said, not feeling the satisfaction that should follow the success of her plan. “They brought dates.”
Triss snapped a bite of carrot in her mouth, crunching loudly as she glared across the dining table. “Pike has hardly even glanced at his date. I was so hopeful when they went out for breakfast and dinner yesterday, and when he chivalrously gave her his spot on the couch for the movie. But there’s always that third wheel. Whom I love dearly.”
Kyle reached for a celery stick and ripped off a hunk with his back teeth, shaking his head. “I don’t know. He’s never moved quickly in public. Maybe things are moving faster upstairs, where they have more privacy? Or maybe we’re rushing him.”
Across the table, Cassie and Hank shared a look.
Mae knew that look. “What?” she asked. Well, demanded was probably more like it. Her tone may have been a sharper tone than she had intended.
Leaned back in his chair at the opposite end of the table, Hank folded his arms across his chest and nodded like he knew everything. “I’m not any sort of expert on these things, but sometimes you have to let nature do its work.”
Lida pushed her snack plate away and gripped her fingers tight in her hair. “Nature. Look how well that worked out for Alexei and Charlie? They’re no further than they were this time last year. Worse, actually, not just friends but now exes. I don’t love the underhanded nature of any of this, but now that we’re here, I think another little nudge would help both our boys.”
At her side, Cassie nudged her wife in the ribs. “You’d think you’d know your son after twenty-nine years. Haven’t you noticed the way he’s looking at Devon?”
“What? No way,” Lida said, her brow low with confusion. “You’ve seen how he is with Charlie. They’re the best of friends, always joking around, always looking after each other. They’ve got such a rhythm. She made his breakfast for him this morning. And was eager to meet up with him for dinner last night. They just need a little quality time, and they'll realize how perfect they are for each other.”
“I’m tellin’ ya,” Hank said, shaking his head. “You’re betting on the wrong horse.”
Mae hooted a laugh at her absurd husband. Honestly, it was as if he had no sense of romance. She pointed to the arched doorway between the kitchen and the foyer. “Every time she comes down, Devon parks at that very corner. Don’t you think it’s sweet, how Pike comes up behind her and stands next to her?”
Triss hopped up and wandered to the corner, inspecting the narrow archway and nodding knowingly. “Mistletoe. That’ll hurry our boy up.”
“Ten bucks says Alexei makes a move before Pike gets around to it. Mistletoe or no,” Cassie said to her sister. “Pike’s a hottie,” she said, winking as she described her nephew, “but Devon’s all eyes for Alexei, and he has the opposite problem.”
“You just like her, have given up on having Charlie for a daughter-in-law, and you’re looking for a spark somewhere else,” Mae said, shaking her head. Naturally, Cassie would, and should, support her son. But just because Pike moved slow, didn’t mean he couldn’t move well.
Hank huffed and leaned back. “Am I the only one that thinks it’s telling, how Alexei made a spot for Devon during the movie, and they fell asleep cuddling on the sofa?”
“I don’t remember that, but I do remember Pike moving to the floor so Devon had a place to sit,” Lida said, the snow thumping rapidly against the window behind her. “Alexei was tired from skiing, as was Devon. All that fresh air can knock a person out. Alexei would never have intentionally fallen asleep on the couch with Pike’s girlfriend, fake or real.”
Mae nodded vigorously, biting the cucumber round in half. “Our boys may be competitive, but they don’t poach. Charlie wouldn’t have come all the way up here if she didn’t want Alexei back, and Devon wouldn’t have come up with Pike if she wasn’t interested. Now, I know we’ve settled that Pike and Devon aren’t really a thing, not yet, but that’s not news. Maybe he puts his arm around her, but the PDAs are as new as that hideous angel tree-topper your dad added because he knows I prefer a star. Let’s see if the mistletoe can get things moving, and we might be able to at least call them a couple by the time they leave, and I’ll have earned my hundred. And I’m still betting on Alexei making a Christmas Eve proposal. One grandson engaged is pretty darn good, for now.”
“What?” Kyle said, tossing the rest of his celery on his plate as if it were tainted. “That’s in ten days. Shy of Alexei and Charlie getting back together and moving a hundred steps forward, there’s no way. But go ahead and waste your money. Alexei and Charlie seem companionable, but there’s no magic there, and Devon and Pike are both painfully awkward at the PDA attempts. Even I had more finesse, and Triss had to be the one to make the first several moves. I’m with Cassie and Hank on this one. Alexei’s got his eyes on Devon, and it’s mutual. What we need, is to strike a spark between Pike and Charlie.”
Mae laughed heartily, her eyes welling with amusement. “May as well add an alien landing to our wish list. Pike and Charlie are polar opposites. She’s all bright confidence and down to earth. Pike is broody, shy, and I see him more with another quirky introvert, like Devon.”
With the lopsided grin that had won her heart so many years ago, Hank said, “Double or nothing we get two proposals this trip. Our boys only need a little nudge. See what even the suggestion of serious relationships has accomplished?”
“What are these women, racehorses?” Lida said, her voice shrill. “I should be disgusted with you all. These are unique, strong, and independent women.” Huffing a deep breath, she paused, then opened her mouth again. “Alexei doesn’t do change. My money’s on him and Charlie.”