“Were you and Ingrid rivals in high school or something?”
“No. Rivals implies it’s two-sided, but Ingrid and a bunch of her friends always had a hate-on for me.” Fiona dips a knife into the container of icing and applies a thin layer to a cookie. “Growing up, I had my head in the clouds more often than not. I always knew I wanted to travel, so I spent a lot of time dreaming about far-off places. Some people thought I was stuck up because I spent more time daydreaming and planning than doing things most other kids did. Plus I was happy spending the majority of my time with Nathan and Liam. The three of us were a unit, which some people thought was weird. Basically I felt like I couldn’t do anything right in the eyes of most of Honeywell, so I learned to be comfortable being myself and not worrying about impressing people or changing their minds about me.”
“Wow. That’s…incredibly mature,” I say.
One side of her mouth lifts. “It helped that my parents were amazing.Areamazing. They’ve always wanted me to do what makes me happy. When my dad got sick, I told Mum I was going to take a leave from work and come home. Dad called me five minutes later and told me not to eventhinkabout it. The three of us argued about it for weeks; I said I should be here to help around the house and the café, but they swore they had everything under control. I said I should be spending quality time with Dad, and he argued he’d be happiest knowing I was out in the world living my life to the fullest, the way he always did, rather than sitting by his sick bed and watching…” She trails off, her throat working as she swallows a few times. “Watching him waste away.”
I reach out, but hesitate. Despite seeming like an affectionate person, I don’t know Fiona well enough to know how to comfort her. Or if she’d evenwantto be comforted. She sees the movement, though, and smiles as she reaches for my hand and holds it.
“I have their complete support and blessing,” she says. “Iknow that. Nathan and Liam know that. But the busybodies around town—the ones who always judged me no matter what I did and thought I was a snob for wanting to leave Honeywell—theydon’t know that.” She pauses to gaze around the room, her eyes landing on the front counter where Delia and Addy are talking to Liam and Nathan.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter what they think,” she says. “The people who matter most to me understand. I may have moved away and decided not to come back, but I do love this place. I’ve left pieces of my heart all over the world, but the biggest piece is here in Honeywell.” Her eyes are still focused across the room. I know without following her gaze that she’s looking at Nathan.
She sits up straight suddenly, her gaze shooting back to me as if she’s snapping out of a daze. “And that’s the condensed version of my life story.” She gives a rueful laugh. “Care to tell me yours?”
I don’t get a chance to respond before Delia and Addy come back, bearing glasses with bright red cocktails. I’m not sure what I would have told her anyway. After the way she poured her heart out to me, maybe I would have done the same and told her I understand what she means about leaving a big part of her heart in Honeywell.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Come to Honeywell to get away from all things Christmas, and instead…” Liam says, trailing off.
I laugh as the two of us weave between the sea of vehicles parked in front of the Murphy house. “Instead, I get more Christmas than you can shake a candy cane at?”
Liam lets out a little snort. “That about sums it up. Hey.” His fingers tighten around mine a second before he spins me to face him, eliciting a squeal from me. “Have I told you how beautiful you look today? And how festive?”
My face heats with pleasure as a giddy smile overtakes my face. It’s the day before Fiona is set to return to London, and Mae is throwing a huge double Christmas party. The early afternoon is an open house of sorts, where Honeywell residents can drop in for a visit and refreshments, and tonight will be a family celebration with a full Christmas dinner.
“I believe your exact words were ‘You look like a Christmas present I want to unwrap’,” I say with a laugh, kissing him lightly.
The day after the Cocktails and Cookies event, Fiona and I met for lunch and then went shopping. She helped me pick an outfit for today at the boutique across the street from Sweet Escapes. Clearly she chose well. The sparkly red skirt flares out and lands around my knees; Fiona suggested a simple black tank top to go with it, paired with a fluffy white sweater with glittering threads woven through the material.
“Mmhmm,” Liam murmurs. “But I guess that’ll have to wait ’til later. God bless Fiona for inviting Rex to sleep over tonight.”
Fiona called Liam this morning to seek our help. “Mum would never ask herself, so I’m doing it for her,” she’d said when Liam put her on speakerphone. “I couldn’t convince her not to do the open houseandthe dinner, but Ididconvince her earlier in the week to hire a caterer for the party. I want her to enjoy herself and not be cooped up in the kitchen getting dinner ready, so that’s where we come in. I thought if we all ganged up on her and took over, she’d have to listen to us.”
So that’s what we did; Liam, Rex, Nathan, and I arrived early and told Mae to put us to work. Liam and Fiona moved furniture and put the final touches on decorations while Nathan and I did as much of the prep for tonight’s dinner as we could. Mae, unable to relax and do nothing, took charge of directing the caterer and servers. Rex flitted around like a holiday elf, alternating between helping where needed and keeping Murph company in his office.
About twenty minutes into the party, Mae freaked out because she didn’t think there would be enough ice. Before she could get it into her head to go buy some herself, Liam offered to go. It wasn’t exactly a two-person job, but I didn’t hesitate when he asked me to accompany him.
We head inside and rejoin the party, which is now in full swing. Some people drop in to say hello and have a drink and something to eat before heading out again, while others have made themselves at home and are settled in for long chats in the beautifully-decorated living room. I recognize nearly everyone who comes through the door, and they greet me by name with handshakes and hugs.
“Honey, will you take this to Murph?” Mae appears at my side with a small plate holding a variety of hors d’oeuvres. “I told him I’d bring it to him, but I need to get a recipe for a friend who’s leaving. Have you eaten? I know you’re not strictly vegetarian, but I made sure there were some meatless options. I'm so grateful you and Liam went to get the ice, but don’t feel like you have to do anything else, you’re a guest and I want you to enjoy yourself. Oh, and—”
“Mae.” I grip her shoulders. “It’s fine.I’mfine. Everyone is having a great time, the food is delicious, the house is gorgeous.You’regorgeous.” I wave a hand toward her glittering emerald dress. “Don’t make me tie you to a chair and force you to enjoy your own party.”
She lets out a strained laugh. “I just want everything to be perfect, you know?” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “For Murph. For everyone who loves him.”
My throat tightens. I shift my grip on her shoulders to give them a gentle rub I hope is reassuring. “I get it. But no one loves him more than you do, and I’m sure he’d want to see you enjoying yourself. I’ll gladly take this food to him, but if anyone else needs anything, you send them my way or to Fiona or one of the guys. Okay?”
“Okay. Deal.” She kisses my cheek, hands me the plate, and flits away.
Murph is holding court from an armchair Liam set up especially for him by the fire. I watch from the doorway as he speaks animatedly to the owner of the market downtown. When Mr. Patterson leaves, I swoop in before anyone else can approach Murph. When he sees me coming, his smile and twinkling eyes rival the Christmas lights strung all around the room.
“Ah, thanks, love,” he says, taking the plate from me. He pats the arm of the chair with his free hand. “Join me for a minute?”
“I’d love to.” I perch on the padded arm and, on impulse, put my arm around Murph’s shoulders. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
“That I am,” he says, popping a turkey and cranberry crostini in his mouth. “My Mae has always known how to throw a grand party. And you, you look like you’re having fun.”
