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“I meant since you’ve been to Wintercrest Estate. No one appreciates my cooking the way you do.”

Patting her belly, Joy grinned. “You’ve fattened me up plenty over the years, Freya. You know why I haven’t been around.”

“I do,” Freya said with a frown. “But I do wish you’d come by more often. Visit us, talk about Lorelei, and find comfort in the space again.”

“I want that too,” Joy whispered. “But, you know.” The slight tilt of her head told Kian she was referring to him.

“The boy doesn’t bite,” Freya said.

Kian suspected Joy would disagree with her on that one.

“Once the holiday season is over, we’ll have dinner,” Joy promised, squeezing Freya’s hands. “Let me help you put away the groceries.”

“Absolutely not. You’re Kian’s guest. Sit and enjoy your coffee. I parked behind the house, so I didn’t see your car.”

Kian picked up Joy’s crutches and walked toward her. “There are some things I’d like to show you.”

Taking the crutches, Joy replied, “It’s time for me to head out. Can it wait?”

“I’d rather it didn’t,” he said, in a tone that made her pause and reassess him. Whatever his expression conveyed, it convinced her to nod once.

“See you soon, Freya,” Joy said, hugging her friend once more.

“I’m going to text you for help before the holiday light show. Are you in?” Freya asked, pausing with her hand on a container of Kian’s favorite ice cream. He hadn’t asked for it, but she still bought it. Maybe he was winning her over after all.

What happened next surprised him even more. Joy’s chin trembled a few times, but she finally nodded. “I’m in. Send me the details.”

Freya held out her hand, and they high-fived. Joy’s crutch hit the island as it swung from her arm, but he didn’t care if it split the island in two. She’d agreed to return to the estate, which in turn had solidified his decision not to sell it. Maybe Freya had convinced her this time, but by Christmas he hoped to be the one she was high-fiving. Maybe that was a wish even too big for Santa Claus, but Kian was willing to try.

8

#Memories

“Where are we going?” Joy asked, walking beside Kian in the hallway. She always found it weird that the estate hallways were wide enough for people to walk side by side, especially since she used crutches. Lorelei told her she had asked for them to be built that way because everyone in her world was equal. That was Lorelei in a nutshell, though, despite what other people in town thought about her. Those who believed she sat up here on a golden throne counting her money were dead wrong. She had done so much good with her money, and that would continue even after her death.

“To my mother’s private quarters,” he replied.

That brought her to an immediate halt. “There’s no need for that. We can talk in the sitting room.”

“Trust me on this, Joy,” he said, motioning her forward.

She hesitated as she lifted the crutches from the floor. Did she want to surround herself with Lorelei’s things again? To be enveloped by the things Lorelei loved but could no longer enjoy? To be reminded that the woman she considered her mother was gone and would never return?

“The last time I set foot in her room was to choose her funeral outfit. I swore it would be the last time.”

“I know,” he whispered. “It took me six months to walk in there, but surprisingly, I found it comforting to be surrounded by her again. Part of me wishes I hadn’t stayed away so long.”

Part of Joy wished he had stayed away longer. That would have made her life easier, sparing her the first holiday season without Lorelei while he was dogging her. Operation Bye-Bye Bossman had to work, or she might be a crumpled mess by Christmas. In her opinion, he couldn’t have come at a worse time, but no one was asking for her opinion.

“I only have a few minutes,” she said as they started walking again. “I have a lot of planning to do for Saturday.”

“True, but you’ll have me to help. Look at it that way,” he said, turning left at the end of the hallway and entering a large sitting area. It was what Lorelei called her oasis, and the space certainly had a restful, rejuvenating vibe.

“Are you helpful, though?” she asked, trying to focus on anything but the woman she missed so desperately. “Have you worked at an outlet mall during the holiday season?”

“Nope,” Kian answered, grinning. “But I take direction well and stay steady and level-headed during a crisis.”

“If you plan to stick around for this, you’d better buckle up, buttercup.”