She tried to picture him pushing the card through the door in the middle of the night. Had he ever sent a Christmas card to anyone before now? She couldn’t imagine him writing any out as a teenager, and ever since he’d been avoiding the festive season like the plague.
“Is it from him?” Deenie asked.
“Yeah, it is.” Caitie slid her fingers over his words, reading them again. This time a smile broke out, curling her lips up, whether she liked it or not. The fact was she did like it, very much.
“He must have been up early. Or late. Either way it was nice of him.”
“Yes, yes it was.” She hugged the card close to her chest.
Her dad chose that moment to walk in, stopping to give his wife a kiss on her cheek before ruffling Caitie’s hair. “Merry Christmas, ladies. Caitie, I’m so glad you’re here with us this year.”
She looked around the old familiar kitchen, warmth coiling inside her. “So am I.”
* * *
It was almost lunch time when the doorbell rang, making Caitie jump as she set the table, only three places now that Lucas was a married man. She looked up, her fingers still wrapped around a fork handle, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Brecken, Merry Chri… oh my, where did you get that?” Her mom’s voice echoed from the hallway. Caitie frowned. What on Earth did he have that made her mom falter? It took her less than a minute to find out, as her mom led him down the hallway and into the dining room.
The sight of him made Caitie’s mouth drop open. Where he’d only had tired lines and shadows before, was now a fresh, shining black eye.
“Ouch.” She winced. “That looks painful.”
He walked toward her, stopping a few feet short of where she stood. In spite of the black eye, he was smiling, his wide grin making his eyes crinkle. “Nothing more than I deserved.”
“Where’d you get it?” She was a little breathless. The way he was looking at her – bruises not withstanding – was making her heart speed up.
“At Walmart. They were selling two for one. I thought I’d save the other for later,” he joked.
“A bargain.” She grinned and shook her head. “Now seriously, who hit you?”
“Lucas.”
That shut her up. Her eyes widened as she took in his words. “My brother hit you? Why?”
“I told him about us. And I told him how I left you the night before the wedding. Then he tried to hit me and I stumbled into the door jamb. It wasn’t either of our finest hours.” He grinned sheepishly.
“You guys are crazy.” She reached up, her fingers gentle as she stroked the edge of the blackness. “We need to put something on your eye before it gets any worse.”
Breck shrugged. “I kind of like it. A badge of war or something. Anyway, it was worth it to come clean to your brother and make our peace. He’s my closest friend, I owed him the truth.” He tipped his head to the side, staring at her. “You don’t mind me telling him, do you?”
“I…” She blew out a mouthful of air. “I don’t think I mind.”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“I’m not sure of anything right now.”
Deenie walked in, carrying their old medical kit. Though she hadn’t seen it for years, Caitie recognized the red box right away. She’d seen it enough as a kid.
“I thought you might need this, young man.” Deenie said. “I’ve got some ointment in there somewhere. And I made you an icepack. Now sit down. Honestly, I thought you were thirty, not thirteen. What the hell are you doing getting into fights at your age?”
Breck sat there patiently while Deenie cleaned him up, all the while huffing and puffing about him having more muscles than sense. By the time he was all bandaged up, Caitie was smiling in spite of herself.
“So, I guess I should leave you two alone,” Deenie said, looking from left to right at them. “Dinner’s going to be another hour. You’ll be joining us, won’t you, Brecken?”
He glanced at the decorations hanging from the tree in the corner, his face turning pale. “Um, yeah. That would be great.”
“Just a simple dinner,” Deenie continued. “Ham and potatoes. It’s only the four of us so no party here.” She didn’t have to tell him they wouldn’t make it too festive, they all heard her subtext. Breck gave her a relieved smile.