Page 251 of The Holy Grail
With a squeal, Jules jumped up and ran over to him, making him stagger back a bit, and then she and Evan were both laying kisses on Malcom’s face, as everyone around the tables was looking confused, with the exception of Julian (who was asleep) and Jacob (who grabbed one of the hot cross buns while everyone was occupied asking questions and started eating it).
After everyone had quieted down, Malcom explained about his application to École Ducasse, which he’d wanted to keep a secret until it had been accepted.
Amid a round of ‘Congratulations’ from everyone, Dolly could be heard saying, “Well, this fancy Thanksgiving spread makes a lot more sense now.”
With the initial excitement having abated, Jules narrowed her eyes at Malcom. “How long have you known?”
“Two days.”
“Two days?” Evan demanded. “And you kept that to yourself?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone at the same time,” Malcom explained.
“We could have kept the secret for two days,” Jules argued.
“Like you kept the secret we were together from Paige?” Evan asked.
“That was different.”
“Not really.”
Beverly got up and came over to give Malcom a big hug. “It’s truly a day to give thanks.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
“I’m so proud of you.”
He kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
From there, everyone got up to give him a hug, including all the men, minus Jacob, who was walking around the table with his plate and filling it up.
When everyone had taken their seats again, Malcom smiled and said, “Let’s eat!”
After hitting all the Black Friday sales and picking up a bunch of Christmas decorations, Jules, Evan, and Malcom got busy after Richard and Edie left.
Icicle lights were hung outside, and the Thanksgiving wreath was replaced with one made of holly and little pine cones.
Inside, they put up Jules’ five foot, pre-lit, fake Christmas tree, which she’d had for several years, and decorated it with all of her ornaments, which were eclectic, to say the least. As Evan was hanging an ornament of the twin girls inThe Shiningwith a raised eyebrow, she told him, “I don’t want to hear one word about my ornaments from someone who doesn’t have any.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he protested.
“Your expression said plenty. And that’s not even the strangest one I have, so …”
They found out the hard way Dawn Corleone liked to play with low hanging ornaments and every morning they would find several on the floor, so they had to move them all up to higher branches, leaving the lower ones bare.
In mid-December, Malcom paid his tuition fees, making his enrollment at Ècole Ducasse official for the August session. The next step was going to be applying for his visa (and Evan and Jules applying for theirs), completing and submitting his pre-arrival form, then uploading his visa details when they became available. He would then receive hisenrollment certificate and welcome booklet, which had all the details needed to prepare for his arrival.
Christmas morning was a quiet affair, with just the three of them having a breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and mimosas while listening to Christmas records and opening presents. In the afternoon, they went over to Paige and David’s house, bringing a few dishes for the potluck dinner there, with a modified repeat of Thanksgiving, minus the Shaws.
For New Year’s Eve, Jules and Evan (who had the night off for the first time in forever), took Malcom on a pub crawl. He hadn’t experienced the holiday from outside his home since his marriage to Gwen, so it was decided that needed to be rectified.
They ended the night at The Pride & Pour, ringing in the new year in over-the-top fashion, this time with Malcom more ‘appropriately’ dressed by Evan, who’d insisted on a wardrobe of fitted jeans and tight shirts for them both.
Malcom naturally was a little shy about the snug shirt—in his case, it was a bright blue, short-sleeved, button-down, that clung to his chest and arms in a way that made him feel slightly self-conscious. Evan, in his tight Barenaked Ladies graphic T-shirt, felt no such self-consciousness and told Malcom, “You look perfect.”
“I don’t know. I feel like it might be too much,” Malcom pointed out, motioning to his clearly outlined pectorals.
“It’s not too much. It’s ‘showcasing’.”
