Page 4 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

“Nephew,” she said.“Looking older.”

“As are you, Aunt.”

“Careful, I’m not above whacking you upside the head, even at my age.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Aunt Marilyn’s gaze softened for a split second.“Well, it’s nice to see you both here.”She waved her hand.“Even if it’s for this.”

Ashley almost said, ‘It’s nice to see you sober,’ but she bit her tongue.They were having a nice, civilized moment, and she didn’t want to ruin that.With this family, those moments had been few and far between.

“Dad loved to ruin a good holiday,” Aunt Marilyn added.

“Funny, I thought you held that title,” Mom said, and Ashley swung her gaze to her.Was she trying to get escorted off the property again?

Aunt Marilyn sighed with exaggerated flair.“Why are you even here, Camille?”

“To pay my respects.”

Aunt Marilyn laughed.“If you had any respect for this family, you wouldn’t have fucked the pool boy.”

“Marilyn.”Dad’s voice cut through the vestibule.His jaw tightened as he fixed his sister with the same look Ashley remembered from childhood.The look that said she’d gone too far.

Ashley’s heart broke for the man who loved Camille with his whole heart.Her indiscretion was no longer a raw wound but a battle scar he could never erase.

“Oh please, Henry.”Aunt Marilyn tossed her hair over her shoulder.“It’s not like it’s some big secret.It made the Daily News, for crying out loud.”

Mom crossed her arms over her chest.“At least I didn’t drive my husband away.”

Aunt Marilyn’s eyes widened, and her lip twitched.“My husband ran off to Aruba with a nineteen-year-old cocktail waitress and left me to raise Cole alone.”She pointed a finger at Camille as if she were delivering a fatal blow with a knife.“Don’t you dare compare your pool escapades to my life, Camille.”

“Enough!”Dad yelled with an angry edge, and Ashley flinched.Momentarily speechless, she stared at him.It was the most emotion Ashley had seen from him, maybe ever.“Can we not do this right now?Your father—myfather—is dead!”

Silence fell heavily, the only sound being the slight ticking of the grandfather clock in the parlor.

Ashley sighed.“Well, it’s good to see that some things never change,” she mumbled under her breath.

Gabe bumped her shoulder.“We should have gone with the beer.”

A reluctant smile tugged at her lips.“Think it’s too late?”

“Want me to fake a stomachache so we can escape?”

She bit back a laugh.“You’re a little old for that now.”

The front door swung open, a blast of cold air filling the vestibule as Nate and Cole stepped inside.Relief washed over Ashley as she wrapped each of her cousins in a hug, surprised at how much she’d missed them.A moment later, Tori and Taylor hurried in behind them.Ashley often felt like the odd one out with her younger cousins, but she never loved them any less.They were the closest thing she’d ever had to little sisters.She hugged them and thanked Tori for the birthday card she had sent last month.

“Can you believe this?”Tori asked.

“I never thought he’d actually die,” Taylor said.“He was always so full of life.”Her lip curved upward but fell short of a full smile.Tears built in her amber eyes.

Tori rubbed comforting circles on her sister’s back.The room fell silent again, punctuated only by a few sniffles.Grandpa had been a complicated man, but they had all loved him in their own way.

“Where are your parents?”Ashley asked.

Taylor adjusted the Cartier Tank on her wrist.“They should be here any minute.”

As if they had heard her question, the door opened, and Uncle Rick and Aunt Eleanor joined them.