Where the Lovelight Gleams (3 page)

* * * *

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner you were inviting a guest?”

Ryan’s mom, Maureen, glared at him with hands on hips. Her glasses had slipped down her nose, and flour dusted her cheek. Her dark hair was starting to go gray, and with a festive red-and-green apron on over her plump form, she resembled Mrs. Claus just a bit. Her English West Country accent always came out more when she was agitated. “I’ve only made a casserole for supper!”

“Because I didn’t know. I didn’t think he’d actually come, but his plans fell through.” Ryan hadn’t allowed himself to speculate too much about what might have happened and what it meant for Amanda and Cary’s relationship. “And a casserole is fine, Mom.”

“Look at this place! You’re helping me clean up, young man.”

Gazing around at the tidy kitchen, Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh yeah, Mom. It’s a real pigsty.”

“Go straighten up the living room. What does he like to eat? Is he one of those vegantarians?”

“It’s just vegan, and no. He eats meat. You don’t have to make anything special.”

Leaving behind his grumbling mother, Ryan straightened up the wood pile by the large stone fireplace that dominated one wall of the living room. The cottage was an A-frame, narrowing at the top to a point, built with stone and wood and furnished in a style he thought of as “comfy country.” Not fashionable by any means, but warm and welcoming, with a thick rug by the hearth on the wood floor and a soft couch against the opposite wall. Two armchairs and a love seat framed the couch and a wagon-wheel coffee table.

The main floor was decked out for the holidays, with garlands and wreaths and stockings hung by the chimney with care. The only thing missing was the Christmas tree, which Ryan was going to cut down the next day, December 23. He wasn’t sure why it was family tradition to get the tree each year on that date, but it was.

Ethan and Amy zoomed by him on their way from upstairs to the kitchen. “I still don’t get why there’s no cable here,” Ethan groused.

At eight and six, Ryan’s nephew and niece already owned more technological gadgets than Ryan did, yet it never seemed to be enough. But Ryan remembered his own complaints as a kid. Ethan and Amy were both dark haired and round faced—the spitting image of Lisa, and therefore Ryan as well. They always joked that Ryan could kidnap them and pass them off as his own.

“I’m boooooored!” Amy whined. “Can’t we watch a movie?”

“Oh yes, it’s a hard life, I know,” Maureen replied. “You get one movie a day and you’ve used your allowance already. The cottage is for family time. You little devils spend enough time glued to your phones and TVs and computers. And if you’re bored, I’ll find you some work to do! Or I’ll have to tell Santa you’ve been naughty.”

As the kids continued to whine in the kitchen, pestering their grandmother for shortbread cookies, Ryan’s sister came downstairs with a duster in hand. She pulled her long brown hair up into a ponytail and smiled slyly. “I hear there’s a guest coming.”

Avoiding Lisa’s gaze, Ryan put another log on the fire. “Yeah, my friend Cary. From the show.”

With a glance to the kitchen, where their mom was giving the kids jobs as her helpers, Lisa whispered, “I know exactly who Cary is, little brother. You guys did the kissing scene last week, hmm?”

“What? How did you know that?”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s this thing called the Internet. A reliable source told TMZ that—”

“Ugh, I’ve heard enough. And Lisa, we’re just friends.”

“
Uh-huh
. But you want more.”

Marching to the cupboard to pull out the vacuum, Ryan scoffed. “Why would you say that? He’s straight.”

“Why would I say that? Because you’ve been mooning over him for over a year! You may be an award-winning actor, but you’re not fooling me.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “I’m not an award-winning actor.”

“Teen Choice awards totally count, little brother. Even if it’s for Cutest TV Heartthrob. You beat out some stiff competition for that title.”

Barking out a laugh, Ryan jammed the vacuum plug into the wall and pulled out the cord. “We’re friends. The end.” He stepped on the button on the back of the vacuum, and it roared to life.

Lisa stepped close, still keeping her voice low. “He’s going to have to share your room, you know.”

Ryan swallowed hard. “There are two beds up there. It’s no big deal.”

“Sure. No big deal.”

“Lisa, please. Just…don’t.”

She dropped her teasing tone. “I’m sorry. I promise I won’t embarrass you in front of your friend. It’s just that I’ve had years of practice, and it’s a hard habit to break.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Although she was five years older, Ryan had been taller since he was thirteen, much to Lisa’s chagrin. He gave her shoulder a knock. “Okay, squirt.”

“Hilarious. Come on, let’s get this place clean—well, clean
er
—while Mom keeps those two busy.”

“Where are Dad and Tony?”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Ice fishing. Where else?”

Ryan chuckled as he vacuumed the rug. Lisa’s husband Tony and their father were two peas in pod when it came to fishing. “It was good of you to marry the son Dad always wanted.”

“Bite your tongue, Ryan Patrick Drake!” his mother yelled back from the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m kidding!”

Ryan and Lisa shared a glance and burst out laughing. Lisa tugged on her earlobes, their old signal from childhood that their mom was listening.
Ears of a hawk
, Lisa mouthed, and they both chortled.

“What’s so funny?” Their mom stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway.

Dissolving into giggles, Ryan and Lisa went back to their tasks. When they were finished, Ryan went up to his room to make sure it was neat and ready for Cary’s arrival in—he checked his watch for the umpteenth time—forty-three minutes. Give or take.

The second floor housed his parents’ master bedroom, two guest rooms, and the cottage’s main bathroom with tub. There was a small toilet on the main floor, but everyone had to take turns showering on the second floor. Ryan clambered up the ladder to the third floor loft, which had been his room since he was a kid.

The ladder led into the middle of the room, which was the top of the A-frame structure. There was just enough room to stand along the center of the narrow room, with the walls slanting in on either side. To the left of the ladder was Ryan’s single bed and small dresser under the window at the end of the room. There was a window on the other side as well, and an identical single bed and dresser.

When they were little, the bed to the right of the stairs had been Lisa’s, until she turned twelve and deemed herself too mature to share a room with her little brother. Over the years cousins and friends had slept there.
Now it would be Cary
. Going over to his bed, Ryan flopped down, gazing at the familiar slanted walls and the old space-themed wallpaper. When it got dark, the glow-in-the-dark solar system stickers would appear.

Even though he made a very good salary now, his parents had refused his offer to renovate the old cottage. His father, Jack, had simply furrowed his brow at the idea, while Maureen had fluttered her hands and told him to save his money, because God knew an actor’s income was never steady and
Space Academy
could be cancelled at any moment.

Ryan smiled to himself. No matter how many teenage girls put his face up in their lockers, his family always treated him as same old Ryan. At least they had let him pay for a new deck overlooking the expanse of Georgian Bay.

He just hoped Cary wouldn’t feel too out of place. He grew up in mansions, and an old single bed in a cottage would be way outside his comfort zone. Not to mention Ryan’s comfort zone. Sometimes he’d get hard just
looking
at Cary, let alone sharing a room with him. Seeing him undress. Hearing him breathing, knowing he was only feet away…

Groaning, Ryan stood. He needed a cold shower, but going out to the shed for more firewood would do the trick. He checked his watch.
Thirty-seven minutes.

* * * *

By the time Cary was seventy-four minutes late, Ryan thought he might vomit. Snow was falling, and clouds obscured the moon and stars. The snow wasn’t heavy, but the roads would be slick, and Cary wasn’t even used to much rain in LA, and—

“You’re going to wear the carpet out.” His mother handed Ryan a hot mug of tea. “He still had to rent a car, and if he’s driving slowly, he’s bound to take a bit longer than usual. He might have stopped for coffee along the way.”

“I know, I know. But…he’s not used to snow. Winter driving can be dangerous.”

She patted his cheek. “Aren’t you sweet to be so concerned about your chum.”

As if on cue, footsteps thumped on the porch. Ryan raced to the door and threw it open. He sighed. “Oh.”

His father’s laugh boomed through the cottage from the small mudroom where they kept their boots and snow shovels. It wasn’t insulated but helped keep out the cold from the main building when people were coming and going in the winter months. “That’s a fine greeting from my only son.” He held up a cooler. “We caught an even dozen, Mo.”

Maureen took the cooler, laughing and squirming away as Jack tickled her. “Get those cold hands away from me!”

Tony followed and unzipped his coat. “Everything okay, Ryan?”

“Huh?” Ryan realized he must have been frowning. “Yeah, fine. My friend’s late.”

“Your friend?” Tony stooped so he didn’t bang his head passing through the doorway. At six-five, he often had to watch where he was walking.

“Cary. From work.”

“The cute one?”

Lisa cleared her throat from the couch, where she was supervising the kids’ game of Candyland. Her eyes twinkled. “Should I be jealous?”

Rolling his eyes, Tony kissed his children and then planted a big one on his wife. “Babe, you know I don’t swing that way.” He glanced apologetically at Ryan. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Ryan laughed. “Let me guess. Maria’s a fan?” Tony’s teenage sister was always glued to Ryan’s side at family gatherings, asking him a million and one questions about Hollywood. He tried to tell her it wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed, but she was unconvinced.

“Think I can get an autograph for her? She’s going to be so jealous when she finds out I spent Christmas with not one, but
two
TV stars.”

Ryan glanced at his watch again. “Yeah. Sure.”

He heard Tony ask Lisa, “What’s up with him?” but Ryan didn’t hear her response as he raced to the window. He could hear a vehicle approaching, and headlights flashed past as a large SUV pulled up.

Ryan took a couple of deep breaths as he put on his coat. Still his stomach clenched, and he was a pile of jittery nerves.

It’s the same old Cary. Your straight friend. Get a grip.

In the mudroom, he yanked on his boots and then hopped down the few steps to the ground, closing the glass storm door behind him. He waved and approached Cary’s rental. Cary killed the engine and opened the SUV door. “Is this a good spot to park?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Did you find the place okay?”

Cary got out and pulled Ryan into one of his patented back-slapping hugs. “Yep, your directions were good. Just took me a while to get out of the airport. Realized I’d better not show up at Christmas empty-handed, so I hit up the airport stores.” He stepped back and spread his arms, displaying his hooded black parka. “Also bought my first winter coat. And Jesus, do I need it!” He shivered.

Ryan grinned. “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

“So that makes you Dorothy, huh?” Cary elbowed him playfully. “Can you help me with this stuff?” He opened the back of the SUV.

“Holy crap! Did you buy out the entire airport?” There were at least a dozen shopping bags.

“Well, I wasn’t sure exactly who was here, so I got a variety of gifts for different ages and stuff.”

“You really didn’t have to do that.” Ryan’s heart sank. “We don’t have anything for you.”

“Are you kidding? Letting me spend Christmas here is more than enough.” He peered around at the snow-topped trees. “It’s beautiful. Like something out of a movie.”

“Boys! Dinner’s almost ready!” Maureen’s voice rang out from the mudroom door.

Ryan picked up as many bags as he could carry. “Okay, I guess you’d better meet the family. They can be a bit much when they all get going. And once we get into the eggnog, there’s no telling how things’ll turn out.”

Cary grinned. “Sounds perfect.” He reached out and squeezed Ryan’s shoulder. “Thanks again for inviting me. You’re…a great friend.”

Ryan tried to ignore the sparks of desire he felt at Cary’s touch, even through the layers of fabric. “Anytime.” Snowflakes caught in Cary’s thick eyelashes, and Ryan tightened his grip on the shopping bags, resisting the urge to brush the flakes away.

After they took off their boots in the mudroom, Ryan’s mother ushered them inside. In the doorway, she drew a startled Cary into a hug. “Welcome! So lovely to have you, Cary.”

“I…thank you, Mrs. Drake.” Cary smiled.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek and pointed up at the bough of leaves and berries hanging above the door. “Mistletoe.”

Ryan shrugged apologetically. “It’s tradition.”

Cary’s eyes crinkled, and he gazed up. “That’s awesome. I’ve only ever seen it in movies.”

“You’d better come in, or I’ll have to kiss you too.” The words were out of his mouth before Ryan could stop himself. He stuttered. “I…um, here, let me get your coat.”

Jesus, get a grip!
Even joking about kissing Cary was a bad idea. He just hoped he wouldn’t do something stupid and ruin their friendship by New Year’s.

* * * *

As Lisa scurried around on her hands and knees, sniffing the corners of the living room, they all roared with laughter. She wiggled her nose and stuck her teeth out over her bottom lip.

“Bugs Bunny?” Tony asked.

Lisa glared as the sands in the timer ran out. “Rat race! That was a rat!”

“Ohhhh. Mom, that was smart,” Amy said.

Pushing herself up onto her feet, Lisa laughed. “Thank you, sweetie. Too bad my team didn’t think so!” She sat back on the couch next to Cary, shaking her head in mock sadness. “You’d think an actor would be better at this game.”