Page 13 of A Very Merry Matchup
“Actually, better wait,” his mom says. “Janey’s walking over and will want to hear everything.”
For the first time since coming downstairs, Beau’s eyes dart away from me to his mom. “What do you mean Janey’s walking over? She’s already home?”
“She never left,” his mom says, grabbing some bowlsfrom the cupboard. “Walter took the girls to see his folks over in Galena for a few days and do a little skiing, but she stayed home because of the baby.”
Beau’s starting to look like his navy-blue Henley has turned into a corset.
“That’s probably her now,” his mom says when the front door rattles open. “Come in, come in,” she shouts as a deep male voice calls back, “Look who I found!”
Oh, I really hope that deep male voice found Lucy.
But when the owner of the deep male voice steps into the kitchen, I see that it’s Beau’s dad, Rob, and he’s got his arm wrapped around a young woman with long dark hair who is very pregnant and very muchnotLucy.
“Hi Aunt Cecilia. Beau.” She gives me an extra-big smile. “Ivy.”
“Found her waddling up the porch steps just as I pulled into the drive,” Rob says, shedding his coat and reaching out for a handshake. “Great seeing you again, Ivy. Glad to know Beau didn’t let you slip through his fingers after all.”
I might be panting at this point. I don’t know. All I do know is Beau doesn’t seem to be drawing air any better than I am as I numbly shake Rob’s hand in return.
“Where’s Hamish?” Beau says to the pregnant woman I believe his mom called Janey.
“Outside,” Cecilia answers, finally taking off her coat to hand it to Rob.
“The baby’s outside?” Beau spins toward his mom.
“Uh... baby’s right here,” Janey says with a confused laugh as she points to her protruding stomach, which is straining against the fabric of her sweater while she removes her coat to hand over to Rob.
Beau looks back and forth from Janey to his mom. “Why’d you tell me Janey had her baby?”
“When did I say that?” his mom says, pulling a wooden spoon out from a crock full of cooking utensils.
“When you texted me and saidShe’s here! She’s here!”
“I was talking about Ivy, you nut.”
“You thought I named my baby Hamish?” Janey says to Beau while Rob returns from putting the coats away and says, “Who’s Hamish?”
“Where’s Lucy?” My voice, not strong to begin with, is fading even more.
“Is that the other dog I met?” Beau’s mom points toward the window with her wooden spoon.
“Lucy is Beau’s fiancée?” I say, hearing the question in my own voice because that’s all there seems to be right now. Questions. Lots and lots of questions.
“I thought you were Beau’s fiancée,” says Janey. “Or about to be, anyway.”
“She is. That’s what Beau told me.” Beau’s mom points to Beau then to herself with the wooden spoon.
“When did I say that?” Beau darts a quick glance at me.
His mom’s voice grows in volume with every one of her words. “When you called and said you were bringing a special girl home for Christmas named Ivy that you’d just spent a fortune on in hopes that you’d be spending many more Christmases together.” Now she’s whipping the spoon in my direction as if I’m exhibit A.
Beau cuffs the back of his neck as he shifts from one foot to the other. “I was talking about the new puppy I got.”
While everyone shouts back an assortment of exclamations and questions, I steal the wooden spoon from Cecilia so I can aim my own question at Beau like a sword. “You named your dog Ivy?”
He lifts his hands in surrender. “I’ve already switched it back to Pinky Collar.”
“So are you two getting engaged or not?” Janey asks, propping her hands on her waist.
