Natlile36- LOL, that could be interesting.
keepsmiling7- Yes, M&M seem to be getting along well in spite of their issues that haven't been fully addressed. M&M do everything in their own way and it shows here. LOL, it was fun having Maria interrupt Liz.
Aww, thank you! We hope you'll enjoy this Christmas with our gang. We're getting there.
Alien_Friend- Yes, Kyle is very approachable and easygoing. Add that to his striking blue eyes that light up his natural good looks and a mischievous sense of humor and we have a Kyle who is hard to resist. We feel our gang just kinda takes him for granted. We agree it's good to have Stefanie there to point it out, lol.
Oh yeah, it was good for Isabel to apologize to the girls. She was so determined that she had to do it at the earliest moment the next morning to get it off of her chest and check it off in her day planner, lol.!
We hope that they get to stay as well. We have our fingers crossed.
Aww, thank you girl, we're so glad you enjoy the story. We have a lot of fun writing Michael's scenes with Maggie and we're glad that you like them together.
cjsl8ne- Thank you, we're glad you're enjoying our fic. We have a lot of fun writing Maggie and her family with the gang, lol. They just seem to create the humor all on their own, lol.
Thank you for the awesome compliment about how well Isabel's apology was written.
Timelord31- We are so happy that RF is back up and running, we've missed the board and our reviewers..
Thank you, there is more to come. Part 41
Maria leaned back against one of the makeshift tables, her eyes on Michael as she and Liz carried on a conversation about their morning visitor. She bit into a glazed donut and reached up to brush the shiny flakes off of her sweater. “You know, I thought about it, and I really don’t think Isabel meant what she said last night.”
Liz nodded, biting back a smile when Maggie leaned over, her small hand held out expectantly in Max’s direction. She watched as he reluctantly allowed the little girl to direct his hand to the reindeer’s side and followed her instructions as she shared her wealth of wisdom where the gentle giant was concerned. “I agree. She explained when she came by this morning to apologize.”
“We should really try to have a girls’ night while we’re here. I think she kinda feels like she’s on the outside of things, ya know?”
“I think you’re right. And it’s a good idea.”
“Hey, Maria,” Eddie said as he joined them and held out a cup of coffee. “Um, I wasn’t sure so I put cream in your coffee and left the sugar out since the donuts are so sweet.” He carefully transferred the cup into her hands, blushing when his fingers accidentally touched hers.
Maria smiled. “Thank you, Eddie, it’s perfect. It’s just the way I take my coffee in the mornings.”
Michael rolled his eyes at that comment. Whatever, he thought with a silent snort.
Liz glanced at the steaming cup of coffee. “Eddie, do you think I could get a cup of coffee?”
“Sure, it’s just on that table over there,” he said and pointed behind her.
She made a face at him when he turned to see what everyone else was doing.
Brian squeezed into the group gathered around the reindeer, interjecting himself into the conversation between Stefanie and Kyle. “So, hay’s all put out for the reindeer,” he said with a look at the pretty woman. “Anything I can do to help before I head out to give Dad a hand?”
Kyle snickered silently. Amazing what a pretty young woman could do to a bunch of guys. He hadn’t once heard the teenager offer to do anything that even remotely resembled work since they had gotten started with this thing.
Michael put Maggie down and started to excuse himself when Edward entered the barn and hollered for the boys. He eyed the older man when he paused to look around at everyone and he wondered what the man was thinking when he suddenly smirked.
Edward’s gaze bounced between his boys and chuckled to himself when he noticed that their attention was being held captive by two young women. Good thing we’re gonna be working without all these women around otherwise we wouldn’t get anything done, he thought. “We don’t have all day, boys!”
“Yes, and that lean-to still has to be built for the Living Nativity,” Isabel said as an opportunity to eject Kyle from the barn suddenly presented itself. The last thing she needed was to fall behind while he ran his mouth all afternoon and distracted the reindeer woman.
“You guys need a hand?” Michael asked, watching Max as he snuck away to talk to Liz.
“Dad, maybe Kyle and Michael would be better help for you,” Brian said helpfully. “I mean, they’re older so they’re gonna know more about that stuff.” He couldn’t care less about building some shack thing with his dad when he could be doing whatever Stefanie needed.
“Think you’re gonna know a lot more about this stuff than I am,” Kyle said before anyone else could speak up.
Brian shot a glare at him from the corner of his eye. “Stefanie might need more hay.” He pointed at the floor. “You suck at puttin’ hay out for the reindeer.”
Isabel looked between the two of them when Stefanie laughed and they both turned to smile at her as if she’d just said something fascinating. She nearly rolled her eyes when Kyle said something that made the other woman smile and she found herself watching Stefanie with a critical eye. Petite, maybe five foot three or four. She looked at Kyle, thinking that Stefanie’s petite frame made Kyle look taller. She couldn’t be more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, she thought cattily. She mentally slapped herself. Why did she suddenly care? Her gaze went back to Miss Reindeer Whisperer and she sighed. Probably because she felt like an Amazon next to her, she thought. Well, she mused, maybe the cover of a beauty magazine for Amazon women.
“And this is what I’ve been reduced to,” she muttered under her breath. “Comparing myself to a farm girl who pitches hay and cleans up after reindeer. Life is great.” She cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention, handing out job assignments for the day.
Kyle glanced up when she got to him and he frowned when she gave him his orders. “You want me to what?”
“Well, we can’t just assume that it’ll snow between now and Christmas, honey.”
“But… they’re outdoor trees, Isabel! You can’t honestly expect me to spend the afternoon out there spraying fake snow on live trees.”
“Oh, but I do.” She smiled at him. “And they’ll need a good, even coat.”
Stefanie lifted her eyebrows and grinned when Isabel turned to answer a question from one of the others. “Wow,” she said with a teasing grin. “So… honey?”
“Oh, yeah, they’re married,” Brian interrupted helpfully. “Kyle, Isabel… married.” He shot a superior look at Kyle.
“Don’t you have somethin’ to do?” Kyle growled. “Like building somethin’ with your dad?”
Brian just grinned slyly. “Yeah, but it won’t take all day. That job of yours though… sounded kinda like an all day kinda thing.”
*****
Liz sipped her coffee as she took a break from her assigned task, risking her sister-in-law’s wrath to watch Max as Stefanie went through the commands. She glanced at the other reindeer quietly milling about in their pen, contentedly munching on hay and lazily watching the activity in the barn. Her gaze was drawn back to Rudolph as he stamped one hoof on the floor several times in response to a question from his handler.
Stefanie had gone through a list of commands and Rudolph had responded appropriately to every one of them. Walk, easy, whoa, stand, gee to turn right, and haw to turn left. Why couldn’t she just say right or left? Wouldn’t that be less confusing? She shook her head at her internal ramblings. Maria was rubbing off on her.
Max paid careful attention to everything Stefanie did, quirking an eyebrow when she pulled a treat out of her pocket and held it out after Rudolph followed another command. She didn’t have to do much more than whisper a command and the large animal responded. It was odd the way he seemed to anticipate every command before she had issued them.
“That’s pretty much all there is to it.” She patted the reindeer’s neck. “Rudy responds well to his cues and commands.”
Maggie watched in fascination when Rudolph took advantage of the break and he wandered over the pen where the others were. He lowered his head to nuzzle the backpack sitting on the ground by the gate and after a few moments he grabbed one of the straps with his mouth, tugging it backwards. His antlers knocked against the rails of the pen and he snuffled as he pawed at the pack. “What’s he doing?” she asked with a laugh.
Stefanie turned around and smiled. “He knows my drink’s in my backpack and sometimes I share when he’s a real good boy.” She looked at Rudolph when he pushed the backpack across the floor. “Are you my good boy today?”
He snuffled again and unceremoniously shoved the backpack up against her foot.
“What’s his favorite drink?”
Stefanie leaned over to grab her backpack, unzipping it to pull out the bottle of Cherry Coke that had been spared a good stomping. “Their diets are specialized and it’s important to keep them on it, but once in a while it’s okay for them to get a little something special. He has no idea what’s good or bad for him and if he had his way he’d eat whatever he wanted.”
Across the barn Liz was doing her best to hold back her laughter as she thought about how much her husband loved that particular drink.
Max reached up to hold onto Rudolph’s halter while she carefully opened the drink so it wouldn’t spray everywhere.
“He’s pretty, don’t you think so, Max?” Maggie asked as she reached out to pet Rudolph. She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Do you think… Hey!” She frowned and shifted her hold on Cindy as she engaged in a tug-o-war with the reindeer that had suddenly developed an interest in the little polar bear’s scarf.
Liz smiled when the back of his hand brushed against Rudolph’s mouth as he wrapped his fingers around the scarf. The reindeer shook his head and snorted as he released the scarf and she knew he had been introduced to a little bit of hybrid persuasion. Max crouched down next to Maggie and reached for the scarf that she was frowning at.
“Here, let me take a look at it,” Max murmured, taking the end of the scarf between his hands and rubbing his palms together. “It’ll be good as new in no time.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I’m sure.” He lifted his right hand and brushed his fingers over the end of the scarf as he leaned in closer to take a look at it. “How’s that?”
Maggie smiled brightly and launched herself at Max, hugging him tightly. “You fixed it!” she exclaimed happily. “Thanks, Max!”
“You’re welcome.”
Stefanie smiled when Max stepped in and handled things without her input. Rudolph wouldn’t have damaged the toy intentionally and if Max hadn’t stepped in so quickly she would’ve spoken up. She chuckled when she opened the bottle fully and Rudolph’s head lifted so he could watch her every move.
Liz watched the reindeer greedily drink down the little bit of Cherry Coke that his handler allowed him to have. After a few moments her gaze was drawn back to Max and Maggie. He was great with kids when he allowed himself to open up with them, which wasn’t often after last Christmas. She could feel that old discomfort attempting to rear its ugly head but it was overridden by Maria’s voice. It was a bit of advice she had given her when Tess had appeared in Roswell with Zan.
“Either forgive Max or don’t.”
It was good advice. Her thoughts shifted to Zan. The little boy was fair like his mother but he had his daddy’s features. Her heart rate began to slow as she watched her husband and thought about his loss that even now was as fresh and painful as it ever was. Even now she felt guilty for the relief she had felt when Max had decided to put his son up for adoption to keep him safe.
There was no way to deny that Zan was a part of both Max and Tess, but as she remembered looking into the little boy’s smiling eyes it wasn’t Tess she saw. It was Max. As that thought washed over her she could feel a lessening of the resentment that weighed so heavily on her. She smiled as Maggie started talking a mile a minute, her excitement so innocent and infectious, and she moved forward to join them.
*****
Kyle stared at the five-gallon bucket Isabel had just hefted up to sit on the table. “You want me to what?” He leaned over and reached in to pick up a handful of the white flakes, sifting them through his fingers and shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought you said you wanted me to spray the trees?”
“Well, is sprinkling the snow really that much different?”
“Is sprinkling…” He stared at her incredulously. “Isabel, have you seen just how many trees are out there?”
She nodded. “Yes, and imagine how beautiful they’ll be with a fresh coat of snow!” she enthused.
“Yeah, I’m imagining,” he grumbled.
Isabel lifted an eyebrow at his unusual grumpiness. “Are you alright?”
“Why? Am I not expressing the appropriate level of excitement about this whole snow thing?
She made a face at him. “Make sure you read the directions because you only have to use a small amount of the flakes to make a lot of snow.”
He rubbed at his forehead before waving her off. “Go on, I’ve got this.” He grabbed the empty five-gallon bucket sitting on the floor and pried the top off of the powdered flakes that would magically turn into snow with the addition of water. “Make snow,” he growled under his breath. “This’s great. I’ll just go skipping around in the snow sprinkling snow on a bunch of trees like a damn snow fairy.”
Michael was walking through the barn, his eyes focused on the instructions in his hand when he overheard the muttering coming from his friend. “What’s up with you?” he asked, pausing next to the table.
“Nothin’.” Kyle lifted up the little scoop from out of the midst of the flakes, shooting a disparaging glance at it before scooping up some flakes and dumping them in the empty bucket. He lifted his head when Michael just stood there staring at him. “I’m makin’ snow, do you mind?”
He held his hands up and shook his head. “Whatever makes you happy.” He smirked. “More like whatever makes your wife happy’s more like it.” He continued on his way, his expression becoming more concentrated as he tried to understand the instructions for building the lean-to for the outdoor nativity set. He could care less about actually reading the stupid things but he didn’t want to look like he had no idea what he was doing once they got started.
Edward came back in from running an errand for Julia and he shook his head as he listened to the conversation between the boys.
Kyle tossed in another scoop of flakes. “Isn’t this crap hazardous to trees or something?”
He intercepted Michael and relieved him of the instructions and glancing over at Kyle.
“Uh, I thought you said that was important?”
Edward nodded and proceeded to wad the paper up into a tight little ball. “It is… we’ll use it later when it’s time to start the fire so we can warm up a bit.” He turned his head to look at Kyle. “As for your question… this stuff’s a lot more environment-friendly.” He nodded sympathetically. “It’s also a big pain in the backside.” He cleared his throat when Kyle frowned at the powder before tossing several more scoops inside the empty bucket and then reached for the water that had been set out on the table. “Uh, I wouldn’t…”
Kyle dumped the water into the bucket and jumped back when the white stuff suddenly started to expand and within seconds it was everywhere. “That’s just great.” He tried futilely to push the overflowing snow back into the bucket but it refused to do what he wanted so he just grabbed the bucket and headed for the door, silently cursing a blue streak.
“Hey, don’t mess up my decorations,” Michael yelled after him.
“It doesn’t seem to be your husband’s day,” Stefanie commented as she watched him stalk out of the barn, hauling the bucket of snow that was still growing.
“No,” Isabel said slowly. “Well, I’m sure my brother has the hang of this if you and your brothers need to get back on the road. You must have a long drive back home.”
“Oh, no worries,” the petite blonde said with a winning smile. “Frankie will be heading home here in a bit. He’ll bring the sleigh out in a couple of days so I can give your Santa a few lessons in driving it before the big day.”
“Well, what about you and Travis?”
“Oh, they’ll be staying with us, dear,” Julia spoke up with a smile. “Stefanie needs to stay close to the reindeer and Travis is a veterinarian.” She patted Isabel’s arm. “This Christmas is just getting better and better, isn’t it?”
Isabel made a sound low in her throat as she forced a smile. “Oh, so much better,” she said as she smiled at Reindeer girl.
“How’s your voice, Isabel?” Dayna asked.
“My voice?”
“Yes, for the night of the event.”
Max snorted. “You don’t want Iz to sing.” He turned back to Rudolph, scratching the reindeer under his chin to avoid his sister’s scathing look.
“Yeah, unless you’re lookin’ to attract every alley cat for a couple of miles you don’t want Isabel singin’,” Michael said. “You want someone who can sing, you want Maria.”
Maria stopped what she was doing, barely feeling the nudge Liz gave her when they overheard his comment. She looked up at him and smiled when he passed her.
“Hey, it’s not Vegas but I guess it doesn’t have to be.” He shrugged.
*****
Liz slid her arm around her husband’s waist, smiling when his arm settled across her shoulders. She watched Rudolph slurping down the Cherry Coke and she chuckled as she looked up at Max. “Looks like you and Rudy have something in common.”
“What’s that mean?” Maggie asked.
She slipped out from under his arm, smiling when his hand stayed on her shoulder as she crouched down in front of the little girl. “It just means that Max loves Cherry Coke as much as Rudy does.”
Maggie reached for Max’s hand and grinned up at him. “See, I knew you an’ Rudolph were gonna be friends.” She looked at Liz. “Don’t you think Rudolph’s pretty?”
“He’s very pretty,” Liz agreed as she reached out to pet the reindeer at the little girl’s urging.
Max was watching them when he realized it was the first time he had interacted with Maggie since their arrival that he hadn’t seen the ghost of old memories in her eyes.
Isabel joined them and knelt down beside Liz and Maggie. “Do you know anyone who might wanna give Kyle a hand with that snow?” she asked.
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Me!”
“You know, I was hoping you’d say that.” She smiled. “Kyle would really appreciate a little bit of help.” She held her forefinger against her lips. “Just don’t tell him I thought he needed any help.”
The little girl shook her head. “I won’t tell.” She looked down at the stuffed bear in her arms. “I’m just gonna go ask Michael if Cindy can stay with him, okay?”
“That sounds good.” She stood up to face Stefanie as soon as Maggie ran across the barn to find Michael.
“Are you ready for me to show your Santa the ropes?” she asked with a friendly smile.
“Yeah. He won’t be very excited about this so I sent his girlfriend over to convince him to be a little more agreeable.
*****
Kyle threw a handful of snow at the tree in front of him, watching as it smacked against one of the branches of the evergreen and only succeeded in knocking the snow already on the branches to the ground. He sighed and grabbed another handful, attempting to sprinkle it as suggested. He crinkled his nose up and tried to inhale deeply through his nose, nearly choking when he realized one side of his nose was stopped up.
“Great,” he muttered. “No wonder I can’t get rid of this headache.” He was probably coming down with a sinus infection. He sighed and stared at the pathetic distribution of snow on the branches. This crap just wasn’t spreading in an even manner. Isabel was going to have a fit over the way the tree looked. “Yeah, Isabel, sprinkling snow really is that different.”
“Oooh, it’s so pretty! Can I help you, Kyle?”
He looked down when Maggie suddenly appeared beside him. “Sure, you wanna get those lower branches?”
“Okay!” She leaned over the bucket and grabbed up two handfuls of snow, dropping most of it in her excitement.
“Here, be careful,” he warned as he picked her up and set her safely down on his other side. “That stuff gets slick underfoot.”
“Thanks, Kyle,” she said with a smile. “Isabel said you might need some help and I’m the best one ‘cause I help Daddy when he does this.”
“Your dad does this, huh?”
“Um-hmm.” She put more snow on the branches. “Mrs. Dayna likes snowy trees too!”
“Should’ve known,” he grumbled under his breath.
“What?” Maggie asked, peering around a particularly bushy branch.
“Huh? Oh, I said we need more snow.”
“Want me to go get it?”
Kyle looked up just as she ran around the tree and her left foot hit the snow she had dropped earlier. He saw her feet fly out from under her and he launched himself towards her, his own foot slipping on the slick stuff as he wrapped his arm around her. He caught himself with his other hand and managed to flip himself over, hitting the ground on his back. Maggie landed on his chest, her elbow impacting with his ribs, and her knee colliding with his stomach.
“That was fun! Let’s do it again!”
“Oh, I think once was enough for Kyle,” Edward said as he sidestepped the slick area and leaned over to collect his daughter. He had seen the slide and the fall and his heart was still pounding. “Nice catch,” he said as he held a hand out to the younger man.
He stood up and forced a smile as he rubbed the back of his head where it had smacked the ground. “Thanks.” Note to self. Next time, be the reindeer wrangler.
*****
Michael was busy trying to assemble one of the sides for the lean-to when he was suddenly thrown into shadow. He slowly turned his head and frowned at Max, Liz, and Maria where they were standing in a semi-circle around him. “You’re blockin’ my light.”
“You’re up, Michael,” Max said, his tone amused. “Stefanie’s waitin’ to introduce you to the reindeer and give you a lesson with the reins.”
“I’m busy. Gotta get this thing put together.” He turned back to what he was doing, intent on ignoring them.
Maria motioned for the other couple to leave them alone and she leaned against Michael’s back, her arms coming around his shoulders so she could link her hands. “You know you’ve gotta go over there and meet the other reindeer. They’ll be much more comfortable with you holding the reins if they know you.”
“Maria, that’s just dumb,” he huffed. “And I’m not gonna come ridin’ in here on a sleigh.”
“Aww, Michael… just think about how excited all the kids will be when they see you.”
“The suit’s bad enough, Maria. No reindeer and no sleigh.”
“Y’know, Michael, I had a weird dream last night.”
He snorted. “Yeah? Had a few of those myself.”
“Yeah, well, I dreamt that we lived out in the country in this little cabin in the woods. It was spring and while I was doing the dishes I looked out through the window and there was this little moose coming through the trees. His name was Wally and we had raised him from the time he was orphaned as a baby.”
Michael paused and dropped the hammer to rest against his calf as he tipped his head back to look up at her. “You’re right, babe.”
She smiled brilliantly at his capitulation but before she had the chance to speak he opened his mouth again.
“You’re right,” he repeated with a smirk, “that is weird.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Michael.”
He shook his head. “I’m not doin’ the reindeer thing.”
“Maggie expects it,” she said, pulling out her ace in the hole. She tugged on the little bear sticking up just above the zipper on his coat. “And you’re not gonna let her down are you?”
He grumbled out several colorful curses under his breath, ducking out of the way when Maria flicked his ear. “Ow! What was that for?”
“Using language like that when you’re assembling a shelter for the baby Jesus.”
He rubbed his ear and shrugged her off of his shoulders. “It’s not like He’s actually gonna be there.” He got up and grabbed her hand, dragging her along with him before she could say anything else. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”
*****
As afternoon turned into evening the level of energy slowly began to wane. Julia and Dayna were talking out by the cars in the driveway at Mr. Tony’s house before the latter said her goodnights and left with a promise to catch up with them again the next day. Travis would get the couch in the living room and Stefanie would get the futon in the den for the duration of their stay so they had been over at the house getting things ready for their guests. She went back inside and started getting things together and straightening up.
She paused at the large picture window, taking a moment to watch Edward and Kyle making their way back to the barn. The sun was setting, its muted light filtering in through the window and casting a hazy glow over everything in sight. She smiled when they stopped near the entrance to the barn and Edward turned to gesture to something as he talked animatedly. She couldn’t make out their expressions from her position but she could easily see the weary slump to Kyle’s shoulders.
She wondered what was weighing so heavily on his mind, what was keeping him from sleeping. He was normally very talkative, his blue eyes filled with humor and an easy grin on his lips, but all day he had been reserved and quiet, the skin around his eyes tight with strain. There was a restlessness that was at odds with his normally calm and accepting demeanor. The mother in her wanted to bundle him up and take care of him. But the woman in her knew better than to call attention to him when he was apparently feeling under the weather. She made a mental note to see what she could do when they got back over to the house.
“Mom, we’re finished with that list of chores you gave us,” Brian grumbled as he came into the living room.
She turned away from the window when Edward and Kyle went their separate ways, her husband heading up to the house while the younger man went into the barn. Eddie followed his brother into the room and they threw themselves down on the couch noisily. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they had been forced into unfair labor all day. She was going over the list she had given them when Edward came inside, stomping his boots on the mat by the front door.
The boys looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them before they quickly turned to look at Dad. They rolled their eyes when he walked over to wrap his arms around Mom, knowing if they didn’t get his attention right away they would be out of luck. Brian reached over and punched Eddie’s upper arm as hard as he could, motioning to their parents when his brother frowned at him and rubbed his arm before leaning over to return the gesture.
“Cut it out, Brian!”
“Wuss!”
“You boys wanna both cut it out?” Edward asked, silencing their protests with a look. He nodded to himself when they separated, moving as far apart as was possible on the couch.
“Can we go down to the barn to see the reindeer?” Eddie asked after several moments of silence.
Edward glanced between his boys, knowing full well that the reindeer were at the bottom of their list of things to see. “You finish your chores?” He looked down at Julia, fighting back a grin when she rolled her eyes at him. “Go on then,” he said when the boys nodded in response.
“You know very well that helping is the last thing on their minds.”
He chuckled and pulled her closer. “I’m sure those girls can handle themselves with a couple of teenage boys.”
Julia just shook her head at his amusement, sighing and melting into him when he snuggled up against her.
“You smell good, woman.”
She smiled and shivered when he pressed his cold lips to her neck. She was opening her mouth to say something when he followed up with what she was certain was one of the top three things on every man’s mind.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Brenda and Peter over at the Pizza Barn called and wanted to bring pizza and breadsticks out to the house for everyone.”
He paused and lifted his head to look at her. “I hope you didn’t turn it down.”
She rolled her eyes when Mr. Sweet and Sensitive fled to make room for Mr. Hungry. “No. We’ve got about 45 minutes before they’ll arrive so that should be plenty of time to lock up over here and get everyone over to the house and cleaned up.”
Edward nodded in agreement.
“Isn’t it wonderful how the whole community is coming together for this?” she asked, smiling widely as she looked around at the various projects going on.
“It’s wonderful that we’re havin’ pizza for dinner. I can’t wait to pop the top on a cold one and sit down with a slice of pizza.”
She smiled and rubbed his arm. “Let’s get things locked up and get everyone over to the house.”
He nodded and clapped his hands together in anticipation. “I’ll go get everyone rounded up and head ‘em over to the house.” Pizza was on the way and there was no need for it to get there first and get cold!
Julia snorted softly at his words. The way he had phrased it made it sound like he was rounding up a herd of stray cattle instead of their children and guests.
*****
Michael sank his teeth into a thick slice of pizza, his eyes following the elastic line of cheese between the pizza and his mouth that didn’t want to break. “That’s a sign of good pizza,” he mumbled.
Maria reached out and broke the sign in half when she realized Eddie was mimicking him. The cheese snapped back and landed against his chin and she rolled her eyes at him when he shot a look at her. Put him around a couple of teenage boys that thought he was the coolest guy they had met in a setting where he was more relaxed than normal and he regressed a couple of years.
“That’s not bad,” Travis said. “The trick is to see who can stretch that cheese out the farthest without pullin’ the entire layer of cheese off the top of the pizza.”
“Which is not something you will be doing,” Stefanie said and punched his thigh under the table.
“Ow, Stef! Jeez, Sis.” He rubbed his thigh and glared at her.
“Oh, whatever, you big baby.” She grinned at the others around the table and shrugged. “Growing up with two brothers leads to some very valuable lessons.” She nodded at Isabel. “You know what I mean.”
Max snorted at that. “Isabel’s always had more of an interest in blackmail rather than physical threats.”
Isabel just smiled. “It’s a method that never failed with you, little brother.” She glanced over at Kyle when he picked at his pizza with little interest.
“What’s that mean?” Maggie asked as she looked up from pulling the toppings off of her pizza and separating them into little piles on her plate.
“It just means that Isabel always wins,” Michael said as he reached over and picked the sausage off of her plate and popped it in his mouth. “C’mon, Valenti, whaddaya say, wanna see if you can do it?” he asked as he contemplated the toppings on his next slice of pizza.
“I’ll pass,” he said with a forced smile. He picked a piece of pepperoni off of his pizza and stared at it thoughtfully before nibbling on it.
“I hear you’re pretty good with a wrench,” Stefanie said with a smile. She nodded when Kyle looked at her inquisitively. “Yeah, you. The girls were saying you put the pen together.”
“Hey, I helped with the pen too,” Brian interjected before Kyle could speak up.
“You did not!” Eddie said, rolling his eyes. “You were s’posed to but you didn’t.”
Brian kicked his brother as hard as he could and gave a sharp shake of his head.
Maggie glanced between the boys, trying to figure out what was going on. After a few moments her interest faded and she glanced over at Kyle. “Aren’t you gonna eat?”
Julia stepped in before everyone could focus on Kyle and his lack of appetite. “How long have you had an interest in working with reindeer, Stefanie?”
“Since before she could walk,” Travis spoke up before his sister could answer. “Dad would take her down to the barn every night and carry her around to talk to the reindeer. Her first word was doe.” He grinned at her. “First time she walked was in the barn.” He nudged her shoulder. “Got her first kiss in the barn.”
Stefanie shoved him back. “Shut up, Travis.”
He chewed on a piece of ice and shrugged his right shoulder, not bothering to wipe the smug grin off of his face.
“I thought you said your brothers were younger than you,” Michael said, his dinner momentarily forgotten.
“That’s just how she introduces us to people,” Travis said as he leaned forward and snagged another slice of pizza. “Frankie’s the youngest, I’m the oldest… it kinda lessened her middle child complex to pretend she’s the oldest so we just let her keep up the act.”
“I’m the youngest,” Maggie spoke up. She tore her crust into little bits and made a pile on her plate before looking up at Michael. “Are you the youngest in your family?” she asked, glancing around at the others.
“You think I’m the youngest?”
She studied Max, Liz, Isabel, Kyle, and Maria for a few minutes, unconsciously munching on the bits of crust. “No,” she said finally.
Edward and Julia glanced at each other during the exchange, wondering why Maggie was looking to Michael’s friends to answer his question. She reached over and placed her hand over his, shaking her head and turning her attention to Kyle. He had managed to force down a slice and a half of pizza but it looked like he had reached the point where he wasn’t taking another bite. She had noticed him rubbing his temple on occasion and she was beginning to suspect that he must have a major headache.
She got up, disappearing for a few minutes before coming back and filling a mug with coffee. The sound of a fingernail tapping against a bottle let her know that Edward had emptied his beer so she grabbed one from the refrigerator on her way back to the table. She carried both drinks over to the table, setting the mug down by Kyle’s plate and nudging his hand.
Kyle glanced down at the red and white Tylenol caplets Julia had placed next to his plate where no one else would see them. He smiled faintly and nodded in appreciation as he picked the pills up and downed them before settling back with his coffee. He would give it another half an hour and then he was calling it a night with or without the others.
At the end of dinner Julia looked around the group and smiled. “I think we should watch a Christmas movie.” Cleanup from dinner wouldn’t take long thanks to the miracle of paper plates and pizza and she already knew the girls would jump in and offer to give her a hand. She shook her head when she saw Edward picking at the label on his bottle. Obviously he wasn’t in the mood for a Christmas film. “Or, if you guys would prefer us girls can watch a movie and you guys can head down to the man cave and watch something else?”
Edward placed his hand on her knee and grinned. “I’m good with a Christmas movie.” He held back a laugh when his boys groaned. “I was thinkin’ somethin’ along the lines of Die Hard.”
She smacked his arm. “That is not a Christmas movie!”
“It’s Christmastime in the movie, that counts,” he argued with a grin.
“I’m good with that logic,” Travis spoke up.
Maria shook her head and smiled at Michael. “Go on, you’re not gonna sit still through a Christmas movie anyway.”
“I think Edward just pointed out the flaw in your argument.”
Maggie stuck her bottom lip out. “You don’t wanna watch a movie with us?”
“I need to spend some time with Max.” He nodded at the other guy. “He’s feelin’ a little left out since me an’ you have been hangin’ out.”
“Sounds like your evening should be interesting,” Liz whispered as she leaned into Max.
He snorted softly at that. “Yeah, that’s one word for it.”
“Oh.” Maggie turned to look at Max, watching him talk to Liz and she nodded. “Okay.” She looked at Mama. “Can I pick the movie?”
“Maybe you could pick out two or three and then we’ll all vote on one, how’s that?”
“Okay!”
Kyle decided that was his cue to call it a night. His head was still throbbing and he felt like crap. He just wanted to lie down and sleep through the night. Hopefully no one would question him when he told them he was heading back to the cabin to catch up on some much-needed sleep. He would feel better in the morning, he was sure of it.
