Page 62 of A Holly Brown Christmas
“Holy crap!” Anna said, getting to her feet. “Did you know all that time, Mom? We talk every week and you never once mentioned that you and Dad were separating or that you were going to leave him! Every conversation was about the places the two of you were thinking of going and all the fabulous restaurants you’d been trying! Was any of that true or were you just lying so I wouldn’t suspect anything?”
“And you told me that you and Dad had started going for couples’ massages,” Kat interjected. “And that he surprised you with your new car last month. Was that all true or was this all part of some sort of guilt trip because he was screwing up?”
“I don’t like where all this is going! You’re all blaming me like I’m the problem! I have done so much for this family and always made sure our house looked beautiful for Christmas and that you had everything you ever wanted!”
While it was true, Lucas thought about Holly’s family and their holiday traditions.
“We didn’t care about how everything looked, Mom. It would have meant more if our traditions were about spending quality time together instead of making sure everything looked good in pictures. Not to sound too preachy, but…that’s not what Christmas—or any holiday—is all about. It’s not about material things or commercialism. Do you know what I found when I was decorating the house?”
No one answered.
“I found boxes of ornaments and holiday projects that Kat, Anna, and I made when we were kids. Things that should have gone on our Christmas tree. But they never did. In my entire life, I never remember seeing anything handmade on display.”
“They clashed with my theme, dear. It wasn’t a big deal,” his mom said flippantly.
“Maybe it was a big deal to us! Maybe it would have meant something if you had praised our efforts and appreciated them enough to put them on a tree. For God’s sake, we have five trees in this house! You couldn’t make one of them a personal one with our stuff on it? Or let us have personalized ornaments that commemorated times in our childhood?”
“We do that,” Anna said. “Every ornament on our tree represents something. I mean, we have a tree that is beautifully decorated that’s really just for show, but we also have a family tree.”
“So do we,” Kat said. “And the only reason I knew to do that was because of Drew’s family.”
“Same. David’s family had this giant Christmas tree with just a mishmash of ornaments on it. The first time I saw it, I was kind of freaked out. Then his mother explained it all to me and I remember thinking that I was going to do that with our kids.” She shrugged. “And we did.” She turned to their mother. “You made the holidays about you and your image, and you’ve always done it. We could never rip open presents; we had to carefully tear them open and not make a mess. Well, you know what? The kids hate that. We let them go wild at home before we come here and then my in-laws let them go wild with their presents there. But they know not to get too wild here at Grandma Camille’s house because she doesn’t like it. Are you seeing the problem, Mom?”
“I knew your father would turn you all against me!” she cried, forcing out a few tears. “I just knew it! He’s already ruined my life and now he’s ruining our relationships!”
“No, he’s not,” Lucas corrected. “Dad’s not here, and this has nothing to do with him. This is about the way you’ve treated us and the holidays our entire life! I had more fun making a mess around here and then turning it into something beautiful and magical than I thought I would. I told Holly how I used to go to school in the morning and then come home in the afternoon and the entire house was done, including the trees. I didn’t even know how to decorate a damn tree!”
His sisters both agreed.
“You have a choice, Mom,” Lucas went on. “You can stay for the party and be social and keep your commentary about Dad to yourself, or you can go back to Palm Springs or whatever other luxury spa you want to until after the holidays.”
“Are you forgetting that this is my house?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t forgotten anything. But you’ve taught us that this is our holiday tradition—this party, with this obscene amount of fanfare—is what we do, and we do it with a smile.” He pasted on his best fake smile. “We’ll dress nicely, we’ll remember our manners, and we’ll be social and festive. Why? Because that’s what you’ve always told us we have to do. But this year? I’m looking forward to it because I actually made this happen. I’m invested in it rather than feeling like a guest in my own home.”
“And I’m looking forward to it because Lucas has been sharing all his updates and I’m impressed as hell that he made it happen,” Anna said proudly.
“Me too,” Kat agreed. “And you may not believe it, Mom, but we genuinely did this because we hoped to get you to come home. We wanted to sit down with you and Dad so you can talk things out calmly and rationally. But…after the party. We’ve planned a family dinner for Sunday with just the five of us. Drew and David are taking the kids out for the day.”
The silence stretched on until it was almost painful. But then, finally, Camille spoke.
“Fine. I’ll come to the party. But as a guest. If you didn’t use my people, then I don’t want to have anyone associate me with the disaster this is certain to be. And as for dinner, that’s fine. I’ll even contribute to the meal. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stay at the Umstead because I don’t feel welcome in my own home right now. I’ll see you at the party.”
And with her head held high, she exited the room.
No one spoke until they heard the front door close.
“She doesn’t feel welcome in her own home?” Anna repeated. “And she’ll contribute to the meal? What does that even mean?”
“It means Mom’s bringing her spinach dip and passive aggression, which means Dad’s bringing wine and thinly-veiled hostility,” Kat replied with humor and a hint of sarcasm. “Anyone else super glad we did this?”
Lucas groaned. “I’m second-guessing all of my life decisions right now. That didn’t go even a little like I thought it would. I didn’t expect her to be so defensive. I thought she’d appreciate the gesture that we were carrying on the tradition.”
“Instead, it pissed her off. This party needs to be flawless, Lucas,” Anna said firmly. “So if there are any cracks or any things you or Holly are second-guessing, we need to get ahead of it right now!”
Before he could respond, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
At the same time, his sisters’ phones all chimed.
