Page 78 of Her Counterfeit Christmas
Ellory and her husband advance with a gift for us and our conversation ends. For the next hour, I follow in Spencer’s wake, giving and accepting gifts from his family.
When Marianne approaches with Brady and Owen, my heart rate picks up. I’ve done my best not to allow my attention to land on Owen this morning, but now that he’s beside me, it’s hard to look away.
Owen holds out his hand to his cousin. “Merry Christmas, Spencer.”
Spencer frowns as he takes his cousin’s hand in a tight handshake. He doesn’t hold any anger toward me for last night, but it seems he has yet to forgive Owen. “Merry Christmas,” he mutters.
Brady hands Spencer a beautifully wrapped box. Spencer gives it to me to unwrap. It’s heavy and I place it on an end table so I can tear off the paper. Inside is a wooden chess board with hand carved pieces made of what looks like amber.
This is a thoughtful gift. Not only is it well made, and I imagine expensive, but also, Spencer loves chess. He collects chess sets. The only member of the Clark family who would know such a thing would be Owen. I can’t imagine he purchased this for Spencer himself when they haven’t spoken in years, but he must have told Marianne what Spencer would enjoy.
“Thank you,” I say. “It’s beautiful.”
Spencer remains silent. He has nothing to say to them, and it seems he has no gift to give either.
It’s a good thing I came prepared. I pull from my bag the scarf for Brady and the shawl for Marianne.
She gasps as she takes it reverently. “This is gorgeous. I noticed the one you gave my mother, and I am thrilled to have one of my own.”
She hugs it to her chest, and then she hugs me. It feels like a hug my mother would give me if she were alive, and I hold on to her for an extra second.
“Thanks for the scarf.” Brady already has it wrapped around his neck, although with the fire blazing, it’s hot in here.
“I haven’t forgotten about your cloak,” I tell him. “I’ll get it started as soon as I get home.”
He grins, then glances over at his brother. “You don’t have anything for Owen?”
Spencer stiffens beside me, and Marianne glances between us. I can’t read her expression. Disapproval maybe? Either she’s heard the gossip about us from her siblings or she’s come to her own conclusion.
Thanks for making this awkward, Brady.
“I made a scarf for Owen, and I gave it to him yesterday.”
Now it’s Brady’s turn to glance between me and Owen. “Oh.”
It’s time for us to part company.
“Thank you again,” I say, then Spencer and I head across the room to the two people we haven’t exchanged gifts with yet, Tori and Sadie.
After Spencer gives Tori a Boudron diaper bag, he gets a phone call and walks away to answer. Doesn’t anyone at the firm take time off for Christmas? It’s honestly depressing to look into my future and see holidays spent with Spencer talking on his phone. I thought meals were bad enough.
Tori watches him leave before turning her attention tothe bag. “Does he think Sadie is a baby? She’s practically potty trained.” She runs a hand over the baby pink leather with the distinctive buttons.
“Either that or he doesn’t know it’s a diaper bag?” I say. “I don’t think most people do unless they follow the company. It just looks like a shoulder bag.”
“True.”
Sadie jumps up from the floor where there are mounds of art supplies, clothes, toys, and stuffed animals. She tugs on the diaper bag strap.
“Can I put my animals in it?”
Tori lets her take it but not before she warns, “Do not put your art kit in here. Animals only.”
I hand Sadie my gift to her, a knitted horse, stuffed with fluff I borrowed from my pillow. She gasps.
“He’s beautiful!” She gives me a hug around my hips. “I’ll name him BB.”
“You have a pig named BB,” Tori reminds her.
