ONCE EVERYONE WAS gathered at the long dining room table, before they began the meal, Evan’s father brought the menorah to the table and gathered his five grandchildren around him to light the candles. It was a beautiful menorah, ornate and detailed, a seamless blend of gold and silver. Gary lit the shamash, then gave it to the youngest to light the one candle for the first night. Everyone said the short prayer in Hebrew, in unison. It made Shari feel more like she fit in.
Having that common bond, murmuring the simple prayer that she’d memorized as a child like all Jewish kids had, she watched Evan as he murmured the prayer beside her. She hadn’t always dated Jewish guys—in fact, she hadn’t in a few years—because that didn’t matter to her. She dated whoever made her hormones wail or who made her laugh or who she could have intelligent conversations with. She didn’t discriminate because of religion. But now, looking at Evan, she had to admit that coming from the same background certainly made some things easier. Things that went unspoken, that were understood, just by virtue of the same heritage.
It was good that Evan’s family had their big party on the first night of Chanukah; her family usually got together on the last night, and she’d be making the trip back to Philly in a week. She had invited him to come, and he’d agreed. It was a smaller gathering than this one—she had a smaller family—but this was definitely the kind of family shindig she liked. The Sonntags were a vibrant, vocal bunch, talking and laughing over one another as they passed plates of food around. And the food was fantastic. There were the homemade latkes, bowls of applesauce and sour cream, roasted chicken, brisket, steamed broccoli, carrots in honey, and sautéed mushrooms and onions . . .
“Everything is delicious,” Shari said to Evan’s mother, tipping her head to make sure she could make eye contact. “Really. Just wonderful.”
Brenda beamed visibly. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying.”
“I like a woman who really eats,” Gary commented.
“Dad!” Alison, Evan’s sister, shot him an annoyed glance.
“What? What’d I say?” Gary looked around. “I hate women who just pick at salads and say they’re not hungry.” He nodded at Evan. “Real women eat. Glad you found one.”
Shari couldn’t hold back the grin. Evan simply kept eating, eyes on his plate as he cut into his slice of brisket with gusto.
After dinner, Shari was allowed to help with cleanup. While she was in the kitchen with the other women, Evan went back to the living room to hang out with his brother, brother-in-law, and the kids. They were caught up in a game of Apples to Apples, laughing and loud. Rose was back in the cushioned armchair, watching them all play with a besotted smile on her face.
“Hey, lady.” Evan dragged over a chair from the dining room and sat next to his grandmother. She meant the world to him, but every time he saw her, he was starkly more aware of just how old she was, and it saddened him a bit. Every time he left her at a family gathering, he had that quick moment of wondering if it’d be the last time he’d see her. Now, he took her soft, delicate hand in his. “How are you?”
“Fine, just fine.” She raised her eyebrows and her smile turned playful. “Nice girlfriend you’ve got there.”
Evan nodded. “I’m glad you like her.”
“I do. A lot. How about you?”
He snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, I like her a lot, too.”
“You gonna marry her, then?”
He blinked and stammered, “Uh . . . we’ve only been together a few months, Bubby.”
“How long?” Rose asked.
“About seven months.”
“You’re thirty-three. Seven months is long enough to know if she’s the one or not.” Rose pointed a crooked finger at him. “And you haven’t brought a girl home since college. So that means something.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “The thing is, Bubby . . . I don’t know that I want to get married.”
Rose’s eyes flew wide-open. “Ever?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Don’t know.”
She stared at him for a few seconds, then proclaimed, “Anyone can see that girl’s crazy for you. She’s a wonderful girl—smart, driven, and she’s got a good heart.”
“You can tell all of that, huh?” Evan said, trying to lighten the sudden tightness in his chest with banter.
“Of course I can.” Rose shook her finger at him. “She’s good for you. You’re happy with her, I can tell. So what’s the problem?”
“You’re being a yenta, that’s the problem,” he said good-naturedly.
“And you’re being stubborn.” She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at him. “That job of yours, it’s poisoning you if it makes you not want to get married. That’s what I think.”
Evan didn’t say anything. He’d thought that more than a few times himself, but he wasn’t going to admit it out loud.
“Don’t you want kids?” Rose asked in horror, as if the idea of him not wanting children was the worst fate on earth.
He shrugged again. “Yeah, someday. But . . . Bubby, let it be.”
She pinned him with her stare, then shook her head slowly. “I’m telling you. You let that woman go, you’re a fool. I love you, boychik, but you’d be a fool.”
“Who said I’m letting her go?” Evan asked. His grandmother’s words bothered him, and they shouldn’t have. “We’re dating, we’re good, everything’s good.”
“A woman like that . . . you think she’ll wait forever?” Rose tsk-tsked. “Okay. I’m being a little pushy. I’ll stop now. Good luck. I wish you luck, sweetheart.”
Shari appeared in the arched doorway. Standing there in her wine-colored cashmere sweater, black slacks, and heeled black leather boots, she was a picture of urban sophistication. She shot Evan a quick smile before saying to everyone, “They asked me to tell you it’s time for presents.”
The five kids all jumped up, yelling happily as they rushed to the far corner of the living room. The stack of wrapped gifts was wide and high.
“The fun part,” Shari said to Evan as she approached him, giving Rose a warm smile as well.
“Yup.” He stood and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
“Hey.” Rose tugged on the edge of his navy sweater. “You remember what I said, eh?”
Something like annoyance flittered through him, but it didn’t settle and stay. He loved his grandmother too much for that, and he knew she meant well. With a nod, he bent to drop a light kiss on her forehead. “Yes ma’am.”
WHILE THE ADULTS sat on the couch, the chairs, even the plushly carpeted floor, the kids tore off wrapping paper on gift after gift.
“We made a pact a few years ago,” Evan said quietly to Shari, “that all the adults would stop getting each other gifts, and only get for the kids. That’s why they have so many.”
Shari nodded. “Makes sense. Family gets bigger, gift-giving holidays get more costly.”
“Got that right.” He rested his hand on her knee and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “Am I coming home with you tonight?”
She kept a straight face, but the corners of her mouth curved up. “You inviting yourself over?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh, all right, if you insist,” she said in mock resignation. She smiled as her eyes met his, sparkling with promise.
He leaned back to survey the chaos around them, then slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat square wrapped in silver paper. “I, uh . . . I got you something. Happy Chanukah.”
The smile vanished. Her eyes flicked from the box in his palm to his face and back again. “You didn’t have to—”
“I know. I wanted to.”
“But I didn’t—”
“So what?” He pushed the tiny square into her hand. “Go on, open it.”
She did as he commanded. Inside the box was a pair of earrings, deep purple stones set in white gold. Her eyes searched his. “Are these amethysts?”
“Yup. Your birthstone.” He grinned and added hopefully, “Do you like them?”
“Yes! They’re gorgeous,” Shari said. “Wow. Thank you, Evan.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “You didn’t have to do this,” she whispered.
“I told you. I wanted to.” He reached up and tucked a lock of silky blond hair behind her ear.
“You two are so cute,” came his brother’s voice from across the room. “I can’t take you!”
Shari blushed softly as Evan shot him a dirty look and said, “What are you, twelve?”
“I think they’re adorable,” Rose said with approval.
Evan felt all eyes on him and Shari, and it made him bristle. “You know—”
He jumped at a vibration against his leg. Shari quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket and glanced at it. “Client. I have to take this, I’m sorry,” she said, already on her feet and walking away. “Shari Cohen,” she said into it as she left the room.
“I like her, Evan.” His mother wasted no time. “I like her a lot.”
“She’s great,” his father agreed.
“I like that she’s smarter than you,” his sister chimed in.
At that, he glared at Alison. “How do you know? Why would you say that?”
“Because I know you,” she said, obviously teasing. Evan rolled his eyes at her.
“So . . . you two are serious, huh?” his father asked.
“Are you thinking of marrying her?” his mother asked.
“He would if he had a brain in his head,” his brother said.
“It’s about time he settled down,” his aunt piped in. “Don’t you think?”
“Oh my God!” Evan cried. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Would you all stop? Just stop!”
“He doesn’t want to get married,” Rose informed the group.
“What?” his mother asked, her eyes darting to her youngest son.
“Why not?” his father demanded to know. “Your mother and I have had a good marriage, it’s not like you grew up with a bad marriage. Suddenly you’re against marriage? Since when?”
Evan opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s his job,” his mother said sadly. “Dealing with divorce day in, day out . . . probably changed his mind. Made him never want to get married.”
“Can you blame him?” his uncle said.
“But Shari’s great,” his sister said. “Ev, you have to think about it.”
“Well, he brought her home to meet us all,” his brother chimed in. “That’s something in itself, don’t you think?”
“STOP!” Evan shouted. The room fell silent, even the kids, and all eyes were on him. He raked his hands through his hair. “Shari and I are dating. That’s all. Just calm down, all of you. And stop talking about me like I’m not here!”
“She’s the one for you,” Rose said. “That’s why you’re scared.”
He turned to his grandmother and looked down at her. The serious, almost omniscient note in her voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. She smiled up at him, nodded slowly, and repeated, “She’s the one for you.”
He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t think of anything coherent to say. His mind had gone blank. The kids were all staring at him and the adults gazing at him with varying degrees of curiosity or expectation. He raked his hands through his hair and said, “I feel like I’m on a crappy reality show, and all of you forgot to tell me.”
Shari walked back into the room, stopping short at the doorway. It was obvious she’d picked up on the different vibe immediately; she looked around at the faces of Evan’s family, then back to him. “Um . . . everything okay in here?”
“Peachy,” Evan ground out.