Page 52 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

The first Christmas after Lily’s death had nearly broken Bill.Ithadbroken the family.The festival had already been planned, so it hadn’t been canceled, but Bill was nowhere to be found that day.Carter had known exactly where he was and made sure no one disturbed him.

“He loved being Santa,” Ashley said.“And he was so good at it.I didn’t even realize it was him until I was fourteen.”

Carter still remembered when she figured it out.He had known, so when she came to him, shock spread across her pretty features.He tried to pretend like he didn’t know either, but she knew he was lying.She always could… except for the one time she didn’t.

“He loved every minute of playing Santa,” Carter said.

“Have you asked him about this year?I mean, he pulled that elaborate stunt to get us all here.”

“What stunt?”Lena asked.

Ashley sighed and filled Lena in.“He had Hawthorne call and tell us all he was dead and we needed to come home for the funeral.”

A loud gasp echoed in the room, followed by a loud HA!Lena slapped a hand over her mouth.“I’m sorry.That’s horrible!Creative, but mean.”

Whatever awkwardness he’d expected between Ashley and Lena never materialized.Their conversation continued as if they were old friends.

“You’re telling me.So you have to forgive my brother for being less than hospitable.We’re not exactly here on our own free will.”

“Don’t make excuses for him,” Carter said.People had constantly told him Gabe was just protective, just under pressure, just trying to do the right thing.But Carter had spent too many years on the receiving end of Gabe’s “good intentions” to believe that anymore.

“I’m not,” Ashley argued.

“You always do.”

Ashley’s icy glare turned on him.

“Look we’re all on edge.Most of us haven’t been here in eight years, Gabe included.He thought his grandfather was dead.He hadn’t been here since his grandmother passed.”

“And either have you or Tori or Taylor or Cole.He’s not the only one, Ash.But somehow Gabe always gets the benefit of the doubt.”

Lena suddenly found the spreadsheet very interesting, dropping her head and mumbling to herself.

Ashley blinked, and her expression hardened.

“That’s not fair.”

“I think it’s plenty fair.At some point, people have to be responsible for their own behavior.”

“He is.”

“Is he?”

Ashley’s lips parted, words looked like they were going to come out, then she snapped her mouth closed.The question hanging in the air unanswered.

Lena started whistling Frosty the Snowman.

“Taylor wouldn’t have spoken to Lena that way.Tori wouldn’t have.Or Cole.Hell, Marilyn wouldn’t even have spoken to her like that.Just admit Gabe’s an asshole.”

“He’s my brother,” Ashley retorted.

“That doesn’t change the facts.”

Lena raised her hand, and Carter’s eyebrow arched.

“Sorry to interrupt.While this is riveting.Honestly, it is.I don’t know any of the people you have mentioned, but I am intrigued.However, we are down to the wire, so if you can argue about Gabe being an asshole a little later we can finish up here.”

“Sorry,” Carter said.He never let his professionalism slip, but Ashley had always been the one person who made that impossible.