of coffee and settled at the island, watching her mother work. She felt a little guilty just sitting there.
“Can I do anything to help?” she asked. Though she already knew what her mother’s answer would be.
“I think I’m all set honey. The cake is almost done and there’s really not much else to do. I made the green beans yesterday, the roast just needs to go into the oven along with the baked potatoes. The only thing I have left is to make the popovers, and I’ll do that right before the roast is done.” Every Christmas they always had the same meal, prime rib, though Kate’s favorite thing was the Yorkshire pudding popovers. They were light and airy and melted in her mouth.
“Why don’t you sit down and join me then? Have a cup of coffee and relax.”
“I think I will.”
While her mother was making a cup of coffee, Kate opened her laptop and brought up the Airbnb listing she was finalizing. When her mother sat down, she turned the laptop so that she could see.
“Tell me what you think of this?”
“Oh, you put the listing up already?”
“No, it’s not live yet. Not until you give me the okay.”
“Oh, good. You scared me there for a minute.”
Kate waited while her mother looked over the ad. Kate thought she’d done a good job on it. She’d taken pictures of all the rooms, fully decorated and with their new bedding. She’d waited until the light was just right, to capture the beauty of the ocean views and sunshine. The rooms looked elegant and inviting.
“You’ve done a wonderful job, thank you. We should wait until after the board of selectmen’s meeting though, shouldn’t we?” The meeting was just over a week away.
“I say we put it up now, with the first date available a week from yesterday, so you might get some last minute visitors for New Year’s Eve weekend.”
Her mother looked hesitant. And Kate knew what was worrying her.
“It won’t affect your chances with the board of selectmen. As long as you don’t put the sign up until you get approval, you’re fine. Anyone can use Airbnb to rent out rooms. It might even help, if you can say you’ve rented some already.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to see if there’s any interest.”
Kate smiled. “Great, then all that’s left to do is to hit the button.” She pressed submit. “And now it’s done. You’re officially in business!”
Her mother took a slow sip of coffee. She looked thoughtful as she set her cup down. “Wouldn’t it be something if I’m able to rent out a room before then? It’s probably doubtful this time of the year, I would imagine.”
“You never know. Lots of people on the Cape might want to get away for a long weekend but not go too far. Nantucket is perfect.”
Chase, Kristen, and Abby arrived around ten, and they all had coffee cake before exchanging gifts. They’d agreed to not go overboard this year and to just get one gift each as no one really needed anything. Everyone laughed when Kate and Kristen opened the gifts they’d gotten each other and saw that it was the exact same sweater—Kate had bought a white one for Kristen and she’d bought it in black for Kate. They had similar taste in clothes, but usually Kate would buy a sweater for Kristen and get one for herself too. It was kind of a running joke in the family.
They had a lovely, relaxing day and after eating their big meal, and helping their mother to clean up, Kate, Kristen, and Abby decided to go for a walk on the beach. The snow flurries had finally stopped and the ocean breezes had blown the light dusting of snow off the beach.
“Mom, are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Abby asked as they put on their coats and boots.
“No, I’m going to make a cup of tea and watch It’s a Wonderful Life with Chase.” Another of their holiday traditions.
“We won’t be gone long, we’ll join you when we get back,” Kate said.
It was cold, but the air had stilled and the sun was shining as they walked down the long boardwalk to the beach. They decided to walk along the beach to the lighthouse which was about a mile away. It was a good walk, and Kate figured it would give them time to talk. She was worried about Abby. She’d been quiet and withdrawn since telling them that she was