Aunt Zoe sprinkled bacon bits on the mushroom caps stuffed with cream cheese. “What did he tell you?”
“That you sucker-punched him,” Mom told her, brushing the crust with an egg white.
I added, “And that you demanded to be taken home immediately. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I tell you everything.”
“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” she said.
“Which part?” Harvey asked.
“Both Reid’s proposal and Violet saying she tells me everything. She kept Doc a secret from me for weeks.” Setting the pan of mushroom caps aside, Aunt Zoe waved me over. “Finish up these deviled eggs, will you?”
“Violet’s the queen of secrets. She always has been.” Mom sprinkled sugar on top of the pie and then wiped her hands on her apron. “There. Do you think we have enough pies?”
I grew up needing to keep secrets. Having Susan always searching for my emotional gold to plunder and destroy made being secretive a must. “Mom, you already had four pies made when we arrived last night. I told you we don’t need any more.”
“I disagree, Sparky.” Harvey winked at Mom. “Ya can never have enough cherry pie. Ain’t that right, Hope?”
“That’s right, Willis.”
“Plus,” I continued, “there are the Christmas cookies the kids made. Oh, and that powdered sugar and chocolate cereal stuff that makes a big mess of my kids’ fingers and anything they touch.”
“It’s called Chocolate Puppy Chow and happens to be Addy’s favorite.”
“That’s just because it has an animal in the name.” I pointed my egg yolk and mayo–covered knife at the sideboard where even more desserts waited on display. “You have stained-glass cookies and homemade s’more bars and Mexican wedding cookies, too.”
“Weddin’ cookies might come in handy if Zoe changes her mind about Reid wantin’ to get hitched,” Harvey said, laughing as Aunt Zoe grabbed a towel and swatted at him.
Mom slipped by them, stealing the towel from Aunt Zoe on the way to the sink. “I thought commitment was what you wanted from Reid the last time you were an item.”
“Years ago, yes.” Aunt Zoe uncovered Harvey’s homemade rolls that had been left to rise and slid the tray into the top oven. “Now, it’s a matter of fool me once, shame on him; fool me twice, shame on me.”
I finished filling the remaining egg halves and tossed the knife into the dishwater. “But you asked him to marry you the first time, not the other way around.”
“Reid really wants to settle down with you now. He seemed genuinely sincere.” Mom grabbed a jar of olives from the refrigerator. “Doesn’t that make a difference to you?”
A growl came from Aunt Zoe. “When it comes down to it, marriage is just a piece of paper. What matters is what’s in his heart.”
Harvey sprinkled fried onions on the top of the green bean casserole he’d thrown together earlier. “It doesn’t hurt if he’s rich enough to eat fried chicken every day, too.”
“Don’t let Elvis or Addy hear that,” Mom said, playing along with a giggle. “Violet, get the sweet pickles out from the pantry, please.”
“And the marshmallows,” Aunt Zoe added.
“What also matters is what’s in your heart,” I said after I had a jar of homemade pickles in one hand and a bag of marshmallows in the other.
Aunt Zoe caught the bag when I tossed it to her. “I know what’s going on in my ol’ ticker. His? Not so much.” She opened the bag and covered the casserole dish of yams with mini-marshmallows. “I thought I knew years ago, but he had the wool pulled over my eyes.”
Harvey set the green bean casserole on the counter next to the stove. “You sure ya don’t want to try trottin’ along in a double harness for a bit? Single stalls get awful cold and lonely after a while, no matter how much straw you stuff all around ya. I know that for a fact.”
“I’m positive,” she said.
“If Sparky ends up moving in with Doc someday, a li’l company might be nice.”
Moving in with Doc was something I’d thought about so many times while twiddling my thumbs at Calamity Jane Realty that I deserved the top spot on the Daydreamers Wall of Fame. However, I came with two kids, a cat, a hamster, and a chicken. While Doc enjoyed having me in his bed, I wasn’t sure he’d be as thrilled about all of the fingerprints, cat hair, and chicken feathers that would result from our merging of abodes.
“I’ll tell you what, Willis,” Aunt Zoe said. “If Violet moves in with Doc, I’ll save her room for you and your lazy ol’ dog to keep me company in my lonely stall.”
Harvey’s grin hung from ear to ear. “Speaking on Ol’ Red’s behalf, it’s a deal.”
“Violet.” Mom looked up from prepping the relish dish. “Go find Susan and have her help you set the table. The Christmas plates are in the china cabinet, along with some new cloth napkins I bought for the occasion.”
I started to tell my mom I’d set the table on my own, but then remembered I was not going to cause any problems this Christmas. That vow included not bucking my mom at every turn when it came to Susan. “Okay. How much longer until we eat?”
“Probably about forty-five minutes, max,” Aunt Zoe answered, getting a nod from Harvey.
“I’ll let everyone know dinner is within the hour.” I grabbed a handful of Chocolate Puppy Chow from the sideboard on my way out of the kitchen and shoved it
