I’m trying to give her time to adjust.
She crosses her arms and turns to me.
“I don’t know what she’s thinking. People are here for trees, not food.”
“She made snacks, Evie, not a menu. You’re being ridiculous.”
Anger flashes in her eyes. “She’s trying to change things.”
“No one’s changing the farm. Maybe she’s just…using what Dad built.”
She gives me a glacier-blue glare—devastating if you stand in its path.
Evelyn’s voice sharpens. “Just because she married you doesn’t mean she gets a say in how we run things around here.”
“That’sexactlywhat it means, Evie. She’s mywife.”
Her eyes narrow even more. “On paper,” she hisses.
I ignore her. “Mom and Dad always had hot chocolate.”
“Thatwasn’t hot chocolate,” she mutters, nose wrinkling.
I plant my feet, bracing myself. “Maybe adding food is smart,” I continue, refusing to give her more attention. “More revenue never hurts. Either way, get over it. Chloe’s here for the next year, at least. You’re my sister, and she’s my wife. I expect you to get along.”
She freezes. “Did you just sayat least?”
“I said she’d be here for the next year?—”
“At least.” She swats me with a wreath. Only Evelyn could weaponize evergreen and still look like a snow queen on a throne.
“Quit it. We need to sell those.”
“I saw you in the kitchen,” she snaps. “You two are disgusting.”
I roll my eyes. “If you’ve got a problem with PDA, maybe we should put a coffee maker in your room.”
I’ve got no clue how Chloe feels about public displays of affection. This is probably something we should’ve covered in her rules when she moved in here, but it didn’t occur to me. There were too many other factors at play.
But seeing how much it irks Evelyn makes me want to address it.
“There’s a child in the house. You need to check yourselves because if she saw that… Aiden, that didn’t look like you were pretending.”
I shift my weight. “Maybe it wasn’t.” It slips out before I can lock it down.
“Are you cr?—”
“Hey, Aunt Evie! Can I help sell wreaths?” Phoebe barrels up, all pink cheeks and enthusiasm.
Evelyn’s face melts into a wide smile. She’ll never admit it, but in only a few days, she’s attached. Even ice has a soft center when the sun is small and calls you Aunt.
“I do need a helper. Can you count money?”
I lean close and lower my voice. “You love Phoebe. Chloe is her mom. Please remember that before you start in on either of us.”
She fights a smile and the annoyance. “Fine. This isn’t over, though.”
I squeeze Phoebe’s shoulder. “Have fun, Phoebe. Don’t let Aunt Evie work you too hard.” I scan the rows for Chloe.
