“And it isn’t lost on me, Lucy, that both their relationships imploded not long after. Will took the divorce hardest, I think, and when he turned to Tiffany, she wasn’t the support he needed. And Jules, well, you know what happened with her and Peter. Jules and Will became closer than ever after that. I’m just grateful that they had each other. The bond between them … it’s special.”
Lucy felt her empathy for Will shining onto Jules, her anger dampening. She knew that Jules was close to her brother, and that she’d steered clear of love and relationships ever since the breakup with Peter. But this additional insight into how devastated Jules had been about their parents’ divorce—how devasted she and Will had been—made it a lot clearer why Jules would react so viscerally today. Not only was Jules incredibly protective of Will, on some level, she must have been worried about Lucy coming between them.
“Jules never really talked to us about any of this,” said Lucy. “I mean, she may have confided in Chloe, but she kept a fairly close hand. Even when we were travelling together, she never brought it up.”
“That sounds familiar. I tend to keep things inside too.” Steph gave a little snort of self-derision and her mouth flattened into a tight smile.
“And then here you are, Lucy. Beautiful, kind, an open book … Well, no wonder Will has feelings for you. You are such a breath of fresh air. And let’s just say that I haven’t seen my son so lit up inside for a very long time.” At that, Lucy’s tears threatened to reappear.
“So, how about you set all this aside for now? I’m sure that you and Jules will be fine, and it would be terrible if this ruined Christmas for you.” She paused, then added, “What do you think?”
What did she think? “Honestly, I have no idea what’s happening with Will, except that, until this morning, it made me happy.”
“Then just go with that. Live this day.”
So, according to Steph, Lucy, who loved all things straightforward, predictable, and fair, was going to have to take a leap of faith.
But Jules could be pretty stubborn, and if she really was worried that Lucy would come between her and her brother, then what would that mean for their friendship? Lucy would never be able to live with herself if she and Jules fell out over Will.
Steph was watching her expectantly. “I’ll try,” Lucy said. Steph’s mouth pulled into a taut smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Perhaps she was as dubious as Lucy was.
*
“This is brilliant!” Lucy exclaimed. It was hard to know where to look. The entire town of Breckenridge was like one giant ball of Christmassy wonder and being there amongst it all, Lucy’s worries about Jules receded into the background.
Will laughed beside her. “I knew you’d love it,” he said into her ear. The warmth of his breath sent a wave of shivers over her—the good kind.
Late that afternoon, Lucy, Will, and the cousins had been kicked out of the cabin and sent into town. Steph had claimed it was to get “the kids” out of their hair while she and Jackie made Christmas dinner, but Lucy suspected she was nudging Lucy in Will’s direction.
“Hey, you guys,” called Bridget, “check this out!” She was standing next to a barricade surrounding a small patch of snow and a dozen snow sculptures, all Christmas themed.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” said Lucy. She studied the sculptures, taking in the intricacies of each design. “Unbelievable,” she added to herself.
“Oh yeah?” Will leant in closer. “It’s a competition. I swear, every year they get more impressive.”
“How cool is that?” squealed Briony. “Look! Someone’s made Will Ferrell’s head, you know, from Elf.”
“I love that movie. We’re watching it tonight, right?” Bradley directed his question to the group.
“Duh. We watch it every year.” Apparently, Bridget was less of a fan.
“What’s your favourite, then? Christmas film, I mean?” Lucy asked her.
Bridget seemed to take the question seriously, as though she’d never been asked before.
“Little Women,” she replied after a considerable pause. Lucy should have guessed, as it had featured heavily in their book discussion earlier, but Bradley groaned. Regardless, Bridget forged ahead. “The Winona Ryder one. Although, I do like the newer one, with Saoirse Ronan, but I think Christian Bale was a better Teddy.” She’d clearly given this a lot of thought.
“It’s not even a Christmas movie!” Bradley had, too, apparently.
“It is, Brad,” Briony interjected.
“Nah-uh.”
“Just because you don’t like it. You think Die Hard is a Christmas movie!” Another point for Bridget.
“Die Hard is a Christmas movie!”
“Hey, guys?” Big Cousin Will waded into the fray. “They’re all Christmas movies, okay. Any movie that takes place at Christmas, or has a Christmas scene, or even remotely mentions Christmas is a Christmas movie.”
The three cousins gawped at him, then Lucy saw Briony’s mouth twitch. As the eldest sister, she’d probably heard this exact argument between her siblings a hundred times.
Bradley’s head dropped in defeat and Will rubbed it good-naturedly. “Two against one, hey bud?” Bradley nodded, a smile appearing. “Sometimes, it’s just easier to let them have their way,” Lucy heard him add quietly.
Lucy wasn’t quite sure what to make of Will’s advice to his young cousin and turned her attention back to the snow sculptures. “Which one’s your favourite?” Why did his voice in her ear have such an effect on her?
“Are we talking films or sculptures, now?”
“Either.”
“The Holiday for film, and that one for sculpture.” She pointed to a giant gingerbread house.
“Good choice … on the sculpture anyway.”
The cousins wandered around the snow sculpture display to the other side and Lucy could still hear their squabbling, but there was something in Will’s voice that rooted her to the spot.
“So, you’re not a fan of The Holiday?” It was no big deal if he wasn’t, she told herself. It was the ultimate chick flick after all.
