Page 59 of Bear with Me
"I'm not saying you have to be best friends." Michelle stared across the table at her son, and his shoulders deflated even more. "Be kind to her. Invite her to play with you and your friends." She shifted her gaze to Petra.
"I do!" Petra's bottom lip quivered. "She doesn't want to play with me."
Michelle nodded. "She doesn't know you, that's all." Her gaze shifted back to Liam, and his chin puckered. "I don't know Violet's parents, but I'll ask the school when we get home. It sounds like a playdate is in order."
Petra clapped her hands, and Liam looked relieved.
Nora smiled at her daughter-in-law. "That's a wonderful idea."
Walter hid his smile behind his hand as he shoved another bite of stuffing in his mouth.
"Yeah, great idea, Michelle," Dan said from his spot at the foot of the table, across from Zander.
Nora scowled at him, but she said nothing, to everyone's relief. She wouldn't change overnight, but she was working on it. Maybe when Zander and Dan's daughter, Nina, was old enough to thaw her heart the way Liam had, she would lighten up even more.
Despite our early-morning antics and the food coma I should have been in, I couldn't sleep in Ollie's old bedroom. He snored softly beside me, and I stared up at the ceiling, my mind racing.
The clatter of pots and pans drew me to the kitchen. I found Nora spreading coconut oil on her baking sheets.
"I thought you'd be passed out by now," she said. "I'm making your chocolate chip cookies."
"Want some help?"
She grinned at me. "I'd love some."
Working with her in the kitchen reminded me of the quiet ease Ollie and I had. We didn't need to speak beyond quickdirections of who was doing what. Once I finished stirring the dough with the electric mixer, we each took out a spoon to roll the dough into balls.
"I'll get there with Dan eventually," Nora said as she placed the first ball on her cookie sheet.
I snorted and nudged my arm against her shoulder. The ball she was rolling slipped out, and she shrieked. I caught it before it hit the floor, and we laughed.
"You're great with the kids," I said.
"They look up to me. I didn't realize how much until Petra asked me why I don't like her mom." She sniffled. "I love those kids, and I love how wonderful Michelle is with them and with Walter. She's nothing like me, and we'll never be friends, but she's a great mom and partner."
My throat was too tight for words. I nodded and dropped another ball of dough onto my cookie sheet.
Finally, after the cookies were in the oven, I tried again. "My parents would have loved Ollie. All of you, honestly."
Nora curled her arm around my middle and tugged me in for a hug, even though we were both covered with flour and splatters of dough. "This time of year must be hard for you."
I nodded, though she couldn't see me. "It is. I thought I could handle last year alone, but?—"
She hugged me tighter. "That's why fate brought you and Ollie together. It hurt like hell when he missed our family Christmas, but you found each other. That's all that matters."
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, though it was hard for me to see.
"Thank you for inviting us into your family." Cassie should have been here for dinner, but she'd stayed up all night on the 23rdto finish her final paper for the semester. She texted to say she would be here early Christmas morning.
"You and Cassie are easy to love," Nora said. "Your parents must have done a great job raising you."
"They were the best." I sniffled.
"So were mine." Nora hugged me close one more time, and then she turned away, yanking the electric tea kettle from its moorings and starting the cold water in the sink. "Let's have some tea and share stories while we wait for Santa to come."
I couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve.
EPILOGUE
