Page 55 of The Stranger in the Mirror

“Why don’t you all have a seat and I’ll get some drinks. Any takers for a glass of eggnog?” Blythe asked.

“Your famous homemade eggnog? You bet,” Darcy said.

“Come on, everyone,” Blythe encouraged the group, but Hailey made no move to sit. “We’ll give you a hand with dinner, Mom.”

The kitchen was filled with a mouthwatering mixture of smells from the turkey and sweet potato casserole in the oven, and the glow of the fireplace lent a warmth and cheeriness to the room. On the mantel sat a simple nativity scene made from hammered tin that Blythe had made when the children were small. Ted uncorked a bottle of Cade Estate Cabernet to breathe, and Blythe ladled out cups of eggnog amid chatter and laughter. Darcy regaled them with stories of settling into London.

“I wonder where Gabriel is,” Blythe said when they were on their second glass, and he still hadn’t arrived. “Do you think I should call him?”

“Maybe he had a last-minute customer. I’ll text him.” Hailey picked her phone up from the counter.

“How is Gabriel doing?” Darcy looked from Ted to Blythe.

“Not well,” Ted said. “He’s been pretty down the last two months.”

“He went to Boston two weeks ago,” Blythe added. “Went to her house. It didn’t go well.”

Darcy sighed, shaking her head. “At first, when Gabriel broke things off with me, I hoped that he would come to his senses, and things would end as quickly as they began. I was angry and bitter, of course, but I never wanted to see him so hurt. It took me a while, but I finally reached a point where I felt sad instead of mad.”

Blythe put her arms around Darcy, gently pulling her close. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through,” she murmured.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” Darcy said, stepping back. “Moving away was the best thing for me. New places, new people. I’m busy and enjoying myself. Really.”

“Hey, everybody.” Gabriel stood at the entrance to the kitchen. “Sorry I’m late. Got tied up at the gallery.”

Blythe stood back as he greeted everyone, observing the very tentative brush against the cheek he gave Darcy before quickly moving to his mother for a kiss.

“Eggnog?” Hailey picked up a glass.

Gabriel shook his head. “Nah, I think I’ll have a little vodka on ice.”

Though Blythe had seen him recently, she was distressed by his appearance—he seemed to have lost more weight, and his eyes looked sunken. And where had the taste for straight vodka come from? Gabriel had always enjoyed a beer or a glass of wine, but he wasn’t a drinker, and she wondered if this was a one-off. He put one ice cube in the glass and poured the vodka, swallowing it down in one gulp. Then he poured another round into the tumbler. There was an uncomfortable silence until Blythe spoke.

“Shall we take the appetizers into the living room, or would you rather sit in here?”

“In here,” Hailey said. She picked up a tray of mini quiches and carried it to the low coffee table in front of the love seat facing the kitchen fireplace, flanked by two upholstered armchairs. The kitchen seemed to be the room that always drew them, a room whose walls had been privy to countless family conversations and tête-à-têtes.

“When did you get back, Darce?” Gabriel sat down in one of the armchairs, being careful, Blythe thought, not to sit too close to Darcy.

“Wednesday night,” she said, her tone friendly.

“Nice. How’s your dad?” It sounded perfunctory, and he looked down at the glass he held between his hands as he spoke. Couldn’t he even give her the courtesy of looking at her?

“He’s okay. Just a bit under the weather, or he would have been here, of course.”

The conversation continued, everyone trying their best to keep it as superficial as possible. Addison was the elephant in the room that nobody wanted to acknowledge, Blythe realized. She’d begun to feel that it had been a mistake to invite Darcy. She and Hailey should have made a lunch date with her instead. Just as she was worrying that this was going to be an agonizingly long evening, Darcy changed the whole tone of the gathering.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but this feels really uncomfortable. You guys are like family to me. Gabriel,” she said, looking directly at him, “we’re not together anymore, but can’t we be friends? I know you’re still in love with Addison. That doesn’t mean you have to treat me like a stranger, like if you talk about her, I’m going to shrivel up and die. We go back too far for things to be so awkward between us.”

Blythe held her breath, watching Gabriel. He cocked his head and smiled at Darcy, really looking at her for the first time tonight.

“You’re right. I’m sorry for acting like an ass. You’re a good friend.”

Darcy smiled. “Thank you.”

Blythe felt like cheering Darcy’s bravery in speaking up. She’d taken a big step, and Gabriel had responded. And isn’t that how every journey began?

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