A Christmas Arrangement Read Online Free Page A

get my eyes involved when I smiled at him, hoping it would mask the true feelings of terror that suddenly rumbled inside. 
    “And they’re totally excited to come,” he said.  “So, I was hoping your invitation to dinner could include them too."
    His parents.  Here.  Not just in the vicinity of, but actually with my family for the holiday.  What could go wrong?  The list of possible scenarios scrolled through my mind on pace with the national debt ticker.
    “What do you think, babe?”
    “Yay,” I said weakly. Smiley eyes, smiley eyes .
    "That's a wonderful idea!” Mom said as she clasped her hands together.  “We would be happy to have you and your parents at our party."  She looped her purse over her shoulder.  “Well, I’ve got to get going.  Alex, I’m so excited to meet your parents.  And Angus will be thrilled.  Do they have a place to stay when they get here?”
    Please say yes, please say yes.
    “I won’t have them staying in a hotel,” Mom continued.  “Our home is open to them.  We’ve got plenty of room.”
    “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got an extra bedroom at my house.  My mom wants to decorate my place while she’s here.” 
    “She sounds wonderful.  Quincy won’t let me decorate her house.  I don’t see why, I helped my mother-in-law decorate it when she lived there.”
    “Now, Mother,” I said.  “You know it isn’t true that I won’t let you help.  It just doesn’t need re-decorating.  You already did it for Grandma.”  And I didn’t want my house to become a shrine to the church-craft-night project of the month.
    “Well in any case, I’ve got to go.  Your father is going to play Santa for the ward Christmas party and they’ve changed the date for some reason.  I’ve got to work on his costume.”  She turned to leave.
    “Wait,” I said.  “Mom, when is the ward party?”
    “Why?  Did you want to come?”
    Ugh.  Not the time for that discussion.  “I just wondered about the date.  If you’re going to have the costume done in time for the open house, too.”
    She pulled a little calendar out of her purse.  “December eighteenth.  When is your open house again?”
    I sighed.  “December eighteenth.” 
    “Oh no.  Are you sure?”
    I’d been planning and going to meetings about this event since the one the year before.  Yes I was sure.  Dad had agreed to fill in as Santa after our regular, “Santa Sal” found out he had to have back surgery.  Dad must have forgotten to tell my mom about it.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll find someone else to do it.”
    “Okay, dear.  We’ll talk later.  I’ve got to go.”
    Santa Sal was famous for being the best Santa around.  My dad would’ve been a great fill-in, but now I didn’t know what to do.  Each year, Santa would arrive from the North Pole in a helicopter and then kids were invited to come sit with him and get their photo taken.  We’d offset the cost of the holiday celebration by charging parents for a copy of the photo.
    I was responsible for making sure this holiday celebration was a success and now I didn’t have a Santa.  I couldn’t let Aunt Rosie or my shop down.  I didn’t want to be known as the one who ruined Rosie’s reputation.
    Alex kissed my cheek.  “Are you okay?”
    "I'm a little nauseous."
    “Maybe you should go home.  I bet K.C. and Daphne wouldn’t mind staying.  Would you?”  He looked at them with his amazing eyes and that strong chin.  How could they say no to that?
    “Oh, they owe me big time now,” I said.  “But, I haven’t quite decided when paybacks will come around.”  I narrowed my eyes at K.C. who stuck her tongue out at me.  “I can’t leave, anyway.  I’ve got to finish un-packing a thousand Christmas tree ornaments and figure out why the pre-lit tree over there isn’t lit up.  Not to mention all the phone invitations to our VIP guests.”  And not to mention his parents coming to visit, which was the actual