Page 15 of Promise Me This Christmas
“Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop has the best hot chocolate in town,” Amy agreed.“And remember they also have a chocolate-making event at their store this evening.Your Christmas Countdown package includes admission to this, but you still need to reserve your spot, so I recommend you phone or drop in as soon as possible this morning.”
“What do you think?”Marjorie asked her husband.
“I’m game.But didn’t you say you wanted to video-call Rachel?”
“Oh yes.We should do that before dinnertime.Rachel’s our youngest,” she explained to Amy.“She’s spending Christmas with her boyfriend’s family and her older brother, Samuel, is in Australia on a work exchange program.This is the first time the four of us aren’t going to be together as a family for the holiday.”
For a split second it seemed her smile was crumbling, but then it expanded, and in a too-bright voice, she added, “So Peter decided to surprise me with this wonderful Bramble House Christmas—just the two of us.”
“How romantic,” Amy said, while privately she shuddered about the prospect of a time when she and Chet would have to share Robin with another family.
“I figured for once Marjorie could relax and enjoy the holiday instead of going crazy with all the Christmas baking and decorating and cooking.”
Marjorie patted his cheek.“Be careful or you’ll spoil me, Peter.”
“You deserve it.”
The two of them were clearly still devoted to each other.Amy hoped the same would hold true for her and Chet in twenty years.
“How about you, Gibson?”she asked.“Do you have plans for this morning?”
He adjusted his glasses and gave a slight sniff.“I’ll probably check out your local library.The selection you have here is quite limited.”
Well gosh, this man sure was a headache in the making.What did he expect from a small B & B library?Fortunately, Amy’s brother saved her from having to reply.
“There’s a great Americana section,” Carson said.“I’m rereading Walt Whitman’sLeaves of Grass.”
“We studied that in high school, didn’t we?”said Larkin.“The local authors section is good too.I’m really enjoying the Bramble family history.It kept me up far too late last night.”
“And I found a Stephen King I haven’t read yet,” added Ethel.“He’s my favorite author.”
To think elderly Ethel Carrillo was a Stephen King fan.You never knew, Amy thought.But she was grateful so many of her guests had nice words to say about their library.Maybe they found Gibson as obnoxious as she did.
“One last thing before you go,” Amy said.“I want to remind you that we’ll be hosting a Christmas tea from two to four tomorrow afternoon in our sitting room and library.It’s a ticketed event, included in your package, if you’d like to attend.”
“We’d love to go,” Marjorie said.“If you’re comping our tickets, we’ll make a nice donation.Didn’t you say the proceeds are used to help disadvantaged kids attend Chet’s rodeo school?Anything that gets kids off their devices and enjoying fresh air and exercise is worth supporting in my books.”
“Plus it helps keep the rodeo tradition alive in Montana,” Carson added.
Amy waited for Gibson to make a disparaging comment about crowds and being inconvenienced, but all he did was frown.As guests began to disperse, he remained behind, and when they were the only two left in the room, he held his coffee cup up to her.
“I didn’t want to complain in front of all your guests, but an Americano is supposed to be made with espresso beans.”
This was too much.Amy’s smile stiffened.“That’s how we prepare our espresso.We use a rich, chocolatey espresso bean roasted right here in Marietta.”
He raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing her.“If you say so.But I’ll be making a stop at the Java Café before going to the library.”
Amy set her teeth as he left, holding back on a very unusual impulse to say something childish like:Our espresso is just as good as theirs!
But as she was clearing off the table, she noticed neither of the Kettles had finished their lattes either.
*
“What would youlike to do this morning?”Larkin asked her grandmother as they paused in the hallway, with Carson lingering around them.He clearly wanted to talk to her, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.Their conversation last night had been unsettling to say the least.It had been her ruminations about the past, not reading about the Bramble family’s history, that kept her awake far too long last night.
It had been distressing to hear his side of their breakup.Why had they both been so stubborn, so proud?A good conversation between the two of them would have prevented so much heartache.And yet the heartache had been real and had left deep wounds, at least in her case.
“I did my morning stretches before breakfast,” Gran said.“Now I’d like to sit and relax with my book.I’m sorry to be so boring.”
