We laugh. “I love you. And Ari. Please think about it? Even for a couple of months. Oooh! Christmas in Germany lasts all December long. The Christmas Markets are insane. My treat.”
“I have a feeling Christmas lasts all December in Pine Ridge, too,” I say. “They have this little bazaar that goes all year, the Night Market. Jasper says we can check it out next week. And the neighbors,” I go to the coat pegs by the front door and dig through my coat pocket to pull out a flyer Harper gave me, “gave me this thing about community events.” I look over the list, marveling at all this little town offers—enough to cover the front and back of a piece of paper. “Minor league hockey games, library events, festivals, choir concerts, a gingerbread building contest...”
“Weren’t you and Matt in some little small town?”
“Yeah, but it’s not like this. Pine Ridge is a quirky place. A lot of people seem to know each other, but not in that ‘oh no, the town is inbred, and outsiders are going to have it rough’ kind of way. More like ‘Oh, you’ve landed here. You must be family.’ Although, realistically, I think that’s just because I’m living with the town’s beloved weatherman and roving reporter. I’ve already met the cop’s wife, the lawyer’s wife, and the mechanic’s wife,and I think I have standing invitations to call them and get coffee. One works at home, one works at a preschool, and the third one helps at the garage and is a freelance photographer. See?? I couldn’t have told you that much about my neighbors after two years in North Lake. We called our neighbors ‘Mr. Doesn’t Tie His Bathrobe’ and ‘Granny Yoga Pants.’”
Sarah snort-laughs. “Okay, okay, so you like the place, and you like the weatherman. As long as he sends sunshine your way, I’ll approve.”
“You’re older. Why isn’t your sense of humor more sophisticated, Madam Globe Trotter?” I tease.
“Just trying to keep it at your level.”
“Oooh!” I laugh, and it feels so good. “Please come home for Christmas. Comeherefor Christmas. If Matt shows up and tries anything, you can twist his arm and march him to the police station, okay?”
“Now, that’s tempting. All right, let me talk to Mom and see if they want a houseguest.”
“Or I bet you can literally stay here. Jasper already offered for Mom and Dad to come down. It’s a huge house. And if we need more room, there’s a kind of mini-suite downstairs in the basement. Realistically, we wouldn’t, because it’s a four-bedroom house, and that’s only because one room is storage and another one is empty. It’s a six-bedroom McMansion.”
“You talk about the place as if you own it.”
I blush. I don’t own it, but I feel welcome here. “I feel welcome here,” I confess. “I don’t feel guilty here. I was starting to feel guilty for being at home with Arianna. Matt would scream that I wasn’t contributing, but then if I said I’d work, he’d say I had no faith in him and start yelling about childcare costs. I’d work for hours to have a hot meal on the table, dishes done, clean house, clean clothes, happy little girl, fully stocked kitchen, and a cold beer waiting... He’d still say I was lazy.”
Sarah is seething. I can hear the curses she’s broadcasting, her brainwaves crossing the Atlantic and beaming directly into my head with deadly sisterly accuracy. “Girl, you know I don’t like that kind of language,” I scold.
“Remind me again why you want to be a drudge?” Sarah demands.
“I don’t find it dull or boring! I love it. It’s a challenge to raise kids, make meals that are different each day, do home maintenance, and keep everything running smoothly. It’s peaceful and awesome—when someone appreciates it. Tell me why you want to do math all day? Now,thatsounds like torture.”
“The math represents money and chemical formulas. I’m making bank, baby, and I’m in a male-dominated field! You know what happens when a 5 '11” blonde with big shoulders and high heels walks in and starts talking chemistry? Every repressed nerd who never got kinky except online steps up to pitch in on my fantasy fuck-ball team.”
“Sweet Jesus, Sarah, if Ari’s first words start with F because of you, you’re getting coal in your stocking.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll behave. I’m going to go, call Mom, and look at my schedule; either Rochester or Pine Ridge will have an extra houseguest for the holidays. Good deal?”
“Best deal!” I squeal.
“I love you, shortie.”
“Love you, too, stretch.”
“Kiss my niece for me?”
“Only a hundred thousand times,” I promise.
“Remember what I said. Matt is responsible for getting his own help. Nothing you did is wrong. And if he tries to hurt my niece, or my baby sister, you have my permission to use deadly force and say I did it.”
“You’d go to jail if they believed me.”
“I’d rather you visit me in the slammer than I visit you two at the cemetery,” Sarah says, voice unflinching and firm. “Promise me.”
“I’m safe here,” I reply. “But I promise. Let’s go back to the fun ‘I love you’ portion of the phone call.”
“Love you more than anything, sis. I mean it.”
“Love you, too,” I murmur, and hang up.
“OH MY WINTER WONDERLAND! What is this? What’s all this?” Jasper comes home and drops his laptop case and shoulder bag in the hall.
