Page 50 of Postmarked December

Marion handed Heather a glass of wine and then unpacked two small bowls, filling one with tap water and another with kibble.

Lost in nostalgia, Heather located a serving spoon and sank it into the cheesy dish.

“How many nights in a row could you eat this?” she’d asked Toby, draping her arms around him while he dished her a plate.

He twisted around and kissed her nose. “Maybe two nights a week?”

“Only two?” she playfully whined.

“You can’t live on meatloaf casserole.”

“Why not? It’s got a few veggies in there, protein, healthy fats…”

He laughed, his eyes closing the way they did when he shook his head at her, amused.

Marion set the kitten’s bowls against the wall on the other side of the table. Scarlett followed her, lapping the water before jumping up to the windowsill, where she perched to take in the view.

“She’s such a gorgeous little thing,” Heather said before sipping her wine, relishing the crisp sweetness of it to get the old memory out of her mind. “I’m glad you could bring her.”

“She’s really easygoing. She’ll probably hang out in that window until we sit down in the living room. Then she’ll want to curl up in one of our laps.” Marion eyed Heather. “You okay?”

Heather took in a breath. “I’m fine. I just realized I haven’t had Toby’s casserole in over a year. He couldn’t make it when he was sick, and I didn’t have the recipe until now.”

“It’s awesome that you have it,” Marion said. “He thought of everything, didn’t he?”

Heather swallowed back her emotion. “Yeah. Once, I’d considered calling his great-aunt Nancy to ask for it. He’d mentioned it was hers to begin with. But I could never bring myself to because she’d want to talk about Toby, and it’s been tough to have a light conversation about him.”

“You’re doing great right now,” Marion pointed out.

“Thanks.” Wanting a diversion so she wouldn’t get too lost in her feelings, she changed gears. “With the game on, I’m thinking we’ll be in the living room sooner rather than later. Want to eat dinner in there?”

“I’m up for that,” Anthony said, coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. “I’ve got everything unpacked except this.” He held up a small bag of litter and a travel-sized litter box. “Where should I set it up?”

“There’s a mudroom just down the hall.” Heather pointed past him. “Think she’ll look for it?”

“She’s smart. She’ll be able to find it.” Marion took a bottle of beer out of the fridge and held it out to Anthony. “Thank you for unpacking.” She smiled at him, a depth in her gaze that Heather hadn’t ever seen. Maybe this would be good for them.

He took the bottle from her, kissed her cheek, and then carried the litterbox down the hall.

As she dished out their dinner, Heather’s heart was full. Toby just might have given her the best Christmas he could have, apart from him being there with them.

Chapter Twenty-One

“I’m out.” Anthony laid his last playing card on the run of diamonds beside his empty beer bottles as the TV announcers chattered on in the other room.

Marion and Heather simultaneously threw up their hands.

“Noooo!” Marion called. “I had one more card, and it would’ve fit right there.” She tapped another run.

“I won again.” With a swipe of his hand, Anthony gathered the cards and piled them into a deck, cutting it and shuffling them.

“Best out of five!” Marion called.

Anthony threw his head back with a laugh and set the deck on the table. “We’ve done best out of three and now four. I still won. We’ve been playing cards for two hours. And I want to take a break and eat more of Heather’s cookies.” He grabbed a sugar cookie and a fudge square, pushed back from the table, and kissed Marion on the top of her head. “The game’s coming on. It’s the Broncos and the Chiefs—we won’t want to miss it.”

With a dramatic but lighthearted sigh, Marion scooped up Scarlett and gathered their glasses and bottles, setting them one by one beside the sink while Heather filled a small plate of treats. They’d had a full evening after dinner, alternating between chatting and playing various card games with the deck Marion had wisely brought. Their light banter had kept Heather from pondering what would happen after the holiday. A few days ago, she’d have thought it might include Nick, but now she wasn’t so sure. That disappointment was a weight she knew she’d have to bear once she was alone again. But tonight, the sound of chatter and laughter, along with the buzz of the football game, offered a sense of normalcy she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“That was a blast.” Marion pinched a couple more sugar cookies and added them to the plate. “Now,” she said pointedly, “the night could turn, depending on the competence of the Broncos…” She nodded toward the living-room TV. “We’d better make some hot cocoa to manage the stress of it. We can suffer through anything with marshmallows and peppermint.”