Apparently, Dad decided to change tactics. “Pippa tells us you’re the president-elect of the student senate. A political animal like your dad, I take it?”
As I watched Charlie gift my dad with his thousand-watt smile, I wondered how many hours he’d stood in front of a mirror practicing it. I also wondered why I’d ever thought it was special and meant only for me. My ex was a born politician, and everything he did was calculated to help him meet his goals.
Which begged the question of why he’d willingly given up one Maxwell sister to take up with the other. Pippa was an education major. It was the only thing about her that disappointed our parents. I carried a 3.9 GPA in business administration and marketing. On paper, at least, I was the asset.
Yet as I watched the two of them together, a thought started to form in the back of my mind, and I didn’t like where it was leading me. Though his arm rested on the back of Pippa’s chair, Charlie sort of leaned in front of her to speak to Dad.
“I’ll be Student Senate President next year as well as President of Gamma Tau. While this year as president-elect is exciting, next year is going to be wild.” His entire body vibrated with anticipation of reaching his collegiate political ambitions.
Then he slid a glance my way, speculation in his gaze, and I couldn’t help it. I smirked. Blame it on the alcohol or on the fact I’d seen his true colors in the Molly on the night I met Wyatt. In my mind’s eye, I could still see the two of them as Wyatt rescued me from Charlie’s unwanted attentions. Ever since that night, Wyatt Baxter had never strayed far from my thoughts. Charlie Chase, on the other hand, no longer enchanted me.
The smirk and what it meant knocked him off his stride, and he sat back a bit. The server’s interruption with the main course meant I didn’t have the opportunity to savor that tiny victory, though. Sure enough, piping-hot plates of prime beef with scalloped potatoes au gratin and steamed winter veggies rolled out of the kitchen to land in front of each of us.
It wasn’t ladylike, and it earned me more than one censorious glare from my mother, but I tucked into my favorite meal like a starving person—which, after my strenuous day on the slopes with little food, I basically was. I paid scant attention as Dad and Mom asked Charlie more questions about his postgraduate plans except to notice some of his initial enthusiasm had waned after my reaction to his bragging.
I also couldn’t help but catch the way Pippa sucked down her wine and picked at her dinner. For once our parents didn’t favor her with the bulk of their attention. Guess she didn’t appreciate that much, but what could she do about it? She’d brought her boyfriend home with her on a holiday—something I’d never done in over two years of dating him.
The thought stopped a bite of melt-in-your-mouth meat on its way to my lips. I set my fork on my plate, dragged my napkin over my lips, and sipped thoughtfully at my drink. In over two years of serious dating, I’d only brought Charlie home for the Fourth. From what I’d gathered, Pippa had spent Thanksgiving with the Chases, and now she’d brought Charlie home to my parents’ for Christmas. What did that say of our relationship that Charlie and I had only spent one family holiday together in over two years of dating?
The Fuckery was a massive betrayal. But perhaps Pippa had done me a favor.
I pondered that thought as I demolished my favorite dessert. The meal truly had been a setup. While I enjoyed the food, I didn’t appreciate the reasons behind it.
We retired to the living room where boxes of decorations waited on the end tables. Trimming the tree on Christmas Eve had become our tradition after Pippa and I started boarding school. We usually didn’t return home until a day or so before the holiday, so Mom had decided to wait to trim the tree until we were all together, and the tradition stuck. Nowadays, it seemed a waste to me since the staff would be tearing it down the day after Christmas. But in the spirit of not being an asshole, I dutifully grabbed a box of ornaments and went to work on one side of the tree.
Conversation at last centered on Pippa and her classes. She surprised all of us when she announced she was changing her major from education to economics. Charlie beamed at her while all I could do was gape. Pippa hated math and anything to do with finance. This change had Charlie and his ambitions written all over it.
“Bravo, Pippa! Business has a future education simply doesn’t have,” Mom said as she patted my sister on her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’ve seen sense.”
“At least you’re a good influence on one of my daughters,” Dad said to Charlie with a pointed glare in my direction.
Shaking my head, I said under my breath, “Business major from the start.”
“What was that, Piper?” Dad asked.
I hung another perfectly boring white glass star on the tree. “I declared business as my major before I started classes freshman year. Guess I didn’t need ‘influencing.’”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath. “It isn’t necessary for you to be difficult for the entirety of the holidays, Piper.”
With a shrug, I hung another star and set my now empty box aside.
Parking my ass on the stone bench running the length of the fireplace, I picked up the drink I’d had the good sense to freshen up on my way through after dinner and drew in a long taste of yummy lemony alcohol. The rest of the fam finished hanging their ornaments, and Mom flipped the switch to light the tree. Though the monochromatic scheme didn’t incite wonder as we hung stars, bells, and snowflakes, the addition of lights—even though they too were white—gave the tree a kind of unexpected magic.
As a rule we weren’t a gift-giving family. Having the money to buy whatever we wanted whenever we wanted stole some of the fun out of giving and receiving gifts. On our birthdays a check came in a card our parents’ secretary had no doubt picked out. At Christmas, we received two gifts: one from our parents and one from each other. I couldn’t decide if I was excited or scared to open the gift awaiting me from Pippa.
A tiny sigh of relief escaped me at Dad’s genuine smile when he opened the box with the gold cuff links stamped with his company’s logo. Likewise, Mom beamed at me when she opened the box containing the monogrammed pen that weighed about half a pound, I swear. Pippa’s expression as she tore the wrapping from her gift mirrored my own trepidation at opening mine, which by some weird coincidence of timing, we did simultaneously.
“Oh, Piper. You always find the exact right thing, don’t you?” she said as she held up the shimmery metallic green designer sweater I’d chosen for her.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said. A moment of warmth spread through me as she enthusiastically enjoyed my gift.
Then she turned to show it off to Charlie, and all my big-sisterly warm fuzzies took a hike.
Carefully opening the box on my lap, I uncovered a gorgeous silver-gray cashmere beret and matching scarf. Holding the scarf to my face, I closed my eyes and rubbed my cheek over its exquisite softness. Guess she also remembered a time in the not-so-distant past when we were still a team.
“Thanks, Pippa. This is lovely.”
Since I didn’t have a clue Charlie would be part of the festivities until he showed up at the airport to pick us up, I didn’t buy him a gift. Not that I would have had I known. But he received his two gifts all the same. My parents gave him tickets to the US Open Tennis Championships. Guess they thought this thing between Pippa and him had legs. Pippa shyly handed him a box containing a fancy Apple Watch, one he’d been hinting about since his birthday last summer. To my everlasting disgust, he gave her a jewel-encrusted Gamma Tau necklace—his fraternity’s way of showing a brother was serious about a woman.
