When Maisie looked over at her dad, he winked at her. Every bit as successful as her mother, every bit as driven, he’d always pushed her to find her passion and live it. Though he’d wanted her to pursue her degree and master’s as well, he backed off when Maisie made it clear that wasn’t her path. He was gone a lot more than their mother was, even now. She worked close to home and he constantly traveled to share and teach at other hospitals.
Maybe if he were home more, he would have shared her mom’s disappointment. Nick nudged her knee again. She looked at him and he nodded toward his cookie. He’d messily scrawled Maisie’s name and put a heart next to it.
Luckily, she didn’t melt on the spot. But she did lean closer and breathe in the scent she knew she’d recognize anywhere. It wasn’t that she didn’t want more; she just didn’t want her mother’s version of it. Maisie realized, looking at Nick, his thigh pressed to hers, that she could spend her life trying to gain her mom’s approval. Or, she could just live her life and enjoy what was right in front of her. Literally.
Chapter Seventeen
ADULTING SHOULD COME WITHawards. Or points!Points would be epic. You could save them up and give yourself prizes.Five points for everyday errands. Nothing too out there. Just recognition of a job well done. Paid bills? Five points. Ten points for grocery shopping because of the annoyance factor. Ten points for not buying anything other than groceries while shopping because that was almost impossible. Twenty points for attending an event you’d rather skip. Fifty for giving a gracious smile when your mother gives you a gift you absolutely don’t want.
“I think you’ll really enjoy the evening, honey,” her mom said, staring at Maisie expectantly.
Maisie smoothed her fingers across the pale-yellow cardstock tickets. She didn’t even know they still made physical tickets for anything. But here she was, proof in hand; one each for her and a guest to attend a special evening including dinner and a lecturegiven by Dr. Cornelius Bassier, motivational speaker and life coach who happened to be stopping in Seattle.
“Cornelius and your father did their undergrad together. He’s published in several journals about the importance of seizing opportunities before your thirties. He’s much funnier than you’d expect,” her mom continued.
When Maisie glanced up, her lips still locked into a fake smile, she saw the tightness around her brother’s mouth, her sister’s pitying gaze, Kyle’s humor, and a flash of irritation in Colton’s eyes. Her father was busy reading the instructions for the smartwatch she’d given him. An actually useful gift.
“I’m sure it’ll be great, Mom. Thank you,” Maisie said, realizing she still hadn’t said it.
Her mom smiled. “I think it’s nice to get an experience as a gift rather than something you’ll never use again.”
Jake handed Maisie a large, thin, prettily wrapped gift. “Here. Open ours.”
“It’s not my turn,” Maisie said. They were going around in a circle, each opening one at a time.
“Just open it,” Colton said, his wide grin clearing the clouds hovering over Maisie’s mood. She loved Christmas. Love, love, LOVED it. No one, least of all her mom and her lectures, was taking that from her.
She ripped off the paper, opened the box she found beneath it. She pulled a stunning, paisley flower–patterned Kate Spade tote bag. It was pale pink but each of the flowers was a slightly darker shade of pink. “Oh, my gosh. I love it.”
Colton beamed and her brother reached over, grabbed the wrapping scraps. “You’re always carrying your camera bag and then a dozen other things in your hands. Now you can just put everything in this, carry your camera bag on the other arm. No more juggling eight hundred things.”
Maisie got up, kissed both Colton and Jacob’s cheeks. “Love it.”
“You can store your ticket in there,” Colton whispered, making Maisie laugh.
The rest of the gift giving went smoothly. She was able to enjoy the time with her family, soak up the memories, and skirt around her frustration with her mom. When Nick, Ellie, and Asher joined them later in the afternoon, they had a wonderful dinner and watched the originalMiracle on 34th Street.
It was, all in all, a lovely day. She’d wanted to curl into Nick while they watched the movie but that would have garnered too much attention. She watched, longingly, as Nick helped Asher put out cookies for Santa and the three of them read “’Twas The Night Before Christmas.” She didn’t know what would happen a few days from now. Nick had mentioned he had a game on the thirty-first, so she knew he’d be in Seattle. Watching him with his nephew after seeing how wonderful he’d been this week made her more certain than ever; she was falling hard for Nick King.
Just like she couldn’t control her mom’s responses, where she and Nick ended up didn’t feel like something she was in charge of. Maisie slipped away and headed up to her room with her gifts. Setting them in her suitcase, she pulled out the little gift she’d bought for Nick. She’d found it on Amazon and had it delivered. It was nothing much but it made her smile, and so did he. She wasn’t sure when she should give it to him. Hopefully, she’d get a chance tomorrow. Crawling between the sheets, she tried to read but ended up staring at the ceiling, wishing Nick would sneak into her room.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been lying there when her bedroom door opened and a silhouette moved toward her bed. Her heartrate skyrocketed.
“You awake?” Jacob asked before her eyes adjusted to the dark.
Maisie sat up in the bed. “What are you doing?”
“Midnight snowball fight,” he whispered.
Excitement thrummed. “It’s ten o’clock.”
“Stickler. Just get dressed. Meet us out back in five minutes and be quiet.”
She giggled in the darkness, under her breath of course, while pulling on leggings, then adding some joggers over top. She didn’t have snow gear, so that would have to do. She pulled on her BY THECUPhoodie—a present her friend, Hailey, who owned a salad shop, had given her in the summer. It was one of her favorites because of how warm it was. Ironic, since Hailey lived in California.
Leaving her room, her hair pulled into a tight, low ponytail, she felt like a spy or a thief. They used to do this when they were little; sneak out at actual midnight to play games in the yard, build snowmen, or have snowball fights. Maisie loved Seattle but sometimes she wished Jake and Colt lived closer.
Maisie paused outside Nick’s door. She wanted to invite him but wasn’t sure if he was sleeping, if he’d think it was weird. Maybe she’d wake him when she got back.
