Page 115 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
She went through the rest of the day, humming as she wrote a new article for the website, humming as she decided what winter drinks she could adapt to their upcoming Christmas-in-July party, and still humming when she went to pick up Sophie from a playdate with a friend later. Alden was working all week, but they’d be hanging out on the weekend and later in the month he was going with her and her family to the Christmas-in-July party at Sunny’s house. It was going to be her best Christmas yet.
The morning of the party the women all converged in Mia’s kitchen to create a masterpiece. Sophie and Paisley, future baking geniuses, had been included. (Bella had passed on the opportunity. No loss as far as Arianna was concerned. The kid was a regular party skunk, always stinking things up.) Mia had gone through her second to last chemo a couple of days earlier, which meant it was about time for her to start feeling the effects. Arianna had suggested forgetting the idea, knowing how the treatments sapped her mother’s strength, but Mia had been insistent.
The day before she had premade the filling and had it chilling so all the women had to do was make the puffs and fill and decorate them. She supervised Paisley and Sophie as they made some small cream puffs of their own so they could each build a mini tower.
“This is a huge project,” Sunny said as the girls colored in the living room while the women sat around the table drinking lavender lemonade and waiting for the cream puffs to bake. “I would never tackle this on my own.”
“I’ll never tackle it again,” Molly said. “This is too much work.”
“Not even if Reggie asks you to?” teased Sunny, and the others laughed.
All except Ava, who managed a polite smile.
“I see Ava is still Reggie’s number one non-fan,” Sunny said to Molly later as everyone was packing up and getting ready to move the party to her place.
“She’s having a hard time getting past the age difference.”
“What is it, exactly?”
“Thirteen years.”
“Lucky thirteen. Maybe it wouldn’t bother her if he was younger.”
“Guess I should have taken up with a millennial. She’ll come around. Sixty-eight is young by today’s standards.”
Sunny sure hoped so. Love wasn’t easy when you had people in your life who didn’t want you together.
She did her best with the one who didn’t want her with Travis as everyone ate their Christmas-in-July turkey sandwiches and played games. After what Bella had said on their ill-fated family camping trip and the wall-of-ice ride home after, it had been a challenge to even manage a smile for her, but Sunny had pretended she had amnesia.
Later in the afternoon it was time to go caroling, and they wandered the neighborhood, dressed in their shorts and flip-flops and Santa hats, serenading the neighbors with Christmas carols and passing out plates of whipped shortbread with sprinkles. Travis sang like a bullfrog and Sunny wasn’t much better. But both Molly and Reggie could sing, and Paisley was in her element, belting out “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Arianna’s new love fell right in with the fun, and watched over Mia as if she were his own mother. Oh, yes, he was, indeed, perfect for Arianna.
The only one missing from the caroling party was Bella, who had refused to tarnish her teen reputation with such foolishness, but Dylan had been easily bribed with the promise of frozen hot chocolate when they got back to the house, and he was enjoying teasing Paisley by snatching off her Santa hat every time he got the chance. The neighbors laughed at the group’s shenanigans and wished them Merry Christmas in July, and everyone was smiling as they made their way back to the house.
“You are brilliant,” said Travis, hugging Sunny as they went up the front walk.
“I am. How will I ever top this?” she joked.
Her happy mood deflated once they were in the house and found no Bella. Travis picked up the note on the counter, scrawled over the menu Sunny had printed.Went shopping with Mom.
“What the...? I’m calling Tansy,” Travis growled.
Sunny laid a hand on his arm. “Don’t.”
He scowled. “Bella doesn’t get to just up and leave, and Tansy doesn’t need to be letting her.”
“She wants us to beg. I don’t want to give her that power.”
“She’s supposed to be here. It’s our weekend to have her.”
“So she’ll be back after her retail therapy.”And won’t that be fun?
Travis heaved a sigh and set down his cell phone.
Yep, another successful party.
Was there a patron saint for stepmothers? If so, she and Sunny needed a conference.
Molly’s feet hurt. And she was tired. And, for some reason, everyone in Bremerton had decided to come into the post office on their lunch break. But oh, well. She had a plate of cookies leftover from the party to share and she was ready.
