Page 17 of All I Want for Christmas

I turned to head back into the kitchen when a knock at the front door stopped me in my tracks.

Joe sat upright. “Are we expecting anyone?”

“Not that I know of,” I said, slightly worried. We rarely got unannounced visitors, and when we had in the past, they had usually been unwelcome visitors. But I realized who was likely at the door. “It’s probably Neely Kate here to pick up the platform for her tree.”

He made a face. “I forgot all about that.”

“That’s understandable. None of us mentioned it since we cut the trees down.” I grinned. “But you know Neely Kate. Once she sets her mind on something, she won’t let it go. I’ll get the door.”

Still, he looked uncertain, and I understood why. Months ago, any number of dangerous people could have been knocking on our door.

“It’s okay.” I turned around to check on Hope. Most of the Cheerios were still on the tray and she looked like she was getting frustrated. I scooped her out of the seat and popped a piece of cereal in her mouth as I headed for the front door.

There was another knock as I reached for the handle. When I opened the door, it wasn’t Neely Kate or Jed. Instead, an older woman had her hand lifted, ready to knock again.

She wore brown dress pants and a cream-colored silky shirt with a bow tied at the side of her neck. She had shoulder-length dark hair that was cut in a bob. Crow’s feet cracked her previously perfect porcelain skin. Irritation covered her face as her gaze landed on me, but then it was quickly replaced by a bright smile.

She looked familiar, but she’d aged since the last time I’d seen her, so it took me a few seconds to realize who was standing at our door. What was she doing here? How had she found us?

“Rose,” Joe said behind me. “Who is it?”

The woman’s smile spread at the sound of Joe’s voice, and she tried to peer past me.

“Joe,” I said, my voice coming out in a squeak. I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to seeing her. This woman had hurt him time and time again, and for a split second, I wondered if I could send her away and save him from this.

But he was already on his feet, coming up behind me, and I heard him gasp in shock.

“Now, Joe,” the woman said with a pout. “You look like you’ve seen the ghost of Christmas past. Is that any way to greet your mother?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

ROSE

Joe stood behind me in silence for several seconds.

“Aren’t you gonna invite me in?” Betsy Simmons asked, her gaze rising to Joe.

I felt him stiffen behind me.

“Mother,” he said, his voice tight. “What are you doing here?”

She pressed her hand to her chest as a careful look of dismay spread across her face. “How can you ask me that? I’m yourmother.” A diamond ring on her right hand glittered in the sunlight. Considering the FBI had confiscated all of the Simmons property after J.R. Simmons’ death, I was surprised to see she still owned something so expensive.

“Why are you here?” he repeated, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Well…” Her hand dropped to her side. “I heard you had a baby, and since you didn’t bother to let me know I’m a grandmother, I decided I had to come see him for myself.” She lifted her hand and reached for Hope. “And here he is.”

“Heresheis,” Joe said, stepping in front of me and blocking his mother’s access to our daughter. “She’s your granddaughter. But now you’ve seen her. Mission accomplished. You can go.”

Something in me bristled at his tone, but I fought the urge to intervene. Joe had been to hell and back for most of his life. While his father had been the puppet master, his mother had never done anything to intervene. This wasJoe’smother, and I needed to follow his lead.

“Are you really not going to let me in?” she asked in genteel outrage. “After I came all this way?”

“No one asked you to come,” Joe said, “and didn’t you always teach us to never drop into someone’s home unexpected? You should have called first.”

“Joe,” his mother’s voice softened. “I know we parted on bad terms when I left?—”

“You mean how you called me every name in the book when the FBI showed up to confiscate everything we owned, and you took off and left me there to deal with it?” He tilted his head. “Seems like you disowned me, if I remember correctly.”

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