Page 62 of A Merry Irish Christmas
She could tell by his expression that it hadn’t. ‘Who are your friends? The ones who invited you?’
‘Josh and Amy. Josh is my best friend. We were room-mates in college.’
‘And Amy is his wife? Girlfriend?’
‘Wife.’
‘Do you get on with her?’
‘Yeah, I love Amy. She’s great.’
Mary liked the unabashed way he said it.
‘They got together in college, so I’ve known her as long as he has. We hang out together a lot, the three of us.’
‘Did your ex get on with them?’
‘Yeah… they got on well enough. Though I guess she didn’t want to hang out with them as much as I did. We spent more time with her friends. They were single, like us and none of them had kids, so they could be more spontaneous, whereas Josh and Amy needed to make plans. Olivia wasn’t very sympathetic to babysitting issues.’
She sounds like a real gem, Mary thought, but she said nothing. She got the feeling that by talking it through, he was starting to realise things he might not have been so conscious of when they were together.
‘Amy and Josh have a child, then?’
‘Yeah, Oscar.’ Evan smiled fondly. ‘He’s just turned two. I’m his godfather and honorary uncle.’
‘Well, I bet Oscar would have loved to have his Uncle Evan around for Christmas.’ Evan clearly loved kids and she’d seen first-hand how good he was with them. It was sad he didn’t get to spend Christmas with his godson, who he obviously adored.
‘He probably would. He always wants me to sleep over whenever I visit.’
‘Well, there you go.’
‘But that’s easy for him to say – he’s not the one cooking andmaking up beds.’ He laughed. ‘Actually, that’s not easy for him to say. He’s only got a couple of words.’
‘Well, I’m sure your friends would love to have an extra pair of hands. You could help out with the cooking and keep Oscar amused for a while so they could have a break and get on with stuff. And they obviously love having you around. Maybe Josh and Amy were excited that they’d finally get to have you for Christmas this year when your plans changed at the last minute.’
A slow smile spread across his face and she could tell the idea pleased him. She was glad. She loved his smile, and she especially loved when she made it happen.
‘Who was the other one?’ she asked.
‘What?’
‘The other person who invited you for Christmas?’
‘Oh, it was a neighbour – Mrs Leonardi, an Italian lady from down the hall. That was definitely a pity invite. I don’t know her very well, so it would have been super awkward.’
‘You can’t assume it was a pity invite. Maybe she asked you because she’s lonely and wanted the company.’
‘Maybe,’ he said, frowning and narrowing his eyes at her.
‘Instead of always assuming people are reaching out because they feel sorry for you, you should consider that it might be because there’s something missing in their own lives. Maybe they’re asking for company, rather than offering it.’
‘Now you’re making me feel guilty for abandoning a lonely old lady at Christmas.’
‘Sorry.’
‘It’s fine.’ A grin spread across his face. ‘Mrs Leonardi has a massive family of children and grandkids who are always visiting her. She was going to her daughter’s place in Rhode Island this year and invited me along.’
‘Oh, I’m glad to hear it. I was starting to feel bad for hermyself.’ Mary yawned and stretched. ‘So, what’s up next?Home Alone 2: Lost in New York?Die Hard?It’s A Wonderful Life?’
