doesn’t pick up much of the slack.”
“You think she’s right?”
Jordan shook his head. “Right? Who the hell can be right or wrong? All I know is that all they do is yell. The only bright spot in it is that we get out of that sick Christmas trip.”
Julie came clipping quickly into the kitchen then on her high heels. She paused, a hand on Jordan’s chin, lifting it so that he faced her. She frowned. “Jordan, you look really tired. Your eyes are all red.”
Jordan pulled away quickly. Too quickly, Christie thought. Her brother didn’t look good. How serious was this getting? Should she say something to her parents?
Their father came into the kitchen then, adjusting his tie in front of the coffeepot. “Julie, did you make flight reservations yet?”
“Flight reservations?” she repeated.
“For Virginia. Or D.C., I suppose. Have you rented a car?”
Christie saw, looking at her face, that her mother had a stricken look in her eyes. She’d forgotten to make the reservations.
“No, not yet,” she said.
“Not yet?” Jon thundered.
Chill, Dad. Chill!
Christie thought unhappily.
“No, damn it, not yet. Did
you
make the flight reservations, did
you
rent a car? After all, this harebrained scheme is your damned idea!”
“We’ll never get reservations now,” Jordan said with a sigh. “Looks as if we’ll just have to forget the whole thing!” he added cheerfully.
“It was a stupid damned idea anyway,” Christie was surprised to hear her father say.
He looked worn. Tired. As if he just didn’t care anymore. Oddly, she felt a sense of panic. The fighting was one thing. This just not caring was another.
“I can cancel the room reservation much more easily than I can get a car rental and airline tickets now, I’m quite sure,” Julie said icily.
“Good. Then it’s all forgotten,” Jon agreed, pouring himself a cup of coffee and staring at his wife.
But that announcement was followed by a sudden howl that drew all their eyes to the kitchen doorway. Ashley stood there, huge tears rolling down her cheeks, her teddy bear held tightly to her slim little chest, her green eyes bright and damp.
Her lower lip trembled.
“You promised we’d go and build a snowman, Daddy. You said there’d be horses.”
Jon, startled, set his coffee cup down. “Sweetheart, I—I can find a horse somewhere, I’m sure.…”
Christie frowned, watching her baby sister. Ashley’s little lip doubled its tremble tempo and her eyes grew bigger as another wave of tears fell down her cheeks.
“Mommy, you said we’d go away. All of us.We’d have snow. And the people at the old house dress up, you told me that, Daddy, that they’d dress up like old-time people, and that it would be like Christmas more than a hundred years ago.” She inhaled on a remarkably pathetic sob, then let out a shuddering, “You promised!”
Christie watched as her parents’ gazes met. They both started for Ashley at the same time, crashing into one another in their haste to reach their youngest child. “Baby, baby, it’s okay…” Jon tried.
“Maybe I can still book us a flight. And find a car,” Julie said.
“And maybe we can all get packed by tomorrow night to get on the flight,” Jon said slowly.
“Please, please, please!” Ashley cried softly.
“I’ll try, I’ll try, I promise—first thing,” Julie said. “First thing when I get into work.”
“All right, all right,” Jon said. “I’ll drive the kids so that you can get in earlier.”
“Jamie is coming for me,” Christie said.
Jon hesitated, only a fraction of a second. “Yeah, all right. Jordan, Ashley—I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll just grab my purse,” Julie said.
Christie watched as both her parents went running out of the room. She stared at Jordan, and Jordan stared at Ashley.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Jordan exclaimed to her.
Ashley very calmly dried her eyes. Her lip no longer trembled. She stared at her brother with a gaze
“You think she’s right?”
Jordan shook his head. “Right? Who the hell can be right or wrong? All I know is that all they do is yell. The only bright spot in it is that we get out of that sick Christmas trip.”
Julie came clipping quickly into the kitchen then on her high heels. She paused, a hand on Jordan’s chin, lifting it so that he faced her. She frowned. “Jordan, you look really tired. Your eyes are all red.”
Jordan pulled away quickly. Too quickly, Christie thought. Her brother didn’t look good. How serious was this getting? Should she say something to her parents?
Their father came into the kitchen then, adjusting his tie in front of the coffeepot. “Julie, did you make flight reservations yet?”
“Flight reservations?” she repeated.
“For Virginia. Or D.C., I suppose. Have you rented a car?”
Christie saw, looking at her face, that her mother had a stricken look in her eyes. She’d forgotten to make the reservations.
“No, not yet,” she said.
“Not yet?” Jon thundered.
Chill, Dad. Chill!
Christie thought unhappily.
“No, damn it, not yet. Did
you
make the flight reservations, did
you
rent a car? After all, this harebrained scheme is your damned idea!”
“We’ll never get reservations now,” Jordan said with a sigh. “Looks as if we’ll just have to forget the whole thing!” he added cheerfully.
“It was a stupid damned idea anyway,” Christie was surprised to hear her father say.
He looked worn. Tired. As if he just didn’t care anymore. Oddly, she felt a sense of panic. The fighting was one thing. This just not caring was another.
“I can cancel the room reservation much more easily than I can get a car rental and airline tickets now, I’m quite sure,” Julie said icily.
“Good. Then it’s all forgotten,” Jon agreed, pouring himself a cup of coffee and staring at his wife.
But that announcement was followed by a sudden howl that drew all their eyes to the kitchen doorway. Ashley stood there, huge tears rolling down her cheeks, her teddy bear held tightly to her slim little chest, her green eyes bright and damp.
Her lower lip trembled.
“You promised we’d go and build a snowman, Daddy. You said there’d be horses.”
Jon, startled, set his coffee cup down. “Sweetheart, I—I can find a horse somewhere, I’m sure.…”
Christie frowned, watching her baby sister. Ashley’s little lip doubled its tremble tempo and her eyes grew bigger as another wave of tears fell down her cheeks.
“Mommy, you said we’d go away. All of us.We’d have snow. And the people at the old house dress up, you told me that, Daddy, that they’d dress up like old-time people, and that it would be like Christmas more than a hundred years ago.” She inhaled on a remarkably pathetic sob, then let out a shuddering, “You promised!”
Christie watched as her parents’ gazes met. They both started for Ashley at the same time, crashing into one another in their haste to reach their youngest child. “Baby, baby, it’s okay…” Jon tried.
“Maybe I can still book us a flight. And find a car,” Julie said.
“And maybe we can all get packed by tomorrow night to get on the flight,” Jon said slowly.
“Please, please, please!” Ashley cried softly.
“I’ll try, I’ll try, I promise—first thing,” Julie said. “First thing when I get into work.”
“All right, all right,” Jon said. “I’ll drive the kids so that you can get in earlier.”
“Jamie is coming for me,” Christie said.
Jon hesitated, only a fraction of a second. “Yeah, all right. Jordan, Ashley—I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll just grab my purse,” Julie said.
Christie watched as both her parents went running out of the room. She stared at Jordan, and Jordan stared at Ashley.
“Now look what you’ve done!” Jordan exclaimed to her.
Ashley very calmly dried her eyes. Her lip no longer trembled. She stared at her brother with a gaze
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