Dear Santa(53)

    “Everything okay?” she asked, ignoring her mother’s tone.

“You were missed at Thanksgiving.”

Her mother tossed guilt with the expertise of a no-hit pitcher. “I’m sorry, I really am. I thought I could get away, and then at the last minute something came up. I was forced to stay in Chicago and deal with it.” She crossed her fingers, hoping her mother wouldn’t inquire about that vague something. “I did let you know I couldn’t make it.” Coward that she was, she’d sent a text message.

“Was it the same something that prevented you from coming home for Christmas last year?” her mother asked pointedly.

This was the problem. Everly was the middle child in a family of five siblings. Two older sisters named Rose and Lily and two younger brothers, identical twins named Jeff and John. Everly had felt squished in between her sisters and brothers. Rose had Lily and Jeff had John and she was trapped in the middle. Everly needed elbow room, a way to prove she was her own person. She’d set out to do exactly that from the time she was two years old and learned to say the word no.

Lily used to tease her and claim Everly had been adopted. She might have believed it, except the family resemblance was too strong. She had the same dark brown hair and brown eyes as the rest of her siblings. The same small curve in both her little fingers as all four of her siblings.

    Her father blew it off by saying Everly was a typical middle child. Perhaps she was. From her earliest memories she’d been driven to be the best. If her job was to weed a garden row, she did it faster and better than any of her siblings did. She got top grades, was voted the most likely to succeed in her high school class, and was granted a full-ride scholarship to the University of Indiana, graduating magna cum laude. Following graduation, she threw the entire force of her will and determination into getting Easy Home off the ground with Jack Campbell.

In contrast, her two sisters had both married young and started their families, and her brothers had joined their father in the farming enterprise. They had little in common with their up-and-coming-business-executive sister. When she was home it was as if they didn’t have anything to talk about. Rose wasn’t interested in how exciting the low home mortgage rates were and Everly had a hard time being excited little Rosie was cutting her first tooth.

“Are you going to answer the question?” her mother asked.

“Sorry, Mom, my mind was elsewhere.”

“Will you or will you not be home for Christmas?” her mother asked, getting right to the point.

“Ah…home.” If her family learned that she had the entire month of December off and she skipped the holidays for a second year running, there would be consequences. “I’ll be home for sure.”

    “You promise?”

“Cross my heart. As it is, I’m taking a few days off.”

Her words seemed to shock her mother. “You’re taking a vacation?”

“That’s what I just said.”

“You don’t sound happy about it.”

That much was true. “Jack insisted I needed time away because I’m stressed out, and he isn’t far from wrong.”

“Where do you plan to go?”

“Somewhere tropical, I guess…perhaps a cruise.” She had never been one to idle away on a beach. The thought of all that wasted time depressed her. She didn’t suntan easily, and she detested the idea of sweating in a swimsuit.

“You make it sound like you’re heading off to Guantánamo.”

Everly smiled. “I’m not showing the proper amount of enthusiasm, am I?”

“You’re not.”

“The thing is, I’m not convinced I should go. Jack isn’t as good at the business end of things as I am. I’m worried he’ll mess up one or several of the major deals we have in the works.”

    “Then let him. You’ve carried your load and his for far too long.”

The truth shouldn’t feel this sharp. Her mother was right and Everly knew it. She’d gone back and forth on this vacation idea ever since Jack first mentioned it.

“It’s up to you to make the most of this opportunity, Daisy,” her mother continued. “You can make yourself miserable worrying about Jack and the business, or you can have the time of your life. It’s up to you.”

They ended the conversation with Everly promising to spend Christmas on the farm and a determination to take her mother’s words to heart.



* * *



—

As soon as Everly made an appearance Tuesday morning, Annette hurried to greet her, smiling as if she was holding a winning lottery ticket in her hand.

“I’m so grateful you’ve given me this chance to prove myself,” Annette said. “Uncle Jack said it was more than I deserve, and I want to thank you.” Her eyes sparkled with delight and were as round as the moon.

Everly eyed her warily.

“I found the perfect cruise for you.” Annette clapped her hands so excitedly, it surprised Everly she didn’t hop up and down. “There was a cancellation at the last minute and I grabbed it. You’re going to have such a great time.”

    “And where is this cruise?”

“Brazil,” Annette shouted, and thrust her arms in the air as if she were a referee declaring a touchdown.