Page 43 of Doctor Holliday

Chapter 20

Christmas Night

Keaton

“You’re sure?”

Lucy squatted down to plug the tree lights in.

“I’m sure.” She straightened slowly. “Callie stays with my folks a lot.”

“I’m sure she did when she was five.”

Lucy laughed softly. They had left Marty and Deanna’s a while ago to head home. Callie had stayed. She and her cousins were planning to go to Lucy’s parents’ house for a Christmas sleepover.

“They all did this a few years ago. Maybe when Cal turned sixteen. They wore footed pajamas. Slept on the living floor in sleeping bags. Mom made them breakfast the next morning.”

“You didn’t ask?—”

“I did not ask Callie to leave the house so you could stay over tonight.”

“Okay.”

“What about Ruby? Have you talked to her?”

“Earlier. When you were in the kitchen with your sister.”

“Do you want to call her?”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

Lucy gestured to the sofa where Keaton sat to make himself comfortable.

“I’ll be right back.”

Keaton nodded again and pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed Alyssa’s number, chuckling to himself at Ruby’s suggestion that she should get her own phone.

“Hey,” Alyssa answered around a yawn. “Sorry. How’s it going? How was your Christmas?”

“Good.”

Lucy reappeared with an open bottle of wine and two stemmed glasses. With care, she set everything on the coffee table and looked at him in askance. When he nodded and patted the sofa, she sat beside him, curling one leg under her, and turned to look at him.

“Did you meet Lucy’s family?”

Lucy’s eyes lit up at Alyssa’s question.

“I did. Lucy’s here right now. Can I talk to Rube for a minute?”

“Sure. Hang on.”

“You told her you had Christmas with my family?” Lucy asked with a small smile.

“I did.”

“Good.”

“Hey, Dad.”