Page 57 of A Christmas Duet

Daisy waited for her. “You handled that a lot better than I would have,” she told Hailey.

Her mother silently crept down the stairs. “Hailey,” she whispered, glancing behind her shoulder, as if afraid she was being heard. “I apologize. When I saw the video, I was excited, and then Zach phoned and before I could stop myself, I mentioned you were in Podunk. I had no idea he would head this way himself.”

“It’s fine, Mom. I understand. Zach is leaving first thing in the morning.”

Her mother nodded. “That’s for the best. I muddled in where I didn’t belong. Your father set me straight, and he’s right. I hope you can look past my interfering ways.”

“Of course, Mom. All you wanted was for me to be happy.”

“And supply her with grandchildren,” Daisy added.

Their mother reddened with the truth. “Maybe one day one of you will give me grandchildren to spoil. No pressure, though.”

Hailey and Daisy exchanged looks. No pregnancies were in either of their foreseeable futures.

Julia shook her head. “I don’t understand young people these days. When I was your age, I was married and pregnant. I should be a grandmother several times over by now. But no, neither one of my daughters seems to care about having children.”

“Sorry to be such a disappointment, Mom.” Hailey shared a smile with her sister.

“Me, too,” Daisy added.

With her hand on the railing, their mother paused halfway up the staircase. “A lot of women don’t bother getting married these days. Maybe one of you should consider becoming a baby mama.”

Hailey and Daisy waited until their mother had disappeared before they turned to face each other.

“A baby mama?” Daisy repeated, aghast.

“I guess that tells you how desperate she is for grandchildren,” Hailey said.

Chapter Eighteen

Hailey slept like a baby, knowing that the situation between her and Zach had been resolved. She woke with the memory of the success of her song and a happy sensation washed over her. This had been her dream—to compose songs that would entertain and bless others. Catchy tunes that lifted spirits and offered hope.

Jay had insinuated that this could be the start of something big for her. She hoped they would be working together at some point. That was her dream. The possibility meant more to her than all the social media hits. He hadn’t mentioned writing up a contract, and she understood why. He needed to know where he stood financially with the settlement before he could move forward with Cantor Music. He’d told her earlier that everything hehad was invested in the start-up of his production company.

By the time Hailey stumbled out of bed, Zach had left for Seattle. Like her, he wasn’t interested in any further good-byes. Everything that needed to be discussed had been said the night before.

Walking into the kitchen to make her coffee, she found her mother sitting at the dining room table, leafing through the magazine Daisy had purchased earlier.

“Zach left at the crack of dawn,” she said. “I guess he wanted to get an early start. He wished us all a merry Christmas and asked me to tell you he hopes your new relationship works out the way you deserve. He said he wants only the best for you.”

“That was sweet of him.”

“It’s best that he’s gone. It would have been an awkward Christmas with him here.”

Hailey couldn’t agree more.

“It’s going to be a good day,” Hailey’s father said as he sat down next to his wife, a coffee mug in hand. “ ’Tis the season of joy.”

“Dad’s right,” Daisy said, looking to Hailey and rolling her eyes. “We’re all together and it’s Christmas. I feel like I did when Hailey and I were little, waiting impatiently for morning so we could open our presents.”

Daisy was putting on a good front. Hailey knew that inside, her sister was depressed and miserable. She seemeddetermined to hide it from their parents, unwilling to put a damper on the holidays with her own problems.

“Has anyone thought about breakfast?” her father asked. “I’m starving.”

“It’s in the oven and will be ready in a few minutes,” Daisy said. She reached for a pair of oven mitts and opened the door to check her dish.

“I’ll set the table,” Hailey offered. “What did you stir up for us this morning?”

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