Guess Who's Coming to Christmas by Pauline Baird Jones

Author:Pauline Baird Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pauline Baird Jones

“You look very thoughtful,” Becca said, as she zipped up Gemma’s lightweight, slightly frothy dress.

“Valka and Blaine joined us at lunch today,” Gemma turned. “Thank you.”

“What did I do?”

“Well, you didn’t freak when I told you they were coming tonight,” Gemma said. “And you gave Dan some excellent advice that he passed on to me, about grudges and poison.”

“Oh, that one.” Becca nodded. “I’ve had to give that advice to myself many times in my life.”

“An oldie but a goodie?” Gemma asked with a grin.

“Well, that’s how they become oldies.” Her gaze turned serious. “Are you okay? It’s one thing to say the words…”

Gemma adjusted the neckline of the dress so that it was just a tad more generous. Dan deserved it for being such a trooper.

“Actually, saying the words—and meaning them, of course—changed everything. I didn’t want to hear the whys and wherefores. It was all just gone.” She rubbed her chest like she’d done back in the restaurant. There’d been hurt there, though she hadn’t wanted to admit it, and it had just faded away when she said the words.

“That’s the magic of it,” Becca agreed, “but you do have to mean it.”

“It surprised me to realize I did mean it. I am who I am because of all of it. I met Dan because of them and I’m happy. I don’t want to be angry. I just want to get on with my life.”

“And if they want a part in it?”

Gemma considered this. She still didn’t think either of them had come here for her, at least not just for her. She shrugged.

“I won’t shut them out,” she said, finally, “but there will be boundaries.” And Seth and Little Abner were going to find that out, too. They should have asked her, but she wasn’t going to drink any poison there either.

“Boundaries are good for all of us,” Becca said. “Are you ready?”

Gemma took a last look at herself in the mirror. She almost didn’t recognize the woman standing there. Her life had changed so much and was about to change even more. She didn’t kid herself there wouldn’t be challenges, hard times, even disagreements. Neither she nor Dan were perfect and they both had some weird baggage they’d be bringing with them—though she was sure hers was a lot stranger than his.

There was a tiny flutter of panic in the region of her heart. Fear was a funny thing. It felt the same with things you longed for and the things you wanted to run from.

Which was this?

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