Page 64 of Miss Humbug
I caught recognizable names spoken from hushed voices on the other side of the bushes by the cocoa stand. Rafe’s voice carried over.
“I don’t want to be a disappointment to you and the kids,” he was saying.
I angled myself into a spot where the bushes parted.
Brianne stood in front of him. “We just want you homewithus. That’s all we’ve ever wanted. I don’t care where we live or what house we live in. Only that we’re together.”
“I know my travel schedule put a strain on you. I’m sorry. If I hadn’t taken this promotion, I’d be out of a job same as Marlowe.”
I shifted farther into the shadows. It shouldn’t have been a comfort knowing Rafe’s job was unstable. I’d taken my job cut so personally, even though everyone told me the layoff was a numbers game for the company. I was more than a number. So was Rafe, even if I still felt steamed at him at the moment. Job instability was hard no matter what, and he had a family to support.
“Won’t you be upset if we don’t inherit the house?” Rafe went on to Brianne. “It’s our family legacy.”
“The house ishuge. And old. I don’t know if I’m interested in the upkeep.”
I couldn’t hear Rafe’s response, but I heard what his wife said back. “And you owe your cousin an apology. She looked very upset.”
At the sound of footsteps, I pivoted from the bushes and walked straight into Grans. “Oh! So sorry, Grans.” Thankfully, I’d drained my hot chocolate so nothing spilled on her pristine coat.
“How was caroling?” she asked.
Torture. “Fine. Good.”
“Mmhm.” She looked past me to where Rafe and Brianne had been talking, but I didn’t dare turn to peek. “I’m disappointed I lost control. I should have stopped the personal snipes before they escalated.”
I was glad she hadn’t. “They said what they meant. Now instead of us dancing around who deserves the house, we know where we stand.”
Grans glowered, but I wouldn’t soften the blow. We were competitive by nature and apparently pretty judgmental about each other. Big surprise why I needed to establish my own identity apart from the family.
She rested a hand at my back. “You lost your job. Marlowe, I wish you’d told me. Are you okay financially? Do you need help with rent?”
I bristled. “I’m fine. I’ll get another job.”
“You cared about your work. You even received an employee recognition award. It’s a shame your accomplishments didn’t have more merit with your employer.”
She remembered the award? I’d received it last year, when all I’d seen for my future were gleaming ladders pointed high.
Ethan lingered nearby, now talking with a guy we went to school with. Ethan deserved to get what he needed for the tree farm. If I had any chance left at the house, I needed to be honest with Grans. Give this one more shot for Ethan’s sake.
“Actually, my roommate is moving out too.” I filled her in about Anna’s engagement. “With no job and an apartment lease ending, I’m not sure I have much to go back to.”
“You’ve built a life there. Haven’t you?”
Sure. Maybe? That temporary sense never quite left after grad school. Almost like I was biding my time until something else. I just couldn’t figure out the something else. Only Anna had a window into my personal life.
One solid, close friend. That was the life I’d built in California. And she was ready to move on to her next adventure. Our phase of life was phasing out.
Grans’ expression softened as much as she allowed for it. “You’re young. You’ll figure things out. I’m confident in that.”
I swallowed. “The house…when you announced you wanted to pass it on, immediately I knew I wanted it. I can’t imagine the house belonging to anyone else. Is that selfish? I’m not even sure what I’d do with it. I just know it’s important. And the land, the family name, all of it is really, really important. More important than I realized until—” Right this moment? “Until I came home.”
Grans made ahmmsound I wasn’t sure how to interpret. She squeezed me in a one arm hug. “I’m glad you’re here, Marlowe. It means a lot.”
I desperately wanted to know how Grans would determine who inherited the house. But she simply smiled in her own guarded way. She steered me toward the rest of the family.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight,” she said to Ashe and others in front of us. “We have a week until Christmas Eve. Hollybrooke House at two p.m. Dinner with gifts to follow.”
And with that, she left.
