One Big Happy Family

Chapter 9

9

“Crap and double crap,” Julie muttered, poking around in the refrigerator freezer, even as she knew it wasn’t there.

Heath, her assigned kitchen helper for dinner prep, grinned. “You did promise there might be swearing. Should I get the kids?”

She laughed. “No. ‘Double crap’ isn’t very exciting. I forgot to get the garlic bread this morning when I pulled all the ingredients for dinner.”

They were having a spaghetti-based casserole with lots of vegetables buried in the meaty, cheesy goodness. With the side salad and plenty of garlic bread, everyone should be happy. Well, probably not Gwen, but everyone else.

“How many loaves?” Heath asked as he started out of the kitchen.

“Let me get them. I know where I put them. You can start cutting up the zucchini into small, even pieces.”

He chuckled. “Will you be measuring them later?”

“That depends on how good a job you do.”

She went down the stairs and out through the mudroom, only to find Rufus by the garage door. He was sniffing and whining as he paced back and forth.

“What on earth? Rufus?”

The dog glanced up at her, then scratched at the door. He barked twice.

She didn’t know Rufus well, but he seemed fairly low-key. So what was so interesting about the garage?

She thought about the fresh tree they’d brought in an hour before. While they always had it sit overnight to let the spiders and other bugs run out, she’d never had to deal with any kind of actual wildlife. Maybe there had been a bird or something in the branches.

Julie opened the people door to the garage, prepared to immediately open the big main doors and let out whatever it was, all the while keeping Rufus contained. But the second she cracked the door, he was out like a shot. She followed, fumbling for the wall button that would open the main doors.

Two things happened at once. First, Rufus lunged for the tree and started barking like crazy. Second, a horrible smell smacked into her, nearly making her gag. It was musky and thick with ammonia.

Julie immediately backed out of the garage, coughing and calling for the dog. She heard footsteps on the stairs behind her. Heath got there first. Nick and the kids were on his heels.

“What’s wrong?” Heath asked. “Where’s Rufus?”

She wiped her eyes. “In the garage. I opened the main doors, but I don’t think that’s going to help.”

“Help what?”

She waved toward the garage. Heath went out, along with Nick and the kids. Dana, Blair, Paul and Gwen crowded into the mudroom.

“What’s happening?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Mom, are you okay?”

“There’s something in the garage,” Julie said, forcing herself to open the door and step out into the stink.

Rufus had quieted. He circled the tree a couple of times, sniffing madly. Finally he lifted his leg and peed on the tree.

“No!” Dana shrieked. “That’s our tree. What’s he doing? Make him stop.”

Heath looked at her. “Sorry. Too late. Besides, what he did is the least of it.”

With the big doors open, the smell had dissipated a little but was still too strong.

Gwen wrinkled her nose. “Oh, no. There’s that smell again. What is it?”

Nick looked at Heath, then back at Gwen. “Cougar pee.”

“What?”

He tried not to smile. “I think a cougar peed on our tree.” He glanced at his sister. “Sorry, Dana, but there’s no way that’s going in the house.”

Julie waved her hand in front of her face. “No, it’s not. Nick, you and Heath drag that outside, far away from here. We need to air out the garage.”

“And go get another tree,” Paul said cheerfully. He put his hands on the kids’ shoulders. “There’s time before it gets dark. Do you remember where the second choice was?”

“Maybe.” Wyatt sounded doubtful.

“My tree,” Dana moaned, watching her brother and Heath drag it around the side of the house.

Julie grabbed Rufus when he started to follow them. “No, you don’t. Blair, take him inside, please.”

She didn’t wait to see if Blair did as she asked. Instead, she went over to the bags of kitty litter they kept around in case one of the cars leaked oil. She spread that over the area where Rufus had marked the tree. Once the liquid had been absorbed, it could be swept up and disposed of. The garage was already smelling better. She would leave the doors open a half hour or so. Hopefully that would be long enough.

“I knew there was something,” Gwen murmured.

Julie looked at her. “You were right. I couldn’t smell it outside, but you could. That means you get to go with Nick to buy the second tree. I want you to sniff it thoroughly. I refuse to have another cougar pee tree in my Christmas.”

That statement sent the kids into giggles. Paul’s mouth twitched.

“That’s one way to describe it,” he murmured.

“Cougar pee tree,” Wyatt repeated, nearly doubling over in laughter. “Wait till we tell Mom.”

Nick, Blair, Paul and Gwen headed out in Julie’s truck. The kids and Dana returned to their movie, taking Rufus with them, while Julie and Heath went back into the kitchen, garlic bread in hand.

“Wyatt’s going to talk about the cougar pee tree for the rest of his life,” Heath said with a chuckle. “The story will grow over the years, but it’s going to be a happy memory.”

“I didn’t know that could happen.” Julie shuddered. “I’m so grateful we left it in the garage. I wouldn’t want that stink in the house.”

She put the frozen garlic bread into the refrigerator freezer, then pulled out the defrosted ground turkey.

“Why did we have to pick that tree?” she asked, still in shock from the smell. “We’ve been coming up here and cutting down trees for decades. Nothing like that has ever happened.”

“Nature always wins,” he teased.

“I’m not sure this is a victory worth celebrating.” She glanced at him. “You think the kids are doing all right? I know it’s just the first day, but I want them to have fun.”

“They’re fine. Everyone is paying attention to them, which they like.” His grin broadened. “They can’t say it’s boring here.”

“I could do with a little boring.” She put a large frying pan on a burner. “At least they’re not fighting, unlike my two.”

“Nick and Dana weren’t fighting. It was traditional banter. Plus, Madeline and Wyatt are still settling in. Give them a couple of days and they’ll be bickering.”

“You’re an only child, right?”

“I am. My parents weren’t sure about having kids. By the time they decided they wanted one, my mom was nearly forty. That happens now, but when I was little, it was uncommon. A lot of people thought my parents were my grandparents.”

She dumped the two pounds of ground turkey into the pan and used a spatula to break it into smaller pieces.

“I know you lost them both a few years ago,” she said. “Any other family?”

“Aunts, uncles and cousins, all back in Virginia. We stay in touch, online mostly. I try to get back there every couple of years.” He finished with the zucchini and started chopping an onion. “I thought the kids and I might go in the spring. You could come with us.”

“What? No. I couldn’t travel with your children.”

“Why not? You’re spending Christmas with them. Besides, I want you to meet my family.”

She wanted to ask why but wasn’t sure how to phrase the question without making her sound freakish.

“The last family I met was Eldon’s, and that was a long time ago.”

“You’ll do fine. Besides, it’s important for partners to see where we come from. Family often explains a lot.”

Partners? Had he just said that? They weren’t partners—they were dating. Newly dating.

Julie had never considered herself a runner, yet she had a brief but powerful need to bolt. Not that she had a clue where she would go. Once the casserole was ready, she had to prep the garlic bread, check the chore list to see who was supposed to set the table, and decide what cookies she wanted to make in the morning. Leaving was out of the question. Besides, she was the one always able to handle anything.

“Dad! Dad!”

Wyatt’s shouts came from downstairs. Nick, sitting with his arm around Blair, paused the movie. Julie glanced at Heath, who shrugged as he got up from the sofa.

“I have no idea,” he admitted, “but he sounds frantic.”

“Dad!”

“I’m coming.”

But before he got to the stairs, Wyatt raced up to the main floor, his face flushed, his eyes filled with tears, Madeline at his heels.

“Dad, my pillow. I didn’t bring it.” He flung himself at his father, his body shaking with sobs.

Madeline turned to the adults. “Wyatt has a special pillow. He can’t sleep without it. I told him to bring it, and he said he wasn’t a baby and he’d remember. But he didn’t.” Her tone was that of the long-suffering older sister.

“What makes the pillow special?” Gwen asked. She and Dana were seated on the oversize love seat, a bowl of popcorn between them.

Wyatt looked at her. “It just is. It’s my special pillow and I don’t have it.” He returned his attention to his father. “I want to go home. I want to go home now!”

“I don’t,” Madeline said loudly. “You should have remembered the stupid pillow.”

Wyatt started crying again. Heath looked at his daughter. “Maddy, you’re not helping.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and took Wyatt’s hand. “Come on. We’ll go into the kitchen and call your mom to make sure the pillow is there. I’ll drive back and get it in the morning. Or maybe she can meet me somewhere.”

“Not tonight?” Wyatt’s voice trembled. “I can’t sleep without my pillow.”

“Then let’s all stay up all night,” Gwen said cheerfully. “We’ll have a sleepover.”

Everyone turned to look at her. Gwen smiled brightly.

“Why not? The sectional sofa is huge. At least two, maybe three people can sleep there. I’m sure there are air mattresses. We’ll have the fire going, watch movies and stay up all night.”

Julie had trouble reconciling the accommodating, kid-centric, great-idea Gwen with the woman who had dissed Nick and seemed to always get it wrong when it came to her own daughter. But she had to admit, the idea had merit. If Wyatt didn’t feel alone, he wouldn’t be so upset. She would guess even without his special pillow, he would fall asleep fairly quickly.

“The love seat pulls out,” Julie said. “Madeline and Wyatt can sleep there. We have a couple of cots in one of the storage closets, along with air mattresses.”

“I can sleep on a cot,” Heath said.

Julie wasn’t thrilled with the idea but smiled as she murmured, “Me, too.”

“You should take the sofa.” Blair leaned her head against Nick’s shoulder. “We’ll take cots. Are there enough? Mom, which would you prefer? A cot or an air mattress?”

“A cot, please.”

It didn’t take long to make arrangements. Heath left a message when Tiffany didn’t answer, then helped with the setup. Paul demurred on the sleepover and said he would keep his bed downstairs. By nine everyone had brushed their teeth and collected blankets and nonspecial pillows. Wyatt was still claiming he wouldn’t sleep at all.

They agreed on a The Santa Clause movie marathon. Heath once again tried to get Tiffany on the phone, but she didn’t answer, so he left a second message about the pillow situation. By the time Tim Allen was reading ’Twas the Night Before Christmas to his son, both kids were sound asleep.

“Good call, Gwen,” Heath said quietly. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Julie and Heath were up a little after six. They headed upstairs to their room.

“I slept better than I thought I would,” Julie admitted, putting the blanket back on their bed as he put the pillows in place.

He pulled her close. “I missed having you next to me.”

“I was right there on the sofa.”

His hands drifted to her butt. “We were limited in what we could do.”

She smiled and pushed him away. “We still are. I have to get the breakfast casserole ready.” She smiled. “But I believe I’m free in about three hours.”

“I’ll be counting the minutes.”

“Did you hear from Tiffany?”

He frowned at his phone. “I didn’t. She wasn’t supposed to leave until tomorrow. I’ll try her again around seven.”

Julie showered first. Once she was dressed, she blew out her hair. Heath was busy undressing. She paused to admire the view—the man was very easy on the eyes, she thought happily, looking forward to their rendezvous later that morning.

She left him in the shower and walked into the bedroom. Just then, his phone rang.

She glanced at the screen and saw the call was from Tiffany. After a second of indecision, she answered the call.

“Hi, Tiffany. It’s Julie. Heath’s in the shower and I knew he wouldn’t want to miss your call. You got the message about Wyatt’s special pillow?”

There was a brief pause, then what sounded a lot like a sob, followed by, “I d-did. It’s right here. He can come get it or I can meet him somewhere. I’m off work for my v-vacation.”

Her voice was thick with tears. Julie clutched the phone tightly as dread filled her.

“What’s wrong? You’re upset, so something bad happened. Tell me.”

“It’s n-nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Tiffany, I’m worried. What is it? Did someone die?”

“What? No. Nothing like that. I’m okay.”

“Don’t make me use my mom voice on you. What’s going on?”

Tiffany sniffed. “Ryan broke up with me.”

Who was Ryan? Oh, wait. “The boyfriend?”

“Uh-huh. Last night. We were supposed to go to the Bahamas and now he’s taking someone else.”

The sobs returned, more urgently this time. Julie stood there, not sure what to say.

“I’m sorry. This is a sucky time to deal with a breakup. Can I, um, do anything to help?”

“I’m okay.”

She didn’t sound okay. She sounded heartbroken.

“It’s just I thought he was special, you know. That we had a future. I was falling in love with him. But he didn’t feel the same.” She blew her nose. “Like you said, it’s a sucky time for a breakup.”

Julie sat on the bed. “He’s a jerk and it’s his loss.”

“You’re kind to say that. I want it to be true, but I don’t know.”

“Do you have family in the area?”

“What? No. Why would you...?” Tiffany cleared her throat. “Oh, you mean for Christmas? I’ll be fine. It’s all good. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She gave a false laugh. “It was the threat of the mom voice. So have Heath call me. I can meet him. It’s no problem.”

Julie told herself not to get involved, that Heath’s ex-wife’s breakup wasn’t her problem. But she couldn’t stand the thought of the other woman being home by herself with only a broken heart for company.

“You should join us for Christmas.”

“What? No, I couldn’t. You’re sweet to offer, but no.”

“I mean it, Tiffany.” Julie’s voice was firm. “The house is plenty big. The kids are in a room with double bunk beds. You could sleep in there with them. There’s already a crowd here. Trust me, one more isn’t going to be a problem. Have Christmas with us. The last thing you want is to be alone. Besides, don’t you want to spend the holidays with your children?”

“Julie, that’s nice, but—”

“No buts. If you’re worried everyone is part of a couple, they aren’t. My daughter, who’s about your age—” painful to say, but true “—is single, as is Blair’s mom and Blair’s uncle. Plus, come on. You know you want to spend Christmas with your children. And no one should be alone this time of year. Say yes. I’ll have Heath text you the address. Drive up today and don’t forget the pillow.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes, and I’m insisting. I’ll expect you by lunchtime. Pack for snow.”

“You’re a lovely person. Thank you.” There was another sob. “You’re right. I don’t want to be alone, so I’ll be there.”

“We’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Thank you so much.”

They hung up. Julie sat there a second, trying to take in what she’d done. Oh, she’d made the right decision, but explaining it to everyone was going to be...complicated.

She tossed the phone onto the bed and walked into the bathroom. Heath had finished with his shower and was drying off. When he saw her, he smiled.

“I thought you were going downstairs.”

“I am, in a second. Tiffany called and I answered because I didn’t think you’d want to wait to hear about the pillow.”

His expression was quizzical. “Are you all right? Did she say something to upset you?”

“Not at all.” She paused, not sure how to explain. “Ryan broke up with her. Ryan, the boyfriend,” she clarified.

She explained about the crying and how she couldn’t possibly leave her home alone for Christmas.

Heath started to laugh. “Let me get this straight. You invited my ex-wife to join us for the week?”

“Her jerk boyfriend dumped her, so she’s not going to the Bahamas. She shouldn’t be by herself.”

He hung up the towel and walked toward her. Naked. When he reached her, he pulled her close.

“That’s a very Julie thing to do,” he murmured between kisses. “You have to take care of everyone, and no one gets to take care of you.”

“That’s not true.”

But there wasn’t much energy in her voice, not when his hands were roaming over her body and she was returning the favor. The difference being she was touching bare skin and he wasn’t.

As if reading her mind, he tugged at her sweater.

“I have to make breakfast,” she protested, even as she toed out of her shoes.

“They can wait.”

Blair walked into the kitchen a little before seven and was surprised to find it empty and dark. Usually Julie was up before everyone else. She flipped on lights, then turned on the oven, knowing the breakfast casserole would need at least forty-five minutes to heat up.

Unlike the kids and everyone else who had bunked in the living room, she hadn’t slept well. Her stomach had bothered her, forcing her to head for the bathroom twice, after which she’d felt a little nauseous. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with anything.

She set the casserole on the counter while the oven heated, then started coffee. A quick read of the posted menus told her Julie had planned sausages to go with the casserole. She was planning on serving sliced fruit, as well.

Nick strolled in and walked over to her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good.”

“You got up last night.”

“I didn’t think I woke you.” She offered a quick smile. “I’m fine. It’s your mom who’s the problem. She’s not here.”

He looked around. “You’re right. She always starts breakfast before anyone is up. You think she’s okay?”

Blair had a very good idea about what had kept her mother-in-law upstairs. “I think she’s fine.” She lowered her voice. “So’s Heath. I like him. What about you?”

“He’s a good guy. I’m not surprised. Mom has only introduced Dana and me to a couple of the men she’s dated since the divorce, but they’ve all been decent. She wouldn’t tolerate anything else.”

“You don’t mind that he’s younger?”

Nick considered the question. “No. It seems like something she’d do. Wyatt and Madeline are great. Last night was pretty funny. Wyatt was so convinced he wouldn’t sleep at all.”

“But he did. The sleepover was a good idea.”

Nick grinned. “Say it like you mean it.”

Blair groaned. “I do mean it.” Sort of. “My mom’s great with Heath’s kids. I’m trying not to be bitter. She gets them but doesn’t get me. What’s up with that?”

“I don’t know. You’re very gettable.”

She laughed. “What does that even mean?”

The oven dinged just then, and both kids wandered into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Wyatt said, rubbing his eyes. “I slept.”

“You did.” Blair slid the casserole into the oven. “We have time before we eat, so why don’t you two go downstairs and get dressed? We’ve got a busy morning. We’ll be bringing in the tree and decorating it.”

“What about the cougar pee?” Wyatt asked with a laugh.

“My mom checked it out and said it was fine, so it must be so.”

Nick ushered the kids downstairs. Paul, Gwen and Dana showed up to help with breakfast. A few minutes later, Julie walked in.

“Oh, you got everything started,” she said, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

Gwen made a tsking noise but didn’t say anything. Blair ignored her mother and smiled at Julie.

“I put the casserole in about ten minutes ago. I saw we were having sausage with it, but I wasn’t sure about the fruit.”

Julie took charge and started assigning tasks. Gwen went downstairs to check on the kids while Dana set the table and Paul squeezed oranges for fresh juice. Blair started to cook the sausages, only to find the smell was bothering her, which was strange. It never had before.

Fortunately, Julie swooped in and took the spatula from her. “I’ll deal with this. Do you think we should have bacon, too?”

“This seems like plenty.” Blair thought of the giant casserole warming in the oven. “You don’t need to worry about anyone going hungry.”

“I can’t help it. Feeding my family is my responsibility.”

And Julie took her responsibilities very seriously, Blair thought. Even though her children were grown, she worried about them. Blair thought about the secret she and Nick were keeping and felt a moment of guilt. She understood that he didn’t want to ruin his mom’s holiday, but thought maybe they should have told her as soon as Nick started thinking he might like to buy Uncle Paul’s business. Julie had a right to know the truth.

But it wasn’t her decision to make, she reminded herself. Come the first of the year, she would insist Nick tell his mom what was happening, just like he’d promised.

Nick, Gwen and the kids appeared in the kitchen. Everyone was bumping into everyone else until Julie shooed them all to the table. Only Gwen stayed in the kitchen to help serve.

Breakfast was a noisy affair, Blair thought happily. So different from how it had been when she’d grown up. She couldn’t remember much before her mother had “gone away,” as she thought of it, no doubt in part because of only being four and in part because of the sadness that surrounded that time.

Little Robby had been only three weeks old. Blair had been so curious about her baby brother, often sitting in his room while he slept. She’d wanted to learn how to do everything and remembered being disappointed when her mother had explained she was breastfeeding for the first few weeks, so there were no bottles to give him.

The morning he died was a blur. Blair remembered her mother screaming. The sound went on and on, as if it would never stop. She’d tried to get her father’s attention so he could explain what was wrong, but he’d told her to go to her room in a tone she’d never heard before.

Later, one of the neighbors had taken her, and a few hours after that, Uncle Paul had arrived to stay with her. She knew there must have been a funeral and that she’d probably attended, but she had no memory of it. Her next clear recollection was her father walking her to kindergarten, telling her she was going to enjoy school. Blair had hoped that was true because sometimes being in her house scared her. Not the house itself, but with the ghost that was her mother.

Gwen moved from room to room without speaking or interacting with anyone. She’d grown so thin, so pale. Sometimes Blair heard her crying, but she never heard her speak. Not for months and months. Eventually her mother had gone back to work, but she’d never become part of the family again.

“You all right?” Nick asked quietly, drawing her back to the present.

“Sorry. I was thinking about something else.” She glanced at the plate of sausages she held and shook her head. “I’ll pass.” The smell was still a problem. She would make do with the French toast–inspired casserole and some fruit.

“This is a big table,” Wyatt said. “We could fit more people around it.”

“Which is good.” Julie smiled at him. “We have more people coming for Christmas. There are two leaves that fit in, not that we’ll need both of them.”

Dana looked at her mom. “More people. I thought the only other person we were expecting was Huxley.”

“Yes, well...” Julie cleared her throat. “There’s been a minor change of plans.”

The table went silent. Everyone stared at Julie, waiting. Well, not Heath, Blair thought, glancing at him. He looked relaxed and amused, so whatever the news—it wasn’t bad.

“I invited Tiffany to spend the holidays with us.” Julie picked up her coffee, then set it down. “She was supposed to go away, but that didn’t work out and she’s alone.”

“The kids’ mom?” Dana asked, sounding surprised.

Blair’s breath caught in her throat. Had Julie really done that?

Madeline’s eyes widened, and Wyatt jumped out of his chair.

“Mom’s coming here?” he asked loudly.

“She is and she’s bringing your pillow.” Julie smiled at Madeline. “You get to spend Christmas with both your parents.”

“You invited your current boyfriend’s ex-wife to spend Christmas with you and your family?” Gwen asked, no doubt voicing the question they were all thinking.

She sounded more stunned than outraged.

Julie offered a faint smile. “Yes, well, it wasn’t planned. She was upset and I felt bad for her. No one should be alone on Christmas. There’s plenty of room for her.”

“It’s a very generous offer,” Paul said. “Heath, any apprehension?”

“Not at all. Tiffany isn’t difficult and Julie can handle anything. The kids will be happy.”

Madeline ran around the table and hugged her dad. “Mommy’s going to be here!”

“Yes, she is.”

“And you. On Christmas.”

Nick leaned close to Blair. “You gotta admire the self-confidence,” he said quietly. “She’s a hell of a woman.”

“Yes, she is.”