Page 264 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

He jolted, and just as she was about to pull away—you didn’t jolt when you were happy about something—he lowered his hand to cover hers, squeezing it and holding it for a second before he gently moved it. To be fair, if his sister thought it was gross for random adults to be nice to each other, she’d thinkit beyond disgusting to be confronted with proof that her older brother had a sex life.

“I’ll start,” Dottie said when no one offered to take the lead. “I’m grateful to be here with my nephew and four of my grandchildren, and all of our wonderful friends.” The four grandchildren part was a puzzler, but Maisie figured she was including Iris in that number. Dottiewoulddo something like that. “I know Beau would be proud to see us all sitting here together.” She frowned a little. “Although I do wish Lurch and Stella hadn’t had to leave early. Beau was always so fond of Lurch.”

Maisie mouthed, “Swingers,” to River, who stifled a laugh.

“River?” Dottie asked, turning to him.

He’d showered too, and the wet hair at the nape of his neck sent a little stab of memory through her. One time, when they were poor twenty-two-year-olds who couldn’t afford real haircuts, they’d cut each other’s hair. Maisie had done a pretty bang-up job, if she did say so herself—she’d just opened the shelter, and some of the dogs needed regular haircuts, so she’d had some experience cutting hair. River, on the other hand, had made her look like Bozo the Clown. But it hadn’t mattered. She’d loved that stupid haircut because he’d given it to her. Because he’d spent an hour and a half trying to get the sides the same length—which was why it had ended up so short.

He cleared his throat, his gaze darting around the table, and she knew what he was going to say before he spoke. A grin broke out on his face. “I’m grateful that Georgie Buchanan has agreed to be my wife.”

Adalia dropped her fork with a loud click and leaped—literally leaped—up from her chair. “Yes! I’ve been waiting for you to make an honest woman of her.”

Dottie was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and Maisie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d planned his announcement—had she offered to give River an opening? Or had she just known he was looking for one?

Then everyone was getting up, Finn clapping River on the back and saying something about how he’d almost gone first—to which River huffed a laugh and said, “If you say so”—and Adalia squeezing Georgie and physically lifting her off the ground even though she was smaller, and Dottie flitting from person to person like a beneficent fairy, and Jack standing in the background a little awkwardly but with a sweet look on his face that said he wanted to take part and wasn’t sure how. His reaction squeezed her heart in a way she wouldn’t have expected given this was the moment she’d been dreading for weeks. No, for months. And it was then that Maisie realized she and Iris were the only people left at the table, one empty seat between them.

“I hate my life,” Iris muttered.

“I did warn you,” Maisie said, then added, “I think you could safely sneak away if you’re done eating.”

Iris tilted her head at the group of well-wishers. “Why aren’t you over there acting like half of marriages don’t end in divorce?”

Which was an opening of sorts. She shrugged. “Maybe I hate my life a little too.”

Iris lifted her cup of sparkling cider—Jack had taken away the champagne Dottie had poured for her—and said, “To hating life.”

“Nah,” Maisie said. “I’m not drinking to that. I’d prefer to hope my luck will turn around.” She glanced up. “Unlike poor Diego.”

His anthropomorphized smile in the portrait gave her the shivers. She wouldn’t want the painting in her house, staring down at her while she ate her breakfast.

Then Finn passed the table, pausing to look at her as he made an unnecessary summoning gesture to convey he wanted her to follow him into the kitchen. God, he was as subtle as a plane writing messages in the sky. Iris watched him with eyes that missed nothing before glancing back to Maisie to see what she’d do.

“We’re going to go check on the dessert situation,” she said, only to immediately get kind of pissed at herself for offering an explanation to a seventeen-year-old.

“Just so long as you’re not cuckolding my ‘sister,’” Iris said with air quotes.

“He’s like a brother to me,” Maisie said, waving a hand dismissively.

“I’ve learned people have really loose interpretations of family around here.”

Maisie shook her head a little, a smile playing on her lips, and followed Finn into the kitchen. But the smile didn’t last, because Finn could only want one thing. And God…he was not the person she wanted knowing her secret. But he did, and she needed to talk him off a ledge before he did something stupid like announce to everyone at the Thanksgiving table that Maisie had massively confusing feelings about the groom-to-be.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, pulling him to the back of the kitchen. It smelled worse in here, like singed hair. Lurch’s eyebrows maybe.

“What areyoudoing?” he hissed back. “River says you’re going to be co-best man. You still haven’t told him.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Have you told Adalia?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“No,” he said, surprising her. “But I want you to. This is driving me nuts. Do you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret like this?”

She did. And it wasn’t really fair of her to ask it of him, so she just nodded. “I haven’t had a girls’ night with her and Blue for a while. Maybe I’ll talk to both of them.” She’d met Enid “Blue” Combs through the animal shelter, but they hadn’t really become friends until Adalia brought them together. She saw Blue a little more frequently now, what with Adalia spending so much time with Finn, but she hadn’t told her about the River situation. Maybe it would feel good to unburden herself.

“Good,” he said with obvious relief. “Now let’s go back out there, together, and you can congratulate them.”

“Okay, bro, but only because you went full boss man on me,” she said, giving him a little nudge. But she went with him willingly enough, smiling a little when she saw Iris had taken her advice and retreated to places unknown.

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