up onto her knees, hugging him tightly. “I’m okay, sweetie. Now tell me all about the ocean. How high were the waves?”
“This high!” Maddox proudly raised his arm as far as it would go above his head.
“Wow.” Kennedy widened her eyes in appreciative astonishment. “I hope you held Daddy’s hand.”
“I did, Mommy, I did. And the big ferry boat went
crash
into the—” He frowned, unsure of the right word.
“The dock?” Kennedy suggested, lovingly smoothing her son’s hair.
“Yeah! And—” Maddox wiggled with excitement, describing the adventure.
Nicole hummed as she stripped off her coat and unpacked the groceries. It was good to see Kennedy happy. She put on Christmas music in her kitchen, and the sparkling arms of her holiday sweater brightened her mood as she worked. This was her favorite sweater, with Santa on his sleigh in the front, the reindeer prancing around the side so that Rudolph with his cherry-red nose glittered on her back.
She prepared an easy lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat bread, of course).
Maddox was still overexcited from his outing, almost jumping up and down in his chair.
“Sit still, Maddox,” Kennedy told her son. “You’ll spill your soup.” She looked tired. “James, would you help him with the soup? It’s so difficult for a four-year-old to eat.”
Nicole’s heart cringed. “Tell you what.” Quickly she rose from the table, easing Maddox’s bowl away from him. “I’ll pour your soup into a mug, and then you can drink it.”
“Good idea,” James affirmed.
Kennedy was silent as Nicole got down a Christmas mug.
“The snow’s accumulating,” Sebastian reported, turning the conversation to the view out the windows. “We don’t usually have snow this soon,” he explained to James. “Thirty miles out at sea, we’re caught in the Gulf Stream, which keeps us warmer than the mainland.”
“It’s ideal for Christmas.” Nicole set the mug in front of Maddox and resumed her seat. “It makes everything so pretty.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes and sighed.
James, with an impatient thinning of his mouth, shot his wife a glance. “Are you okay, Kennedy?”
“As a matter of fact, no,” Kennedy puffed. “I think I’m coming down with some kind of flu. Or something I ate last night didn’t agree with me.”
Sebastian leaned forward, concerned. “Perhaps you should go back to bed.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” Kennedy protested. “I don’t want to lie in bed today.”
Nicole took a deep breath. She kept her mouth shut. Let the men sort Kennedy out, she decided. Nothing Nicole could do or say would help.
“Want to read to Maddox by the fire?” Sebastian suggested.
“Good idea,” James quickly agreed. “He’s had a good outing this morning—”
James’s words were interrupted by a loud pounding at the front door.
Nicole jumped up. “I’ll get it. It might be presents from someone!” Hurrying optimistically down the hall, she threw open the front door, letting in a blast of cold air and snow.
A woman in a mink coat and hat strode past Nicole, slamming the door behind her, shaking flakes off her shoulders, stamping her leather high-heeled boots on the rug. She acted as if she were entering her own house.
Well, in a way, she was.
Nicole had never fainted but at this moment she had an excellent sense of how it might feel.
“Katya?” She had seen photos of Katya before, but she’d never laid eyes on the woman in person, in her glorious Technicolor glamour.
“Damn, it’s wicked out there,” Katya said. She stripped her leather gloves off her long hands and dropped them on the front hall table. “You’ve moved the front hall chair,” she said to Nicole. “Where am I going to sit down to take off my boots?”
Nicole was speechless.
“Mommy?” Kennedy hurried into the hall, eyes wide. “Mommy! What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Kennedy.” Katya turned her back on Nicole and held her
“This high!” Maddox proudly raised his arm as far as it would go above his head.
“Wow.” Kennedy widened her eyes in appreciative astonishment. “I hope you held Daddy’s hand.”
“I did, Mommy, I did. And the big ferry boat went
crash
into the—” He frowned, unsure of the right word.
“The dock?” Kennedy suggested, lovingly smoothing her son’s hair.
“Yeah! And—” Maddox wiggled with excitement, describing the adventure.
Nicole hummed as she stripped off her coat and unpacked the groceries. It was good to see Kennedy happy. She put on Christmas music in her kitchen, and the sparkling arms of her holiday sweater brightened her mood as she worked. This was her favorite sweater, with Santa on his sleigh in the front, the reindeer prancing around the side so that Rudolph with his cherry-red nose glittered on her back.
She prepared an easy lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat bread, of course).
Maddox was still overexcited from his outing, almost jumping up and down in his chair.
“Sit still, Maddox,” Kennedy told her son. “You’ll spill your soup.” She looked tired. “James, would you help him with the soup? It’s so difficult for a four-year-old to eat.”
Nicole’s heart cringed. “Tell you what.” Quickly she rose from the table, easing Maddox’s bowl away from him. “I’ll pour your soup into a mug, and then you can drink it.”
“Good idea,” James affirmed.
Kennedy was silent as Nicole got down a Christmas mug.
“The snow’s accumulating,” Sebastian reported, turning the conversation to the view out the windows. “We don’t usually have snow this soon,” he explained to James. “Thirty miles out at sea, we’re caught in the Gulf Stream, which keeps us warmer than the mainland.”
“It’s ideal for Christmas.” Nicole set the mug in front of Maddox and resumed her seat. “It makes everything so pretty.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes and sighed.
James, with an impatient thinning of his mouth, shot his wife a glance. “Are you okay, Kennedy?”
“As a matter of fact, no,” Kennedy puffed. “I think I’m coming down with some kind of flu. Or something I ate last night didn’t agree with me.”
Sebastian leaned forward, concerned. “Perhaps you should go back to bed.”
“It’s Christmas Eve,” Kennedy protested. “I don’t want to lie in bed today.”
Nicole took a deep breath. She kept her mouth shut. Let the men sort Kennedy out, she decided. Nothing Nicole could do or say would help.
“Want to read to Maddox by the fire?” Sebastian suggested.
“Good idea,” James quickly agreed. “He’s had a good outing this morning—”
James’s words were interrupted by a loud pounding at the front door.
Nicole jumped up. “I’ll get it. It might be presents from someone!” Hurrying optimistically down the hall, she threw open the front door, letting in a blast of cold air and snow.
A woman in a mink coat and hat strode past Nicole, slamming the door behind her, shaking flakes off her shoulders, stamping her leather high-heeled boots on the rug. She acted as if she were entering her own house.
Well, in a way, she was.
Nicole had never fainted but at this moment she had an excellent sense of how it might feel.
“Katya?” She had seen photos of Katya before, but she’d never laid eyes on the woman in person, in her glorious Technicolor glamour.
“Damn, it’s wicked out there,” Katya said. She stripped her leather gloves off her long hands and dropped them on the front hall table. “You’ve moved the front hall chair,” she said to Nicole. “Where am I going to sit down to take off my boots?”
Nicole was speechless.
“Mommy?” Kennedy hurried into the hall, eyes wide. “Mommy! What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Kennedy.” Katya turned her back on Nicole and held her
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