Home To Family

“Let’s just hope it’s the only chipmunk with that idea.”

“Don’t even think it,” Tessa said, starting off down the path again. “Good luck. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The chaos Tessa had described met Leslie when she entered the lobby. The Christmas tree, which topped out at twelve feet so it wouldn’t be dwarfed by the high, beamed ceiling, was awkwardly being held upright by Nick. Leo Waxman hung on to the collar of his excited dog, who barked repeatedly at nothing in particular. Kari and Rose D’Angelo were picking up fallen ornaments. Broken tree limbs dangled, raining needles everywhere. Decorations swung back and forth on the tree as though trapped in a gentle wind.

Leslie caught sight of Matt on the floor, half-hidden by the limbs. He was on his stomach, trying to replant the tree in its stand and evidently meeting with little success. The massive spruce tipped every time Nick loosened his hold.

“Can’t you make that beast be quiet?” Sam D’Angelo growled at Leo from his wheelchair. He held a cardboard box on his lap, filled with broken ornaments.

“He’s excited,” Leo explained, stroking his dog’s head to no avail. “When that damned thing came charging at me, he thought I was being attacked. He’s trained to protect me.”

“From a rodent no bigger than your fist?” Sam exclaimed in disgust. “That dog is blind as well as stupid.”

“Brutus isn’t to blame if—”

“Leo!” Rose spoke up. “Take the dog outside. Sam, sit there and be silent. Shouting at one another doesn’t help.” As Leo hurried out the front door with Brutus, Matt’s mother caught sight of Leslie and nodded. “Hello, Leslie. As you can see, we’ve lost a little of the Christmas spirit this morning.”

“I heard. Anything I can do to help?”

“Can you grab one end of this?” Kari said from the side of a huge leather couch that sat in front of the fireplace. “I think some ornaments rolled under it.”

Hearing her request, Nick stopped fiddling with the tree and stuck his head around the spreading limbs to shake his head at his wife. “No, you don’t. You’re not lifting the couch. With or without someone’s help.” He threw an irritable glance toward the floor, where Matt was groaning now under the effort of trying to wedge the tree back in the stand. “Come on, Matt. What’s taking so long? Trade places with me if you can’t manage it.”

“Damn it. Just give me a minute,” Matt called up at him.

That impatient cross exchange made Leslie realize that the brothers were out of sorts with one another. Did Nick think he could make a faster job of it? Was a lack of dexterity and strength in Matt’s left hand making him feel as though he wasn’t up to the task? Or was it all just the frustration of the situation?

Rose picked up a delicate-looking silver sleigh ornament and saw that one of the runners dangled. She made a little sound of distress. “This was given to me when I was a little girl,” she said. “By my grandmother.”