Page 70 of Just Add Mistletoe

She frowned.

“Okay. I just landed in Florida.” He paused. “With Lori.” Another pause. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He clicked off with his brother.

Before he could say anything, Lori asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”

He held her gaze for a moment, and she could see the warring thoughts in his eyes. “I can’t ask you to skip Thanksgiving with your parents.”

Lori reached for his hand. “There will be other Thanksgivings. Plus, you said you’ve never had a normal one anyway, so why start this year?”

One edge of his mouth lifted, but she could see the worry etched in his expression. “I don’t really want to be around my family, but now . . .” He swallowed.

“You don’t have to explain,” Lori said. “They’re still your family.”

He nodded. “My dad has two blocked arteries and they’re putting in stents.” He exhaled. “Dad’s young enough that he shouldn’t have any trouble during surgery or recovery.”

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to the airline counter and see which flights are available. Then we can figure out things from there.”

“Okay,” he said.

As they walked, Lori sent a quick text to her mom, telling her to stay on standby. That they were off the plane, but Malcom had received bad news about his family. A series of questions came in from her, but Lori said she’d explain later.

While waiting in line, Malcom finally got ahold of his mom. “I’m going to try to head there today, so it will probably be tonight. What time is the surgery scheduled for?” When he hung up, he told Lori, “He’s going into surgery soon, so by the time I get there, he’ll be out.”

“It sounds like they’re on top of this,” Lori said. She finally replied to her mom’s texts, telling her the updates and the name of the hospital—because her dad was asking—and that she and Malcom were trying to get tickets to Montana.

When it was their turn at the counter, the only flights they could get that afternoon would take them into other airports too late to catch a connecting flight. They’d have to stay overnight in another city.

“What about flights tomorrow morning?” Malcom asked the service rep. Then he glanced over at Lori. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“I’m okay.”

So it was arranged that they’d fly out Thanksgiving morning instead.

Lori sent a text to her mom with the latest update. By the time they headed out of the airport, her parents were waiting, and her mom had a plan.

“We’re so sorry to hear about your dad,” she said, pulling Malcom into a tight hug.

Lori was surprised by the move, and he probably was too.

“I looked up the hospital he’s in, and he’s in good hands there,” her dad said, giving Malcom a firm handshake and a pat on the back.

“We’ve got all the fixings for dinner already,” her mom chimed in, “so we’re going to push up the timeline and have dinner tonight. Then we’ll get you back to the airport in the morning for your flight.”

Lori’s eyes filled with tears.

“You’re so generous,” Malcom said. “I’m sorry about all of this trouble. I didn’t mean to show up and throw a wrench into all the plans.”

“Nonsense,” her mom said. “You’re not to blame for anything, and we’re just happy to meet someone who’s so important to Lori.”

Lori might have been a bit embarrassed with her mom saying such things under normal circumstances, but these weren’t normal circumstances.

After their carry-ons were loaded into the trunk of her parents’ car, she and Malcom climbed into the back seat. Malcom reached for her hand and squeezed. “Thank you,” he mouthed.

She could still see the apprehension in his eyes, but he seemed more relaxed now that they had a plan in place. And all they could do was wait for news on the outcome of his dad’s surgery.

JUST BEFORE LORI’S MOM ANNOUNCED that dinner was ready—she’d ordered Lori and Malcom to sit out on the deck and relax while watching the sunset—Bronson called.

Malcom pushed to his feet and answered. “Bronson,” he said into his phone. “What’s the news?”

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