Page 57 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

Paul’s wife, Melissa, looked up from her phone absently. “I think Celia has it.”

“Why does your daughter have Lillianne’s doll?” Audrey asked.

“I don’t know, because it was left lying around?” The pointy-nosed woman snapped.

Like his older brothers, who were carbon copies of his dad, Anthony wasn’t a fan of his eldest brothers’ wives or their children. Cam and his wife, Whitney, had two boys, seventeen and fifteen, while Paul and Melissa had three children: Max, Ryan, and Celia. If he had to guess, the boys were probably in the back playing on whatever gaming consoles they had packed.

“Maybe you should teach your child not to touch things that don’t belong to her?” Audrey shot back.

“Oh my God, it’s just a doll. She isn’t going to hurt it. Celia,” Melissa hollered.

Celia came back into the room, dragging the doll by the hair. The nine-year-old had her mother’s features, except the smirk on her lips was unsettling.

“Give Lillianne back her doll.”

“Okay.” The girl held the doll up, and Anthony noticed half the hair on the doll’s head was missing. When Lillianne started to turn, Anthony tried to move her out of the room, but when she saw the doll, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Not only was the doll missing hair, but she was sporting a black mustache, and her eyes were sunk back in the sockets as if someone had shoved their fingers into them.

Audrey gasped and handed her son to Bradley before she marched over and snatched the doll away from the girl. “How could you do this to someone else’s toy?”

“I was playing beauty shop,” Celia said, her chin jutting out.

“What the hell is going on in there?” a booming voice hollered from the other room.

“She was just being a kid,” Melissa said.

“I think she’s old enough to know better,” Bradley said.

“It’s just a doll! Here.” She started tapping on her phone. “I’ll Venmo you. How much?”

“A hundred and twenty-five dollars,” Audrey said.

“For a flipping doll?” Melissa scoffed.

“It’s an American Girl doll,” Audrey gritted out.

Melissa shook her head. “I’m not paying that. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought such an expensive toy if you didn’t want it to get broken.”

“Or we shouldn’t come around people without any consideration for others.” Audrey held her arms out to Lillianne, who forgot all about her favorite uncle for the comfort of her mother’s arms.

“Oh, because you’re so perfect?” Melissa drawled sarcastically.

“I have two toddlers, and yet I was in this kitchen from the moment I arrived, trying to help Evelyn while you two sat on your asses at the table on your phones.”

Evelyn stood helplessly by the stove, hands ringing as Audrey rushed out of the room with her crying daughter.

“At least I don’t have a fat ass!” Whitney yelled after her.

Bradley snarled, “Watch how you talk about my wife.” When his son started crying, he left the room and Anthony started to follow.

“I don’t know why they even come,” Melissa said.

Whitney crossed her arms over her chest, nodding. “I know. No one wants them here.”

Anthony turned slowly and saw Celia playing with a small handheld game. He crossed the room and snatched it out of her hands. “How much was this?”

“Hey, that’s mine!” Celia cried.

“Looks like it’s worth about a hundred bucks.”