Page 41 of Christmas Sunrise
"What did you do in your family?" Dad looks at Jenna, then Jake, who is sitting next to me on the couch, also holding a glass of the spiced red cocktail, but like mine, his is laced with a dash of Cointreau. With his other hand, he strokes Rocky who is snoring lightly in his lap. "When did you open presents?"
Jenna and Jake share an unreadable look.
"Christmas wasn't always a huge deal for us," Jenna says carefully. "But when we had good Christmases, we opened presents after lunch."
"Then maybe we should do that? That way Marty can join us." Ma gets up from her chair and, for no apparent reason, rearranges some of the presents under the tree. "Even though he has already had one of his presents, hasn't he?"
I watch Jenna bite back whatever expression really wants to free itself on her features. Her forced smile is one I've definitely seen her use before with my mother, but fortunately, Ma doesn't notice. "We still have presents for all of you," she says.
"Oh, goodie," Jake mumbles. "Another self-help book I will never read and some luxury socks that my big toe will poke a hole in before Easter."
Jenna, who is sitting on the floor playing with AJ, nudges her elbow back into her brother's shin.
"Ma, sit down," I say to my mother as she starts to fiddle with the decorations on Jenna and Marty's tree.
"I'm grand," she tells me without looking back.
"Will you not have a drink?" Da gets up from the arm of the sofa he was perched on.
"Not yet. I'll have my usual sherry before lunch," Ma tells him as she moves over to the mantelpiece and picks up a photo of Marty and Jenna in Crete last summer. "But you know what I'm like if I start on the cocktails before noon. I'll be loose as a goose before the turkey's even cut."
"No bad thing," Da says with a wink we all ignore.
As if he can sense that Mum is about to start dusting the photographs on his mantelpiece, Marty calls out from the kitchen, "Ma! Will you come in here and give me a hand?"
Mum practically jumps into action at his beckoning and is in the kitchen in no time.
"Thank God for that," I say.
"Maeve!" Marty shouts out.
"Jesus Christ," I mumble. "What?"
"You're not off the hook either. Need you to set the table. You're the one with the most style here, after all."
"How very dare you, Marty O'Martin!" Jake shouts from next to me. "I'll have you know I have a whole Pinterest board entitled 'Bougie Christmas Dinner Table Settings'."
"Well, get that snoring mutt off you and come help me," I say, giving him a look that I hope isn't too pleading, but is suitably entreating. It would be fun setting the table with Jake.
"I can help too." Jenna moves to get up.
"No, you take Rocky." Jake scoops up the dog and plonks it on Jenna's lap. "Or don't you maybe need to go lie down with your legs in the air or something?"
"Jake," Jenna warns but she still smiles and that pink blush deepens in her cheeks.
Dad comes to sit in the seat I just vacated and he leans towards Jenna. "You know, when we were trying to get pregnant with Maeve, we found that—"
"Da! No!" I point a finger at him. "Just no!"
Jake chuckles as he drags me to the dining table which stands between the living area and the entrance to the kitchen. "Come on, Maeve. My sister will weirdly love this conversation so let's not deprive her. It is Christmas after all."
It takes us possibly longer than is necessary to prepare and perfect the table setting, but I was right; it is fun doing it with Jake who has a sharp eye for detail and he doesn't think I'm ridiculous for lining up all the bottom edges of the cutlery so they are all on the same line. As I pull back from lighting the trio of candles in the centre of the table, Jake claps his hands together.
"We make a fucking good team, Maeve," he says. "That's literally the most fun I've ever had with a woman."
"Ouch," Jenna says as she walks past us and into the kitchen with a collection of empty glasses. But she also winks at us both and stops to admire our work. "It looks amazing."
"We know," I say with a deliberately smug smile. I pull my phone out and shoot a quick video that I will upload later. I also take a photo and send it to Arabella.
