3.
After a full day of decorating the house with the help from the two handymen, Chloe and her mom sat down in the front room and looked around at all of their hard work. The tree stood tall and proud in the widest corner of the room, and it glinted gold and red with each stunning bauble that reflected their bright fairy lights.
“I can’t believe Dad and Oliver got out of this, this year,” Chloe smirked. “They are definitely untangling the lights next year… no exceptions.”
Her mother laughed and poured them both a glass of red wine before slipping back into the big, soft cushions of the couch.
“Women do it best,” she said as she took a sip. “They only would have been in the way.”
Chloe smiled and nodded. Her mother was right there, for certain.
Oliver had always been a handful, and even though he was her younger brother and she enjoyed his company, she had been glad of just a day with her mom. It wasn’t often they spent so much time together, and after the night she had been through with Damon, the last thing she needed was Oliver or her dad asking questions.
“They’ll be home soon anyway,” her mom said as she got to her feet and stretched. “I better start thinking about making us something for dinner.”
Chloe got to her feet too and followed her mother through into the kitchen. There was something so magical about the house when it was decorated for the holidays, it made it feel so much warmer, so much more alive. She smiled as she looked up at the garlands trailing up the bannister rails of their huge staircase, and the candles that lit the way from room to room. Her family had never been the kind to do things by halves, and Christmas was one of the times when her mother really showed the world what they were made of. Nothing went untouched when it came to holiday magic.
Chloe sat down at the center island in the kitchen and sipped the warm red wine as she reached for her cell phone and looked at it for the first time that day. Her heart almost stopped as she saw that she had a missed call and a voicemail from Damon and she dropped the phone onto the counter and sighed.
“What’s the matter?” her mom asked with concern as she turned around and saw the ghostly expression on her daughters face.
“Damon,” she said quietly. “He’s tried to call.”
“I’m finding it hard not to ask what’s happened with you two,” her mom confessed. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
What could she tell her… that he was aggressive and possessive? That he drank too much? That he was generally the worst boyfriend she had ever had and she was frightened of him? After the lovely day they had had together the last thing Chloe wanted to do was concern her mom, and especially at this time of year.
“It just wasn’t right,” she shrugged. “I’ll be okay…”
She pushed the cell phone away and picked up her wine and sipped it slowly. Her heart was still pounding and she knew in that moment that maybe Damon wasn’t going to go so quietly after all. Was he going to make this hard for her? Would he start to harass her until she caved and took him back?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of her father and Oliver bursting through the front door in fits of raucous laughter. Their voices boomed down the hallway and they ‘ooed and aahhed’ at all of the decorations adorning the house.
“Well it looks like you two have been busy!” her dad exclaimed as he came through the kitchen doorway clad in a crisp suit and holding his briefcase.
Oliver followed closely behind him with a massive grin on his face and Chloe instantly knew why… he hadn’t had to help and he was relieved. She scowled at him and he slyly flipped her the bird.
“Looks good girls,” her dad smiled as he leant down and kissed her mom on the cheek and then came and gave Chloe a hug.
“Thanks Dad,” she grinned as she hugged him back.
“So what are we having?” he said as he undid his top button and tie and poured himself a glass of wine.
Oliver sat down with them and it was almost as if it could have been ten years earlier… her dad coming home from work and her mom cooking up a storm… Oliver tormenting her quietly behind their backs and Chloe in a funk over a boy. Yes, it was certainly a typical family evening! And even though she wasn’t feeling her best, she was glad to be there with them.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” her mom joked and they all moaned in unison.
As they all sat down around the dining room table and her mom placed a huge roast in front of them, Chloe felt again as if she had gone back in time. She really loved being at home with her family, even if they did drive her mad on occasions. She watched the way her dad shifted uneasily in his seat and she felt her posture tighten. If there was one thing she had learned being a part of this family, it was when someone was hiding something and working up to lower the boom. Her dad had been an expert at it his whole life and Chloe had learned early on that he was the type of man to throw surprises their way when they least expected it.
“So,” he said suddenly and Chloe felt her heart sink.
“Umm?” her mom smiled as she passed a bowl of red cabbage to Oliver.
“Well, I’m hoping none of you are going to bust my balls over this,” her father continued. “But I have to go away on Monday… for two weeks.”
“What?” Oliver said, as angry and shocked as Chloe and her mom clearly were.
“I know, I know…” he held up his hands as if he was surrendering. “I feel terrible about it, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“You’ll be missing Christmas,” Chloe said. “Can’t it wait?”
“It’s business,” he said sternly. “And no it can’t.”
“But George,” her mom interjected. “I mean… Christmas?”
“If I don’t go we won’t acquire our new offices in the Middle East. This is important Karen,” he said as he looked at Chloe’s mother with sad eyes. “I know its shitty timing, but it can’t be helped.”
Chloe felt her heart sink. She was just getting back into the family vibe, and now the head of the household was going to be disappearing on them over the holidays.
“But,” he said as he dabbed the corner of his mouth with a serviette and smiled wryly. “I have arranged something that will help soften the blow…” he winked as he trailed off and Chloe felt her disappointment peak into excitement… What did he have up his sleeve to make them all feel better?
Her dad looked at them all with his hands clasped together and sighed.
“I honestly do wish I was here to celebrate Christmas with you all,” he said sadly. “But, I thought if I’m not going to be here… then maybe you shouldn’t be either.”
Chloe looked at her mom with intrigue and then at Oliver… what was going on?
“So,” he dad continued, “I’ve leased out a luxury log cabin in Colorado for you all for the next two weeks.”
“Oh my God!” Chloe slapped her hands together! She couldn’t believe it. What perfect timing with everything that had been going on with Damon, she couldn’t think of anything better than escaping for a couple of weeks and spending the holidays in a luxury log cabin in the wilderness.
“George,” her mom smiled. “I can’t believe you’ve done this for us.”
They leaned across the table and shared a loving kiss and Chloe felt all of the sadness and dread that she had felt since the previous evening evaporate into thin air. If there was ever proof of a true love, it was her parents. And now she had her first adventure of her new life to look forward to… And she really couldn’t wait.