Page 20 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“I know the feeling all too well,” I said. I definitely never thought I’d be modeling at this age. In fact, I’d been told countless times over that I was well past my prime and pursuing this career was foolish. But I kept booking shoots and ads, and like Joe said, if the money was good now, why not take advantage of it?
We turned down Kelli’s street. I inched forward, peering out my window as Kelli turned into the driveway.
“Wow,” I breathed. “It looks exactly the same.”
“Yeah, I guess it does. Minus the new garage door.”
I looked the house over. It was a stunning old colonial that had been remodelled when the Rollins family purchased it ages ago. The white siding was a crisp white that matched the thin layer of snow on the grass on the front lawn. The windows were framed in black shutters which matched the black front door. The same gold lion head knocker sat below the peephole, just like I remembered.
I got out of the car. The air was clean, fresh, familiar.
Kelli got my suitcase out of the back as I admired the white fence and the detached garage. She was right. The door was new. Where it used to be black and solid wood, it was now black and set with frosted windows to give it a more modern feel. Kelli’s dad probably did it so that he had more natural daylight when he worked on the cars in there.
Poor Mr. Rollins.
Kelli and I walked up the drive and in through the front door. The smells I’d been anticipating, pine and cider, greeted me with a wave of nostalgia. “It smells so good in here,” I practically moaned.
“You know how Mom gets this time of year. Come on. Let’s get a cider, and we’ll get comfy in the living room.”
I glanced to my left, through the open rounded archway into the living room. It was stunning, just as I remembered. The couches were still the same off-white ones that had been here when I lived in this house. They were covered in various pillows in shades of red, green, and gold. A couple were plaid. The coffee table was decorated with a plaid runner and had a centerpiece of a glass vase filled with greenery and Christmas ornaments inside it.
Unlit candles were placed on every surface. The fireplace was massive and white brick. To the left of it was the Christmas tree, standing tall and elegant in the frame of the living room window.
I let my purse slide off my shoulder and put it on the couch as I walked by to stand in front of the tree. “It’s beautiful. This might be your mom’s best tree yet.”
“It’s a good one. So full and green. She added a bit more gold ornaments this year that really make it magical. Here, let’s turn the lights on.” Kelli came over and slid her foot under the white tree skirt. She stepped on the same switch I used to use to turn the tree on, and the lights winked to life, casting the living room with a warm, festive glow.
My heart swelled. “Thank you for inviting me, Kelli.”
Kelli wrapped her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulders. “You’re always welcome here, Lina. You don’t have to wait for an invite to come home.”
Home.
I hugged her back. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s get that apple cider. I’ve been thinking about it since I left the airport. There are also some butter tarts and lemon squares. Oh, and Nanaimo bars. Want some?”
“Um, yes. I want all of them.”
“Good answer.”
I followed Kelli into the kitchen. It was the same as I remembered, too. White cupboards below black quartz countertops with flakes of silver glitter in them. Judy had impeccable taste. Kelli turned on the element beneath the pot of cider and covered it with a lid. Then she opened the freezer and took out the assortment of treats, placing them on a festive serving tray with a laughing Santa Claus and a bashful Rudolph.
When the cider was warmed, she scooped some into crystal mugs for us, and we went to the living room and curled up on opposite ends of the sofa.
My first sip of cider had my taste buds working overdrive. It was so damn good. And it tasted like memories. I remembered sitting in this very spot, sipping cider, talking with Judy and her husband Neil the night before my very first Christmas at their house. They’d incorporated some of my family traditions into their own, like opening a new set of pajamas on Christmas Eve and wearing them to bed to lounge in them all day on Christmas day. They had also introduced me to all of their traditions, like stocking stuffers and Christmas crackers at the dinner table.
Sitting with the Rollins had been hard that night. They made me feel welcomed, but I missed my parents, and Christmas was especially hard the first time you went through it after losing a loved one. Kelli and Judy were going to figure that out this year. My heart ached for them both.
And for myself.
Neil had been a joyful presence in the house. He’d helped me with many things, including navigating some bullying in high school and stepping in to be the one to set guidelines with boyfriends and curfews. At the time, it annoyed the hell out of me, but now, I could see it for what it was: love.
I tucked my legs up under myself and sipped more cider from the very edge of my mug. It was so hot, it almost burned.
Kelli was watching me over the rim of her own mug.
“What?” I asked curiously.
