Christmas at Holiday House - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,16
mother are cut from the same cloth, bro. I told Mama the restaurant here is open, and she and Rod should just come here and grab something to eat, but she wouldn’t miss dinner with Winnie.”
“My grandmother is all about tradition, even if she has to cook the turkey from a hospital bed.”
José smiled. “Your grandmother is quite a character. Good thing you’ve got Abby there now to help you keep her in line.”
He couldn’t quite hide his surprise. “You know Abby?”
José was suddenly busy stacking papers on the desk that already seemed neat enough. “Not really. Only through what Lucy has told me over the years and I went with Lucy to her husband’s funeral.”
He hadn’t remembered that, which wasn’t really a surprise. He tended to avoid any reminder that his sister and his best friend had a friendship independent of Ethan, one he didn’t like to examine too closely.
Ethan had often wondered if there was something between the two of them, something more than friendship, but he really didn’t want to think about that. Whatever it was, he knew it couldn’t be too serious. Lucy was fiercely independent, determined above all else not to become their parents.
He worried that she was shutting herself off from a happy future with someone who adored her above all else. Lucy could be as stubborn as their grandmother. Even if she cared about someone, she seemed to do her best to maintain that careful distance so no hearts were involved.
He hoped José didn’t end up with his broken by Lucy’s obstinacy.
But then again, Ethan wasn’t exactly in the best position to even offer an opinion on someone else’s love life. Not when his own was such a disaster.
“You really should join your mom and brother for dinner at Winnie’s. I know she won’t mind one more.”
José looked undecided for a long moment and then finally nodded. “That would be nice. My mom’s taking her famous cherry pie, and I would walk barefoot across the ski slope for some of that.”
“Dinner’s at five. I’ll let Winnie know you’re coming so she can set an extra place for you at the table.”
“Thanks.”
Ethan walked away, grateful someone would be at the table that he could always trust to have his back.
* * *
“I can’t believe we pulled it off.”
“Correction. You pulled it off,” Winnie said firmly. “I sat here on my keister doing absolutely nothing while you worked away all day long in a hot kitchen.”
“Not true. Your list was perfect and you supervised me wonderfully. Plus, you kept Christopher out of my hair so I could work. I can’t believe he fell asleep.”
A few hours earlier, Winnie had moved to the sofa in the sitting area next to the kitchen. Her sprained ankle and her wrist were both elevated, and she had even agreed to take a pain pill.
Christopher had plopped down beside her, ostensibly to be close to run errands in case she needed anything. It had only taken him about fifteen minutes to fall asleep curled up beside Winnie, his feet resting on her lap.
“He’s a darling boy, Abby. I’ve had so much fun hanging out with him today.”
The two seemed immediately smitten with each other, which Abby found so heartwarming. Christopher didn’t have anything resembling a grandmother in his life. She loved that he had found that with Winnie, even if it was only for a few weeks.
“What else do I have to do?”
“I think everything’s done. Our guests will be arriving soon.”
“Ready or not, right?”
Winnie smiled. “It all looks wonderful. You’ve been such a dear to jump right in and throw everything together, even though I’m quite sure that wasn’t in the job description when Lucy talked you into doing this.”
“I said I was available to do whatever you need. I mean that.”
“Well, thank you. I suppose I could have canceled, but I didn’t want to waste all that food I had already bought for Thanksgiving.”
“It was no trouble, really.” She paused. “I’m not sure you really needed a full-time nurse, do you? I haven’t done much to help you in that department, other than getting you a drink of water and helping position your ankle. It appears to me you’re handling most things just fine on your own.”
“Not everything.” Winnie looked suddenly uncomfortable. “I do have something else I need to talk to you about. Something I probably should have mentioned before now. I suppose the time has come for total honesty between us.”