Page 62 of The Blessings of Christmas
“Poor people,” Maureen clucked. “They won’t be getting home any time soon.”
They settled in front of the TV in the family room, munching cookies and watching the news. Cozy between Harper and McKenna, Amanda could have fallen asleep.
Then McKenna jostled her elbow. “Time to hit the road. Want a ride home, Amanda? My jeep is just about as good as a snowmobile in weather like this.”
“Right, and it’s orange.” Her dad laughed. “No one’s going to run into it by mistake.”
Darkness had fallen by the time they were ready to leave. Amanda gathered her things.
“See you soon, Harper.” She gave her younger sister-in-law a quick hug and assured Maureen and Big Mike they’d be here on time tomorrow for the shower. “I hope everyone can make it.”
“You know any Kirkpatrick who stays home because of a little snow?” Big Mike cracked. “Not gonna happen. Don’t you worry.”
“You look so tired, sweetie,” Maureen whispered when she helped Amanda on with her jacket. “Those students are wearing you out. Go home and get a good night’s sleep, you hear?”
“Right, Mom.” But she couldn’t tell Maureen that a lot of her misery came from arguing with Connor. The overhead light in the hallway detailed every wrinkle on Maureen’s face. Connor and the boys were no doubt responsible for more than a few of them, but Maureen never complained. Was Amanda becoming a whiner? “Um, did you by any chance hear from my parents?”
Maureen shook her head. “No. Not yet.”
Amanda looked away, embarrassed. How could Mom and Dad just ignore the invitation when this baby meant so much to her? The distance her parents were putting into their relationship hurt. “See you tomorrow, okay?”
The cold air slammed her once they got outside. When McKenna yanked open the front door, the jeep squealed in protest. But the engine started right up. Grabbing a brush, Amanda helped sweep off the snow. The temperature hovered around fifteen degrees and she thought of her own car sitting on that side street overnight. They’d practically have to chip the ice off when they finally got to it Sunday morning.
“The windows are clear enough,” McKenna finally announced. “I’ll blast the defroster and let it do the rest of the work.”
Shivering, Amanda jumped into the front seat. McKenna barreled out of the snow ridge made by the latest plow, and they were on their way. The inside was still far from warm and the two of them shivered. McKenna took the road like she was leading the Nascar pack.
The streets were empty, shrouded in white. “Christmas in Chicago,” McKenna said when they stopped for a light. “I think Harper has the right idea, staying in Savannah.”
“You must miss her.”
The light changed, and McKenna grinned as she plowed through another snowdrift. “I do but I sure enjoy visiting her. That’s the upside.”
So strange to see Harlem Avenue this deserted, without the usual backup of traffic when they came to Lake Street. Chicago had called a snow emergency and everyone was at home unless they had an urgent reason to be out in this mess.
“Are you sure you’ll make it downtown tonight? You could always stay at our place,” Amanda offered, since McKenna lived on the North Shore.
“No problem.” McKenna wore a secret smile.
“Logan’s waiting for you.”
The flush that tinted McKenna’s cheeks was not from the frigid air. “How’d you guess?”
Sometimes it felt creepy to be talking to the woman who dated Amanda’s new fertility specialist, but McKenna had been the one to link her up with both Angie and Logan Castle. “I have so much to thank you for, McKenna.”
“Happy to do it, Amanda. Angie just happened to be in my natural childbirth class. I’d been working with the social worker to get her out of an abusive situation when the issue of her finding a good home for her baby came up. And when I got to know Logan better, I realized he’s had success with his fertility clinic. Another natural match, that’s all. You’ve been patient, that’s for sure.”
“Not patient enough. Your brother doesn’t think so.”
“Connor likes everything done yesterday.”
“He’s used to calling the shots.”
“This was one situation where Connor had no control, as much as it killed him,” her sister-in-law pointed out.
“It was tearing him apart,” Amanda murmured, thinking of his clenched jaw and quiet evenings.
“Connor has a sensitive side, but what the rest of the world sees is him leading the charge. He’s the guy who comes through. Every time.” McKenna had more than a little pride in her voice.
