“Just a few flakes. They didn’t even salt the roads, so it’s nothing.”
“Or we’ll get a bigger snowfall than expected and be trapped at home.” She did not want to be trapped at home with all her siblings to poke their noses in her business.
“Works for me. I don’t want to go to work tomorrow anyway.”
Starr snorted. “Working for your parents is so difficult.”
“Don’t be jealous. You know Dad would give you a job if you wanted.”
“I do not want to work in finance.” She hated math. Had always hated math and had the grades to reflect that. Too bad everyone else in the family was a math genius.
Even Angel.
Lord, I pray that I hold up seeing Angel again. After all, she didn’t intentionally steal my boyfriend. She’s just . . . Angel.
A selfish, manipulative—
No, no. She really didn’t think Angel was aware of how Starr truly felt. After all, Starr hadn’t called her names or threatened bodily harm. After introducing her boyfriend to her sister, Starr had later listened incredulously as Angel described her meeting with Ashton as fate in some star-crossed-lover-type drama. Apparently, Ashton felt the same way. He dumped Starr so he could ask Angel out and live happily ever after.
Starr sighed.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“I was just wondering what the holidays will be like.” She offered a stiff smile. “You know how Mom is.”
Gabe grimaced. “Unfortunately. My prediction is full-on Christmas drama with an extra helping of wedding chaos thrown in.”
Just what she feared. “Great.”
“Hey, you wanted to come back. You didn’t seem to mind missing the last couple of Christmases.” Gabe glanced at her. “Why break the streak now?”
“Angel’s getting married.” As much as she had hurt Starr, Angel was still her sister.
“True, but you could’ve come down the day before and left after Christmas Day. No need to torture yourself the whole holiday season.”
Except now Starr had nowhere else to go. Her severance package wouldn’t have lasted long in New York. Staying with her parents would give her time to plan her next steps. Only, she couldn’t let anyone know that.
She pushed aside her feelings and pasted on a smile. “I missed you guys.”
Gabe snorted. “You mean your friends.”
“What?” She gasped. “I love all of you guys.”
“You never hung around us growing up.”
“Well, it’s not my fault Noel and Eve were so much older. They’ve always had their own friends.” Sometimes being born last was the pits. Starr had been lonely until she took matters into her own hands.
“True. But you didn’t hang with me and Angel either.”
“That’s because you had your twin superpowers activated and didn’t let anyone else in the club.”
Gabe took advantage of the red light to give Starr a long look, confusion written all over his face. “Is that really how you felt?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Starr . . .” He sighed and hit the gas. The car lurched forward. “We never meant to exclude you.”
“I get it. I’m the fifth and last kid. Everyone had already paired off by the time I could talk and play. I had to make my own friends in order to have some, not because I didn’t love my family.”
“I’m sorry, Starr.”
She shrugged and looked out the passenger window. The Lewis family liked to portray themselves as close-knit, but she’d always been on the outside looking in. She didn’t expect the holidays to change that. And Angel’s wedding definitely wouldn’t.
Maybe she’d be able to reconnect with some of her friends who still lived in the area. Anything to occupy her days and keep the melancholy at bay.
“I’ll make it up to you, ’kay?”
“How?” She peeked at Gabe.
“You can hang out with me and my friends.”
“Really, Gabe? I’m a little too old for the ‘kid sister tagging along with the older brother’ bit.”
“You’ll like them.”
We’ll see. “I’m sure.”
He grinned, his straight teeth a testament to the years he’d worn braces. “Then it’s settled.”
“First, let’s get through dinner.”
Gabe turned down their street, and Starr’s pulse picked up speed. The neighbors always joined forces to decorate for the Christmas season. She knew this week had been spent decorating the exteriors of the multimillion-dollar homes. Every house glowed with white lights. Starr sank into her seat as their whitewashed brick home came into view. Navy shutters surrounded the candlelit windows, and a silver wreath decorated the matching front door.
“The inside is decked out, isn’t it?”
“From top to bottom. Mom decorated all yesterday.”
Starr chuckled. Their mom was a little too enthusiastic about Christmas. It’s why they all had Christmas names, even though Gabe and Angel were the only ones born in December. Every year, the day before Thanksgiving, her mom would pull out the decorations and play her Christmas music for “atmospheric purposes.”
Gabe pulled into the garage, and Starr was out of the car before the garage door could close again.
“I’ll grab your bag.”
“Thanks, Gabe.”
“Mom’s probably in the kitchen.”
Starr entered the house and headed straight to the kitchen. Her jaw dropped. Gone were the black cabinets and red backsplash. The room seemed bigger with white cabinetry and black fixtures. The sapphire-blue backsplash went with the silver and blue Christmas decorations her mother was fond of.
“Baby girl!” Her mom threw open her arms as she came around the island and swept Starr into a hug. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.”
“I’m so glad you’re home. Now all my babies are home.” She grinned at Starr and folded Gabe into a group hug.
After a few seconds, she stepped back.
“Gabe said dinner was on hold. I didn’t mean to make you guys wait,” Starr said.
“Gabe.” Her mother’s black brows dipped in consternation. “Dinner won’t be ready for another thirty minutes.” She shook her head. “He’s just making trouble.”
“Me?” He pointed to his chest in mock horror. “I’m the angel, unlike your middle-born daughter.”
“Ha. Go take your sister’s suitcase to her room.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Gabe strolled out of the kitchen with a parting wink to Starr.
“You changed it.” Starr gestured around the kitchen. “It looks good, by the way.”
“Thank you. Angel brought my ideas to life.”
Of course Angel redesigned it.
“But don’t worry,” her mom continued, “your room is the same as you left it.”
Starr paused, her hand in midair with the meatball she’d swiped from the appetizer tray. “You mean, exactly the same?”
“Of course. The cleaning staff go in to dust once a month and don’t touch anything else.”
“But I haven’t lived here since college.” She’d graduated five years ago and moved to New York shortly after. This was really the first time she’d been back home apart from a visit here and there while staying at hotels—because she could afford to.