Page 14 of A Very Merry Matchup
“Beau’s engaged to Lucy,” I say, really wishing I could point the wooden spoon at Lucy right now as exhibit B.
“Who’s Lucy?” everyone but Beau shouts back.
“My friend. The nurse I set Beau up with back in September. The one who just called me yesterday and saidthey got engaged, then invited me to spend Christmas with you guys.”
As everyone just stands there staring back at me the same way I imagine I stare at Yesenia when she’s speaking rapid-fire Spanish, I rack my brain. Lucydidsay they were engaged, right? There’s no way I misunderstood.
“No,” I start muttering to myself like a madwoman. “She said it. I heard her. I saw the ring. I know I was exhausted, but I remember what she said. And I remember what I said. I told her how happy I was because Beau was such a great guy—”
“Thank you,” says Beau.
“—and how he has such a great family.”
“Very kind,” says Rob.
“I called Beauyummyfor crying out loud. Only because I couldn’t think of a different word,” I quickly add when I see Beau’s mom and Janey exchange hopeful glances. “The point is Lucyhasto be engaged to Beau. Why else would she have told me to come here? Nothing else makes sense. The only reason she would’ve told me to come here is if she wasn’t engaged to Beau and... and...” She wantsmeto get engaged to Beau.
When I meet everyone’s gaze, I can tell we’re all speaking the same language again. Because everyone’s fighting hard not to smile.
“Nooo,” I say waving the wooden spoon around. “This can’t be happening. Lucy wouldn’t do this.I’mthe matchmaker here. Not her.”
Everyone’s smiles are turning into full-blown grins. Beau’s right dimple creases his cheek as he shoots me a wink. “Pretty sure this is happening. Pretty sure Lucy did do this.”
“She set me up, didn’t she?” My words are barely a croak at this point.
“Well, I still don’t know who this Lucy is, but I do know this,” Cecilia says, grabbing the spoon back and lifting it in victory. “Tonight we eat in her honor.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Joy to the world, Ivy is stranded
Beau
I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present if I tried.
Ivy. Here. With me.
Well, Ivy here with me, Mom, Dad, Janey, and two snow-covered dogs who are currently leaving wet paw prints all over the downstairs floors as Ivy and I chase them with towels, and Ivy keeps saying, “I’m sorry. So sorry. I know how excited you guys all were thinking Beau was bringing a girl home for Christmas, but Beau and I aren’t together. We’re not engaged. We’re never ever getting married.”
“And by never ever, she means most likely, of course,” I say, lunging after Pinky Collar and missing again.
“I meannever ever,” says Ivy, tackling Hamish before he slides into the Christmas tree. “I can’t believe you lied to your mother like that, by the way.”
“It was a joke,” I say, snagging Pinky before she does another Indy 500 lap around the dining room table.
“Some joke,” my mom says from her seat at the table.
“Yeah, next time stick to the knock-knock variety,” says Dad between bites of vegetable soup.
“I walked through a blizzard just to meet her, you know,” adds Janey, dropping more crackers into her soup bowl.
Pinky won’t stop squirming in my arms to get back to Hamish. “I was just trying to keep you guys from setting me up with the neighbor girl. I never dreamed Ivy would actually be here.”
“And once again, I’m so sorry about that.” Ivy’s cheeks are flushed. Can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or the WWE wrestling match she’s currently involved in with Hamish as she attempts to dry off his paws. “I still can’t believe Lucy told me to come here without even asking you first.”
I’m about to fess up about the weird call I got from Lucy yesterday that suddenly makes a lot more sense now when Mom digs out her phone and says, “You know, now that you say that, I’m wondering if that’s what those text messages were about yesterday. I didn’t have my reading glasses on at the moment and couldn’t make out the number, so I figuredit was some sort of spam, but...” She smiles, peering down at her phone through her reading glasses. “Oh, yeah. She did reach out. These messages are from her.”
“What did she say?” asks Ivy.
