I offered.
“Thank you, but … I’m not sure I’m up for that,” Ginny said.
“You won’t want to come to our house anyway,” Bay said. “Christmas is going to suck this year because there won’t be a Santa and there won’t be any snow.”
“Didn’t I tell you I was going to fix both of those problems?” I challenged.
“You’re going to make it snow?” Ginny looked dubious. “Since when can you control the weather?”
“I’ve always been able to control the weather.”
“The weather forecasters say there’s not a chance of snow between now and Christmas,” Ginny pointed out. “I don’t think you can bully the weather into doing what you want.”
“Well, we’ll just see about that, won’t we?”
Six
“Well, you all look happy,” Marnie said, running her finger across the corner of Clove’s mouth as I ushered everyone back into the house after our doughnut extravaganza. “Chocolate?”
“We had doughnuts and hot chocolate,” Clove said.
“With sprinkles,” Thistle added.
“Well, great,” Marnie said, making a face. “I love hearing that an hour before dinner.” She shot a pointed look in my direction. “Were you purposely trying to spoil their appetites?”
I considered telling her I was rewarding them for lying to the police, but I figured that would be pushing my luck. “They were good and they deserved a treat. You put me in charge of them and I decided they needed doughnuts. If you don’t like it, don’t ask me to watch them again.”
Marnie scowled. “Why can’t you be like all the other grandmothers in town and knit them scarves?”
“Knit,” Thistle said, dissolving into giggles. “She doesn’t knit.”
“I could knit,” I challenged.
“We don’t want her to knit,” Bay said. “That would be horrible for everyone.”
“How so?”
“Then we’d have to wear what she knitted for us,” Bay pointed out. “Do you want to wear hats and scarves that Aunt Tillie made? Think about it.”
“Listen, mouth, if I want to knit I’ll knit,” I said. “And if I do make you hats and scarves, you’ll love them.”
The look Bay shot me was reminiscent of her mother – and not in a good way. “Whatever,” she said. “Can we watch cartoons until dinner?”
Marnie nodded, pushing Bay’s hair from her face a moment so she could study her. While all my nieces favor their own daughter, they also love their nieces beyond reason. With Winnie off doing … whatever it is she was doing … Marnie obviously decided Bay needed attention.
“Why do you look so sad?” Marnie asked.
“I guess I’m just tired.”
Marnie arched a challenging eyebrow. “Really? You should be hopped up on sugar and fighting with your cousins like you usually do this time of day. What’s really wrong?”
“Nothing,” Bay replied, pulling her head away from Marnie. “We’re going to watch television.”
“We made roast beef,” Marnie offered, knowing that’s one of Bay’s favorite meals. “We have mashed potatoes, corn, and chocolate cake, too.”
Bay forced a smile for Marnie’s benefit, although I could tell my niece didn’t believe it any more than I did. “That sounds great.”
Marnie watched the girls disappear into the bowels of the house and then turned to me. “Why is Bay so upset?”
“I think she was born that way,” I said, my tone more blithe than I meant it to be.
“Why really?”
“Why do you think?” I asked. “She’s convinced that she’s going to have a miserable Christmas and she’s made the other two believe it, too. This whole Bernard-going-missing thing only adds to the bad attitude she’s been carrying around for months.”
“What do you want us to do?” Marnie asked, her voice plaintive. “We cannot give them back what they lost. You know that as well as I do.”
“What did they lose?”
“Their … families.”
I sighed. This was a subject we kept tiptoeing around. “They didn’t lose their family,” I
“Thank you, but … I’m not sure I’m up for that,” Ginny said.
“You won’t want to come to our house anyway,” Bay said. “Christmas is going to suck this year because there won’t be a Santa and there won’t be any snow.”
“Didn’t I tell you I was going to fix both of those problems?” I challenged.
“You’re going to make it snow?” Ginny looked dubious. “Since when can you control the weather?”
“I’ve always been able to control the weather.”
“The weather forecasters say there’s not a chance of snow between now and Christmas,” Ginny pointed out. “I don’t think you can bully the weather into doing what you want.”
“Well, we’ll just see about that, won’t we?”
Six
“Well, you all look happy,” Marnie said, running her finger across the corner of Clove’s mouth as I ushered everyone back into the house after our doughnut extravaganza. “Chocolate?”
“We had doughnuts and hot chocolate,” Clove said.
“With sprinkles,” Thistle added.
“Well, great,” Marnie said, making a face. “I love hearing that an hour before dinner.” She shot a pointed look in my direction. “Were you purposely trying to spoil their appetites?”
I considered telling her I was rewarding them for lying to the police, but I figured that would be pushing my luck. “They were good and they deserved a treat. You put me in charge of them and I decided they needed doughnuts. If you don’t like it, don’t ask me to watch them again.”
Marnie scowled. “Why can’t you be like all the other grandmothers in town and knit them scarves?”
“Knit,” Thistle said, dissolving into giggles. “She doesn’t knit.”
“I could knit,” I challenged.
“We don’t want her to knit,” Bay said. “That would be horrible for everyone.”
“How so?”
“Then we’d have to wear what she knitted for us,” Bay pointed out. “Do you want to wear hats and scarves that Aunt Tillie made? Think about it.”
“Listen, mouth, if I want to knit I’ll knit,” I said. “And if I do make you hats and scarves, you’ll love them.”
The look Bay shot me was reminiscent of her mother – and not in a good way. “Whatever,” she said. “Can we watch cartoons until dinner?”
Marnie nodded, pushing Bay’s hair from her face a moment so she could study her. While all my nieces favor their own daughter, they also love their nieces beyond reason. With Winnie off doing … whatever it is she was doing … Marnie obviously decided Bay needed attention.
“Why do you look so sad?” Marnie asked.
“I guess I’m just tired.”
Marnie arched a challenging eyebrow. “Really? You should be hopped up on sugar and fighting with your cousins like you usually do this time of day. What’s really wrong?”
“Nothing,” Bay replied, pulling her head away from Marnie. “We’re going to watch television.”
“We made roast beef,” Marnie offered, knowing that’s one of Bay’s favorite meals. “We have mashed potatoes, corn, and chocolate cake, too.”
Bay forced a smile for Marnie’s benefit, although I could tell my niece didn’t believe it any more than I did. “That sounds great.”
Marnie watched the girls disappear into the bowels of the house and then turned to me. “Why is Bay so upset?”
“I think she was born that way,” I said, my tone more blithe than I meant it to be.
“Why really?”
“Why do you think?” I asked. “She’s convinced that she’s going to have a miserable Christmas and she’s made the other two believe it, too. This whole Bernard-going-missing thing only adds to the bad attitude she’s been carrying around for months.”
“What do you want us to do?” Marnie asked, her voice plaintive. “We cannot give them back what they lost. You know that as well as I do.”
“What did they lose?”
“Their … families.”
I sighed. This was a subject we kept tiptoeing around. “They didn’t lose their family,” I
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