Carolyn’s lips curved, and Ron could tell she was pleased by Haley’s sincerity. “You’re welcome.”
“My grandmother tried to teach me to knit when I was a girl, but I could never quite get the hang of it. I know I’d never be able to knit a pattern this intricate.”
Ron was amused to see his mother actually preen a little. “It wasn’t an easy pattern,” she admitted frankly. “Had to put in some late hours to finish it since Ron didn’t give me a lot of notice that he was bringing you. But I wanted you to have something nice to open.”
“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble. But I’ll treasure this.” Haley was already looping the scarf around her neck, even though it was warm enough in the room without it.
“Maybe I can give you a few pointers about knitting sometime. It’s really not all that difficult. Your grandmother probably just didn’t know how to teach it.”
“I’d like that,” Haley said simply, though Ron doubted she believed that knitting lesson would ever actually happen.
Deb was looking at Haley with a slight frown. Maybe Haley’s visible pleasure in the gift made Deb aware of her own less-gracious reaction. “You never taught me to knit, Mom.”
“I tried, didn’t I?” Carolyn retorted. “You wouldn’t sit still long enough to learn. Never would listen when I tried to tell you anything.”
Ron made an effort to quickly lighten the mood by tossing his own red scarf around his neck with a flourish. “Thanks, Mom. Now all I need is a bull to fight.”
“Bullfighters don’t wear scarves, Uncle Ron. They wear capes,” Kenny piped up.
“Smart boy,” T.L. approved with a nod for his oldest grandson.
“You don’t let them watch bullfights, do you, Debra? That’s much too violent for children.”
Deb sighed gustily. “Of course I don’t let them watch bullfights, Mother. Honestly, what a question. He’s only seen matadors on cartoons.”
“Sounds like you’re letting them watch violent cartoons.”
“How do you like the earrings I got you, Mom?” Ron asked quickly. “Haley helped me pick them out.”
“They’re nice,” his mother replied. “A little bigger than the ones I usually wear. Guess I can wear them to church. Lord knows I never get to go anywhere else where I can dress up nice.”
Haley made a little sound beside him that might have been a hastily swallowed chuckle. He didn’t dare look at her, or he’d bust out laughing and they’d both be in the doghouse.
“Oh, wait, I forgot. I brought something for the boys,” Mick said, bounding to his feet. “Left them out in my truck. I’ll run get them.”
The boys bounced excitedly, eager to see what else they’d collected for this early Christmas celebration.
Mick returned quickly, bearing an enormous stuffed animal beneath each arm. A purple gorilla for Bryce, and a big orange dinosaur for Kenny. The toys were almost as big as the boys, themselves—and looked suspiciously like giant carnival prizes.
The boys fell on the toys with hoots of delight, wrestling with their huge new friends on the carpet.
“Mick, what were you thinking?” Deb scolded, holding her hands to her face in distress. “How are we supposed to get those home? They’ll take up the whole backseat of the minivan.”
“We’ll manage, Deb,” Luis murmured, his expression rueful as he looked at his future stepsons, who clutched their newest toys possessively in response to their mother’s criticism.
“Honestly, Mick, sometimes you just don’t use good sense,” his mother chided, looking in disapproval at the gifts.
Ron couldn’t hold it in any longer. He started to laugh, and a moment later heard Haley giggling beside him. Mick joined in, proving he’d known all along exactly what reaction the outsized toys would receive from Deb and his mother. Luis looked as though he would like to laugh, too, but didn’t dare, while Deb and their mom watched them all in exasperation. But Ron thought he saw his mother’s lips twitch before she turned away to start gathering the discarded wrapping paper littering her carpet.
Chapter Ten
The boys finally gave in to exhaustion and were tucked reluctantly into bed for naps after the gift exchange. Deb and Luis planned to spend the night and leave for Florida the next morning.
“Don’t know why you and Haley don’t stay, too, rather than going out in that nasty weather,” Carolyn grumbled to Ron as she served coffee to the adults in the living room. She’d set out Haley’s candies on a holiday plate on the coffee table, and Ron noted that his dad was helping himself liberally to the fudge, despite the huge meal they’d eaten so recently.
Carolyn noticed, too. She reprimanded her husband for eating too many sweets, then moved the plate a little closer to him so he could reach it better.
“We can’t stay, Mom,” Ron said. “We both have to be at the hospital very early Monday morning. Before dawn. And we have shelf exams in two weeks, so we need to study as much as we can tomorrow.”