Page 45 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“I’m Mrs Klaus, and it’s so good to meet you.” Mrs Klaus released her, and Juliet recognised the blue eyes she shared with her sons. “Sorry, we’re huggers in this family.” Mrs Klaus beamed. “Mason told me you’re dating Will. He’s never brought a woman to us before. He and Mason were inseparable as teens, but now work often takes them away. Although I can’t complain – the pair used to eat me out of house and home!”
Juliet smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me!” she said, though it only brought home to her how little she knew about Will’s life in Yule aside from the fact that he had a sister. The thought made her strangely sad.
“I called Will. He’s on the way, and you’re both staying for dinner. No argument,” Mason said, walking through the archway from the kitchen.
Juliet shot Lyla a panicked look. “I don’t want to put you out. This is all rather sudden, and Kevin said you’ve got a baking competition to prepare for?”
Lyla waved her off. “It’s just a holiday tradition, nothing serious. Though I’m determined to win this year.”
“If she doesn’t burn anything, it’ll be win enough.” Mason kissed her curls again, and she elbowed him. He feigned injury, and Lyla rolled her eyes amusedly.
“If she stays conscious, it’ll be even better,” Kevin called out, eating some dough out of a bowl. Juliet frowned, and Lyla shook her head as though to tell her it was nothing. However, Mason’s worried expression as he stood closer to Lyla told her there was more to the story.
“Ignore Kevin. Mason is the judge, and even he doesn’t give me any free points.” Lyla nudged him. They were so in love it was almost painful to look at.
“Seducing the judge isn’t ethical.” Mason smirked.
“Regardless of the competition, Juliet, we’d love to have you both for dinner. Please make yourself at home. I’m going to finish making dinner, and Lyla, please give our guest the grand tour!” Mrs Klaus said, not giving Juliet a chance to argue before she headed back to the kitchen.
Lyla didn’t hesitate to take Juliet’s arm and pull her away for a few moments of peace to gather her thoughts.
After a tourof the most luxurious cabin she could have imagined, Juliet and Lyla made it to the dining room. Juliet froze as she saw Will standing with Mason by the set dinner table. He looked relieved while she panicked, wondering if Mason had told him she’d introduced herself as his girlfriend.
“Hi, honey, glad I found you!” He greeted her with a quick kiss, and the humour in his voice nearly knocked her off her feet.Clearly, Mason had quizzed him about their relationship, and Will must have confirmed it. “I heard you had a nice time at the library,” he added, taking a seat beside her and squeezing her hand reassuringly under the table.
“Yes, Kevin was kind enough to show me around. I hope you managed to get all your work done,” she said carefully.
“You make such a beautiful couple! It’s such a nice surprise to have you with us,” Mrs Klaus said, adding cuts of turkey and ham to the table. Given that it would be around nine at night back home, the smell of the delicious food only increased her appetite.
“We should be thanking you – this all looks incredible,” she said, her stomach grumbling.
Mrs Klaus sat at the head of the table, and Juliet couldn’t help but notice the seat at the other end remained empty. She guessed it was for Mason’s deceased father; Lyla had told her on the tour that he’d lost his dad just before Christmas last year. As much as she wished to keep her distance from her own family, the sinking feeling in her gut told her she still couldn’t think of losing her dad. Maybe because she hoped one day he’d actually become the father she needed.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but you look awfully familiar,” Mrs Klaus said, passing the gravy boat to Mason. “Do you have any relatives in Yule?”
Juliet nearly choked on her roast potato, and Will gently rubbed her back. She tried to dance around the truth. “I only found out about Yule through Will.”
“I was going to say the same –when I saw you walking out of the library with Kevin, I couldn’t help but think you looked familiar,” Mason said, his eyes narrowing across the table at her.
“She only just got here,” Will interjected, “unless you have a twin I don’t know about?” He nudged Juliet playfully to break the tension.
“No, definitely not.” Keeping her words light-hearted had never been such a struggle.
Juliet couldn’t meet Mrs Klaus’s studious stare; it seemed she had her answer about whether she looked like her mom.Does she already know who I am? Is this some test to see if I’ll lie?She hoped she wasn’t visibly sweating, because she certainly felt like she was.
Lyla picked up a jug to fill her glass with water, and promptly spilled it all over the table. Mason jumped up as the water cascaded onto his lap. “I’ll get some towels.”
Lyla winked across the table, and Juliet wanted to kiss her for providing the distraction.
“Anyway, it’s not important.” Mrs Klaus brushed off the line of questioning, and started grilling Kevin about all the time he’d been spending at the library on his new project. Hopefully safe from questioning for the moment, Juliet couldn’t help tucking in.
“How did you two meet?” Mrs Klaus asked, handing Kevin the bowl of sprouts.
It was Will’s turn to choke on the delicious turkey and stuffing. Looking up from her plate, Juliet found the family staring at her. She swallowed her mouthful and put down her knife and fork.
“Will approached me at a hotel bar, and I haven’t been able to get rid of him since,” she said, reiterating what she’d already said to Mason in the sleigh.
Will coughed and took a sip of his beer, clearly surprised by her admission.
