“What in the hell?” Amy demanded, and went after her dog.
Harrison wasn’t going to be left in the dark, and followed, too. Amy had gone through the sliding-glass door, and when he barreled in after her, he knocked into her, because she came to a dead halt just across the threshold. He caught her by the arms to keep them both from falling, then looked to see what had her attention.
Two men stood in the living room. The older of the two looked vaguely familiar. He was looking at the Christmas tree with awe. The younger man was holding two big brown bags by their handles.
“Why?” Amy growled, “Are. You.Here?”
“Don’t look at me,” the younger man said. “Ask Dad.”
“Dad?” she said sharply, swinging her body around to face the older man. Now Harrison understood why that one looked familiar.
“I’m sorry, Amy, but I need to talk to your mother and she won’t answer her phone and who knows how long we’ll be snowed in?”
“If I won’t answer the phone, what makes you think I’m going to talk to you in person, Bob?” her mother demanded. “And it’s not snowing.”
“Kevin, really?” Amy cried. “Could you not have maybe stopped this before it happened?”
“Stopped what?” her brother asked and seemed truly not to know. Which was sort of amazing, since everyone standing in this room, including Harrison and Hillary, knew what she meant.
“No need to get upset, honey,” Barb said. “Once Kevin delivers the costumes, he and Bob will leave. Kevin? Could you please hand them out?”
“Oh. Sure.” Kevin handed the bags to Carol.
“Costumes?” Amy looked at her family. “Whatcostumes?”
“Our elf costumes!” June said cheerfully. “It’s my fault, I forgot them. We’re making a TikTok video of the cookie wars, and we thought it would be cute if we wore elf costumes.”
“Oh,adorbs,” Hillary said with great enthusiasm.
“No,” Amy said. “No, no,no. Mom, you said I wouldn’t even know you were here and now you’re going to film videos in elf costumes?”
“Hey,” Amy’s dad said, looking at Harrison. “Aren’t you Harrison Neely? The golfer?”
The question caught Harrison by surprise—he was often recognized, but usually not in the middle of a family squabble. “Uh…yeah.”
“I’m his physical therapist,” Hillary said and stuck out her hand. “Hillary Green.”
“Oh,” Amy’s dad said, and took her hand while looking at Harrison. “Hey, let me ask you something,” he said. “What would make a good drive suddenly start to slice?”
“Dad!” Amy cried. “Not now.”
Her tone was so sharp that now everyone in the room was looking at her. She looked almost wild, her expression a mix of fury and confusion. “I will ask this once more. What part oftaking a breakdid you not understand?Anyof you? Isn’t it bad enough that you call on me night and day? Do I not come by two or three times a week to check on you, Mom? Dad? Kevin, haven’t you been surfing my couch for months? Could none of you let me have this one thing?”
“Have what?” Kevin asked.
“Two weeks! Here! By myself!”
The room grew very quiet. It amazed Harrison that they would all act as if they were hearing this for the very first time.
“This is not my fault,” Kevin insisted. “Mom asked me to bring the costumes and Dad wanted to ride along. That’s it. I’m going back to Willow Valley.”
“You want some leftover taco casserole?” June asked.
“Sure.” Kevin spoke without a moment’s hesitation.
“This is what I’m saying,” Amy said, gesticulating wildly at her brother.
“He said he was going back and taking that one with him,” Barb said, jerking her thumb in the direction of her husband. “And as for us, we aren’t making the video in your studio, honey. You find us bothersome because you’re in here.”
