Page 79 of Home Ice

"Neither can any of them. That's the point," Evelyn says. I'm pretty sure she might be older than the town. She's been here every Christmas since I was a teenager, and it just wouldn't feel the same without her.

I ask Chloe to help Mom organize the cookie buffet, and then I wrap both my arms around Lily from behind. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to," I whisper. "But she is right. None of us can sing. We each pick a Christmas carol and sing it for them anyway."

She pulls in a sharp breath. "Alone?"

"Yeah. There's always someone here who knows how to play that piano in the corner. They accompany us while we make fools of ourselves."

"And these people like that?"

"Almost as much as they like the sweaters."

She shakes her head, and a loose hair tickles my chin. "That's so weird"

Maybe, but there's nothing else I would rather do on Christmas Eve. It's why I hoped Mom would still insist on doing it this year.

"What song should I sing?"

The crowd has moved over to the cookie table, so we're alone in this part of the room now. I turn her so she's facing me. "Do you want to?"

She nods. "If you're serious that it doesn't matter if I'm good, because I'm very, very bad." She smiles.

"Do you know that I love you?"

"Still not sick of hearing it. Sorry."

Good, because I'll never be sick of saying it. "Do you know any songs? What about that one? Deck the Halls. You know that." I might never forget hearing her hum it under her breath when she was obviously trying to do everything she could to avoid checking me out.

"Will that work?"

"As long as they have the sheet music for the piano. Unless Kay's here. She can improvise to anything." I glance around the room, but I don't see her. Every visit there are people I remember from previous years who aren't here, and I always hope it's because they're spending the holidays with family. "I don't see her, so let me see if they have the music."

I flip open the top of the piano bench and search inside until I find it. By the time I close the lid and stand up, there's a crowd gathered around me. Most of them are holding a cookie in one hand and a plate full of cookies in the other. All of them look like they're ready to watch people make fools of themselves. Who are we to disappoint them?

I hold the music up and wave it at Lily. She nods and comes to my side. "You know you don't have to do this," I tell her one more time.

"I know. But make sure Chloe really knows that. She might be sensitive about her voice. Lots of us are. While I'm up here embarrassing myself, make sure everyone knows not to pressure her, please."

"You're going first?"

She snatches the music from my hand and sets it on the piano. "Scared I'll set the bar too high for you, Morrison." She says it loud, and everyone in the room chuckles.

"You go ahead and set the bar wherever you want, Richards. You're going down."

"Promise?" she asks, and I never realized until now that a roomful of seniors could titter the same as a bunch of middle schoolers.

I just shake my head and walk to the back of the room where Chloe is standing with Barrie. I put my arm around Chloe's shoulders. "Ready to watch Lily make a fool of herself?"

"Only if I get to see you do it too."

"You will."

"Good." She shoves half a cookie into her mouth and leans into my side.

Lily jokes with the crowd gathered around her for a couple of minutes, but then she motions to the man sitting at the keys. He starts, and after a couple of measures, she joins in.

"She's not making a fool of herself," Chloe whispers between bites.

I don't know if it's because she's mine, but I swell with pride. She can fucking sing. And everyone in the room who is used to the awful off-key singing they get from us every year looks amazed. Hell, I'm amazed. How did I not know she could sing? Every once in a while I catch her humming, but it's just a few lines under her breath. It's never anything like this.

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