Chapter 26

Naomi shuffled into her mother’s kitchen just after seven A.M. on the day before Thanksgiving and was immediately met with chaos. Amy and Becca were sitting at the round table drinking coffee with their mother while their kids ran around the house like prepubescent marathoners.

“Good morning, sweetie. Sleep well?” her mother asked when she caught sight of Naomi.

No. “Yes.” Naomi’s old bedroom was exactly as she’d left it, lumpy twin bed and all. Trying to get comfortable on it was like trying to relax on a rumble strip. “What are you guys doing here already?” she asked her sisters as she poured herself some Raisin Bran.

“Plotting our assault on the mall for Black Friday,” Amy said as she leafed through a circular.

“Jesus, you still do that?”

“You can get some great bargains,” her mother replied before pointing to something in a catalog, causing Naomi’s sisters to lean in and begin chattering about whether anyone really needed a Roomba.

Naomi settled herself on a stool at the island and began eating her breakfast.

As one of Naomi’s nephews zoomed past, Becca grabbed him. “Henry, is that chocolate or poop?”

Henry giggled, causing Becca to grumble and pull his hand to her nose so she could sniff it. “You go wash your hands right this second.”

Naomi watched Henry dart off toward the bathroom. “Part of me wants to know which it was and the other part wants to forget I ever heard that conversation.”

“It was chocolate. Don’t be such a baby,” Becca scolded.

Naomi made a face behind her sister’s back, which immediately made her feel twelve years old again, but she couldn’t help it. Being back in this house was like entering a time warp. She was instantly thrust back into the role of bratty baby sister as soon as she walked through the door. Her niece Skylar skidded around the island and slammed into Naomi’s chair, causing her to drop her spoon and spill some cereal in her lap.

“Sorry, Aunt Naomi!” Skylar yelled as she ran from the scene with her siblings and cousins hot on her heels.

Naomi silently counted to ten. She loved her nieces and nephews dearly, but Christ, they were wild.

“Are you coming with us, Naomi?” her mother asked.

Grabbing a napkin from the counter, Naomi wiped at her pajama pants. “Where?”

“Shopping on Friday.”

“Uh, no. You three are professionals. I’m not on your level.”

“Oh, then maybe you could watch the kids,” Amy said, her voice pitched with excitement. “My in-laws always complain about watching all of them.”

“Don’t you have husbands?” Naomi asked.

“The guys all go fishing the day after Thanksgiving. Which you’d know if you came home more,” Becca grumbled.

“Has anyone ever told you how delightful you are when you’re pregnant?” Naomi asked. Becca glared at her, to which Naomi said, “Guess there’s my answer.”

“Girls, it’s Thanksgiving. Can’t we get through one holiday without you fighting?” her mom asked.

“It’s not Thanksgiving yet. So there’s still hope.” Naomi spooned cereal into her mouth as her mother released a put-upon sigh.

“You’ve certainly picked up quite a bit of sass since moving to Vermont.”

“I wasn’t being sassy.” Naomi turned her attention to Amy. “If you leave me alone with the kids, I’m feeding them nothing but sugar until you get back.”

Amy shrugged. “That’s not any different from their usual diet.”

“Then I guess you’ve got yourself a babysitter.” Naomi got up and placed her bowl in the sink before heading back to her room. Once there, she plopped down on her bed and grabbed her phone. She was feeling…surly. And since there was no one better to be surly with, she pulled up Sebastian’s name and sent him a text.

I finally found something to be thankful for. Dealing with you for the past couple of years has made interacting with my family a walk in the park.

She rolled over and pulled the covers over herself as she waited for Sebastian’s reply. They had texted here and there since they’d exchanged numbers during the snowstorm, and Naomi enjoyed it more than she’d ever admit out loud. Especially here, where she craved the normalcy of a grumpy Sebastian.

Naomi had always felt out of place in her family. She was so different from the rest of them. It wasn’t until she’d moved to Vermont and started at Hainamor that Naomi had finally felt like she fit in somewhere. She craved that sense of belonging now, even though it was difficult to believe it was coming from Sebastian. She wondered—and not for the first time—if it was smart for her to get close to Sebastian. After all, they were still competing for the Distinguished Professor Award, which wouldn’t be all that important if it weren’t for the opportunity it provided to make her wildest dream come true. Naomi had spent most of her twenties wishing for the one thing that she never had the right set of circumstances to bring to fruition. And now here she was, with only Sebastian standing in her way. Though she couldn’t for the life of her view him as an obstacle. Not anymore.

Her phone chirped with a reply.

Glad I could be of service.

A second message followed moments later.

Have you ever thought about who the common denominator in all of these dysfunctional relationships is?

Naomi found herself smiling at the gibe. He really was such an endearing asshole.

Are you calling me dysfunctional?

If the straitjacket fits…

Naomi laughed out loud. I may be ready for a straitjacket after I babysit my sisters’ kids.

Unacceptable. When you finally lose your mind, it needs to be in Vermont so I can witness the event.

I’ll try to hold off then.

Now I have something to be thankful for this year as well.

Shaking her head, she typed out a goodbye to Sebastian and put her phone on the bedside table. She contemplated going back to sleep when there was a knock on her door. “Yeah?” she called.

“Mom needs our help,” Becca said through the door. “The UPS guy just delivered a bunch of boxes and we need to hide them before Dad wakes up.”

Naomi groaned as she stood and trudged to the door, swinging it open. “I’m not enabling her shopping addiction.”

Rolling her eyes, Becca put a hand on her hip. “Stop acting all holier than thou and get out here.” Not waiting for a reply, she disappeared down the hall.

Naomi looked heavenward, said a quick prayer for strength, and followed her sister.