the laughter as Dad poured wine for everyone.
“Merry Christmas.” We raised our glasses.
After stuffing ourselves, and declaring it the best Christmas dinner we’d ever eaten, we helped ourselves to desserts from the sideboard. Ian and I both made to grab the same serving spoon. “You like trifle too, huh?” he asked as my hand grasped his.
“Mmmm. My favorite,” I replied. “Go ahead.”
He put a spoonful on his plate and then stuck his finger in his serving. “Yum”
You said it. My head spun and heat crept over my cheeks as my gaze lingered on his finger sliding between his lips. “Yum.”
The finger in his mouth froze and he glanced sideways at the rest of the family who were at the table. He lowered his voice and said, “We share a love of trifle.”
“Mmmm,” I agreed. “And the cream on your lips is rather fetching.”
His tongue poked out between his lips and licked around his mouth. “All gone?”
“Nope, still there,” I lied.
“Now?”
I tapped my bottom lip. “Just a tiny drop left.”
He pursed his lips and placed a hand under my elbow. “Are you sure, David?”
“Oh, yes.” I plastered an innocent expression on my face. “Very.”
He studied me with a piercing scrutiny before handing me a napkin. “Perhaps you should help me.” He placed the linen napkin in my hand. Warm skin on mine pressing the fabric onto my palm. Time slowed as I studied the sprinkle of freckles on his cheeks and his breathing slowed.
I dabbed around his lips, pretending I was removing a tiny morsel of cream. “All done?” he asked. I nodded.
“What are you two doing?” Mac complained. “Hurry up and finish eating. I have to whip your ass at Monopoly.”
Ian and I shared another glance before sitting down.
“David? Your plate’s empty. Did you scoff down your dessert already?”
I scurried back to the sideboard and took a helping from each dish then stuffed my face with cake, cream, fruit and all things chocolate. “Yum,” I said as all eyes at the table were on me. Ian’s hand froze, halfway to his mouth, as I repeated the word from earlier.
After clearing the table, putting away leftovers, loading the dishwasher, and helping to wash the rest of the dishes, we’d gathered around the tree for Uncle Saul’s singalong he hadn’t got to do last night. There was much praise and enthusiastic clapping, and then Gran insisted on watching Christmas carols on TV.
By now, Dad was snoozing and Mom was concentrating on a knitting pattern. Mac hauled out the Monopoly board. He rubbed his hands together. “Ready?”
“I want to be the racing car,” Sarah declared. It was always the most popular choice and when we were kids we’d fight over it.
“Fine,” Mac and I agreed, though if we wanted to make our sister play badly, we would have refused. That was one of our tactics.
“I hope you’ll join us, Ian,” Sarah told our guest.
“Sure.”
“Four players is perfect,” I said.
“Prepare to lose all your money and for me to be the worst landlord ever,” Mac declared.
“I’m so scared,” I fake shivered and winked at Ian. “Wait til your ass is in jail and I buy out every property and you come out a pauper!” I rubbed my hands together as my brother’s eyes blazed. He was anticipating victory but it’d never happen. “You are going down, Mac!”
“Being in jail isn’t always a bad thing,” he jeered. He was right about that. Another of our tactics.
Sarah leaned over to Ian. “They don’t mess around when it comes to this game. Hope you’re ready for it. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Sounds as though they’ve developed a formula for winning.”
Being by Ian’s side, enjoying family time, my stomach full to the brim with delicious food and drink had me overflowing with holiday cheer. I was going to create a housing shortage by buying as many houses as I could. My attention wavered between wanting to impress Ian and beating Mac.
Ian cheered when he landed on a railroad and bought it. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d never make much money from it, though I supposed it was better than buying one of the utilities. When he landed on one of the cheaper properties and was undecided, Mac’s eyes grew wide sensing an opportunity.
I brushed my leg against Ian’s, hoping he’d get the message he should buy. Seemed he got a message but not the one I was trying to convey. He stammered and blushed which was adorable and almost made me lose