Page 86 of The Christmas You Crash

As annoyed as I get when Jeff calls mekiddo, I can tell he adores my mom. And she deserves to be adored.

I suck in a deep breath and chastise myself. I need to do better. It’s not my place to judge my mom for how she and Jeff met. He’s clearly not going anywhere, so I will make an effort. Mom deserves to be happy. I give her hand a squeeze. “Sorry, Mom. I will, moving forward. Promise.”

The way her whole face illuminates at that sends another pang of guilt through me. Damn. I need to do better.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me. Jeff’s family always does a big Valentine’s dinner. They serve steak and fancy deserts. I’d love it if you come, honey.”

My mind goes to Ryder. I have a boyfriend now. And they don’t have a game on Valentine’s Day. I know because I checked. But I can’t tell my mom that. “Um, is it on the actual date of Valentine’s Day? Because I’m not sure I can make that work.”

“Why not?” Hazel eyes narrow at me.

“I have plans, Mom.”

She stares at me, waiting for me to elaborate. When I don’t, she shakes her head. “No, honey, it’s not on Valentine’s Day itself. Dinner will be the weekend after.”

“Oh. I should be able to swing that, then.”Please don’t dig into this, Mom.

“Did you meet some boy at school?”

Not at school, no.“Nope.”

“You’re being weird, honey.”

That makes me laugh. She’s not wrong. “It’s just a strange situation, that’s all. I’ll get used to it.”

Her face softens. “I know it is. And I’m sorry if you’ve felt like you have to be in the middle of things between your father and me.” She pauses. “Have you seen your dad at all lately?”

If anyone understands the depths of my disappointment with my father, it’s the woman sitting across the table from me. The woman whose disappointment forms a deeper chasm than my own.

“No. No, I haven’t.” Neither of us speaks for a couple of minutes, because what is there to say? Nothing that hasn’t been uttered before. And nothing that will alter the state of things.

“You know, Jeff’s nephew is an engineer. And he’s single.” A devious twinkle sparks in my mom’s eyes. “He’ll be at the Valentine’s dinner.”

Oh, geez. Here we go. I’m relieved when the tea kettle screams at me from the kitchen so I can give Mom my back and hide my expression. “Mom, no.”

“He’s cute, Lexi. Blond and tall. Almost six feet, I think.”

I try not to chuckle.Almost six feetdoesn’t have the same impact now that it would have had a couple of months ago. Not that she knows that. “I’m not interested, Mom.”

“Jeff showed Henry your picture, and he thought you were pretty. Henry is his nephew’s name, of course.”

“Mom. No.” Exasperated, I pour steaming water into the two mugs. Even still, my lips twitch as I repress a smile. “I don’t want to be set up.”

“Oh, but honey, the two of you would be so cute together. Come on, just give him a chance. One date, and if you don’t like him, that’s okay.”

Laughing, I roll my eyes at my mom over my shoulder. “I’m not going on a date with him. But thank you for telling me it’s okay if I don’t like someone. I feel so much better now.”

“Alexis, really. You’re a beautiful woman. You’re smart, driven, and fun. Even if you are a little macabre, what with your obsession with murder mysteries.” That part, she says more to herself than me. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

I grin. “Henry could stab me in the heart while we’re out on some mediocre date, carve it out of my chest, and eat it in lieu of dinner?”

My mom stares flatly at me. It’s herwhy are you the way you arelook. It makes me laugh so hard that I take a whole minute to calm myself enough to carry the two steaming mugs over to the table without spilling them on my hands and scalding myself.

“Sometimes I worry about you.”

“And that’s why you’re trying to set me up with strangers who could murder me?”

“Alexis.” She shakes her head. “Seriously, honey. Henry is a nice man. He’s sweet and cute, and I don’t see any good reason you can’t give him two hours of your life to see if you’re compatible.”

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