“Mommy! Mommy!” they chant, weaving in between the maze of tables towards us.
Maisie and Evan, Maeve’s children, followed by Lee, their dad. They’re blonde-haired blue-eyed twins, and just the cutest kids you ever saw, though maybe I’m just biased.
“There’s my babies!” Maeve rounds the counter with her arms outstretched and lifts Maisie into her arms.
“Auntie Lorna!” Evan jumps up and down, holding out his arms, inviting me to pick him up.
“Gosh! You’re getting heavy!” I say, pushing out my hip to support his weight. “You excited for Santa?”
“Yup! Daddy took us to go buy some mince pies for Santa and some carrots for Rudolph!”
“And have you been a good boy this year?” I ask.
He grins wide, his teeth showing, though the front two are missing. “Uh-huh!”
“Are you sure?” I narrow my eyes skeptically.
“Uh-huh!Auntie Lorna! You knows I’ve been a good boy! It’s Maisie who’s beenrealbad!”
“Have not!” Maisie protests with a pout.
“Have too!”
I can’t help but laugh as I place Evan back down on the ground and turn back to my best friend, “go on, get yourself home.”
“No, no. It’s okay. I’ll stay.”
I rest a hand on her arm. “Mae, go home. Spend the rest of Christmas Eve with your family, I’m not exactly swamped here.” I gesture to the two remaining customers in the diner.
She grins wide. “You’re the bestest friend ever!” She tugs me into her arms and all but cuts off my circulation with her hug. “Have the best Christmas okay? And go jump on that beautiful man over there,” she whispers in my ear.
“Shut up.” I roll my eyes, laughing.
“Seriously, you deserve some happiness and a little fun after the shitheput you through. I hate to see you all alone.”
“I don’t mind being alone.”
“I know, but being alone andlonelyare two very different things.”
I clutch her tighter. “I love you.”
“Love you too, girl. Text me, yeah?”
We release each other and I crouch down in front of the twins. “Have a good Christmas guys! I hope Santa brings you everything you asked for!” I stretch out my arms and the two of them pounce on me, wrapping their little arms around me.
“Love you, Auntie Lorna!” Maisie says, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
I say my goodbyes and watch my best friend and her beautiful family head out into the snow. It’s times like these when I wished I had a family of my own, a husband to kiss when I came home from work, children I could tuck into bed and read stories to at bedtime…
I need a man for that first.
I catch a glance of Royce staring at me again and my stomach flutters.
“Lorna, food’s ready!” My chef, Charlie hollers from the kitchen and a minute later, I’m placing it in front of Royce.
“Here’s your waffles and your steak sandwich. A weird combination but a good one.”
He chuckles. “Thank you.”
