December 9th
Jordyn shot Catrina a look, and then Kim. Neither of her two sisters-in-law said a word as Cecelia continued talking. This was far out of the norm for their mother-in-law. What she was proposing didn’t even sound real.
A party.
Them.
Planning it.
Only them planning it.
“So, are you girls up to it?” Cecelia finally asked.
Cella was trying to climb up Jordyn’s leg, so she opted to use her daughter as a halfway decent distraction while she answered her mother-in-law. “Of course we can, Cecelia.”
“Sure,” Cat said right after.
“Uh,” Kim deadpanned.
Cecelia’s gaze darted to what she probably took as the weakest of the three. The rusty chain. The weak link. The one out of the three girls who was most likely to drop out of the whole shebang. Even if Kim was none of those things.
Her mother-in-law was like a damn shark in the water. She could smell blood from miles away.
Right now, by the look on Cecelia’s face, Kim was bleeding out like a gutted pig.
“Uh, Kim?” Cecelia asked.
Oh, they loved their mother-in-law. Cecelia Marcello had given them all the most wonderful gifts in the world. Husbands she had raised to be good, decent men. Unconditional love because she treated them like they were her daughters from her body. A mother.
More than anything else, she gave them a mother.
That didn’t mean they pretended like their mother-in-law wasn’t just a tad bit too anal. That she sometimes got picky on the details. Or that she liked to do all the things only her way.
“Uh,” Kim repeated, her gaze darting to her sisters-in-law, and then back to Cecelia just as fast. “You’re actually going to let us plan it?”
“Yep,” Cecelia said with a nod.
“All of it?”
“That’s what I said, Kim.”
“Because you’re too busy.”
“Okay, now you’re just parroting stuff back to me, sweetheart. We already went over all of this.”
“Because you’re going to keep being busy,” Kim added, not missing a beat.
“Kim!”
Kim busted out laughing, and in seconds, had everyone else in the room laughing, too. “Hey, it’s fine. I was only joking with you, Cecelia. We can have this all planned and ready to go, no worries. Do you have a theme or anything you want to go over with us?”
“I’m letting you three take the reins on everything.”
Jordyn gave a little cough. “Everything?”
“Every detail. I would prefer that you make homemade food for the guests, but I know we’re running short on time. Usually I start prepping for these things a couple of months ahead of time. So this year, cater in.”
“Red and white would be a nice theme,” Cat joined in with a smile.
“You just have a thing for red,” Jordyn told her.
Her oldest sister-in-law didn’t even deny it. In fact, Catrina waved her painted red stiletto nails, and her ruby lips curved in a knowing grin. “Well, sì, Jordyn.”
“A little gold, too, maybe?” Kim asked.
“That would be nice,” Cecelia said.
Catrina shrugged. “They did decorate Tuxedo Park in the red and white theme this year, so it would match. We all know Cecelia has a whole attic full of fifty years’ worth of Christmas decorations, so we won’t be without things to decorate the main rooms for the party.”
“With new items, please,” Cecelia said. “Always with some new items.”
Jordyn dictated a few things into her phone, and then looked up at the rest of the women in their family. “So, that’s it?”
“Yep.” Cecelia didn’t look like she entirely believed herself when she said it, but she nodded anyway. Like maybe she was trying to make herself believe what she was saying. “That’s it.”
“Cecelia, we can handle this,” Cat assured.
“No problem,” Kim echoed.
“When is the party date?” Jordyn asked. “The one you wanted to have?”
“I was thinking the twentieth.”
Jordyn didn’t even have to do the math. Her whole life was becoming a ticking clock, counting down minutes, hours, and days until her husband was back home. He wasn’t going to be home for the party, or even for Christmas, but she still knew what was coming without having to think on it too hard. She knew because he wasn’t going to be there.
Brushing off the sadness that had now taken up residence in her mind and heart, Jordyn said, “Eleven days.”
Cecelia frowned. “Not enough time, I think.”
Cat shot Jordyn a look that was matched by Kim’s.
Shut up, they screamed silently.
Do not get her worked up about this.
“Cecelia, we have got this handled,” Jordyn assured.
Somehow.
It was only after the girls were sure that Cecelia was too far from the kitchen to overhear them did they finally get to really talking.
“Eleven days,” Catrina said to both Jordyn and Kim. “Christmas is five days after that. Eleven days.”
“It’s a little last minute,” Jordyn agreed.
Kim waved it all off. “Whatever. We’ll delegate some tasks. Each one of us can take a few things to do, and we’ll go from there.”
“I like that idea.”
Cat sighed. “Jordyn, take invitations because you’re good with design and colors and all that. Cecelia has a whole list of people with addresses. If you go to that shop in Manhattan, they’ll print them and customize envelopes with addresses the same damn day. You’ll have to personally mail them, though.”
“What’s the name of the place?”
Catrina rattled off the store name. Jordyn typed it into her phone.
“Catering will be easier,” Kim pointed out.
“I will deal with the caterer,” Cat said, “and I will handle some sweets. The least we can do is give Cecelia something homemade, from us, to have at the party. As much as she says she doesn’t mind—”
“She does,” Jordyn and Kim said in unison.
“Yep.”
A few more minutes passed with the girls discussing which tasks were going to who. Once they were done, and satisfied they had this last-minute party handled, Jordyn stood from her chair, ready to get a start on everything.
“By the way,” Kim said, looking at Jordyn over her shoulder, “how is Lucian doing?”
“Okay.”
Cat made a face as she shrugged on her jacket. “Missing his family, Dante said.”
Jordyn swallowed hard. “Yeah, that too.”
“When are you going to see him?”
“Antony is supposed to take me and the girls up tomorrow. John hasn’t decided if he wants to go or not.”
Kim frowned. “Every time he comes over to hang out with Giovanni and Andino, he looks so sad.”
“He misses his dad,” Jordyn said. “A lot.”
“Let us know if you need anything,” Catrina told her, “anything at all, Jordyn.”
“I’m doing okay.”
“Still. Let us know.”
“Absolutely,” Kim echoed. “I can even take one of the girls, or both of them on a weekend, if you need a break or something.”
“And you know Dante will be happy to take John,” Cat added.
This was why Jordyn loved her family. Her world had stopped for a short time. Theirs kept moving. They still slowed down to remember her, her struggle, and her kids. It’s what family did.
Or, it’s what their family did.