“Yes.”
Then why isn’t she moving? I don’t want to mess with the moment, so I say nothing else.
Her phone buzzes in my hand. A text message pops up on the screen from Luna and breaks the tension pulling taut between us, snapping the thread.
“Oh, it’s my sister.” Callie takes the phone and swipes it open. After a second, she holds the phone up for me to read.
Luna
We’re leaving first thing in the morning! I’ll be hugging you by dinner time
Callie is still holding my arm, leaning back against my chest. It’s comfortable, and I don’t want it to end. We both know the way our family’s arrival is going to change everything. It feels like we’re literally holding on to each other for a bit longer because we only have a bit left.
“That’s great news,” I finally say. It’s the right response, so why don’t I mean it?
She gives my arm a little squeeze before stepping out of my hold. “Yeah. I hope they get through alright.”
“Rory thinks it won’t be a problem.”
Callie looks up at me beneath thick lashes. “You’ve talked to Rory about this already?”
“Earlier tonight. He was only guessing.”
She nods. “Then I suppose we only have one more day. You know what this means, right?”
That everything is about to change. I don’t say that to her, of course. That would be weird. I’m not looking forward to how things will shift between us, though. It feels like we justbarely became friends, and now our families are going to slide in and alter the dynamic entirely.
I love Hamish. We’ve always been close—as far as cousins who live in two countries nine hours apart can be, I mean. So I’m going to choose to be happy, not disappointed.
My smile is wide. “What does it mean?”
“We have to decorate tomorrow.”
I’d forgotten about Callie’s project to turn my house into Santa’s grotto. “I figured you gave up on that after the boxes hurt your back.”
“Took a break,” she corrects. “But now we’re properly motivated again.”
“Motivated for what?” Granny asks, approaching us in the kitchen.
“Nessa!” Callie says with enthusiasm, reaching forward to hug my granny. “Do you like my sweater? Gavin let me borrow it.”
“It’s bonnie,” Granny says. She gives me a look I can’t decipher before smiling at Callie again.
“We need to decorate before Hamish arrives tomorrow,” I say.
“Och, your mother will be glad to hear that,” Granny says. “We’ll bring tea tomorrow then?”
“I have it covered,” I say, though I don’t know what I’m cooking yet.
Granny gives me an indecipherable look. “Your parentsmight be ready to park the campervan at the house now that the roads have cleared.”
Why does she keep trying? I love her too much to ask, though. “They’re always welcome,” I say instead. The look in her eyes says I’m not fooling her. She’s not fooling me. We both know what kind of people my parents are. Is it the hopeful optimist in Granny forcing her to always expect the best, even after Mum and Dad have proven the worst time and time again?
“You’ve been hidden away in here long enough,” Granny finally says, reaching for Callie’s hand and patting the back. “What do you say? Come out and meet some of the locals.”
“I’d like that,” Callie says.
Granny gives me a bright smile. “Coming, Gav?”
