Mother Load by K.G. MacGregor Page B

us anyway.”
    “Now you’re talking. When do I start?”
    “How about the Monday after we all get back from Tahoe?”
    “So we finally get to have Thanksgiving together in Tahoe again and there’s no snow. How’s that for irony?”
    They hadn’t gone together as a family since the year before she and Lily had become a couple, when Kim and Hal’s friend had briefly derailed their budding romance with an unwelcome kiss that Lily had misunderstood. “We have kids to keep us busy now. Are you and Mom still planning to drive up on Sunday morning?”
    “You know Martine. She wants to be sure the refrigerator is stocked when everyone else arrives. God forbid anyone should go hungry.” He patted his stomach with both hands, and Anna noticed a slight paunch on her usually trim father. That certainly jibed with Andy’s report that he ate cookies and ice cream nearly every day he visited with his grandpa.
    “No one stuffs a turkey like Mom. It’ll be fun having everyone under one roof for a few days.” Now that they had the go-ahead from Beth to share their good news, she was sure it would be a holiday to remember, especially for her father. “I think we should make Tahoe an annual tradition, something the kids can look back on and feel nostalgic about…like when we used to sail to Catalina.”
    Her reference drew a wistful smile across her father’s lined face. She had only vague memories of the three of them as a family, but one vivid recollection was sailing on their cabin cruiser, which her father had sold upon her mother’s death. He hadn’t sailed since, not even with Hal, who had clung to his beloved boat until the month before Jonah was born.
    “I’ve been a very lucky man,” he said softly. “I married out of my league twice, and thanks to both of my wives, I have two of the most wonderful daughters any man could want. They brought me another son and daughter, and three healthy grandchildren to make sure I never get old. I’d love to make Tahoe a Thanksgiving tradition, but I’d be lying if I said I was doing it for the children.”
    “I know what you mean. I’ve been worried sick this past year about the dealerships going down the tubes, but then I’d spend a few hours with Lily and Andy and realize as long as I have them I’ll be all right, no matter what happens at work. Having everyone together in Tahoe will make a nice celebration.”
    He nodded silently as if his head were a million miles away, and then abruptly slapped his desk and rubbed his hands together. “So let’s go tell Marco the good news. The Old Man is finally getting out of his way.” He hooked her hand to his elbow and led her up the hallway to the showroom. “By the way, did you see the new Routan? You should rent one of these when you fly into Reno. It’ll hold seven, you know.”
    Anna almost stopped in her tracks. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn it was a conspiracy.

Chapter 5
    Lily locked her cruise control onto seventy and settled back into the sturdy leather seat of her X3. As she switched lanes on Interstate 5, the bump beneath her wheels jostled Kim awake in the passenger seat, and she shook her head as if fighting off the urge to doze.
    “I don’t mind if you want to catch some Zs. Looks like your daughter is,” Lily said, motioning over her shoulder at baby Alice in her car seat.
    The three of them had gotten an early start on the eight-hour drive to Tahoe. Anna, Hal and the boys would arrive ahead of them by plane this afternoon, but Alice was fighting an ear infection and the last thing she needed was a ride in the pressurized cabin.
    Kim slapped her cheeks lightly several times. “No, I need adult conversation more than I need sleep. I hardly get either one these days.”
    “I’m all yours. What would you like to talk about?”
    “I appreciate you making this trip with me, especially since you’re driving. As you can see, I can’t trust myself not to nod off.”
    “I don’t mind.