At the mention of his children, Thomas’s face split into a huge grin. “They’re great. Literally counting down the days till Christmas now, of course. The excitement will crank up to ten when they wake up in the morning and find the advent calendars sent down by Aunty Nory.”

Nory smiled. She remembered that feeling. Truth be told, she’d never really lost it. She sent her nephews advent calendars every year. Not a chocolate one, but one of the old-fashioned kinds, with beautiful Christmas scenes and proper pictures behind every door. Jackson and Lucas were two of the few things Nory and her brother could talk about without sniping at each other.

“I can’t wait to see them, hopefully this week sometime.”

“If you can break free of your busy schedule of quaffing champagne and devouring caviar.”

And the cease-fire is over.

“I work too, you know, Thom, and I’m as entitled to a holiday as you are.”

“Entitled being the operative word.”

“I’m not entitled! How am I entitled?”

“Perhaps it’s just reflecting off the company you keep.”

“Since your business is benefitting handsomely from the company I keep this week, not to mention the wedding, maybe you could try to be a little more gracious toward my friends?”

Thomas’s face darkened. Sooo the wrong thing to say, Nory!

“We are earning every penny of the money from this job.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.”

“So, I’ll treat your friends like any other customers.”

“Oh, you mean you treat all your customers with disdain? Well, that’s okay, then, so long as your sucky attitude isn’t only limited to my friends.”

The door opened, and Shelley walked in.

“I could hear you two all the way down by the cold frames! Hello, Nory, babe.” Shelley pulled Nory into a hug. Nory could smell the cold on her. “How’s it going up at the castle? Are you having a lovely time?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nory could see Thomas shooting daggers at his wife. Shelley ignored him. She never rose to his bullshit, and her brother idolized her for it.

“It’s lovely to be a guest,” said Nory. “The food is amazing, and the bedrooms are lush! Your garlands look fantastic, by the way.”

“Thanks, sugar. I’ll be up in a day or so to take them down, and then I’ll be up again Friday to do the ones for the wedding. I think Jenna wanted to make an impression on you when you arrived.”

“They did that, all right. It was like something out of a film set!”

“She’s so nice, she was chatting to me like she was a normal person.”

Nory laughed. “She is a normal person, it’s just that her job is on the TV.”

Thomas snorted.

“What was that, babe? Did you say something?”