“You want your daughter to freeze to death?” Mom screeched.
Dad shook his head.
Mom glared at him.
They settled into a staring contest.
I looked at the Hot Pack. “How many of you have a gun?
Anyone? Someone shoot me!”
Then I realized that Luke was standing there and what I said was a little insensitive, considering he’d been shot in the bel y a few months before.
“Um… sorry Luke,” I finished, feeling like an idiot.
Luke crossed his arms on his broad chest and smiled at me but didn’t say a word, which I decided to take as indication that he bore no il wil .
Hank disengaged from the Hot Pack and walked to me.
He walked right up between my legs, wrapped an arm around my waist and yanked me off the counter so I was standing ful frontal with him. He tipped his head down to look at me.
“Your Mom can have Christmas,” Hank said quietly.
“Thank you!” Mom shouted to Hank’s back.
I shook my head.
“You do not even know what you’re saying. Do not give her Christmas. Christmas is Crazy Land in the Logan household and I think you’ve realized by now that that’s saying a lot!”
“Roxanne Gisel e Logan, do not tel tales out of school.
So your father usual y gets drunk and burns the turkey. It’s Christmas!” Mom snapped.
“I do not get drunk! And I do not burn the turkey!” Dad yel ed. “It’s crispy. Everyone likes crispy turkey.”
“No one grills a turkey, Herb. Standing outside in thirty degree temperatures with your Budweiser like it’s the Fourth of July.”
“Roxie likes my mesquite turkey. Don’t you Roxie?” Dad cal ed.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them, Hank’s face was al I saw.
“Have you changed your mind yet?” I whispered.
Slowly, he shook his head.
“Give them time,” I finished.
“Wel ? Roxie? You like my mesquite turkey, don’t you?” Dad asked.
I put my forehead to Hank’s chest for a second then lifted it away.
“Yeah Dad, I like your turkey.”
It was true. I did. It was great turkey. The best.
The bel over the door went and I peered around Hank’s shoulder to see Al y, Malcolm and Kitty Sue walking in.
My eyes widened, my body stil ed and I stared at Hank who moved, placing an arm around my neck, holding me reassuringly tight against his side.