around for a while after Christmas, too,” she’d told them.
The two shared a look. “Did you have a falling-out with Campbell?” John asked.
“Nope.”
Jeff chuckled and elbowed his brother. “No way, Jack’s too smart to let anything like that happen.”
Everly laughed; her brothers weren’t far from wrong.
“What’s for dinner?” her father asked, wandering into the kitchen and breaking into her thoughts.
“Meat loaf,” her mother answered, bent in half, her backside sticking out as she pulled the pan out of the oven. “With scalloped potatoes.”
“Green beans?”
“Yup, and salad. Do I have your approval?”
Everly’s dad kissed his wife’s cheek while wrapping his arms around her waist. “That’s my favorite dinner, as well you know.”
Everly smiled, enjoying the exchange between her parents. She knew there’d been times when they’d disagreed, but she would never doubt their love for each other. It was that kind of partnership she’d hoped to find one day herself. Only it wouldn’t be with Asher.
“Didn’t you say last night’s dinner was your favorite?” Everly teased her dad.
“Every meal your mother makes is my favorite,” he returned.
Following dinner and dishes, Everly sat down at the piano and played several classic Christmas songs until Jeff arrived. He brought along his wife, Marlene, and his three-month-old son, Andrew. Everly had little experience when it came to infants. When Marlene asked her if she wanted to hold the baby, Everly hesitated and then decided she should.
Marlene carefully handed Everly the sleeping babe. Nestled in her embrace, Andrew’s tiny mouth formed little milk bubbles. She gazed down at him, content and at peace. For his part, little Andrew looked as if this was exactly where he wanted to be. After a moment, he opened his eyes, looked up at her, cooed, and smiled. Everly smiled back and tickled him beneath his chin.
“You might make a good mother after all,” Jeff teased.
“Thanks, Jeff.” To her surprise, she found the thought of motherhood didn’t terrify her.
“You’ll make a wonderful mother,” her mother countered automatically, as if this was never in question. “When you were little you used to play endlessly with your dolls.”
“I did?” Everly didn’t remember that. “I must have been really young.”
“You doted on your brothers, too.”
“Their crying bothered me.” She recalled fighting with Rose and Lily for a chance to hold one of the twins when they first came home from the hospital. She’d been little herself and hadn’t been allowed to. As she remembered, she’d pouted and thrown an epic temper tantrum.
Her brother and his family had stayed for an hour when Everly reluctantly released the baby to her sister-in-law. She was about to head up to bed when she got an urgent text message from Jack. He’d routinely reached out a few times each day with a question or two he needed help answering.
Everly hadn’t completely ignored his panicked pleas for help. She wouldn’t do that to Jack. He needed reassurance and she gave it to him. She listened but didn’t offer advice, rather letting him sort out how he intended to handle the situation. Only once had she advised a different tactic. Jack was more capable than he realized.
She responded right away to his current text. No sooner had she hit the send button when her phone rang. It was Jack.
“Merry Christmas,” she greeted.
“It’s not so merry around here,” he grumbled. “Do you realize how late it is? I’m still at the office.”
Everly noticed it was well past seven. She’d spent far too many nights working late; it was fitting justice that Jack put in his share of overtime. This was probably the latest Jack had stayed at the office in the last six years.
“I should be home with my family,” he complained.
Everly didn’t remind him of her own late nights, but he got it. Jack knew, and that alone was better than anything she could have said.
“Jack, you’re doing great.”
“Nice of you to say so,” he muttered, even more disgruntled.
“I’m proud of you,” she added, and she sincerely meant it. “You handled the situation with the Stone Developers better than I would have.”
“Don’t joke, Everly.”
“I’m not joking. I said as much in my email.”
“Another problem has popped up,” he said disgustedly. “What’s with these people? Don’t they realize it’s almost Christmas?”
“Tell me about it.”
Jack took ten minutes to relay the details. Everly listened but didn’t offer advice. Jack was in charge. “What do you intend to do about it?” she asked.
“What would you do?”
“I’m not the one at the office, Jack. You are.”
His every word was loaded