Page 46 of Christmas with Holly

“I’m sorry,” Maggie said sincerely.

Alex shrugged, his voice cool. “Marriage is a crap-shoot. I knew at the beginning that it had a fifty-fifty chance of working out.”

Maggie regarded him thoughtfully. “I don’t think you should get married unless you think it has a hundred percent chance.”

“That’s not realistic.”

“No,” Maggie admitted with a faint smile. “But it’s a nice way to start.” She turned to Holly, who had returned with her jacket.

“Before you leave, could you do something with that dog?” Alex asked with a baleful glance at Renfield, who was sitting placidly nearby.

“Is he bothering you?”

“Having him watch me with those crazy eyes makes me want to get a vaccination.”

“That’s how Renfield always looks at people, Uncle Alex,” Holly said. “It means he likes you.”

Taking Holly by the hand, Maggie left the house and speed-dialed a number on her cell phone on the way to her car. It was picked up immediately.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” she heard her father say.

Maggie grinned as she heard the familiar background sounds of barking dogs, crying babies, rattling dishes and pots, and an undertone of Perry Como crooning “Home for the Holidays.”

“Hey, Dad. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”

“You on the way to Bellingham now?”

“Well, actually no. I was wondering…do you think you could do without the mac and cheese this year?”

“That depends. Why am I having to do without it?”

“I was thinking about spending Thanksgiving here with some friends.”

“Would one of them happen to be Mr. Ferry Ride?”

Maggie smiled ruefully. “Why do I always tell you too much?”

Her father chuckled. “You have a good day and call me later. And as for my mac and cheese, just put it in the freezer and bring it on your next visit.”

“I can’t, I have to serve it today. My friend…his name is Mark…incinerated the side dishes and blew up the turkey.”

“So that’s how he got you to stay? Smart man.”

“I don’t think it was on purpose,” Maggie said, laughing. “Love you, Dad. Give Mom a kiss for me. And thanks for being so understanding.”

“You sound happy, sweetheart,” he said. “That makes me more thankful than anything.”

I am happy,Maggie realized as she closed her cell phone. She felt…buoyant. She guided Holly into the backseat of her car and leaned in to buckle the seat belt across the girl’s chest and lap. As she adjusted the straps, her mind replayed the vision of the fire and smoke through the back-door window, and she couldn’t help chuckling.

“Are you laughing because my uncles blew up the turkey?” Holly asked.

Maggie nodded, trying without success to stifle another chuckle.

Holly began to giggle. Her gaze met Maggie’s, and she said innocently, “I didn’t know turkeys could fly.”

That cracked them both up, and they held on to each other, laughing, until Maggie had to dab at the corners of her eyes.

By the time Maggie and Holly returned to the house, Mark and Sam had cleaned up the disaster in the backyard and were in the kitchen peeling potatoes. Seeing Maggie, Mark came immediately to take the heavy parcel in her arms: a large foil pan weighted with enough sliced turkey to feed a dozen people. Holly followed with a large container of gravy. The scents of turkey roasted with sage, garlic, and basil wafted enticingly through the foil vents.

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