Page 160 of Season of Gifts

One eyebrow lifted, Henry dramatically scanned the sea of headstones.“It seems a fitting place for laying ghosts of any kind to rest.”He tugged her hand between them, folding it within his against his heart.“Are you thinking of your own turbulent parental relationships?”

She almost yanked her mitten loose, the knit an unwanted barrier between her skin and his.“A little, but more about what you said about checking boxes and accumulating trophies, and about your brother, and about my college ex.”Only last week she’d been enduring his obnoxious attitude, his ridiculous bragging.“He has this great wife, friendly and sweet, and these two adorable kids, and a good-paying job”—demotion aside, but that was his own fault, not hers—“and a huge house, but it’s empty.Not the house, just his eyes, you know?Everything he has is about keeping score.It’s all interchangeable to him.He could swap out the wife and kids and not care as long as they looked equally valuable—enviable, that’s the word—to people he’s trying to impress.”

Jay tipped his head, sweet confusion in his eyes.

Henry clicked his tongue.“Engaging in a bit of online stalking, were you?”

“Huh?”Like she would’ve gone deliberately looking.“No, when we were at his house for dinner.On the work trip?”

“Your ex was on your trip?”Jay shuttled his mouth sideways, more curiosity than accusation in his voice.“I thought that was your boss.”Brown eyes went wide.“You dated your boss?”

“Whoa, slow down, I told you—” No, she’d told Ollie.

She’d meant to tell Henry and Jay, but then things had been so fucked up, and they’d barely had time to get through the big emotions Saturday night before they’d all crashed hard.She’d talked about visiting her parents and blanked on everything else.

“Shit, I’m sorry.It completely slipped out of my head, I guess because it doesn’t feel important.Hedoesn’t feel important.”She flipped from face to face, trying to keep tabs on both expressions, her body tensing.“Not my boss.Adam works for the company that called us out there.Me turning him down is clearly still some big deal in his head—he wouldn’t have been harassing me otherwise—but it’s a nothing for me.Just disgusted by his behavior and sorry for him that he hasn’t figured out what’s important.”

Henry narrowed his eyes, evergreen depths drilling into her.Now she was in for the third degree.“Harassing you?”

“What?”

“You said this unimportant fool was harassing you.How so?”The cool edge of Henry’s anger hardened like ice.

Beside her, Jay vibrated with kinetic energy.“Did he hurt you?Are you okay?”

“No, just words, I’ve practically forgotten about it, really.It wasn’t anything like…” Harassment of course would make her husbands think of disastrous nights at the club.This didn’t even come close.She slunk her hand up Jay’s chest and into his neckline, rubbing the solid line of his jaw.“He wanted to hear me say I would’ve been better off with him, that’s all.Stroke his ego, confirm his belief that I was still thinking about him—because he was still stewing about me.Only I’m not, because he just wasn’t that…”

Tension faded into a wolfish smile, though Henry’s eyes stayed dark.“Consequential?”

“Exactly.And all he did was land himself in more trouble.”The grin taking over her face might’ve been mean.But he’d deserved what he got.“The board demoted him.Mostly for the financial hit, but also for ‘unprofessional conduct.’”That had been Wade’s doing, with his years of experience at winning over execs.“Oh!Did I at least tell you that the boss thinks I’d make a great aerospace engineer?”

“You did not”—that stern tone thick with amusement could melt her insides—“but we will graciously allow you to rectify the oversight.”

Jay rattled her by the elbows.“Like rockets?Spaceships?”

“Just like that.”She squealed as he lifted her and let out a whoop that echoed through the graveyard.“It’ll mean more training.But no more client trips for a good long while.”

Henry eyed the sun and their shadows, stretched far across the snow.“Tell us the tale on the way to the market, then, unless either of you has something you need to do here?”

Her feet touched the earth again.“Not me.”

“Nope.The ghosts are good and busted.”Jay hummed a naggingly familiar tune as he tramped down the trail toward the car.

Henry gestured Alice ahead of him.“I will want to hear all about that trip and your emotions in great detail, dearest.And I am exceptionally pleased with your insights surrounding what matters to you.I would not wish that glorious heart of yours wasted on a hollow life.”

“I don’t think we have to worry about that anymore.”She had claimed two incredible husbands, a loving mother-in-law, a slew of caring friends, a better relationship with her sister and hopefully her parents, a new sister in Nat—and tonight she’d be adding Mother’s dearest friend and her family to the circle.“I can’t imagine a life more full of love.”

“Nor can I.”Stopping her with his arms around her waist, he kissed her beneath her ear, nipping at the soft skin as Jay ate up the ground ahead of them in long strides.Releasing her, Henry gave her a gentle push in the back with both hands, his voice a low whisper.“Race you to the car.”

He took off, bounding after Jay, the ends of his scarf flying behind him.She lost precious seconds gawking before her feet started churning snow.Life was full of surprises.

Chapter eighty-one

Henry

Theclatteroffootstepsand cheerful conversation faded as the kitchen door swung shut behind Henry.Thoughtful of Alice and Jay to recognize he needed a moment to compose himself; inspired, really, that Jay had suggested everyone go upstairs to look at bedrooms while Henry imposed order on the multitude of meal options for dinner.

The kitchen had always been a refuge for him.Lina was often found there, and Father never was, which made it an excellent hideaway.

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