Page 61 of A Merry Irish Christmas
‘Aren’t we going to try it now?’ Evan asked.
‘You should really wait for it to cool before you cut it. But since this is your first attempt, I suppose we could make an exception.’
She unwrapped the bread and cut a quarter, and they ate it, still steaming, with butter melting into the soft dough. The crust was crunchy and delicious.
‘Wow, I can bake bread!’ Evan said. ‘Who knew? I can’t wait to make this for my friends back in New York.’
Mary felt a little pang, wishing she’d be there to see it. ‘Well, it’s always good to learn a new skill.’
‘I should put it on my résumé.’
‘And now if the whole acting thing doesn’t work out, you’ll have something to fall back on.’
21
Mary had to admit this was a pretty perfect Boxing Day. They ate overstuffed sandwiches and thick slabs of Christmas cake nestled together on the sofa in front ofMiracle on 34th Street. Mary had been pleased that Evan had not only wanted her to join him, but had chosen to sit right next to her when he could have banished her to one of the armchairs. She’d thought he might want to put more distance between them after last night’s almost-kiss, and she was glad it hadn’t caused any lingering awkwardness.
‘I love Christmas in New York, don’t you?’ she said as the closing credits rolled. She put the TV on mute.
‘Yeah. I don’t usually spend the holidays in the city, but I like the build-up.’
‘Where do you usually spend Christmas? Do you go to family?’
‘No, I don’t have any family.’
‘You… weren’t adopted?’ she asked tentatively, aware that it might be a sensitive subject. ‘Sorry, you don’t have to answer that,’ she added quickly.
‘No, it’s fine. My parents died when I was thirteen, so I was a bit old for adoption. I stayed with a couple of foster families until I was old enough to live on my own.’
‘You don’t have any other family?’
He shook his head. ‘No. Unless you count Arnold,’ he added. ‘Or the guy at the bodega where I get coffee.’
Mary smiled, but she felt sad for him. It sounded lonely.
‘I usually make myself scarce for Christmas. Last year I went to Mexico and spent it on the beach.’
‘On your own?’
‘Yep.’
‘So even when you’re not hiding out from the paparazzi, you still go off somewhere on your own for Christmas? You must have friends you could spend the holiday with.’
‘Sure. I have a couple of standing invitations, but no one really wants the orphan around bringing the vibe down.’
‘Of course your friends want you around.’
‘Nah. People say they’d love to have you, but they don’t mean it. It’s cool,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I get it.’
‘It’s not all about you, you know.’
He frowned. ‘Meaning?’
‘Have you ever thought how disappointed they might be when you turn them down? That maybe they do mean it and they’re hoping you’ll say yes?’
‘Not really. I know they’re just being kind. I’m sure they’re relieved when I don’t take them up on it.’
‘It doesn’t occur to you that maybe they’re asking you because they enjoy spending time with you? Because they think it’d be fun to have you there?’
