December 12th
Jordyn balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear as she dug the party invitations from her purse. They had all of eight days to get these invitations to the people who needed them. Of course, she didn’t think for a second that any person who got an invitation to the Marcello Christmas party would refuse, but they were kind of running short on time.
With a stack of envelops in hand, she moved to the back of the line inside the large post office. Her sister-in-law chatted away in her ear.
“He’s just …”
“What?” Jordyn asked.
“In such a mood,” Catrina muttered.
“Really?”
“I know, it’s not like Dante at all.”
Not really, no. To outsiders, sure. Dante Marcello could come off as cold, aloof, and distant. It was his own way of protecting his family. To his wife, kids, and anyone inside their family? Dante was far warmer.
“He’s snapping at every little thing,” Catrina admitted.
Jordyn frowned. “Maybe he needs a break, Cat.”
“Life is a bit too busy for breaks, isn’t it?”
“We all need them occasionally.”
“Sure, but how do I explain that to my very difficult, stubborn husband who wakes up at five every morning, runs for an hour on the treadmill, drinks his coffee by seven sharp, and has the rest of his day planned out by the hour?”
Jordyn let out a little laugh.
Catrina had a point.
“Well, I don’t know. I suppose that’s something you’ll have to figure out.”
“You’re no help, Jordyn.”
“Hey, I am just trying to get these damn invitations out for the party on time. Don’t ask for too much from me right now. I’ll probably end up missing Lucian’s call today, actually. This line is so long.”
“Sorry.” Catrina made a noise under her breath. “Bad time of year, I suppose. Everyone is busy, and rushing.”
“Cecelia does this every year, though.”
“She does, but she’s also done it for three decades, Jordyn.”
“Truth.”
“I’ll let you go. I need to get on the phone with the caterer, anyway. Finish up those details. At least it’s a caterer Cecelia likes.”
Jordyn snorted. “Yes, when it’s other people’s parties.”
“I think she’ll just be happy to have a party at all this year.”
Well, that’s what they were all hoping, really.
“All right. Call me later if you need to rant about Dante again,” Jordyn said.
Catrina laughed lowly. “Will do.”
“MA!”
The girlish screech on the other end of the phone made Jordyn wince. Good God, Catherine had a set of lungs on her. Everybody in their family thought the girl was a lot like her mother, but louder and with a touch of her father to color her up.
No one dared to tell Catrina that her daughter was just like her, though.
“Okay, the principessa calls,” Catrina said with a sigh.
“Give her kisses for me.”
“Will do.”
Jordyn hung up with her sister-in-law, and then checked the line. She had barely moved at all. In fact, there were four lines altogether, and every single one of them went all the way back to the front of the building. Four more people had come in to stand behind Jordyn. Almost everyone in front of her had a box filled with stuff to mail.
Presents, likely.
Catrina was right.
This was a busy time of year.
Oh, well.
Jordyn didn’t have much of a choice but to wait. She would definitely be missing Lucian’s call, though. That made her a little sad.
She was still counting down her days.
Waiting on him …
• • •
Jordyn groaned in relief as she kicked off the heeled boots in the entryway of her home. She nudged the toe-killers into the corner, and vowed never to wear the damn things again if she knew standing for long periods of time was a good possibility. Her feet ached, and her toes felt like they were broken.
She swore the bigger the price tag on a pair of shoes, the more uncomfortable they could be. Yet, she loved the stupid things enough to keep buying them.
Plus, they made her legs look great.
After she put her bag and coat away, Jordyn headed for the kitchen. She found the phone blinking with a missed call. The familiar number made her frown.
The jail.
Still, it seemed Lucian had left a message. She opted to listen to it now and if everything was okay, she could play it for the kids later once they got back from Giovanni and Kim’s place. Hitting the play button, Lucian’s voice filtered through the speaker.
“Missed you again, Jordyn. Let the kids know I love them. I’ll call tomorrow. I hope they like the early surprise Santa left for them and you. Ciao, amore.”
Jordyn’s brow furrowed.
What surprise?
Nothing had looked out of place in the entryway, and not in the kitchen. Her front door had still been locked when she finally got back home from the post office. She had no idea what Lucian was talking about, but she supposed that was probably his point.
She would figure it out later.
While she had the house to herself for a little bit, she had other things to do. Pick up toys, vacuum floors, and strip some beds. The chores never ended, really. They had a twice a week maid, but that was only because Lucian got irritated when Jordyn tried to do everything herself. She got irritated when the maid tried to do more than Jordyn wanted her to.
It was a delicate line.
She headed for the living room to pick up the mess of toys Cella had left earlier in the day. She only took one step inside the space, and froze right where she stood.
When she left that morning, their Christmas tree had been empty underneath it. All of the kids’ presents were safely locked away in her walk-in closet, needing to be wrapped and labeled. Some from her and Lucian, and some from Santa.
Now, however, what had been bare space under the Christmas tree was full of gifts. Small, and big. Gold, red, silver, and blue wrapping papers. Long boxes, a couple of bags with tissue paper sticking out of the top, and ribbons tied to each gift. A bow accompanied each gift, too.
Jordyn stepped forward, and reached for a folded up card that rested on one of the bigger gifts. Opening it, she found a sweet note staring back at her.
Merry Christmas, Marcellos.
Santa had to help Daddy this year.
We hope you don’t mind!
XOXO
Jordyn smiled, and held the card a little tighter between the tips of her fingers. She recognized the handwriting on the card as her father-in-law’s. Antony was one of the few people who did have access to their home with a spare key.
Wow, Jordyn thought as she looked over the gifts.
Lucian figured out a way to help and kind of be present, after all.