Page 34 of All I Want for Christmas

She sat, and I took in her light gray wool pants and her light blue silk blouse as she shrugged off her navy-blue wool coat. She still dressed well, so she’d found money somewhere.

I picked up my mug of coffee and waited for her to begin.

She gave me an uncomfortable look, like she’d expected me to say more, but then she picked up the teapot and poured some into her cup. “Thank you for meeting me. I would have come to you to keep it easier for you. I’m sure it was difficult to get away from your work and your family to come all this way.”

“I decided to make it easier for you,” I said. It was partially a lie, but itwascloser to her parents.

She gave me a questioning look, then her brows shot up—well, barely shot up. I’d already suspected her forehead was full of Botox. “Oh! You think I was living in El Dorado.” She shook her head as she poured honey into her cup and began to stir. “No, I’m living in Little Rock now.”

I stared at her in surprise. “Grandma and Grandpa moved to Little Rock?”

“Oh, no,” she said with a small laugh as she continued to stir her tea. The spoon made a gentle tinging sound as it hit the side of the cup. “I wasn’t there long. I have a job up in Little Rock.” Her face lit up. “Can you believe it?”

“A job?” I asked, nearly choking on the sip of coffee I’d just taken. “Doing what?” I grimaced. “Sorry, that came out more aggressively than I intended.”

She laughed. “I’m sure it came as a shock. I swore I’d never have a job doing anything other than mothering my children, running our house, and charity work, but desperate times…” She let her voice trail off as she picked up her teacup and took a sip.

I had to admit I was curious, so I asked, “What are you doing?”

“I work for an interior decorator. She heard I was having a bit of a sticky financial mess and offered me a job. She’d seen allthe spreads done in the magazines about our house and told me I had excellent taste. She said many of her clients show her the photos and say they want exactly what we had, so why not hire the source of the design to help her?”

I took another sip of my coffee then said, “I’m sure you’re good at it.” I meant it. While she’d hired decorators, she’d done most of the work herself. They’d merely made the purchases with their sources and discounts.

My mother beamed. “Thank you.”

I set down my mug and rested my forearms on the table. “I have to admit I’m curious as to why you reached out to me now.”

She made a face, still clutching her teacup. “Several factors, really. I regret the way I treated you after your father’s untimely demise.”

I nearly called her out on her phrasing, especially since I’d been the one who killed him, but let it go to keep the conversation going.

“And moving on from the life I had with your father… I realized how toxic our family had become.” She set her cup down then reached over and placed her hand on mine. “I’m so proud of how you’re choosing to raise your family, and how involved you are in your daughter’s life. You’ll be an amazing father, Joe, and if nothing else comes from this conversation, I at least wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you,” I said past the lump in my throat. I’d never, ever, expected her to tell me anything like that. In fact, I’d been prepared to hear the opposite.

Her head tilted to the side, and she gave me a soft smile. “I can see by the look on your face that’s not what you expected to hear.”

“No.”

Her smiled tightened, then she removed her hand from mine and picked up her cup. “I met your sister, you know.”

It took me a second to realize she was talking about Neely Kate. “I heard.”

“She’s alovelygirl. I told her I didn’t hold her parentage against her.” She took another sip of her tea. “In fact, I’m glad you have her. Especially after all the grief Kate caused you and the family, especially to your wife and child.”

She was catching me off guard again, but before I let myself bask in the new form my mother had taken, something deep down reminded me that in the past, this was often how she lured in her victims. Catch them off guard with unexpected compliments and lavish praise, before getting them to give her what she wanted. She was like a cobra, hypnotizing her prey, then once they were relaxed and complacent, she went in for the strike. And half the time, the poor fools didn’t even know they’d been had.

My mother was doing the exact same thing to me now.

My back stiffened, but she didn’t seem to notice my shift.

“Besides,” she continued, taking a sip of her tea before she gave me a pleading look. “It’s Christmas, which means it’s time for family. I want to be with myfamily, Joe.”

“Funny how Christmas was all about showing off to your friends and neighbors with your extravagant Christmas Eve parties. Kate and I were afterthoughts.”

Her face made a delicate grimace that anyone else would have taken for embarrassment, but I knew better.

“I suppose it appeared that way,” she said. “But I was just as much a victim of your father as you and your sister were.”

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