Page 105 of The Grump

Bailey

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We arrived at the square right on time. I smiled and turned to Xander. He was smiling too. It was impossible not to. The atmosphere was infectious. Seeing so many people gathered here in front of St. Louis, ready to sing their hearts out, was so amazing. Some held a booklet of songs, but others weren’t. Plenty knew the program by heart. I was one of them.

“Avery’s winking at me,” I said. She’d texted me that she was in the square waiting for us. She was looking at us with a huge grin.

“You earn so many points right now,” Avery told Xander. “Look at the smile on my sister’s face.”

I looked from her to Xander, who nodded solemnly. “I thought you just told him where I was.”

“You know what? That doesn’t even matter. It’s Christmas Eve.”

“How about we find my family and join them?” Xander suggested.

“I can’t wait to see Isabeau and Celine,” Avery said. “She told me that they double-checked this afternoon that everyone can sing in tune.”

I looked at Xander. “Everyone except you, huh?”

He cleared his throat. “I don’t sing, babe.”

My jaw dropped. Even Avery gasped, but she didn’t say anything. I didn’t either.

“One step at a time.” I had many skills, but I couldn’t turn someone into a singer in the span of thirty seconds. But he had potential for next year.

I passed a few people who were wearing red Christmas hats. Damn it. In all the frenzy, I’d forgotten my own hat at the confectionery.

“Here’s the gang,” Xander said, pointing to a cluster of people. It was all very tight here, but the crowd made way for us as they noticed we were heading forward in a clear direction.

Isabeau saw me first. “My darling, you brought Xander too!”

Xander rolled his eyes. “IbroughtBailey.”

She was just beaming at us.

Avery waved to the group. “Hi, everyone. I think I know most of you. For those I don’t, I’m Bailey’s sister, Avery.”

Anthony, Beckett, and Zachary greeted her, then focused on Bailey and me, flashing us shit-eating grins.

“So, rumor has it that this one took the ferry over to Algiers Point,” Beckett said.

“We almost thought your assistant got it wrong,” Anthony joined in.

Oh my God.They weren’t going to give it a rest even on Christmas Eve. Then again, if I were them, I wouldn’t either.

“How the hell would you even know?” Xander asked.

“I called Lydia because we needed to sort out some last-minute details. One thing led to another, and then I thought this was too good not to share with these two,” Zachary said.

Xander raised a brow. “Is there a reason why you’re not playing peacemaker right now?”

“I feel like giving you a hard time. Just woke up this morning and thought, ‘How can I possibly tease our big brother?’”

“Hey, everyone,” Bella cut in. “We’re supposed to start soon. We should pay attention.”

“See, even our niece is taking this seriously,” Zachary said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

“Oh, Zachary,” Adele replied. She and Remy were both dressed to the nines, just like Isabeau, David, Celine, and Felix. But the younger generation was all casual, so I didn’t feel out of place.

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