Diva 04 _ Diva Cooks a Goose, The (5 page)

My brother had married a beauty. Petite and always pulled together, Laci was a bit of a control freak. More than a bit, really. She made lists for everything. A list of contents was taped to her freezer. A corkboard hung in the kitchen with lists for groceries, chores that needed attention, and a gigantic calendar Laci had made on her computer with color-coded information about their activities. At the moment, she stood in front of the stove, holding a list of some sort in trembling hands.

Her sister, Shawna, almost ten years younger, sat at the kitchen table, calmly applying bloodred nail polish, evidently oblivious to Laci’s distress. I knew Shawna from The Laughing Hound, a restaurant near my house where she waitressed. Every bit as beautiful as Laci, Shawna wore her lustrous brown tresses longer and dieted constantly in a never-ending battle with extra pounds.

Mom’s eyes twinkled as she admired Shawna’s manicure. “Shawna’s expecting an engagement ring tomorrow!”

Great
. Not that I wasn’t happy for her, but my mother would take every possible opportunity to remind me.

“I thought he would give it to me last night.” Shawna blew on her nails. “Wouldn’t that have been romantic? An engagement ring on Christmas Eve? But he didn’t, so I think he’s waiting for his mother’s big Boxing Day party tomorrow. You won’t believe what she has planned. I don’t want to give away any surprises but it’s going to be sweet! Did you know one out of five men pop the question at Christmas?”

My mom, as petite and uberorganized as Laci, gave Shawna an excited wink. “He’s not joining us today?”

“It’s difficult for people with divorced parents. He’s spending the day with his dad. He’s genuinely relieved that his mother finally met someone, so she won’t be alone today.” Shawna slapped a hand over her mouth and turned her eyes to her mother, Marnie. An awkward silence fell over us. Laci had warned me that this would be Marnie’s first Christmas apart from their dad.

Mom came to the rescue by changing the subject. “I hope you brought cranberries, Sophie. It’s just not Christmas without cranberries.”

“You’re not serving pumpkin pie, are you?” asked Marnie.

Laci gulped and mashed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she snapped, “This Christmas, you just have to eat whatever is served.” She ripped her list into tiny shreds. “It’s not like I didn’t plan a nice dinner.”

“I just don’t want to see pumpkin pie, is all. For the rest of my life, I’ll associate it with the day your father left.”

From the way Laci’s hands clenched the shredded list, I knew I had to find a way to get the moms out of the kitchen—fast. “Mom,” I said casually, as if I hadn’t noticed anything wrong, “Hannah was wondering if she’s dressed right in case that cop, Zack, comes by today. Did you find out if he’s single?”

It was cruel of me to sic her on Hannah, but there was no gift, other than an engagement announcement, I could have given my mother that would bring her more pleasure than the notion that Hannah might be attracted to someone. Amazement flashed over Mom’s face, and she bolted from the kitchen, still wearing an apron.

Marnie was a little tougher since I didn’t know her well. A perfectionist like Laci, she stood in front of Laci’s pantry, scowling. “What an odd assortment of staples you have. If you recall, I offered to buy you a freezer. If you’d taken me up on it, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

I munched on the sweet bun, laden with heady cinnamon and nutmeg, and eyed Marnie, wondering what would prompt her to abandon the kitchen. A little bit taller than Laci, Marnie kept in good shape. She didn’t have a runner’s leanness, though. I would bet on aerobics, yoga, or one of those women-only exercise clubs. She wore a sweater vest featuring polar bears with three-dimensional mufflers embellished with tiny bells. I wasn’t quite sure about the connection to the holiday, but one thing seemed clear to me—she’d worn it for Jen.

“George told me Jen had a great Christmas morning,” I said. “I’m so glad. But she seemed very flushed and wet from the snow when I came in. You don’t think she’s coming down with anything, do you?”

Alarm registered on Laci’s face, and for a moment, I thought my plan to clear the kitchen might have backfired. Fortunately, Marnie proved to be the devoted grandmother I’d suspected. “I’ll check on her, sweetheart.”

I grinned at Laci as her mother rushed from the kitchen.

Laci scowled at me. “Is Jen really sick?”

I shook my head. “No. But the cold air has pinked her cheeks nicely. Just enough to distract a doting grandmother. So what can I do to help?”

Laci looked around her nearly vacant kitchen and then stared at me, speechless. For a moment, I thought she might burst into tears. “I have to learn how to do that.” She blinked hard before moving into boss mode.

By the time our mothers reappeared, potatoes cooked in a huge pot, the remaining meat had been picked off the goose, a green bean casserole baked in the oven, and a pot of red cabbage with heavenly roasted chestnuts cooked on the stove. I tossed chopped celery into a pan of onions sizzling in bacon grease for a quick dressing. Laci peeled sweet potatoes, but I could see her anxiety ratchet again when the moms reappeared.

I quickly sent them off with instructions to take a head count, set the table, be sure we had enough chairs, pour wine, and pass hors d’oeuvres that I’d whipped together out of cream cheese and smoked salmon. Shawna continued to wave her fingers in the air, careful not to smudge her fresh manicure in case a diamond ring would slide onto one of her fingers.

When we sat down to eat, Forrest Chadwick and his son, Edward, joined us. His wife, Ginger, who had been a no-show, waltzed in at the last minute like an auburn June Cleaver, complete with pearls and frilly apron, carrying a hot roast turkey.

With great fanfare, she placed it in front of her husband to carve. “It’s not an expensive, organic, heirloom turkey, like the one I drove four hours round-trip to buy directly from the farm, but at least it’s a turkey.”

Amid the oohs and aahs, I couldn’t help wondering whose turkey we were about to eat. How had she managed to find a thawed turkey on Christmas Day? No one else seemed perturbed, and the mood around the table turned decidedly festive.

We staggered away from our dinner, filled to capacity, in agreement to wait an hour before dessert. Ginger took her leftover turkey home, and Laci permitted our mothers to clean up the kitchen, while she served eggnog and hot chocolate. In honor of the holiday, I blew off all concerns about calories and sipped at eggnog from one of Laci’s Spode old-fashioned glasses adorned with a Christmas tree. I stood next to my brother, George, my back to the large window overlooking the street. The packages had been opened, bows and bright wrapping paper still littered the carpet, and a cozy fire crackled. Jen and Edward sat on the floor playing Clue, and Daisy sprawled next to them.

It couldn’t have been a more tranquil family scene. Forrest lounged next to my dad, but Forrest’s glass held an amber liquid, which I suspected might be Scotch.

“Oh no! Christmas is over,” George grumbled under his breath.

It wasn’t like my brother to be so negative. “Don’t be silly. This is the best part.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

He elbowed me, and I turned around to see what he was looking at. An elegant sedan had pulled up in front of the house. Bonnie Scarborough, the local organizing diva who owned the store Clutter Busters, strode up the driveway, her arm linked intimately with that of a man who looked vaguely familiar.

“Who’s the man?” I asked.

George sighed, long and hard. “Laci’s dad.”

FOUR

No wonder George thought Christmas was over. Bonnie clutched Laci’s father, Phil, in a manner that left little doubt a romance was brewing between them. If only we could bar the door. George’s eyes, filled with dread, met mine when the bell rang at the front door.

I followed along when he ventured to the foyer. Phil graciously allowed Bonnie to enter first. She shrugged off her coat, revealing a soft peach sweater with a daringly low keyhole in front, heavily trimmed in pearls and sequins. Her peach trousers matched perfectly. Her thin lips wore the same shade of peach. The slightest touch of copper enriched loose medium brown curls that she adjusted with a practiced hand. She’d gone a bit heavy on the makeup, but maybe I would at her age, too. She reminded me of an aging actress trying to keep the years at bay.

Bonnie looked on as George hugged Phil, and then a shriek arose behind me.

“Gampi!” Jen sped past me like a locomotive to embrace Phil.

I hadn’t spent much time with Laci’s family, other than the requisite parties and dinners connected with Laci and George’s wedding, but I vaguely recalled meeting the man who hugged Jen. Jovial with blue eyes that reminded me of ocean waters, Phil sported a girth that suggested he loved butter and bacon. I couldn’t quite figure out what was different about him, though. Maybe the separation from Marnie had left him more relaxed?

“Sophie! Happy holidays.” Bonnie hugged me. “What luck running into you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about a business proposition I have ...”

But then, behind me somewhere, Marnie said, “Phil’s here?” I didn’t hear another word Bonnie uttered because my heart sank at the hope in Marnie’s voice.

I couldn’t imagine what Phil was thinking when he grasped Bonnie’s hand and entered the living room.

Laci, Shawna, and their mother, Marnie, appeared to be paralyzed. In shock, really. In a horrible silence that seemed to last far too long, Laci lost her grip on a platter of cookies, and it crashed to the floor.

My mother, Daisy, and I rushed to the rescue. Daisy grabbed a cookie and dashed away. A leg with an iced boot jutted from her lips and it looked like a gingerbread man to me, so I let her enjoy her little holiday treat while Mom and I collected cookies and plate shards.

Unfortunately, the mishap with the platter of cookies didn’t break the awkward moment.

Marnie finally choked, “How could you do this to us?” and disappeared into the kitchen, with Laci on her heels.

“Mrs. Scarborough?” Shawna stared at Bonnie in disbelief.

With my hands full of broken cookie pieces and ceramic shards, I had no choice but to toddle into the kitchen to the trash bin.

Marnie gripped the island counter with both hands. “I don’t understand. Phil was never cruel.”

Laci stared at her mother and appeared to have stopped breathing.

My mother bustled in and dumped cookies in the garbage. “Well, at least she’s age-appropriate, not some twenty-year-old who thinks he has money.”

Marnie scowled at Mom. “He does have money.”

“Mother!” Laci whined the word as though she was frustrated. “Not that again.”

“It’s true, Laci. One of these days you’ll see.” Marnie poured herself a Scotch and sputtered when she drank it. “I hate this stuff. Is there any more wine?” Addressing Mom, she explained, “Phil has an elderly great-uncle who’s loaded. He’ll inherit a bundle.”

I didn’t want to defend the other woman. It seemed traitorish. On the other hand, I felt terrible for Bonnie. Surely she hadn’t known what a wasp’s nest she was walking into. “I don’t think Bonnie is a golddigger.”

Marnie spilled the wine she was pouring. “You know her?”

“Bonnie Scarborough. She owns a closet store, Clutter Busters, in Old Town and organizes people’s houses.” I bit back the fact that I’d always heard Bonnie was pretty popular and well liked.

“Well, doesn’t that beat all? Sloppy Phil got himself a professional organizer.” Marnie snorted in a most unladylike manner.

Shawna burst into the kitchen, her face Christmas red. “My boyfriend’s mother is dating my father? Have you ever heard of anything so warped?”

Marnie sucked in air so fast I thought she was hyper-ventilating. “She’s Beau’s mother? Oh no!” And then she started to hiccup. “It’s only been a month since we separated. He must have known her before. What a fool I’ve been. I thought he still had feelings for me. Meanwhile, the old goat was out carousing.”

“Mom, Shawna.” Laci spoke slowly, like she was cautioning her them. “Don’t do this. Don’t flip out. Not on Christmas.”

Flip out? I wondered if they were prone to displays of temper that I didn’t know about. In any case, it seemed an appropriate time to leave Laci alone with her mom and sister. I cocked my head at my mom and raised my eyebrows. Fortunately, she understood my message and the two of us returned to the living room, where Jen ripped into a fancy package. The silver paper gleamed with a gold brocade-like pattern. The large bow had definitely been handmade of translucent shimmering gold, and silver flowers glimmered around it. Any adult would have opened it delicately, loath to destroy the pretty wrapping.