Christmas at Holiday House - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,79
that they had both endured difficult, unorthodox childhoods. She didn’t know. She only knew she cherished Lucy and felt so lucky to have her in her life.
“I’m setting five plates at the table. You have to join us.”
Abby sighed, throwing up her hands both actually and figuratively. “See? It’s utterly impossible to win an argument with you.”
Lucy didn’t laugh, as she expected. Instead, her friend’s smile slid away, and for a moment she looked almost...sad.
The expression slid away so quickly Abby wondered if she had imagined it.
Lucy shrugged. “It’s a gift. What can I say?”
“Too many things. That’s the problem. And in any language.”
“Ethan will be here in about a half hour, so we’ll eat shortly after that.”
She mentally braced herself. “Okay.”
“That’s not a problem for you, is it?”
“Why would it be a problem?”
Lucy shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought I sensed something weird between you the other night when I arrived.”
“You didn’t,” Abby said briskly. “We had both had a long day. That’s all.”
“Ethan is my friend,” Christopher interjected into the conversation. Apparently, he had given up watching his show and was now playing a game on his tablet and listening to the two of them talk. “He took us on the snow-tube hill and we went so fast you wouldn’t believe it!”
“Wow! That sounds fun,” Lucy said.
“Yeah. And he said he would take us skiing, except my mom’s afraid of being too high up in the air. So Ethan said he would take just me and Mom could watch us from the log.”
“The lodge, sweetie,” Abby corrected gently.
“Right. The lodge.”
“You should really take him up on that while you’re here,” Lucy advised. “My brother is an excellent ski instructor. He taught me when I was a little girl. I was just your age.”
“You were five years old, too?” Christopher asked.
“Around that. Maybe a year or two older. I just remember that Ethan was three years older and already a good skier. I thought he could do anything.” She grinned. “I’ll tell you a secret. I still think he can do anything.”
Despite all her self-talk about keeping boundaries with him, Abby couldn’t help but be charmed to imagine a younger Ethan teaching his sister to ski.
“I like Ethan. He’s my friend,” Christopher said.
“You have good taste,” Lucy said.
As the two of them chattered about the things they each liked about Ethan, Abby fought down a growing sense of dread.
She should have been more careful. She had been so busy trying and failing to protect her own heart that she hadn’t given the care she should have to protect her son.
Christopher was so impressionable right now, openhearted and loving. Her son clearly adored Ethan already. She couldn’t let the man become too important to either of them. Once she and Christopher left Silver Bells, what were the odds she would ever see him again? Probably not great.
Christopher already would have to leave Winnie, whom he loved. She hoped she hadn’t doubled his pain.
“If Ethan’s coming over, I’m gonna go get my digger. I told him I would show him when he came over again.”
“You left all your trucks in the box by your bed, remember?”
“I remember.”
Christopher scooted off his chair and raced to their rooms.
Lucy watched after him with an affectionate smile. “I sure love that kid of yours.”
“What’s not to love? I’m the luckiest mom in the world.”
“I can’t disagree.” Lucy paused. “He’s really taken to Ethan, hasn’t he? And vice versa.”
“Your brother made a strong impression on him during our outing on the tubing hill, probably because Chris hasn’t spent a lot of time around men lately.”
Lucy gave her a meaningful look. “You should really do something about that. Kevin has been gone two years.”
She was half-tempted to tell Lucy about her disastrous dates and the humiliating nausea that had resulted, but it was too embarrassing. She’d already overshared with one of the Lancasters. She didn’t need to tell the other one.
“I will,” she finally said. “When I’m ready. I loved Kevin with all my heart.”
“I know. And you were shattered when he died. I get that. But you don’t have to love a man to date him. Why can’t you just go out for fun and companionship?”
“Are you suggesting I should take romantic advice from the woman who self-identifies as the world’s biggest cynic?”
“I believe in love for other people. How could I not? You and Kevin were sweet together. It was lovely to see two people care about each other so much.”