It was a stark contrast to her parents, whose definition of public displays of affection was air kissing at gallery openings. Sure, Burl and Cora may not have been as stylish as her parents, who were dressed head to toe in the latest high-end winter labels from Saks, but their closeness was unmistakable. They might be more homespun in their faded denim and plaid, but the way Burl’s hand rested gently on Cora’s hip made them richer by far in Suzanne’s eyes.

Her parents’ body language was terrible. They were separated by a couple of feet and had barely said two words to each other this morning. Suzanne began to wonder if this whole plan had been doomed to failure from the start. That forcing them to spend time in each other’s company to get away from all the unsightly Christmas spectacle at the cabin had been for nothing.

Damn it all, what were they doing in that cottage?

“Burl tells me your parents are here for Christmas,” Cora said, reaching for Suzanne’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I insist you all come for Christmas lunch.”

“Ahh—” Suzanne glanced at Winona, then back at Grady’s aunt. Shit. What did she do now?

“Oh.” Cora’s face fell a little, but she kept a smile on her face. “You already have plans? That’s fine.” She dismissed her invitation with a quick flap of her hands. “We’ll catch up with you and Joshua over the holidays at some point.”

Cora’s smile was still bright and bubbly, but it didn’t take an expert to see she’d been looking forward to spending Christmas with them. Winona obviously saw it.

“Oh no, please.” Winona stepped forward. “Why don’t you both join us at the boardinghouse? All the newbies are gathering there for our first Christmas in Credence celebration, along with Grady and Suzanne and her parents, and we’d love your company, too. The more the merrier, really.”

Cora’s full-wattage smile returned. “Oh yes. There’s nothing nicer than sharing the Christmas spirit and welcoming new neighbors.” She glanced at Burl. “That sounds lovely, doesn’t it, honey?”

Burl chuckled indulgently. It was clear he didn’t care where they spent Christmas as long as he and Cora were together. “Reckon it does,” he said with a nod.

A general discussion followed about the logistics of the day and what Cora could bring, but Suzanne barely heard any of the conversation. She was too busy thinking about the warning text she was going to send to Grady as soon as she could about the possibility of a pregnancy rumor circulating around town.

And, oh yes, there was also Bethany…

…