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I'd gotten to know Chance pretty well over the past few months, and I shouldn't have been surprised by his reaction. He was fine with the idea of showing up on Mama's doorstep and yelling surprise.
"You may as well drive, since we're on your home turf," he said, handing me the keys to the rental.
Once we left the airport traffic behind, Chance reached across the seat and took my hand. "You OK, City Girl?"
"Not really looking forward to this."
"You should be excited to see your Mama. There's no need to worry. Women love me. You said so yourself."
"She's going to have expectations."
"Then she and I should get along just fine," he said. "Is it safe to assume that I'm not going to be a surprise to Krista."
"She'll be surprised but, yes, she's heard a lot about you. Are you sure it was OK to leave your mom alone on Christmas?"
"Babe, I'm here. I'm not leaving now. Besides, you saw how excited mom was to spend the holiday with her sisters in Seattle. We had our holiday celebration together."
I knew it was too late to get out of this now, but I knew I wasn't ready for the commotion that me bringing Chance home with me would create. There was zero chance that this wasn't going to be a big deal. My phone rang, and Chance picked it up and pushed the speaker button.
"Everly Mason's phone, this is Chance."
A loud squeal filled the car. When it died down, I said, "Hi, Krista. We're almost there."
"Chance, I can't believe I finally get to talk to you. We definitely need to talk while you're here. Everly, have you explained things to your mom?"
"No, she hasn't," Chance said. "I'm going to be a surprise."
Krista laughed. "I'm sure you are. Good luck. I'll stop by after work. If you need an escape, you can hang at my place. Can't wait to meet you in person, Chance."
"She seems nice," he said. "When is your sister getting here?"
"I'm not sure. Hopefully, not for a couple of days."
I pulled into the driveway and managed one deep breath before Mama was running down the stairs. She made it to my car door before I got it opened.
"I'm so glad you came home," she said, wrapping her arms around me. I've got all sorts of fun things planned. I know you'll want to spend some time with Krista, and..."
While she talked, Chance had gotten out of the car and walked around to stand beside me. The look she gave me, said we'd be discussing this later, but her southern hospitality forced her to welcome Chance.
"You didn't tell me you were bringing a friend home with you. Hello, I'm Elaine Mason." She stuck her hand out and looked up at Chance. It was bizarre. I could see the minute she actually looked at him. I swear she blushed. I've never seen my mother blush.
"Hello, Mrs. Mason. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Chance Munroe." He took her hand in both of his and gave it a squeeze.
"Come on in, you two. It seems we have more catching up to do than I thought." She headed for the front porch, while Chance and I unloaded our luggage. I really hadn't thought about the fact that I'd have to explain why Chance had so much luggage.
"That's a lot of luggage for a week," Mama said as we carried it into the house.
"Chance has to go straight to a business trip when we leave. Can we stash some of this in the sewing room?" I asked.
"Sure. You know where everything is. Make yourselves at home. I'll put on the water for tea. Chance do you prefer coffee?"
"Yes, ma'am, if it's not too much trouble." I watched as she touched his arm and grinned up at him like women do. Chance charming my mom should make things easier, but I knew the more she liked him, the more she'd push us together.
I followed her into the kitchen. "Mama, I know Gracie Layne is coming home. Chance can have my room. I'll take Gracie's room and move to the sofa bed in the sewing room, when she gets home."
She stopped and turned to look me in the eye. "If you've been sharing his bed in Wilkins' Gap, you can share your room with him. We wouldn't want him to get lonely."
I had no idea how to respond, so I didn't. I walked upstairs to unpack. Seeing Chance standing in my childhood room brought a smile to my lips. He looked really out of place with all the pink ruffles and girly decor. He was looking at the bulletin board that was covered in pictures from my college days. He walked over and took me in his arms. "Everything OK?"
"All is well. Mama says we can share my room. You'll just have to deal."
"I think I can suffer through sharing my bed with you, City Girl."
"Coffee and tea are in the living room when you're ready," Mama called up the stairs. We gathered up the presents we brought with us and put them under the tree before sitting down with our drinks. "Are you Dutch Munroe's son?"
"I am, ma'am. I keep forgetting that you grew up in Wilkins' Gap. How old were you when you left?"
"I went away for college and only went back for occasional visits. How's your dad?"
I reached for Chance's hand. "Dutch passed away a few months before Harry," I said.
They were talking about people Mama might remember from her childhood when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it. It's probably Krista."
"Let me get it," Chance said, heading for the door.
"You must be Krista," he said.
I heard Krista’s flustered murmurs. "Do I measure up to your expectations?" Chance asked as she followed him into the living room.
I stood to give her a hug. After introductions, we all sat down to visit. "You have to tell me when you're taking him to the tea room. I don't want to miss it," Krista said.
"Did you not know he was coming either?" my mom asked.
"No. I don't know why Em kept it a secret, but it is a nice surprise." She looked at me and did the fake fan thing. Chance just grinned his dimple grin as the three of us women, stared at him.
We talked about our plans for the week. With a couple of days left before Christmas, I planned to get in some shopping, and hit some of my favorite eating places. "Oh, I want to get my nails done. Can you believe I haven't had a manicure since I left Georgia?"
Krista stayed for dinner, and we shared a pleasant evening catching up on things. Once the dishes were cleaned up, Krista headed home. "Mrs. Mason, if there's anything you need help with while I'm here, just let me know," Chance said. "I'm pretty handy."
"He really is. He fixed my garage door," I said.
"Thanks, Chance. I think everything is in good shape, but if I think of anything I'll let you know. After some more discussion about my life in Wilkin's Gap, Mom turned in leaving Chance and I on the sofa.
"I think day one went pretty well," Chance said as we headed upstairs to bed.
"It really did. Only 6 more to go!"