Abby stares at me, and I wonder if I’ve been too honest with her. Then she bursts out laughing. Her belly laughs bring more tears to her eyes, only these tears I don’t mind.
“Oh my goodness, she really is.” Abby gasps between giggles. “I’ve been waiting for someone else to agree with me about that.”
The switch in the air from tense to funny is so immediate I feel lost for a minute, but then I recover and grin. “I agree. And trust me, you’re the catch in this family.”
Her laughter fades, replaced by wide-eyed surprise. “Y-you really think that?”
I nod, feeling exposed. I still feel like I’m walking a tightrope between being her boyfriend—make that fake boyfriend—and her boss. This requires boss mode. “As I said last night, you’re smart, kind, and hardworking.”
Her smile lights up her face, and I move closer to her and gather my courage.
“Why don’t we get out of here?”
Abby’s forehead creases. “Huh?”
“I mentioned going to my grandparents house today. They’re hosting our family Christmas celebration today. Everyone is welcome.” The words rush out, and I force myself to slow down. “Would you like to come with me?”
Her lips form a perfect O. “Really? You want me to come?”
I nod, nervous but excited to introduce her to my family. “Absolutely. It’ll be fun, I promise. And you need to get away from here. At least for a few hours.”
She bites her lip. “My family will be upset if we just leave.”
“I’ll explain it to them. Your mom seemed thrilled you brought someone home. I’m sure she’ll understand if we want to split our time between families.”
Abby’s face softens. “That’s so sweet of you to offer. Are you sure your family won’t mind?”
I imagine how happy my family will be. It might cause problems later, but I don’t care. Abby needs this, and I want it, too. “Trust me, they’ll be thrilled. My grandmother asked me to bring someone home.”
A smile tugs at Abby’s lips. “Okay. Let’s do it. I’ll lock Powerfluff in the room, and we can pick her up on the way home.”
We head downstairs to tell her family we’ll be leaving soon, and Abby holds my hand. She takes a breath. “Mom, Dad, John and I are going to visit his grandparents. They’re having a Christmas celebration, and—”
“What?” Rachel’s indignant squawk cuts Abby off. “You can’t leave! It’s Christmas!”
Mrs. Sinclair appears crestfallen, which I don’t understand at all given how she treats Abby. “But, sweetie, we always spend Christmas together as a family.”
I step forward to smooth things over. “We’ll only be gone for a few hours. We thought it would be nice to split our time between both families.”
Rachel stands, her face flushed with anger. “This is just like you, Abby. Always trying to steal the spotlight from me. First, you bring home a boyfriend out of nowhere, and now you’re abandoning us on Christmas?”
Abby tenses and hunches over. “This has nothing to do with you. We thought—”
“You thought what? That you could waltz in here with your perfect boyfriend and your perfect life and make me look bad?” Rachel’s voice sharpens, her words becoming almost hysterical. “Well, guess what? It’s not working. I know you pretend to have it all together when you don’t. I’m sure Mom and Dad realize it, too.”
The room goes silent, and the tension is palpable. Abby’s face flickers with shock, hurt, and then determination.
“You know what, Rachel?” Abby’s voice is steady and clear. She squares her shoulders. “I don’t have it all together, but I don’t need to tear down my sister to feel good about myself.”
Rachel flinches. “How dare you—”
“No,” Abby interrupts. “You’re not making me feel small any longer. John and I are going to his grandparents’ house, and by the time we come back to pick up Powerfluff, I hope you remember what Christmas is really about. Here’s a hint: it’s not all the expensive presents you got.”
Abby turns on her heel and marches upstairs, presumably to get her purse. I remain there, caught between admiration for Abby and discomfort at the family drama unfolding before me.
Mrs. Sinclair wrings her hands. “John, dear, I’m so sorry about all this. Please don’t think badly of us.”
“Family can be…complicated. We’ll be back before you know it.”
