“I think I’d like to go tomorrow. The forecast is perfect for skiing. Then I suppose we’ll skip Christmas Day, but I’d like to go daily after that.” Holly turned her attention to Abby. “I bought this adorable new ski outfit. I can’t wait to show you.”

Abby frowned. Why on earth would she give a damn about her new ski outfit? She decided it didn’t warrant a reply. It didn’t even warrant a grunt. Nic replied, however.

“I can’t wait to see it too. It’ll give me an idea of what to look for when I go through their rental stuff.”

“How often do you ski?”

“First time.”

Holly smirked. “That’ll be fun to watch.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Nic said easily. “I’m actually looking forward to getting on a snowmobile, though. That sounds like fun.”

“We’ll do it,” Abby said. “They have great trails for it.”

“What about you, Aaron? Do you like to snowmobile?” Nic asked.

He nodded. “I do, yes. Holly doesn’t enjoy it, though.”

“You should come with us then. Leave her on the slopes.”

“I don’t despise snowmobiling,” Holly said in her defense. “I’d just rather be on skis. But a group outing might be fun.” Holly met Abby’s gaze. “Yes, we should plan it.”

“Sure. One day next week,” she said with feigned enthusiasm.

By the time her father got there, they’d exhausted whatever conversation they’d forced between them. That had been draining in itself. The only saving grace was having Nic beside her. They held hands and amused themselves with exaggerated squeezes at some of Holly’s comments. It was an absolute relief when her father walked in.

As she watched the exchange between her parents—the look they gave each other, the kiss on the mouth—she noticed two things. Her mother’s gaze was accusatory, doubting. But the look in her father’s eyes was loving, tender. Quite a contrast between the two.

“Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything fun?”

“We’ve just been visiting,” her mother said as she stood. “Make yourself a drink if you like. We’ll eat in about a half-hour.”

Holly stood too. “I think I’ll freshen up before dinner.”

Aaron stood on cue. “Me too.”

Abby exchanged glances with Nic, both of their eyes widening teasingly. When Holly and Aaron left, she leaned closer, her voice quiet. “Do you mind offering to help Mom? I want to talk to Dad.”

“Sure.”

Abby went to stand by the bar, watching as her father added scotch to a glass with three ice cubes.

“Busy day?”

“Oh, yeah. Holiday crowd.”

She moved closer to him, waiting until he met her gaze. “What’s going on, Dad?”

He didn’t appear startled by her question. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve hardly been around. Less than last year, even. Mom says you’re gone a lot.”