“And I agreed… mostly,” Evie pointed out.
“That’s all well and good, but what’s happened to that philosophy now, huh?”
Evie hitched one shoulder.
“I’ll tell you what happened. She’s sour, potent, and makes your eyes water.”
“Shh!” Evie cautioned, throwing a look over her shoulder to check on Ollie. “And just because you hate Brandi, doesn’t mean others do.”
“Are we talking about the drink or the woman?”
“Both.”
“Hey, I like brandy well enough when it’s encased in Christmas cake. But don’t try to convince me you’re fine about Brandi going with Adrian on the kind of holiday he’d never agree to with you. Probably prancing around in her designer bikini while your son builds sandcastles instead of snowmen."
“At least he’s taking Ollie…”
“Stop making excuses for him, Evie,” Posy snapped. “You’ve done it for years. It was one thing while you were married, but you’re not anymore, and you’re allowed to be pissed with him.”
“Argh! I’m freaking furious! He’s a selfish asshole, and I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.” Evie exploded, like Posy had just given her permission. The bitterness in her voice surprised even herself.
“Mom? Is everything okay?” Ollie called from the other room. Evie took a deep breath, trying to center herself.
“Everything’s fine, honey,” she called. “I’m nearly done, so start getting your things together.”
She could feel Posy's concerned gaze on her and forced a weak smile. "Sorry. I really am fine… mostly,” she insisted, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. "It's just... it's our first Christmas apart, and I thought..."
She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. What had she thought? That Adrian would suddenly become considerate? That he'd put Ollie's happiness above his own desires? Evie shook her head, angry at herself for still holding onto those naive expectations.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken frustrations.
"I just... I wanted this Christmas to be special, you know?" Evie finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "To showOllie that even though things have changed, the magic of the season is still here. That our traditions still matter."
She looked up, meeting Posy's sympathetic gaze. The lump in her throat grew, threatening to choke her words, and Evie had to swallow hard to fight back the tears that pricked her eyes.
“And now…”
She didn’t have to say any more. Posy, a true friend in every sense of the word, moved close and gave her a one-armed hug, heedless of the flour Evie was transferring onto her smart ‘school-marm’ clothes. “I know, hun. I know. But you’ll get through it. You always do.”
Of course she would. She didn’t have a choice.
Chapter
Two
EVIE
Evie did a cursory check in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, then slipped into Ollie’s room, where her mother was reading him a story.
“Be a good boy for Grams,” she told him as she felt her heart tug at the sight of his shiny-clean apple cheeks. She leaned in to kiss him goodbye and breathe in his baby smell that was deteriorating with every year he grew older.
“I’m always good,” Ollie stated like it was gospel.
Evie ruffled his hair. For the most part, he was a dream, but like any other five-year-old, he had his moments.
“Thanks, Mom.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss to her mother, Sally’s, cheek, too.
Her parents had taken early retirement a couple of years ago, fortunate enough to be able to do so after a generous bequest from her father’s mother, Nana Rose. Since then, they’d travelled the world, and Evie knew a familiar pang of guilt that her parents had hung up their travelling shoes to help her care for Ollie when she and Adrian had split up.
