“Actually she’d probably be relieved. There’d be a lot less tension over dinner.”
She shook her head. “Nice try, but we’re staying.”
He leaned down and stole a kiss. “The things I’m willing to do for you,” he murmured. “First the Christmas festival, now this.”
“If that’s all you ever have to do for me, you’ll be getting off lightly.”
A maid announced just then that dinner was being served. In the dining room, with its glittering chandelier, polished silver and sparkling crystal, white tapers shimmered amid clusters of bright green holly. The meal went surprisingly well. Not only was Mrs. McDonald civil, but Mr. McDonald actually made a real attempt to include Jeanette in the conversation.
Perhaps it was the wine, combined with the excellent rack of lamb and decadent chocolate dessert, but there was plenty of laughter. Everyone seemed perfectly mellow by the time coffee was served.
On the way into the living room, Tom leaned down to Jeanette. “Can we make our excuses now? It’s getting late and we do have to be at the festival first thing in the morning.”
“You sound surprisingly happy about that,” she noted.
“Amazingly enough, I’m feeling happy about it.”
She beamed at him. “That’s what I like to hear. Let’s say goodbye to your mother.”
They wove through the crowd until they found her, her cheeks glowing with the success of the party.
“Mother, I have to apologize,” Tom said. “We need to duck out early.”
“It’s been a lovely evening,” Jeanette said with sincerity. “Thank you again for including me. I’m sorry we have to go, but our Christmas event starts again early tomorrow morning and we both need to be there.”
“I thought that was last weekend,” his mother said, turning to Tom as if she’d caught him in a lie.
“It kicked off last weekend,” Tom explained.
“It lasts for two weeks and it’s one of the town’s biggest events of the year,” Jeanette told her, ignoring Tom’s less than subtle poke in her ribs. “You should drive over. There will be vendors there all day. Church choirs will perform. The tree’s already lit in the town square, the stores are decorated, and it’s really beautiful at night.”
“It sounds charming.”
Jeanette listened closely for a derisive note in her voice, but she sounded as if she meant it. “You really should come,” Jeanette persisted. “Tom’s worked really hard on it and the tree is amazing.”
“Perhaps we will,” she said at last. She turned to Tom, her expression oddly hesitant. “Would that be okay with you?”
Tom summoned a smile. “Of course. Jeanette and I will be around somewhere. Be sure to look for us.”
“And thanks again for tonight,” Jeanette said.
His mother hesitated, as if searching for the right words. “I’m happy you could come,” she said, the words awkward but seemingly sincere. Then she stood on tiptoe to kiss Tom’s cheek. “I’ll tell your father about the festival. Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Mother.”
Outside, Jeanette heaved a sigh of relief. “I can breathe again.”
“Me, too,” Tom said, loosening his tie.
“It wasn’t as awful as I was afraid it would be,” she admitted.
“I think my parents were really trying.”
She reached for his hand. “So do I.” She studied his face, then asked, “Did you mean what you said to your father about marrying me?”
He grinned. “Ah, you heard that, too.”
“It’s not as if you whispered it in his ear. So?”
“It’s definitely on my agenda,” he said. “But when I get around to proposing, it will not be in my parents’ driveway. It will be in a romantic setting.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Good to know.”
* * *
When Dana Sue needed help decorating Sullivan’s for the holidays, Jeanette was the first to offer to pitch in. When Maddie mentioned that they ought to have a Christmas event at the spa for their clients, Jeanette volunteered to plan it. Then she decided to throw her own holiday party, her first in her new home. She bought fancy invitations, spread out every one of her cookbooks looking for the most festive recipes and bought a tree that barely fit into her living room. Tom actually lugged it in for her without complaint, though he begged off before it was time to hang the first decoration.
On the Monday after the invitations went out, Maddie pulled her aside. “Let’s have a cup of tea,” she said, guiding her onto the patio where the sun had created a pool of warmth and allowed them the privacy Maddie obviously wanted.
“Okay, what’s going on with you?” Maddie asked. “I got the invitation to your party.”
“You’ll come, won’t you? Cal and the kids, too?”
“Of course, we’ll be there, but sweetie, do you think maybe you’re going a little overboard with the whole Christmas thing? You spent all your spare time for two days helping Dana Sue decorate Sullivan’s. You planned our party, which was a huge success. And now you want to do your own party. Is this about making up for lost time, or are you doing some kind of in-your-face thing as a test for Tom?”
Jeanette blinked at the question. “That’s crazy. Why would I test Tom?”
“You tell me.”
Jeanette sipped her tea and thought about what Maddie was asking. Had she gone overboard? Was she testing Tom? She didn’t think so. “Tom and I have been doing okay ever since we went to see his parents. I finally feel as if we have a real chance.”
“Okay, then you know what I think?” Maddie said. “I think you’re trying to fill a void. What you really want is what you used to have with your parents. Is that possible?”
Jeanette hadn’t considered it, but now that Maddie had voiced the idea, she realized it was exactly what she was doing. After so many years, she’d finally recaptured her own love for the holiday season, but she wanted more. She wanted things to be the way they’d once been. Of course, that wasn’t possible, so she was substituting all these other activities for what was going to be missing
