Page 14 of 12 Days of Mistletoe

“So, what, we break up? What will she think of me and my cards after we’ve broken up?” With her free hand, she signs air quotes around the wordsbroken up. “You’ll have to dump me.” Bonnie releases her tight hold on me and snatches the glass from my hand, downing the cool water.

My chin drops. “Uh, wait a second, I—I don’t want to dump you. She’smygrandmother. You heard her: I’m her favorite. I don’t want to lose that status.”

Bonnie rolls her blue-green eyes, her head bobbing backward. “I don’t want to lose my home! She’ll forgive you!”

I shake my head. “Gran would never kick you out for that.”

“No,” she says, peering over at me. “Just for having adog.”

In all the poster board commotion, I almost forgot about the dog. “You’re just a dog walker, right?” How in the world am I supposed to explain this to Gran? The very girl I’ve been complaining about is her favorite tenant and my secret girlfriend? Yeah, that’s gonna be easy to sell—or not. Ugh.

I sit in silence as Bonnie downs two more glasses of water, her left hand lying at her side, her fingers fisting together in a nervous twitch. I clear my throat. “Better?”

“Some.”

“Okay, then, let’s get this over with.”

Walking back to the common room, we see my sisters, Mom, and Gran standing around the common room table—those dang poster boards on top.

“Justadd Bonnie,” Jocelyn says.

“Bonnie isn’t an E word,” Mom complains.

“What’s going on?” Bonnie asks, peeking over Evelyn’s shoulder to see one of the poster boards.

“Oh, hey,” Evelyn says, turning to face us.

“Picture time?” Bonnie says. She smiles, but her teeth are gritted together not so sweetly.

“Mom does a unique Christmas card every year,” Evelyn explains. “This year she decided to make announcements.” My sister flattens a hand to her tummy. “Expecting?—”

Bonnie’s brows lift in understanding. “Congratulations.”

Evelyn keeps going. “Engaged.” She points to Jocelyn, and Parker waves from across the room where he’s sitting with Jackson. “And Mom and Dad’s sign says Europe.”

“And yours?” Bonnie says, turning to me. “What’s your announcement?”

“Um.” My brows lower in thought. “Well?—”

Jocelyn holds up the poster board made for me. It’s covered in trees and mistletoe and Christmas ornaments, along with only my name: Elliot.

“Elliot?” Bonnie says. “That’s your big news? Your name?” And then my lousy fake girlfriend laughs at me.

“Oh, Elliot doesn’t have an announcement—so we went with an E theme,” Mom says with a consigned nod, her lips turning up at the corners. How can she grin? She’s to blame for this situation… sort of. Sure, she didn’t announce to my family that I indeed have a girlfriend—when I, in fact, don’t. But she’s the reason for this impossible Christmas card fiasco.

“E.” Bonnie taps her forehead. “Ahh, now I get it.” She speaks more to herself than to anyone else.

“I still say we just add on‘and Bonnie,’”Evelyn says. “What else would you add, Mom?”

“Unless,” Gran says, stepping closer, “we change the letter?”

Mom wrinkles her nose. She doesn’t like this idea. She worked hard on her E-themed cards.

“To what, Gran?” Jocelyn says, holding up a Sharpie, ready to write.

“Well, M would be easy enough.” Gran points to Evelyn. “Mommy.”

My mother sighs a little. Her daughter is going to be a mother, she’ll be a grandmother. It’s worth sighing over.

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