Page 212 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
I glance over at her. “Were we, though?”
“What are you talking about?” Taran replies, looking confused. “Of course we were fine.”
“Then how come I really know nothing about Guy? Why don’t I know about what’s going on in your life? Why didn’t I feel comfortable telling you how lonely I was in California and how I didn’t know what to do with that feeling?”
“You were feeling alone?” she asks.
“Yes. And sure, at first I didn’t want to be here, but then…then I realized how much this town means to me. How much I need this town. How much I need you, Taran. How much I need…Cole.”
“I…I had no clue,” Taran says, completely bewildered.
“Because you don’t talk to me. You’re so fixated on your job, which I’m proud of you for, it takes a lot to do what you do, but you zero in on it and nothing else. I’ll text you, and it will take you three days to text back. I understand you’re busy and your job is demanding, but not even a text back at night?”
“I…I didn’t know that bothered you.”
“Of course it bothers me,” I say. “You’re my sister. Up until your abhorrent decision to take down Cole’s decorations to protect me, I honestly wasn’t sure if you even cared about me.”
“Of course I care about you,” Taran says, turning toward me now. “I love you, Storee, and…I’m sorry if I haven’t been as invested in your life as I should be. There’s no excuse for it, and all I can really say is that I need to do better.”
I feel my lip quiver as more tears spring to my eyes.
She takes my hand in hers and scoots closer. Softly, she repeats, “I’m sorry. I love you, and I…I think I just got so caught up in the competition that I missed the point of all of this, working together as a family.”
I nod. “And I’m sorry for not telling you the truth about Cole. I thought that if you knew, you’d get mad at me and think that I wasn’t invested in the competition. I was. I wanted to win it for Aunt Cindy…” My voice trails off as I slowly face Aunt Cindy. “Hold on, did you even care if I won the Town Kringle?”
She winces. “Well, not so much.”
“What?” Taran says. “But you made it seem like you were desperate to win it this year.”
“And my acting coach who has been helping me through our summer community theater productions would be very proud of me.”
“I can’t believe this,” Taran says. “What about the doctor’s appointment I took you to?”
“That was a friend of mine, actually,” Aunt Cindy says. “I noticed that Storee was starting to care for Cole, so I thought that if I took you away for a night and gave them some time, we could let their little relationship grow.”
“Wait, you knew about me and Cole?”
“Storee, everyone did.”
“I didn’t,” Taran says, pointing at her chest.
“And I think we’ve established why,” Aunt Cindy replies, her lips thinning into a disapproving line.
“Right.” Taran exhales and leans back on the couch, her hands crossed over her stomach. “So let me get this straight, you never hurt your hip, you never cared about the Christmas Kringle competition, and I was so worked up about winning the damn thing for this family that I stupidly took the lights off an innocent man’s house?”
“I believe that’s correct,” Aunt Cindy says.
Taran rubs both of her eyes with her palms. “I can’t believe you lied to us. Hell, I can’t believe I didn’t realize.”
“More like fibbed to bring you together, to bring us all together.” She grows serious. “I also felt like I was losing you two. You hadn’t visited in quite some time and, well, I’m an old lady now, and sure, I’m active in the community and have a lot going on, but that doesn’t compare to the memories of when you girls would visit me during this time. I missed you. I missed this, and I felt like getting you to come again called for drastic measures. So I went for it, and I’m sorry I deceived you. I’m also not sorry.” She takes a deep breath. “I got to spend the holiday season with my girls. I got to relive some of my best memories and witness how you both have grown into your personalities. I got to watch you work together, and Storee, from a distance I got to see you reconnect with a boy I always thought belonged with you.”
I feel my cheeks warm.
“So I guess…I’m really not sorry, and if I could, I would do it again.”
“You would force me to wash your crevices again?” Taran asks, breaking the tension.
“I would.” Aunt Cindy sits between us and takes our hands. “I love you two very much, and I want you to remember, you might have your own paths in life, but that should never derail you from the path we all take as a family. If you get lost along the way, we are always here to help you find your way back.”
