Read Online The Moment Keeper by Buffy Andrews - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Buffy Andrews
Ads: Link
Grandma, I might as well die myself.
Chapter 14
Olivia sits Indian style on the living-room floor in front of the eight-foot Fraser fir decorated with white lilies and crystal spheres. Cousins, some older and others younger, surround her. They laugh, unable to sit still. One male cousin rubs his hands and another bites her fingernails.
Tom whistles to quiet the crowded room. “I want to thank everyone for celebrating Christmas with us once again. Liz, Libby and I always look forward to what’s become a holiday tradition.”
Tom looks at Elizabeth. “How long have we been doing this now?”
“Since Libby’s first Christmas and she’s nine,” Elizabeth answers.
All eyes find Olivia and her face pops like a firework – green eyes sparkling, smile bursting, face as red as the roses her dad gave her mom that morning.
“That’s right. Since Libby’s first Christmas. We’ve welcomed a couple babies into the family since then and some of our loved ones are no longer with us and we should remember them tonight.”
Heads nod and whispers of “yes” fill the great room.
“Please, eat up and have fun.”
Sleigh bells ring. The kids stand and jump up and down. They know that Santa has arrived.
Santa, aka Uncle Ned, walks into the room carrying a huge red sack filled with gifts. He takes one gift out of the bag and calls the name on the tag. It’s for Olivia’s cousin, Samantha. Three-year-old Samantha skips to Santa and takes the gift.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa says. “Remember, don’t open your gift until everyone has one. I’ll go fast, I promise.”
Santa calls one name after another and the kids get their gifts and then sit down, legs crossed and the gift on the floor in front of them. Olivia’s fingers are crossed. I know that she’s hoping for a dog. She’s asked over and over for one, promising to take care of it all on her own.
Olivia looks around the room. Everyone has a gift but her. She wonders if Santa forgot her this year.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa says. “I have one gift that wouldn’t fit in my Santa sack.”
Tom hands him a big box with a red bow on top.
Santa reads the tag. “This one’s for Olivia.”
Santa sets the white box in front of Olivia.
“Why don’t we let Olivia open hers first?” Santa says.
The kids gather around Olivia. There’s a “yelp” from inside the box. Olivia tears off the bow, pushes back the flaps and reaches in.
“It’s a puppy! It’s a puppy! I got a puppy.”
She picks up the five-pound Cairn terrier with a pink collar accented with rhinestones. Herdark eyes and black nose take up most of her puppy face. Her little ears fold down in perfect triangles.
Olivia lifts the puppy to her face and rubs her cheek against the puppy’s quivering body. “It’s OK, Daisy. You’re with me now.”
“Can I hold her?”
“I want to hold her.”
“I get her next.”
“Now, kids,” Santa says. “Let’s let Olivia hold her for a while. Then maybe later you can hold her.”
“Uh-oh!” Olivia says.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asks.
“I think Daisy just peed on me.”
Olivia holds out Daisy and there’s a big wet spot on the front of her green velvet dress. Everyone laughs.
“I’m sure it won’t be the last time she pees on you,” Tom says. “Come with me, Lib, and we’ll take her out while the others open their gifts.”
Tom and Olivia take Daisy out and the room erupts in total chaos – kids scream, paper flies every which way and all the adults can do is pray that nothing gets broken and nobody gets hurt.
I love Christmas at Olivia’s house. Each year on Christmas Eve, both sides of the family gather for the biggest party of the year. The house is wrapped in laughter and love.
Long banquet tables are filled with food. There’s steamed shrimp, pecan-crusted chicken tenders, caramelized onion brie en croute, bacon-wrapped sirloin gorgonzola skewers, artichoke and spinach filo tartlets, edamame dumplings and much more.
The
Chapter 14
Olivia sits Indian style on the living-room floor in front of the eight-foot Fraser fir decorated with white lilies and crystal spheres. Cousins, some older and others younger, surround her. They laugh, unable to sit still. One male cousin rubs his hands and another bites her fingernails.
Tom whistles to quiet the crowded room. “I want to thank everyone for celebrating Christmas with us once again. Liz, Libby and I always look forward to what’s become a holiday tradition.”
Tom looks at Elizabeth. “How long have we been doing this now?”
“Since Libby’s first Christmas and she’s nine,” Elizabeth answers.
All eyes find Olivia and her face pops like a firework – green eyes sparkling, smile bursting, face as red as the roses her dad gave her mom that morning.
“That’s right. Since Libby’s first Christmas. We’ve welcomed a couple babies into the family since then and some of our loved ones are no longer with us and we should remember them tonight.”
Heads nod and whispers of “yes” fill the great room.
“Please, eat up and have fun.”
Sleigh bells ring. The kids stand and jump up and down. They know that Santa has arrived.
Santa, aka Uncle Ned, walks into the room carrying a huge red sack filled with gifts. He takes one gift out of the bag and calls the name on the tag. It’s for Olivia’s cousin, Samantha. Three-year-old Samantha skips to Santa and takes the gift.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa says. “Remember, don’t open your gift until everyone has one. I’ll go fast, I promise.”
Santa calls one name after another and the kids get their gifts and then sit down, legs crossed and the gift on the floor in front of them. Olivia’s fingers are crossed. I know that she’s hoping for a dog. She’s asked over and over for one, promising to take care of it all on her own.
Olivia looks around the room. Everyone has a gift but her. She wonders if Santa forgot her this year.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa says. “I have one gift that wouldn’t fit in my Santa sack.”
Tom hands him a big box with a red bow on top.
Santa reads the tag. “This one’s for Olivia.”
Santa sets the white box in front of Olivia.
“Why don’t we let Olivia open hers first?” Santa says.
The kids gather around Olivia. There’s a “yelp” from inside the box. Olivia tears off the bow, pushes back the flaps and reaches in.
“It’s a puppy! It’s a puppy! I got a puppy.”
She picks up the five-pound Cairn terrier with a pink collar accented with rhinestones. Herdark eyes and black nose take up most of her puppy face. Her little ears fold down in perfect triangles.
Olivia lifts the puppy to her face and rubs her cheek against the puppy’s quivering body. “It’s OK, Daisy. You’re with me now.”
“Can I hold her?”
“I want to hold her.”
“I get her next.”
“Now, kids,” Santa says. “Let’s let Olivia hold her for a while. Then maybe later you can hold her.”
“Uh-oh!” Olivia says.
“What’s wrong?” Tom asks.
“I think Daisy just peed on me.”
Olivia holds out Daisy and there’s a big wet spot on the front of her green velvet dress. Everyone laughs.
“I’m sure it won’t be the last time she pees on you,” Tom says. “Come with me, Lib, and we’ll take her out while the others open their gifts.”
Tom and Olivia take Daisy out and the room erupts in total chaos – kids scream, paper flies every which way and all the adults can do is pray that nothing gets broken and nobody gets hurt.
I love Christmas at Olivia’s house. Each year on Christmas Eve, both sides of the family gather for the biggest party of the year. The house is wrapped in laughter and love.
Long banquet tables are filled with food. There’s steamed shrimp, pecan-crusted chicken tenders, caramelized onion brie en croute, bacon-wrapped sirloin gorgonzola skewers, artichoke and spinach filo tartlets, edamame dumplings and much more.
The
Similar Books
