my cousin was broke and not a millionaire looking for the small-town experience.
Not feeling as if I had any room to lecture him on authenticity, I folded my arms and stared him down. “Why did you say you were going to be here bright and early? We have no room in this inn.”
“He’s staying with you,” Mom said as she walked up to us with a pile of folded towels in her arms. She handed them to Porter, who took them and offered me a wide smile.
Mom started to walk away just as my brain processed what she said. “He’s what?” I asked as I followed after her.
She gave me an annoyed look. “Porter will be staying with you.” She patted my shoulder. “Just like he did when you were kids and his family came to visit.” She got a wistful look in her eyes. “Remember when you two insisted that you sleep in front of the Christmas tree so you could see Santa?”
Porter laughed. “Oh right, that was hilarious when Uncle Steve dressed up and tried to surprise us.”
Mom grew quiet at the mention of Dad’s name. I peeked over at her to see that she was still smiling, just not as wide this time. “Yeah. Those were good times,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Not wanting to argue with Mom while she was in this vulnerable state, I sighed and slapped Porter on the back. He flinched but didn’t move to retaliate.
“I guess we can bunk up for old times’ sake,” I said as I squeezed his shoulder.
He winced but kept his forced smile. “It’ll be fun.”
Mom seemed satisfied and wandered off with Porter toward my room. I scrubbed my face and took in a deep breath. I was crazy. Crazy and stupid to think that this was remotely a good idea.
I couldn’t help but wonder if there was going to come a point where I would regret the choices I made this evening. And a part of me said, yes, I was definitely going to regret them.
But then Beatrice’s face floated into my mind, and suddenly, none of that mattered. Right now, all I wanted to do was give her a Christmas to remember.
I could survive the aftermath. As long as I was successful in that mission, I would be happy.
As long as Beatrice had a good time, I was willing to sacrifice whatever I needed to to make that a reality.
That was my Christmas mission, and I was ready to face it.
Head-on.
10
Beatrice
Em was up bright and early the next day. She was hurrying around the room as if she had someplace she needed to be. When she slammed closed a dresser drawer for the fifth time that morning, I groaned and rolled to my side so I could see what she was doing.
Her back was to me, and I couldn’t make out what had her in such a tizzy.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I stretched out on the bed. I allowed my body to sink into the plush mattress and fluffy pillows. The comforter was pulled up to my neck, and I buried myself deeper into the blanket.
If this was how I spent the next few days, I would be completely satisfied. I couldn’t remember the last time I slept in like this, and I’d forgotten how heavenly it felt.
“We got an invitation to breakfast,” Em said as she glanced over her shoulder. She was mid-swipe on her mascara, so her hand hovered just in front of her face.
“We what?” I sat up just in time to catch the envelope she flung in my direction. It was so lightweight that it only just made it to the edge of the mattress. I had to dive down to grab it before it disappeared under the bed.
Once I was situated again amongst the covers and pillows, I pulled out the folded-up piece of paper and smoothed it out.
We would love your presence this morning for the perfect Christmas breakfast. Please meet us downstairs at 8 a.m. sharp. Make sure to wear warm clothes.
Ethan and Porter
I started at the handwriting as I brushed the words with my fingertips. Had Ethan written this? Porter? It was strange that these two men got together to plan a breakfast, but maybe they’d become friends before we entered the picture. I made a mental note to ask Ethan about it when I saw him next.
And then my heart picked up speed. I was going to see Ethan again. The memories from the