During the girlfriend hour, while she sipped her glass of wine and told Aunt Georgia and Mom that she was holding up well, she started to cry.

Mom took her hand. “It’s okay, honey. Let it out.”

But she was afraid to do that. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s been a difficult year, that’s all.”

The doorbell rang.

Aunt Georgia got up. “That’s probably Rick and Kelli.”

It was Tully. Standing on the porch, wearing a winter-white three-quarter-length cashmere coat and matching pants, she looked drop-dead gorgeous. There were enough presents in her arms for three families. “Don’t tell me you started girlfriend hour without me. If you did, you’ll have to start it over.”

“You said you had to go to Berlin,” Kate said, wishing she’d dressed a little better and put on some makeup.

“And miss Christmas? Hardly.” She set the presents down beneath the tree and pulled Kate into a hug.

Kate hadn’t realized how much she’d missed her friend until right then.

Tully turned the quiet girlfriend hour into a party. At one o’clock, long after they were supposed to have put the turkey in the oven, Mom and Aunt Georgia and Tully were still dancing to ABBA and Elton John, singing at the top of their lungs.

Kate stood by the tree. The room seemed lit from within suddenly. How was it that Tully could be the life of any party so easily? Maybe it was because she didn’t do any of the scut work—no cleaning or cooking or laundry for Tully.

Johnny came up to Kate. She noticed that he was barely limping. “Hey, you,” he said.

“Hey.”

All around them, people were talking and singing. Aunt Georgia was doing “The Time Warp” with Sean, his girlfriend, and Uncle Ralph. Mom and Dad were talking to Tully, who was swaying to the music with Marah in her arms.

Johnny reached down beneath the tree and found a small box, wrapped in silver and gold paper, with Scotch tape showing along the seams and a red foil bow that was too big. He handed it to her.

“You want me to open it now?”

He nodded.

She peeled back the paper, plucked off the bow, and found a blue velvet box inside. Opening it, she gasped. There lay a fine gold necklace and a diamond-encrusted heart-shaped locket. “Johnny . . .”