An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer Page A

family home.
    Once everyone was buckled in and Archie had driven away with his babbling cargo, Felicia turned and gave Lauren a good long look. “You’re as gorgeous as always,” she said. “You’re like a model from a catalog.”
    “I’m glad you think so.” Lauren sighed. “I feel like a shrieking old hag on a broomstick. I’d like to hire an army sergeant on mornings like this when I need to be sure we’re all dressed, packed, and out the door in time for a plane.” Glancing at the cup holder, she smiled. “You remembered! Iced tea?”
    “Three tea bags strong, no milk, no sugar.”
    Lauren grabbed up the go-cup and took a big swig. “You have no idea how much I needed that! How are the ’rents?”
    “Good. Mom is in her usual pre-holiday frenzy. Dad mostly stays out of her way. But oh, guess what, they have a cat. He’s new, and spends a lot of time in the laundry room, but I think it’s excellent that Mom has a pet.”
    “Yeah, it’s her substitute baby.” Lauren slurped more tea.
    Felicia wanted to confide her new baby yearnings to her sister, but the ride from the airport was only about ten minutes and she didn’t want to start talking about something so intimate when she knew they’d be interrupted. “So you brought my gown?”
    “I did. Here’s my strategy: I brought videos for the kids.You know I never allow them to watch television or videos or YouTube or play games on the cell phone. This is my secret weapon.” Lauren laughed naughtily, the kind of laugh Felicia had never heard from her sister before. “Do I surprise you? When you become a mother, you’ll discover depths of cunning within you that you never knew existed.”
    “Um, okay …”
    “After lunch, Porter has been assigned the responsibility of taking the kids out for a walk through town to use up some of their crazy energy. When they return, they’ll be allowed to watch 101 Dalmatians . This will superglue them to the television and then finally give us plenty of time to play dress-up with your wedding gown!”
    “I’m impressed,” Felicia admitted. Secretly she thought, how could she expect anything else? Lauren always knew exactly what to do.
    When they arrived at the house, Archie had just parked the big SUV in the driveway. Jilly and George had come outside to welcome everyone. The family was hugging, kissing, and cooing with delight. When Felicia parked her mother’s car behind the SUV, and Lauren stepped out, Jilly greeted her as if she hadn’t seen her oldest daughter for years.
    “Stand back,” George whispered to Felicia, hugging her to him. “I think your mother’s going to explode with happiness—having her two girls home.”
    It took a while for the men to carry in the luggage as Lauren directed what went where. Jilly and Felicia knelt in the living room, supervising Lawrence and Portia as they brought Christmas presents in hand-decorated parcels out of a duffel bag and placed them beneath the Christmas tree.
    “I wrapped that one, Grandma Jelly,” six-year-old Lawrence proudly announced to Jilly.
    “We made the wrapping paper!” his little sister announced, pointing to a package in white paper covered with rainbow swirls.
    “They’re beautiful!” Jilly said, clapping her hands.
    Felicia had never seen her mother’s face glowing with such tender joy as now when she interacted with her grandchildren. Lawrence’s brown curls bobbed as he spoke, and his eyes were bright and clear. Portia resembled her mother, Lauren—and now Felicia saw traces of Jilly in the lines of Portia’s sweet round cheeks and pointed chin. Here’s where the image of angels came from, Felicia realized. Such shining innocence, such pure trust, such unquestioning happiness. When Lawrence climbed on his grandmother’s lap, the curve of his shoulders carried the same lines as Felicia’s father. Life on earth may be limited, but grandchildren were the promise of the eternal.
    Felicia had tears in her eyes. She had envy