The Slow Burn (Moonlight and Motor Oil #2) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,87

turned to Margot.

“Let’s sort this out,” Margot stated, all businesslike, and completely ignoring that out-of-character behavior from Dave. “We’ll need focus come January and we have to know what we’re focusing on. But everyone has things to do today, therefore we need to get cracking so it can all get done.”

She was not wrong about that.

It was Christmas Eve’s Eve and my schedule was garbage.

Michael had hired some extra help, but except for one of them, they were all flaky.

This meant I’d been doing hints of overtime here and there all week, including three hours on Tuesday, which was my day off, and three hours that morning, Friday, which was my other day off.

And I had to work until six tomorrow, Christmas Eve.

The good news was, money was money and I needed it, and taking an extra hour at the end of a shift or working for a few and having the rest of the day off was no skin off my nose.

The other good news was, I had most of the day off that day to do this wedding business and then get ready for my night with Toby.

Izzy had taken a couple of days off to have a chill Christmas, so she was taking Brooks (who was right then napping in Margot’s guest room) and he was spending the night with his Aunt Iz and Uncle Johnny while Toby and I went to Lora’s party (then got it on at his place after).

And I was really looking forward to it, most of all looking forward to hitting Tobe’s after this and getting ready there since we were spending the night there.

I had not had the opportunity to do that since the night of the snowstorm and our avowals of love. But his place was more my gig, it was also just his place and I liked to be in his space.

So for me, until nine thirty the next morning, I had nothing but goodness to look forward to.

This wedding meeting was just the first part of it.

Sadly, it was over all too soon, but after Deanna took off, Izzy and I hung with Margot until Brooks got up.

We let him go from sleepy to lovey, and then after lots of snuggles from his mom, Iz and my boy took off.

But I hung back.

Because I wanted to chat with Margot.

“Don’t you have a party to get ready for, darlin’?” she asked.

Translation from Margot Speak: My firstborn is going to be here soon, my second born is showing later tonight, and my last born is driving up first thing in the morning so I have a million things to do. Hit the road.

“Just wanna make sure you’re all good. Lots of folks hitting your place, you need anything?” I asked.

“I had everything sorted last week, Adeline, but thank you for offering.”

I studied her face.

She looked no different.

But she was a dab hand with makeup and never had a hair out of place, so that didn’t mean anything.

I didn’t know how to say it seemed Dave and she were sniping at each other, that I’d never heard Dave speak to her in the tone he’d used earlier, or even thought he was capable of it due to the fact he worshiped the ground she walked on, and that there was something off about this required-attendance wedding meeting the day before Christmas Eve.

Especially when the date was set, the church was scheduled, the reception venue was booked, Macy and the bakery had preliminary deposits to save the date for whatever Eliza chose, and come January, we had nearly seven and a half months to sort out the rest.

“Are you and Tobias all right?”

Her question made me focus on her.

Her question also made me smile at her.

“Yeah, Margot, we’re great.”

She smiled back at me, reached out and took my hand.

“I knew he’d choose someone like you,” she said softly. “Full of vim and vigor and vivacity and audacity. Just like Eliza with Johnny, you not only match his spirit, you complement his soul.”

I stood in her foyer with her, my fingers curled around hers, and stared in her eyes, warmth rushing through me.

“I love that you think that,” I whispered.

“I like to think that God had a hand, linking me to your mother. He did this so she raised you girls to suit my boys, and I raised my boys to suit her girls.”

Oh hell.

I was going to cry.

“None of that, Adeline,” she gently chided, shaking our hands. “Everyone is happy. Smiles. Just