the entryway and motioned her inside.
The scowl deepened. “Thanksgiving with Renée. That’s what happened. Listen, I’m sorry to barge in unannounced like this, but if I stayed in that house one more second, I was going to dosomething that would cost me my medical license. And my family’s in California, and all my other friends are in Boston, and I don’t want them to know that David and I are…well, that we’re spending Thanksgiving like this.”
“No problem. Think of me as the newlywed halfway house.” I shut the door and held out a hand for her coat. “Did Renée start with the peanuts again?”
“I didn’t have time to find out.” Erin’s hands shook a bit as she shucked off her parka. “She’s moving in.”
My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. “I thought you said David—”
“He talked to her. I talked to her. Everyone talked to her, but there’s no stopping the mother-in-law from hell. Our guest room is filled with her luggage right now. And once she’s in…” Erin shuddered. “We’ll never get her out.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. She wins.” Erin’s eyes were bleak. “I lose. She’s got my husband, my house, my Thanksgiving dinner…it’s all over.”
“You’re in shock.” I walked her over to the sofa and made her sit. “But it’s not over between you and David. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Erin shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Once Renée’s in the house with us…I’d heard all those clichés about you don’t just marry the man, you marry his whole family, but…” She slumped back into the cushions. “The power. The evil. My God, I had no idea.”
There was only one appropriate response to this. “I’ll make coffee.” While the Colombian roast brewed, I arranged some of my homemade Christmas cookies on a hand-painted seasonal plate and brought them out to Erin.
“You need to eat,” I said firmly.
“I can’t.”
“You have to.” I thrust the plate toward her. “Come on now—have a gingerbread man. One hundred percent peanut-free. You need your strength to plan your counterattack.”
While Erin nibbled the arms off a gingerbread man, I sat down on the ottoman next to her. “I’m glad you came over. Thanksgiving just isn’t the same unless I get to play hostess.”
She stopped nibbling and looked around. “Hey. Where’s Nick?”
I folded my hands primly in my lap. “Detroit.”
She waited for me to elaborate, and when I didn’t, she ventured, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“No.” I laughed bitterly. “I have the perfect husband, haven’t you heard? I landed the catch to end all catches. He just happens to prefer spending Thanksgiving in Michigan to spending it with his wife.”
“But I thought you two were going over to his parents’ house?”
“We were. But then his friends called up yesterday morning and said they had extra tickets for the Lions game in Michigantoday and anyone who wanted to see ‘football history in the making’ should pile in for the road trip.”
Erin whistled. “Oh boy.”
I smiled pleasantly. “‘Oh boy’ is right.”
She handed the cookie platter back to me. “I think you need these more than I do.”
“He hasn’t even called to check in since he left. It’s a ten-hour drive, and I know he brought his cell phone.”
“Well…” She took another bite of gingerbread to stall. “You know how guys are. Maybe he just forgot?”
I snorted. “Has David ever forgotten to call you on a major holiday?”
Erin shrugged. “It’s never been an issue. Ever since we moved in together, we’ve spent the holidays together. Us and Renée.”
“At least he doesn’t leave you to explain to his family why he couldn’t be bothered to show up for your first married Thanksgiving. His mom and dad are livid that he took off; I tried to smooth things over, but they just went off on this rant about how he hasn’t been the same since he quit law school.”
“They sound
The scowl deepened. “Thanksgiving with Renée. That’s what happened. Listen, I’m sorry to barge in unannounced like this, but if I stayed in that house one more second, I was going to dosomething that would cost me my medical license. And my family’s in California, and all my other friends are in Boston, and I don’t want them to know that David and I are…well, that we’re spending Thanksgiving like this.”
“No problem. Think of me as the newlywed halfway house.” I shut the door and held out a hand for her coat. “Did Renée start with the peanuts again?”
“I didn’t have time to find out.” Erin’s hands shook a bit as she shucked off her parka. “She’s moving in.”
My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. “I thought you said David—”
“He talked to her. I talked to her. Everyone talked to her, but there’s no stopping the mother-in-law from hell. Our guest room is filled with her luggage right now. And once she’s in…” Erin shuddered. “We’ll never get her out.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. She wins.” Erin’s eyes were bleak. “I lose. She’s got my husband, my house, my Thanksgiving dinner…it’s all over.”
“You’re in shock.” I walked her over to the sofa and made her sit. “But it’s not over between you and David. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Erin shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Once Renée’s in the house with us…I’d heard all those clichés about you don’t just marry the man, you marry his whole family, but…” She slumped back into the cushions. “The power. The evil. My God, I had no idea.”
There was only one appropriate response to this. “I’ll make coffee.” While the Colombian roast brewed, I arranged some of my homemade Christmas cookies on a hand-painted seasonal plate and brought them out to Erin.
“You need to eat,” I said firmly.
“I can’t.”
“You have to.” I thrust the plate toward her. “Come on now—have a gingerbread man. One hundred percent peanut-free. You need your strength to plan your counterattack.”
While Erin nibbled the arms off a gingerbread man, I sat down on the ottoman next to her. “I’m glad you came over. Thanksgiving just isn’t the same unless I get to play hostess.”
She stopped nibbling and looked around. “Hey. Where’s Nick?”
I folded my hands primly in my lap. “Detroit.”
She waited for me to elaborate, and when I didn’t, she ventured, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“No.” I laughed bitterly. “I have the perfect husband, haven’t you heard? I landed the catch to end all catches. He just happens to prefer spending Thanksgiving in Michigan to spending it with his wife.”
“But I thought you two were going over to his parents’ house?”
“We were. But then his friends called up yesterday morning and said they had extra tickets for the Lions game in Michigantoday and anyone who wanted to see ‘football history in the making’ should pile in for the road trip.”
Erin whistled. “Oh boy.”
I smiled pleasantly. “‘Oh boy’ is right.”
She handed the cookie platter back to me. “I think you need these more than I do.”
“He hasn’t even called to check in since he left. It’s a ten-hour drive, and I know he brought his cell phone.”
“Well…” She took another bite of gingerbread to stall. “You know how guys are. Maybe he just forgot?”
I snorted. “Has David ever forgotten to call you on a major holiday?”
Erin shrugged. “It’s never been an issue. Ever since we moved in together, we’ve spent the holidays together. Us and Renée.”
“At least he doesn’t leave you to explain to his family why he couldn’t be bothered to show up for your first married Thanksgiving. His mom and dad are livid that he took off; I tried to smooth things over, but they just went off on this rant about how he hasn’t been the same since he quit law school.”
“They sound
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