasn’t the entire story, as Winnie well knew. The doctor had wanted to be sure she didn’t have internal bleeding.
“Look,” Winnie went on, “the event doesn’t start for two weeks, and I’m sure I’ll be feeling much better by then.”
“What if you’re not?” he countered.
“I will be. Anyway, I’m only leading some of the tours and talking about the history of the house and Christmases past. Other Silver Belles will be taking care of the entertainment, the food and the hot cocoa. Abby has agreed to help me get the house ready and a few days after we start the tours, Lucy should be home.”
He knew without question that his sister would take Winnie’s side of this disagreement. “What you’re saying is that my opinion doesn’t matter. You intend to go ahead with it despite my view that you’re making a mistake and will be taxing yourself unnecessarily.”
Her features softened and she reached for his hand. “I know you mean well, darling, and are only worried about me. But this is a cause I am passionate about.”
“I understand. That still doesn’t make me happy about it.”
“I know. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t expect you to lift a finger to help. Not one single finger. I know what a busy time of year this is for you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Winnie glanced at Abby. “Well, almost nothing.”
He frowned, not liking the sound of that. “What does that mean?”
“I was hoping you might show Abby the rest of the house. She’s only seen a few rooms on this level.”
Abby, he couldn’t help but notice, looked slightly alarmed at that suggestion.
“I’m sure I’ll have the chance tomorrow to wander through on my own,” she said quickly.
“Why would you want to do that when you could have someone from the family show you around?” Winnie asked. “Ethan knows all the history of the house and can share things with you that you won’t get simply from walking around on your own. You should take advantage of him.”
“Excuse me?”
“It shouldn’t take you long to walk through the house. Go on. I can keep an eye on young Christopher, here. If he wakes up, I can find a Christmas movie for us on the Netflix.”
“You want us to go now?” Ethan asked.
Winnie shrugged. “What better time? You’re here, she’s here. If you don’t show her tonight, I’ll have to do it, and I’m not sure I’ll be up to the task tomorrow.”
“I just thought Abby might be tired, after a long day of driving yesterday, then spending today in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving for a bunch of strangers.”
Winnie looked stricken. “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Forgive me, my dear. I should have been more considerate.”
The younger woman looked at Winnie and then at Ethan. “I’m fine. I’m up for a tour, if you are. It shouldn’t take us that long. I would actually find it quite helpful so that I know where to start first thing tomorrow.”
He had to help. What choice did he have? He couldn’t refuse a direct order from his injured grandmother.
“All right. I’m game if you are.”
“Let me just grab a notebook so I can jot down a few things as we