Page 73 of The Blessings of Christmas
“I’ve made an amazing comeback.”
Oh, yeah. They were definitely fooling around tonight.
“I’ll check the doors and turn the lights out,” Connor said, pulling away. “Don’t put on those flannel pajamas of yours.”
“Not at all what I had in mind.” She gave him a saucy smile. That short nap had worked miracles.
She was halfway up the steps when she heard Connor say from the kitchen, “Looks like we have a message.”
Leaning over the banister, she strained to hear. First the beep and then the message. No mistaking Angie’s high voice. A clutch at her heart and Amanda eased down the steps. This couldn’t be good.
“Hi, you guys. Just wanted to tell you that I can’t meet with you tomorrow. Something's come up. Something we should talk about.” Angie’s voice wobbled like she was nervous.
Like she expected them to be upset.
Amanda’s stomach tumbled into freefell. Once she reached the kitchen, Connor’s eyes were trained on the landline and the red light. Her breath came in tight bursts.
“Guess we’ll have to call her tomorrow,” Connor finally said, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. “It’s pretty late.”
She clutched the kitchen counter, the edge biting into her palms. “Let’s call McKenna, Connor. She’ll know what’s up.”
“That’s silly. I hate to bother her about this.” His brow furrowed.
“Connor, I need to know. Do you always have to handle everything yourself?” Her voice rose.
He wasn’t giving up and his jaw clenched. How she wished she could take back her shrill words. Reaching over, he switched off the kitchen light. “You know she can’t share any confidential information. Besides, chances are McKenna knows nothing about what’s going on with Angie. She would have said something.” He studied her face for a few beats. “Amanda, don’t do this to yourself. Don’t go from A to Z before we get the facts.”
The words hurt and she stiffened. “I’d rather take the disappointment now, Connor. Get it over with.”
His jaw dropped. “We don’t know anything.”
“You might not, but, Connor, I can feel it.” She pressed one hand against her thudding heart.
The phone rang but Connor had spaced out. Amanda picked it up. So few people called them on this landline.
“Hi, honey. Bet you’re surprised to hear from us.” Her mother sounded determined to be chipper. “We wanted to surprise you and drive up for the baby shower but the storm took us by surprise.”
“Where…where are you, Mom?” She could hardly get the words out.
Amanda could hear her dad grumbling in the background, saying something like “Only a fool would leave Florida.”
Her mother cleared her throat. “We’re in a motel in Kankakee. Not too far away, but we couldn’t make it today. All that snow. Wouldn’t you just know?” The genuine disappointment in her mother’s tone twisted something in Amanda’s chest.
So her parents really had planned to come?
“Why didn’t you RSVP, Mom? Connor’s mother thought you just ignored the invitation.”
The silence swelled for a couple of beats. “Oh, mercy no. We wanted to surprise everyone, sweetheart. That’s all.”
Sounded like something her mom would do. She’d always been one for surprises. “Oh, Mom. You were out in this snow? That’s so dangerous.”
Her parents weren’t used to driving in weather like this anymore. If they’d gotten into an accident trying to make it to this shower, she’d feel terrible.
“Hope the party was wonderful, sweetheart. I’ll call you again tomorrow once we get on the road, okay?”
“Mom, I have to work tomorrow and so does Connor. Would it be all right if I leave a key under the mat?”
“Of course.” The heartiness in her mother’s voice sounded more tired than true. “We’ll see you when we see you. Now don’t you worry about a thing. The roads should be better by then. We’ll just take our time.”
