The tension during the dinner we shared with his parents niggles at the back of my mind, and I wonder what the relationship is between them. I thought it was good. Everything seemed alright. But he’s a grown man who apparently bought his family home from his parents, and there’s some sort of history of them forgettingsuper important things.
To think they spent their first night here asking Gavin to use his connections to help his dad get a book published.
“Sounds like you have a good relationship with your mum,” Gavin says.
“She’s pretty great.”
“It must be hard, living so far away from her.”
Luna lets out a sigh, then it turns into another yawn. “It’s the worst. We talk on the phone a lot, but the time zone makes that tricky sometimes. I wish she’d move here, but she won’t leave the States while Callie’s still there.”
My gaze narrows. “You make that sound like she would leave if I did.”
“If you came to England, I could probably convince her to follow.”
Luna’s delusional, but I’m not going to pop her bubble. “Mom loves In-N-Out and Target too much to ever leave.”
Hinges on the front door squeal, filling the living room with a loud creak.
“Expecting anyone?” Hamish asks.
“Only the Winters, but they’re not due to arrive for another few days.” Gavin rises, taking his plate to the sink. “It could be Rory.” He doesn’t make it to the door before it swings open.
Jean comes through, Don just behind her. “Doesn’t this smell divine?”
Gavin freezes up for the briefest moment. It comes and goes so quickly, had I blinked at the perfect moment, I probably would have missed it entirely. The arrival of his parents gives him a quick sense of wariness before his smile is back in place.
Knowing a bit of their history, I wonder if his childhood was much more complex than it should have been.
“Hungry?” he asks. “I have a roast.”
“Aye.” Don helps himself to a plate and starts loading it up.
Hamish stands from the table, his chair legs scraping across the floor. “Hiya, Auntie Jean.”
“Och, I didn’t see you there.” She pulls him in for a big hug. “Where’s your mother?”
“It’s a Norland Christmas for us this year,” he says. “We’ve come up here to distract Ruby and Rhys from missing their grandmother. Mum and Dad stayed home with the rest of the family.”
“More room for us, then?” Jean says.
Gavin drops a plate. It shatters on the floor, blue shards scattering across the wooden floorboards.
“Och, but you gave me a fright.” Jean clutches her heart. “Don’t like the idea of your parents being here?”
Gavin coughs. “In the house?”
She acts like it’s normal, but I have a feeling this is entirely the opposite. Gavin looks like he’s swallowed two turtle doves.
Jean spreads her smile to everyone in the kitchen. “Do you have room for us? We’d like to stay for Christmas.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
GAVIN
The first thingI want to do is verify Mum means she wants to stayherein this house for Christmas. That she means she wants a bedroom, to join us. You never do know with her, of course. Ever since Dad admitted he’d lost his job and they’d run out of money, asking if I’d buy the house off of them, they hadn’t returned for long. Aye, they’d come to town to visit, but sleeping under this roof? Sharing cooking responsibilities and lounging on the sofa? Inhabiting the space?
Anxiety is already creeping through me. Will they expect the primary bedroom? How will they get on with Callie’s parents? What will they think of the Winters’ Christmas traditions? Our families could not be more different.
