Page 32 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“That, or I need to look at the electrical panel,” Kendrick remarked.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Maeve reprimanded. “You need your rest, and a little brownout isn’t the end of the world.”
Kendrick looked a bit pale, but he smiled as he walked through the room and paused to give Arden a fist bump. “I’m sorry I missed your play, but I’ll watch the video with you later.”
“That’s okay. Do you want to help us decorate?” Arden held up a star made of twigs that was destined for the Yule tree. Fruit and fresh herbs would add the final touches to it later.
“I need to get some food first, but maybe after that,” he promised.
“Let me fix you something,” Maeve offered.
But the dragon waved his hand gently. “You’ve already spent so much time taking care of me, and you deserve a little fun. I can scrape some food together. I’m not that bad off.”
She nodded, but watched him with worried eyes as he went to the kitchen.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Jamie asked as she joined Amanda near a flat box full of wreaths. “I never really thought about Aunt Maeve finding a new mate this late in life, but it’s so cute.”
“Very.” That was another stab in Amanda’s heart. She and Lars could be like that, caring for each other, but fate had been cruel enough to put them so far apart.
“Whoa!” Sage remarked as both strings of Christmas lights flickered for a moment.
“It’s all right,” Tina assured her.
Taking a wreath from a box, Amanda went to the front door and opened it. She placed the hanger over the top of the door and adjusted the wreath so that it was centered. Briefly, she glanced out onto the road as a car went by. It slowed, but it didn’t pull in.
“Looking for someone?”
“Shit!” Amanda jumped and then turned to glare at her mother. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“I’m sorry.” Lucille laughed a little as she pulled her daughter into the house and shut the door. “Is everything okay out there?”
“Sure. Of course.” Amanda headed back to the center of the room, which was now a mess of boxes and packing materials.
“And is everything okay inthere?” Lucille extended one long nail, painted a pale mauve, toward Amanda’s chest.
“It’s fine, Mom.” Amanda dug in the box, her hands pawing through the old packing material, pretending to look for decorations but actually looking for so much more in her life.
“Fine as in there aren’t any problems, or fine as in you don’t want to talk about them?” Lucille asked quietly.
She looked up, ready to brush off those concerns once again, but it was suddenly much harder. It was one thing to pretend in front of her cousin or her sister, but this was her mom. “I’m not really fine at all.” Amanda plopped onto the couch and covered her face.
“What happened?” Jamie was at her side in an instant.
“I told Lars that we couldn’t see each other anymore.” She’d been fighting so hard to hold it all in, but now that she’d openedthe floodgates, it all came rushing out. The whole damn coven would know, but she was too exhausted to care. “I’ve already been burned once by the long-distance thing, and I don’t want to see that happen with someone like him.”
Kristy had come around behind the couch, and she reached over the back and rubbed Amanda’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, sweetie. That’s a lot to handle.”
“It’s supposed to be all sunshine and roses when you find your mate.” Erin was holding her hand. “Sometimes, though, it’s a lot harder than we think it will be.”
“We’re all here for you,” Tina offered. “I know we can’t fix the situation itself, but whatever you need, you’ve got it.”
Sage hoisted herself up on Amanda’s other side on the couch. She gently reached up and wiped Amanda’s tears with her little fingers. “Don’t cry. It’s Christmas. It’s a time to be happy!”
“You’re such a cutie.” Amanda hugged the little girl, and then she accepted a tissue from Dex. “I’m sorry, everyone. I was really trying not to be emotional about this. It’s just been hard.”
“You’ve got absolutely nothing to apologize for,” Maeve told her.
“That’s right,” her mother agreed. “We all just want you to be as happy as possible, whatever that takes. The start of that is usually getting it all off your chest.”
