Page 60 of A Holly Brown Christmas
He seemed reluctant to leave her, but his mother dramatically stormed out of the room, quickly followed by his sisters. “I’ll call you later. I promise. Or…you can go over to the guesthouse if you’d like. I hate asking you to leave.”
“Like I said, Lucas, it’s fine. And I’m going to go home. I need to let Shmoop out and maybe I’ll take him for a nice long walk instead of letting my mom do it. I feel like I’ve been neglecting him lately.”
“That’s my fault. I’m sorry. And…I’m sorry about my mother’s behavior. I didn’t expect her to be so rude.”
“We weren’t sure how she was going to feel, and now we know.” She kissed his cheek. “Go. I’ll take care of this and get out of everyone’s way.”
The look on his face was one of pure misery, but she didn’t allow herself to focus on it for too long. She needed to get their lunch mess cleaned up so she could get out of here without angering Mrs. Brooks more than she already was.
So, as quickly and as efficiently as she could, Holly got the job done. After wiping down the dining room table one last time, she grabbed her purse, phone, and keys and quietly let herself out.
As soon as she was on the road, she called her mother.
“Hey, Holly! How’s everything going?”
“Not great, Mom,” she said, sighing. “Lucas’s mom came home like we all hoped she would, but she was not happy.” Then she told her about everything that went down just minutes ago.
“Oh, dear. That doesn’t sound good. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m a little offended that I needed to leave, but I understand.”
“Then you shouldn’t be offended,” her mother gently reminded her. “This is a family situation and even though everyone knows about it, his mother doesn’t realize that yet. And didn’t you tell me that the plan was for Lucas and his family to all sit down to a dinner together after the party?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so they’re getting a head start on it. I know you were hoping his mother would come home and be thrilled about the whole thing, but…if the marriage is as bad as she claims, I can see why she might not be thrilled.”
“According to Lucas, he didn’t think their relationship was that bad. He said…”
“He saw what his parents wanted him to see, Holly. They may have been putting on a good front for the sake of everyone’s feelings until they couldn’t do it anymore. You know there’s a chance that they are still going to get divorced and this is the last year of this party, right?”
“I know.”
“You can’t keep pushing this agenda because you like it,” her mother said slowly, carefully. “You’ve always said how much you love that party and how it was your time to get some quality time with Lucas, but the two of you are beyond that now. You don’t need the party. So if things don’t work out with his parents, then you are going to have to let it go.”
She sighed and nodded, even though her mother couldn’t see her.
“I’m sure everything’s going to be okay. Once Lucas and his sisters talk to their mother and calm her down, she’ll realize how sweet this whole thing was. Any word from their father?”
“Not yet. I’m kind of hoping that he doesn’t show up until a little later so they can calm Mrs. Brooks down first. I can’t even imagine how much she’s going to flip out when her husband walks through the door. Especially if he brings a date!”
“Oh, my. That would be a good reason for her to flip out.”
“I know.” Another sigh. “Thank you.”
“For what, sweetheart?”
“For you and Dad being such low-drama parents. I love that I know I can always come and talk to the two of you, and if the two of you are arguing, it never lasts long.”
“Well, that’s because one of us usually starts laughing. We can’t yell at each other without one of us cracking up because we know the fight is typically over something silly.”
“It’s one of the things I love the most about your relationship. You guys laugh and talk and do stuff together. That’s what I want.”
“And someday you’ll have it because you won’t settle for anything less.”
“I hope so.”
“So, where are you now? Are you on your way home?”
