Page 70 of The Bright Side of Christmas
“Mom—” I start, but she ignores my protests and continues.
“But she said she liked him, that he was good for you.”
I groan, sifting through the bags as I silently curse my best friend. Hallie is more like a sister to me, as evidenced by Mom pseudo-adopting her after her mom left their family when we were in middle school. But it also means every little thing makes it to my mom, since both Hallie and my mom love gossiping. Hallie works for my brother, Madden, who manages the wholesale side of the family business, so she’s often at the farm.
“She thought he was a serial killer a few weeks ago,” I say deadpan, and my mom lets out a laugh.
“She told me that, too. But she said he’s convincing you to put yourself first more, which we all know you need.”
I ignore the quiet poke and the discomfort it brings me.
“If you mean breaking into my house and throwing me over his shoulder so I go to bed early or dragging me away from The Mill before I offer to help out with the kittens Stephanie found, then sure.” When her eyes don’t even change or register shock atmy words, I realize she and Hallie have been talkinga lotabout me.
“Whatever unconventional method he’s using, it’s working. You look tired, but not in the way you did before.” I don’t speak, busying myself with putting things away. Perhaps if I ignore it, this conversation will come to an end. It doesn’t work, obviously. “Your dad likes him.”
My heart stutters, and I can’t help it. I turn my head to her, confirming she’s been watching me closely.
“Really?” I ask, both hopeful and a bit disbelieving. Outside of our family, my dad doesn’t like many people.
“Oh yeah. Liked how he stood up for you with your brothers, how he did it firmly but respectfully and took the task on himself.” My heart flutters a bit with her words but then dips with the next ones. “You know, we’ve been worried about you, your dad, and me.”
“Mom—” I start, guilt churning in my stomach. The last thing I want is to addmorestress to the people I love most.
“You say yes to everything and everyone at the expense of yourself.” I open my mouth to argue, but she keeps speaking. “And that’s a great trait to have, don’t get me wrong. It’s how we raised you kids, though you took it to heart most of all. And I know I add to it, asking you for favors without asking what else is on your plate, but in my defense, I don’t think I really realized how bad it had gotten.” She looks at me with that assessing mom look she has long perfected. “You hung up Jed Campbell’s lights?” I roll my eyes, exasperated. I bet Hallie told her that, too. “Everyone knows he’s just lazy. Hell, you heard your grandmother complaining about him over and over.”
I take the opportunity to change the subject quickly.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I went over there to check in on his timeline, and he mentioned he was busy with work, so he hadn’t gotten around to it. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. But I onlydid one side. Adam ended up hanging the rest for me.” I don’t tell her that it was after I fell off the ladder.
“Interesting move for a man who apparently hates Christmas.”
I shrug, not wanting to expand. She gives me another look that sears through me, looking past my indifferent mask in a way only a mother can, but her phone beeps with an incoming text, distracting her. Relief floods my veins, and for the first time in my life, I silently hope my mom has to leave.
She looks at her phone, then shakes her head, tutting a bit before sighing. “That’s your dad, asking if I’m makinghimsoup. I gotta get home before he starts messing around and eats it all before it’s even done.” She stands, then pulls me into her. “Good thing I made double, knowing this could happen.”
I let out a little laugh, then she puts her hands on my shoulders and leans back to look at me. “I’m so proud of you, Wren, and I know she is, too. But promise me you’ll take care of yourself, too.”
A lump forms in my throat, one I can’t speak around.
I’ve kept myself incredibly busy since school started, feeling as if the holidays are creeping up on me. I knew that with them, grief for my grandmother would come. It was her favorite time of year, and it’s mine because of her. When I took on the position of head of the decorating committee, I knew it would be a lot of work. Yet, part of me was grateful for it—grateful not to have any extra time in December to think, much less miss her too much.
Of course, I’ve been doing everything I can to make her proud and protect her legacy, but the selfish part of it was that I knew if I slowed down, I might have to face those feelings head-on, feelings I don’t think I’m ready to face yet. Instead, I’ve bottled them up and hidden them away. I thought I had been doing a pretty good job hiding it from everyone, but now that mymom is looking at me like that, I’m wondering if I might not be as good an actor as I thought.
I open my mouth, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, I don’t have to say anything. Instead, she gives me another soft smile and presses a kiss to my cheek before heading toward the door. We say our goodbyes, and I watch her walk off before I finish going through the bags. Then, I bring a drink and some medicine up to Adam, who quickly takes it before falling right back to sleep.
TWENTY-FIVE
I spend the day in a sleepy haze, but by six p.m., I’m feeling slightly more human. I don’t feel great, but I no longer feel like utter death like I did yesterday or when I woke up this morning. Deep down, I know it’s because of Wren. She came up a few times, making sure I chugged an electrolyte drink and took some medicine before I fell back asleep. Although my nose is still running and my throat is still scratchy, the headache that wouldn’t end is gone, and I feel like I have control of my limbs again.
I hear a noise downstairs as I lie in bed, assessing my body. When I realize I’m not falling back to sleep, I decide to head downstairs. As I make my way down, I’m hit with the most delicious smell, and despite not having an appetite all day, my stomach growls.
“Oh, you’re alive!” Wren says as I shuffle into the living room. She sets her laptop aside and stands from the couch, moving my way. I furrow my brow at her, confused as to why she’s still here, but I don’t have time for that when she lifts a small hand, resting the back of it against my forehead. “Oh, you feel so much better, thank God.”
She steps back, taking me in. I’m sure I look absolutely disgusting, but she smiles at me and nods. “You look better, too. Are you hungry?” I don’t answer, but my stomach does, growling loudly. She lets out a small laugh before tipping her head toward the dining room. “Come on, sit at the table, and I’ll get you something.”
I don’t say anything, still confused and a bit sleepy, but I do as I’m told, sitting at the kitchen table. In a minute, a bowl is in front of me alongside a spoon and a big glass of water. She sets a couple of pills on the table as well before sitting in the chair across from me.
“Take those, too. You look better, but let’s get it moving faster.”
