“Bullshit,” she said as I kept walking. “I’ve seen your house! There’s Christmas lights everywhere. You can see it from a mile away.”
“First of all,” I said, backing toward the door. “Outside lights are Cody’s domain. Take that up with him. And second of all, you’re the only one around here that can successfully make the clubhouse look festive.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she yelled as I pushed the door open with my back and stepped outside.
I grimaced as cold air hit my face and neck and hurried over to Callie’s car.
“Coffee,” I reminded myself, reaching into the front seat for her to-go cup. It had gone cold, probably hours ago, but she wouldn’t care. Hell, she probably wouldn’t even heat it up. Setting it on the roof, I looked in the back window for another grocery bag. I knew I’d grabbed the bananas from my house, because I’d been so damn proud that I’d bought them early and hid them long enough that they were ripe and soft.
Just as I spotted them halfway under the passenger seat and opened the door with a sigh of relief, I heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway behind me.
“Hey, Ma,” Charlie called after I’d grabbed the missing bananas and shut the door. “You need help?”
“Where were you a few hours ago?” I joked. “We had like fifteen bags to unload then.”
“I was working,” Charlie replied happily. “But now I’m off until next week.”
“Nice,” I said, smiling as I looked her over. I couldn’t believe my baby was all grown up. I’d had the kids so far apart that I’d spent over thirty years raising them and the house seemed too quiet now. “Are you coming to dinner tonight?”
“Nah,” she shook her head. “It’s gonna be a lot for them already, you know?”
“Yeah,” I said as we walked side by side back toward the clubhouse.
“You and Dad are going, though, right?”
“We’ll be there,” I confirmed. “This is the longest day in the history of days.”
Charlie laughed. “I hear ya. I figure the boys will come find me after the festivities are over tonight.”
I was sure they would, too. Charlie and my oldest grandsons were only a couple months apart and they’d grown up in each others’ pockets. Almost every memory I had of my youngest included the boys, too. As pre-teens, they’d added Callie’s granddaughter Kara to the mix, and the trio had become a quartet—sometimes a quintet when her other granddaughter Rebel was around. Rebel was probably bouncing off the walls with nerves and excitement, I thought. I needed to remember to check on her later.
“Have you seen Kara today?” I asked quietly.
Charlie shook her head. “She was asleep when I left for work and she was gone when I stopped by the apartment to change.”
“She showed up earlier looking for Mack,” I said as Charlie opened the door and let me walk through. “She looked like shit.”
Charlie sighed. “Yeah, I know,” she said, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. “I wish I could just stay out of it, but that’s pretty much impossible. She doesn’t listen to a word I say, though, so I’m not sure I’ll do much good.”
“Just be there,” I said, remembering every time Callie ignored my advice and every time I’d ignored hers. “That’s all they need.”
“Well, that’s easy,” Charlie replied, grinning. “I know shit is going to hit the fan soon, but I’m so fucking excited.”
“Me, too, baby,” I said as we entered the kitchen.
“I thought you were just getting the bananas,” Callie said, her face lighting up as she caught sight of Charlie. “This is way better.”
“Hey, Aunt Callie,” Charlie replied, walking over to give my best friend a hug.
“I also brought coffee,” I sang snarkily to myself, setting it on the counter.
“What are you up to today?” Callie asked. “Trying to waste time?”
“Pretty much,” Charlie said with a laugh. “I figured I’d see if Reb wants to go with me to finish Christmas shopping.”
“You know she will,” Callie replied. “I’ve never met anyone who loved shopping for other people as much as that one.”
“She’s the best of us,” Charlie said lightly, hopping up to sit on the counter.
I rolled my eyes and smiled when Callie didn’t immediately bitch at her for taking up precious workspace.
“Have you seen Kara?” Callie asked.
My baby girl laughed and glanced at me. “Mom just asked me the same thing.”
“And?” Callie prodded.
“I haven’t seen her today,” Charlie said. “But I live with her and watched her drink herself stupid last night.”
“Did you guys go out?” I asked as I grabbed a knife out of the cupboard.
“Of course not,” Charlie replied with a scoff. “Kara doesn’t go out. Ever. She drank herself stupid watching TV and passed out on the couch.”
“Maybe things will be different now,” Callie said softly, reaching over to pat Charlie’s knee. “Give it a little time.”
“If you say so.”
“People deal with shit in the way that makes sense to them,” I reminded Charlie for the thousandth time in the past four years.
“She hasn’t dealt with it,” Charlie argued.
I knew that. It was why all of us worried. Nodding, I got to work on my last pie. I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Callie finish before I did.
Chapter 4
Kara
Past
“I can’t believe they flipped a coin for me,” I said, rolling my eyes at Charlie to try and hide how nervous I was. I’d amped myself up so badly that my stomach rolled with nausea as we waited for the boys to pick us up.
“They’re assholes,” Charlie said easily. “It’s not like the four of us won’t stay together the whole time anyway, unless they find some poor, unsuspecting dateless girl to woo.”
I laughed, but the sound was hollow.
I was in a dress that made my boobs look awesome and my waist look tiny. My normally straight hair was a tangle of curls. I’d done my makeup flawlessly and I’d replaced my normal Chapstick with bright red lipstick. Bottom line, I’d never looked prettier in my entire life. If the boys ditched us—if Curtis ditched us—while I looked like this? I would know for sure that nothing would ever happen between us. Part of me thought that might be kind of a relief because I could finally move on, but the rest of me was wound so tight at the thought of it that I hadn’t been able to eat all day.
“Dipshits are here,” my dad said, striding into the kitchen where we were sitting. He stopped me as I got up to leave. “You know the rules. Stay with the boys and Charlie. No ridin’ with anyone that’s been drinkin’. Don’t ever take a drink or a smoke from someone, not even if you know ’em. Men are disgustin’ and boys that age are worse.”
“No Solo cups,” Charlie added helpfully as my dad paused long enough to take a breath.