Episode 906: Christmastime

As Ava and Bas slipped on their coats to head out to her father’s for dinner, Ava announced, “so, we have one other surprise to share today, we-”

“We’re married!” Bas enthused.

“We’ve been married for awhile now,” Ava explained. “We just thought with Jesse's illness we didn’t want to make a big thing of it, not until you guys had happy news, too.”

“Congratulations!” Lila hugged them both. But I won’t say that I love that you cheated me out of a planning gig.”

“Actually,” Bas said. “We want you to plan a vow renewal ceremony for everyone who missed the wedding.”

Lila clapped her hands in anticipation. “This time you won’t have cold feet so we can get way more serious with the planning, Ava.”

“It’s still going to be low key, our fathers are millionaires, not us,” Avalon cautioned. “Mostly I’m just looking forward to everyone knowing we’re married. I’m not a fan of keeping secrets.”

Of the many pointed looks Bowie and Sebastian had shared in recent weeks, the one they shared at that moment was easily the most pointed of all from Bowie.

Though Phillip and Katherine had each spent much of Christmas day at their respective offices, they managed to arrive home at roughly the same time.

They removed their coats and shoes, flicked on the Christmas tree lights and sparked the pre-set fire in the fireplace. Despite their own work ethics during the holiday, they never expected the same of their staff, so their housekeeper had arranged everything for them beforehand, including leaving instructions for what to do with their dinner.

“Since it’s just us, do you want to relax a bit before dinner and presents?” Katherine asked.

With hot cocoa in hand, they settled on the sofa with Christmas music softly playing in the background and the tree beautifully twinkling. After some time, Katherine reached for the stack of unopened Christmas cards that their housekeeper had neatly placed on the coffee table in hopes they would at last be noticed.

“Justine sent us a card,” Katherine announced. “Can you believe that? I guess you were right to add them to the list. Oh. Wait.” Her voice noticeably dipped. “Maybe it wasn’t Justine. It’s been a long time, I don’t think it’s her handwriting though. Did you have one of your staff do this for me? I’m not mad, actually. I know you meant well, it was a nice thought-”

“I believe our granddaughter is responsible for that. I told you I’ve been working on that situation, I guess it’s having some affect. A Christmas card isn’t much, but it’s a step in the right direction.” He hadn’t coaxed Tansy over to their side of the argument yet, but he was hopeful.

Episode 907: Live It Up