“Have fun with your aunt,” Bryan bent down to kiss her lips lightly once more, standing under a pool of light on the porch.
“Have fun with your family.” Mia pulled back, wrapping her arms around him again, hugging him close.
“See you soon,” Bryan said with a small wave before trotting down the steps to his car.
“I love you!” Mia called, springing on her tiptoes, waving.
“Love you more!” he called back as he slipped behind the wheel.
Mia watched as his tail lights took the turn and disappeared from sight, feeling like part of her heart was missing, gone away with him.
~ * * * ~
Mia pulled the heavy cardboard boxes out of storage one by one, carefully hauling them up the steep stairs to the kitchen. Ginny unpacked each ornament, stocking, decoration with dedicated care.
“It looks good.” Mia stood back, her hands raw from the pine needles, balled into fits on her hips.
They’d spent the morning decorating the house, tying bows and sprinkling fake snow across the mantle, righting the tree and icing it with hundreds of blown glass balls in every shade of the rainbow. It was a real winter wonderland, one that even Sophia would approve of. It felt festive and bright, an air of cheer blown through the house. A pair of heavy live wreathes hung from the door, and Mia wrapped thousands of twinkling lights around the pillars. Ginny had changed the linens in the guest room to festive soft flannel sheets with fat snowmen and jolly Santas dancing across.
“Real beautiful, Mia.” Ginny nodded in agreement.
Ginny was busy melting chocolate on the stove for her famous hot cocoa when the head lights swept across the yard.
“Aunt Soph is here!” Mia screamed, launching herself through the door out onto the porch.
“I always forget how long it takes to get here,” Aunt Sophia laughed, half running to Mia and smothering her in a huge hug, rocking her left to right. “Look at you, so much like Jenna!” She kissed her cheeks and hugging her again.
In all the years Mia had known Sophia, she never changed. She still had a sleek, freshly cut blond bob, bright, lightly tanned southern skin with heavy dollops of pink on her full cheeks, hopeful eyes and a perfect smile hidden behind her heavily lipsticked pout. She was heavier now, rounder and soft, but perfectly tailored in her neat pant suit and huge down parka with real mink cuffs.
“You look good.” Mia smiled, hugging her back.
Caleb dutifully unpacked the trunk, while Harlen and Thomas lugged the expensive luggage and dozens of perfectly wrapped presents to the shelter of the porch. Mia appraised them. Younger than her, they were tall and lanky boys, good looking and tanned with good southern manners, shy and polite, she’d have to make sure to invite them to a party and show them off. Gabe had told Mia that they looked like their father, but Mia had never met Sophia’s ex-husband, Alex, and didn’t know for sure how true that was.
Sophia still owned her boutique, which had gone all but global, written up in decorating magazines as the place to go for hidden treasures in the South, she was wildly successful and each bit was hard earned and well deserved.
“Guys, put the luggage in the guest rooms and the presents under the tree, then you can go into the basement and play those damn video games,” Sophia instructed, linking her arm though Mia’s and starting up the porch towards the brightly lit house. “That’s the good thing about having all those boys, built in helpers,” she giggled lightly.
Ginny and Sophia hugged for a long time, and lapsed in to chatter about Sophia’s flight, the store, Ginny’s family and her holiday plans, which included two long weeks of travel, visiting her children spread coast to coast.
“That’ll be wonderful!” Sophia enthused.
“I’m lookin’ forward to all them grandbabies.” Ginny’s eyes seemed to light up behind her readers, “I miss ‘em all the time, they are growin’ up so darn quick.”
“Believe me ... I know how that feels. Even when you see them every day, it’s like, wow, they’re getting so big, so grown up,” Sophia agreed, looking towards the basement door where the sounds of rapid machine gun fire and screams of dying men filtered from.
“So Mia.” Sophia sat down beside her on a bar stool, a cup of hot cocoa in her hand. “Tell me, how is life?”
“It’s good,” Mia answered quickly.
“And how’s the boyfriend?” Sophia nudged Mia lightly, encouraging her, winking at Ginny.
Mia blushed almost painfully, knowing her relationship with Bryan had become the fodder of cross country gossip. “He’s wonderful. He’s with his family in Oregon for the holiday.”
“So I won’t be meeting him?” Sophia took a long swallow of hot cocoa.
“No. He left this morning, he’s gone for two weeks.”
“That’s too bad. I was looking forward to getting to know this Bryan character.” She frowned.
“He’s great. Isn’t he great Ginny?”
“He’s a good young man, comes from a good family,” Ginny agreed, loaded down with the three mugs for the boys.
“That’s great Mia, I’m very happy for you honey.” Sophia patted Mia’s back tenderly. “And you’re taking things … slow?”
“Aunt Sophia!” Mia blushed again hotter than before, flustered.
“Well, are you? I’m not here to be the heavy, honey, really I’m not. And, I’m not trying to embarrass you or put you on the spot or make you uncomfortable. But I’m your aunt and I’m trying to make sure you’re doing what’s in your best interest. I’m also the mother of three boys and God knows I have a handle on where their minds are ... I’m guessing this Bryan fellow is even beyond that,” Sophia explained, leveling Mia with a no nonsense stare.
“Yeah, we’re taking things slow.” Mia lowered her head, concentrating on a her fingernails, avoiding eye contact.
“So, no need for a refresher course on the basics and how to be … mature … about things?”
“Oh my God, I am not talking about this. We’re not ... doing … that, we’re not doing anything!” Mia face felt feverish and she wiped her clammy hands on the legs of her jeans.
“Okay, okay.” Sophia held her hands up in surrender. “So, then tell me, how’s your Dad?”
“Oh, oh, oh! I met Kris!” Mia announced, looking up, her lips pulled into a small smile.
“You did? When?” Sophia asked. Her lack of surprise let Mia know that Sophia probably already knew.
“Last weekend. We went into Seattle and I spent the weekend with them there,” Mia explained.
“How was it? Did you like her? Tell me everything!” Sophia beamed, clapping her hands together, interlocking her fingers, resting her chin on them, fully engaged.
“She was really nice. She took me to the spa and we got facials, pedicures and I had my eyebrows waxed. She helped me with my Christmas shopping. Dad’s different with her. Happy. He laughs all the time, and I can tell she really cares about him, too—which makes me feel better about things,” Mia gushed.
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful!” Sophia smiled, taking a small sip of her cooling cocoa.
“I know, right? I was really hesitant. I kept having these visions of her being like some Wicked Witch of the West—literally—but she wasn’t … she was really, actually, very cool.”
“That’s great. Really great. Gabe deserves that,” Sophia nodded.
“Hey, Aunt Soph, did you ever ... you know ... date ... after your divorce?” Mia asked hesitantly.
“A little. Nothing ever became serious,” Sophia answered thoughtfully, running her finger over the rim of mug. “I am married to my business, and my boys take up a lot of time, those two halves equal my whole—I don’t need more than that. I dated ... still date ... casually, of course, and I enjoy that for what it was—the fun of it, the novelty of it. But, the relationship part of my life—that serious, love of my life, marriage and children and death do us part—that was over for me when Alex left.”
Mia understood, she had always
figured her father felt much the same way after her mother died, until he mentioned Kris and brought her into Mia’s life.
“Did the boys ever meet any of your boyfriends?” Mia asked curiously, wondering how it worked for other people.
“Oh sure. Sometimes. When the guy would come to pick me up, the boys would be home with a babysitter,” Sophia grinned wistfully.
“And they were just cool with it? It never bothered them?”
“You have to remember, Mia, Alex remarried right away ... The boys were young, it seemed very normal to them for Alex and I to have other ... relationships, other people in our separate lives. It took some adjusting in the start, but by the time I got back out there, they were pretty stable with the fact they were loved no matter what.” Sophia nodded.
“Do you think Mom would want him to fall in love and get remarried?” Mia asked, curious to know what Sophia believed to be true.
“I think she would.” Sophia nodded, her lips turning down into a thoughtful frown. “She loved your father very, very much, they were best friends above and beyond all else. She wouldn’t want him alone for the rest of his life. She worried about him and hoped he’d be happy again someday.”
Mia bobbed her head in agreement. “Did you know about Kris?”
“Yes, I did.” Sophia raised her cup to her lips slowly.
Gabe and Sophia spoke often, about Mia and life and sometimes Jenna. Their once cool relationship had warmed up significantly, and they learned to lean on each other. They counted themselves as family, closely bound family, each the extension of what they had left.
“And you didn’t tell me!” Mia felt outrage bubble in chest, she always believed Sophia was honest with her and would tell her everything. This felt very much like a cruel deception.
“It wasn’t my place to tell you, sweetheart. Don’t be angry with me. That was between you and your father. I suggested, many times, really, that he tell you. But, he wanted to be sure Kris was … the right person ... before he brought her into your life. And not to mention, when they met, you were only like what? Thirteen?”
Mia strummed her fingers against the cool, dense stone. “I thought they were together for only like a year or something?”
“I think they were friends first.” Sophia shrugged lightly, tucking a corner of her bob behind her ear, a fat diamond stud sparkling in the low light of the kitchen. “He’s been very careful with you Mia.”
“I think they’re going to get married,” Mia concluded, looking at her aunt for a reaction, but she sat motionless, cryptic with stillness.
“And how would that make you feel?”
“I don’t know. I mean, yeah, I like her. She’s cool enough and she makes my dad happy. But, I like this life too—as it is, right here, in this home. I don’t want this to change.” Mia gestured wildly, grandly swooping her arms to show that her life, her home, were the things she wanted to keep intact.
“And you think any of this—all of this—would change?” Sophia asked quizzically.
“How could it not?” Mia asked, resting her chin hopelessly in her hands.
“Well, for starters, your Dad likes this place.” Sophia pointed out.
“But he loves her!” Mia protested, trying to show that the house, with it sweeping views and beautiful furnishings and comfortable spaces wouldn’t be enough to hold him.
“I think you’re jumping to conclusions. You need to talk to him about this before you go making yourself crazy over this, honey” Sophia shook her head slowly, patting Mia’s arm softly.
Sophia heaved herself off the stool. “I’m going to get changed. If the boys get too loud just yell at them.” She winked, walking slowly from the room.
~ * * * ~
Port Angeles was covered with a dusting of dazzlingly white snow as Christmas morning dawned. Gabe stood over the stove, bacon sizzling and popping under his watchful eye, a felted Santa’s hat sat on his head. Mia popped several sugar crusted muffins out of their pan and onto the special holiday platter they only used this time of year. Fruit was sliced and set out with the good silver servers and a tray of bagels with tubs of cream cheese set beside it.
Harlen was busy separating gifts, squealing over the bounty Santa had left for them all. Sophia had managed to coax Thomas and Caleb from their beds and was now stirring a spoonful of sugar around her coffee waiting, laughing gamely at Gabe’s Christmas get up.
“A Santa’s hat?” she snickered, dribbling cream into her steaming cup.
“It’s tradition, have some respect,” Gabe laughed, soaking the grease off the bacon with a festive paper towel.
“Dad, the tables all set.” Mia washed her hands in the sink and helped herself to a cup of coffee.
“Since when are you a coffee drinker?” Gabe asked, eyeing Mia as she poured a bucket of sugar into her mug.
“Light and sweet,” she announced, sipping it, the grainy sludge slipping down her throat.
“Just like Jenna,” Sophia observed.
The room fell silent. Holidays were still hard without Jenna flitting around the house, singing Christmas carols off key and spiking the egg nog. She had loved Christmas, the rare type who enjoyed the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the wrapping and baking and celebrating. It was hard not to feel her absence today of all days.
Even when she had been sick, she still put together wonderful holidays. She’d deck the house out with fluffs of white manufactured snow, she’s hang beautiful blown glass globes from the tree in festive colors. And of course, place the red felted hat on Gabe’s head for good measure. It was harder as the disease progressed, but she never let the importance and wonder of season slip by uncelebrated.
“Should we eat?” Mia offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence by reaching for a fat muffin.
“Sure,” Gabe smiled weakly, moving the platter of crispy bacon to the center of the table, pulling out a chair and settling in.
“Have you heard from Kris?” Mia asked conversationally, taking a healthy bite of the white chocolate blackberry muffin still piping hot in the middle.
“I did, she landed late last night. She said it’s warm there and not very Christmasy if you need snow to set the scene.” Gabe piled his plate with bacon and bagels smeared with cream cheese and golden raspberry jam.
“She had a safe flight?” Sophia asked biting down on her own bagel.
“Yes, a little snow delay in Chicago, but no big deal.”
“Hey, hey boys? We’re going to be opening presents after breakfast ... so don’t get sucked into those games, okay?” Sophia grabbed the back of Caleb’s shirt mid stride and rolled her eyes. Carrying heavy plates of food they were descending into the basement.
“Mom,” Caleb whined, twisting away from her hold.
“I’m just saying ... I don’t want to hear any of that ‘one minute, mom’ stuff this morning ... no ‘let us just finish this level …’ It’s Christmas, okay?”
“Got it,” he called back, trudging down the stairs, the TV was already blasting the start up song for whatever mass murder, hunt and destroy game they were playing.
“Boys.” Sophia rolled her eyes again, shrugging her shoulders.
~ * * * ~
The family dissolved into a mess of torn wrapping paper and piles of boxes. Laughter bounced off the wall as everyone was busy trying on clothes, holding up gifts and smiling for posed pictures.
“Honey, this is for you ... from Kris.” Gabe held out a large square box for Mia.
“Really?” Mia asked, taking the heavy present in her hands, carefully pulling back the paper. “Oh my God, really? Wow! This is so cool!” Mia held up the expensive, obviously professional, camera for everyone to see. “Dad, this is great! I should call Kris and thank her ... Wow!”
“She thought you’d enjoy it,” Gabe said smiling, gathering wads of discarded paper and shoving deep in a trash bag.
“I can’t wait to use it!” Mia beamed, opening the box and looking at the confusing, thick manual.
/> “Kris said she’d show you all the tricks and stuff when she comes up next weekend.”
“She’s coming? Next weekend?” Mia asked, still distracted by the tiny print.
“Yes, hon. We discussed this, remember? I figured you’d want to show her the ropes here,” Gabe gently reminded her.
“Sure, cool.” Mia replaced the manual, latching the box. She reached for the last present, her gift from Bryan.
“What’s that, doll?” Sophia asked
“It’s from Bryan, he left it for me before he went to see his grandparents.”
“That was very thoughtful of him,” Sophia commented, glancing at Gabe with appreciation.
Mia carefully undid the wrapping and lifted the lid on the tiny red velvet jewelry box. Inside, nestled on a bed of creamy raw silk, lay a beautiful necklace. Emerald green and ocean blue stones bezeled in hammered silver twinkled under the light of the Christmas tree. A thickly knotted silver chain traced its way behind the bedding, coiled at the bottom of the box.
“Wow.” Mia undid the bindings and lifted the necklace up to look at it more closely. The stones were cut in all shapes and of various sizes, pears and cushions, princess and ovals all danced together creating an intricate web.
“That’s beautiful,” Sophia gasped, letting a low whistle of appreciate escape.
“That’s very nice.” Gabe admired the pretty pendant that swung from Mia’s hand, catching the light.
“He must really like you,” Sophia observed.
“Yeah.” Mia felt the heavy, observant eyes on her and she flushed instantly.
“Oh honey, don’t blush!” Sophia laughed. “That’s a great thing, and that’s a lovely necklace.”
January
“Mia?” Gabe asked called to her as he walked towards the kitchen. “Can you meet me in my office for a minute? I want to talk to you.”
Mia paused her movie and followed him into the office.
The room glowed from the light of two drafting lamps, and Gabe had a beer dripping on the lacquered plane of the his desk. His legs were stretched, with his hands casually resting behind his head.
The Milestone Tapes Page 26
