Page 47 of Holly Jolly Heresy
“Is she here?”
All eyes turned to Caleb where he stood trying to catch his breath in the doorway at Lemon and Thyme. His friends were already gathered around the cluster of tables Jamie and Tessa had pushed together to accommodate their large number, the smell of rosemary, sage, and garlic hanging in the air. Caleb scanned everyone gathered around Ethan and Hannah. He’d clearly interrupted something, but he was struggling to care. Molly hadn’t shown up at Mass and if she also wasn’t at family dinner...
“Is who here?” Tessa asked, glancing around.
“Molly.”
Gavin moved towards his brother, holding out a wine glass. “No, she and Jo haven’t gotten here yet. Why don’t you come in and have a drink?”
“I don’t want a drink.” He shrugged off his brother’s well-intentioned hand on his shoulder as he headed for his sister-in-law, the person in the room who knew Molly best. “Is she coming?”
Kyla’s eyes grew wide and darted between the other women, as though the answer to Caleb’s question might be written on their foreheads. “I—I think so. She didn’t say anything about not coming tonight.”
“She and Jo did cancel our shopping trip, though,” Sabrina offered.
“Did you try calling her?” Tessa asked.
“She didn’t answer,” Caleb said. “She said she’d come to Mass, but she didn’t. And now she’s not here either—”
“What happened?” Gavin asked.
“I don’t know! One minute we were great and the next—”
“We?” Ethan’s eyebrows shot up his forehead.
Caleb looked between his friends, each of them madly in love with someone who, on paper, they weren’t supposed to be with. Each of them happier than he’d ever seen them. His attention caught on Hannah’s hand, held out in front of the other women. “Is that—Did you guys get engaged?”
Ethan’s chest puffed up, a grin spreading across his face. “We did.”
“Congratulations.” He wanted to be happier for them, to celebrate with them, but all he could think about was the very real possibility he’d never get the chance to propose to Molly. She was running away and he couldn’t figure out how to stop her.
“Wait, we’re not talking about them right now. Sorry, guys,” Jamie said to Ethan before turning back to Caleb. “Right now, we’re talking about you and Molly and why you’re bursting into family dinner like someone set your house on fire.”
“She—I—”
Where was he even supposed to start?
“He’s in love with her,” Gavin answered for him.
“Obviously.” Baz took a sip of his Scotch, arching an eyebrow at Caleb over the glass as though he dared the priest to argue with his assessment of the situation.
“But that’s a good thing!” Kyla squealed. Then, taking in Caleb’s tortured expression, “Right? I mean, she’s in love with you too.”
“You all have justknownthis?” Caleb sputtered.
“Pretty much,” Sabrina said as she took a seat on Baz’s lap. Baz smiled at her in a way he reserved solely for his wife. Caleb’s chest burned with an uncomfortable mix of envy and longing.
Just then, all of the women’s phones dinged at once, a cacophony of electronic notifications sounding. “So much for a scandal-free holiday. We have to go,” Kyla said as she continued reading her screen.
“Is it Molly?” Caleb asked, stepping closer as his brother protested, “But it’s Christmas Eve.”
Tessa sighed and stuck her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. “Jo’s calling in backup.” She kissed Jamie quickly as the women gathered their coats and bags. “I’m not sure how late we’ll be, so don’t forget, you need to pick Julie up from Cheryl and Ricky’s by ten.”
“I won’t forget our daughter on Christmas Eve,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes. He lowered his voice, as though they couldn’t all hear him. “Don’t stay out too late. You promised we could try out your new present tonight.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ethan swore. “How many times do I have to tell you not to say that shit to my daughter when I’m around?”
Neither Jamie nor Tessa looked terribly contrite despite their mumbled apology. As the women headed towards the door, already speculating about what exactly could require Jo to call in the cavalry on Christmas Eve instead of coming to family dinner, Kyla paused at Caleb’s side. “It will be okay.” She squeezed his forearm. “Whatever happened, it will all work out. You’ll see.”
