“We saved you a seat,” Mom says as she pats the empty chair to her right.
“Thanks,” I say as I shuffle to them.
Hal sets a loaded plate in front of me, and I dig in immediately.
“We’re going to be building a Christmas village out of gingerbread for the table in the foyer tonight. You want to join us?” Mom asks.
“That sounds like fun,” I say.
She smiles at me, and the knot in my stomach eases a bit.
“Annette left some phone messages for you at the front desk, Hannah,” Willa says.
“Thanks.”
“Are we avoiding someone, sweetheart?” Mom asks.
“Yeah. My boss. She wants me to come back to Vegas as soon as possible.”
“Before Christmas?” Trixie asks.
I sigh. “Yeah. They need my help with a big client they booked after I left.”
“What are you going to do?” Mom asks.
“I don’t want to go, but she’s implied that my promotion might hinge on whether I do or not.”
“She can’t do that, can she? You deserve that position, and this was a scheduled vacation, not you just laying out of work,” Mom says.
“Should she do it? No. Would she do it? It’s her company, and she can do what she wants. If I refuse and it pisses her off enough, then she probably will,” I explain.
“That’s horrible. Why would anyone treat their employees that way?” Trixie asks.
“It’s how the corporate world works most of the time, Trixie. I lost my job in Miami because my boss was a dishonest prick,” Willa reminds her.
“Well, it shouldn’t be that way.”
“If you decide to go, we’ll understand, but if you decide to stay and then quit if they pass you up for the promotion, I’m positive another agency would be delighted to scoop someone of your talent right up. Mara’s loss will be another boss’s gain,” Mom says.
I lay my head on her shoulder, and she kisses the top, like she did when I was little.
I don’t want to leave her before Christmas. I know what I have to do,
I excuse myself and go up to my room and turn on my phone. Then, I dial Mara’s number.
“Hannah, thank goodness you’re alive. I thought I was going to have to send the police out to do a wellness check on you.”
“Alive and well,” I assure her.
“Have you made up your mind?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Mara, but I can’t come back before Christmas. I’ll be happy to make myself available for a consult, and I’ll bump up my return flight a few days, so I can be back in Vegas the day of the wedding, but that’s all I can promise. I want to wake up with my mother here in Lake Mistletoe on Christmas morning.”
The line goes silent.
“Mara? Are you still there?”
“I am. I can’t say that I’m not disappointed in your decision, but it is your right to finish out your vacation. I’ll be in touch if I need your assistance before you return. Make sure you answer the phone, please.”