Free Holiday Affair by Lisa Plumley Page B

her divorce. If she hadn’t, she devoutly prayed a little bit of Christmas magic would help smooth over the rough spots for her children.
    To Karina’s right, Olivia perched attentively in the aisle seat, watching the other passengers and the flight attendants. She seemed to have appointed herself the protector of their traveling group. She’d even gone so far as to soberly suggest “one of those kid leashes” for Michael, to make sure he didn’t get lost in the busy airport. Olivia had also earnestly informed Karina that she had to be on red alert (“Kids get abducted from public restrooms all the time! I saw it on TV!”). She’d further informed Josh that he ought to be careful in crowds during their trip and maybe “get a backpack with a lock and chain,” to make sure he didn’t “get pickpocketed or something like that.”
    Looking at Olivia’s watchful, pugnacious little face right now, Karina couldn’t help wondering…when had her daughter become such a worrier? And how was Karina supposed to deal with it?
    Only Josh seemed to have emerged relatively unscathed from the difficulties of the past year. It had been tough on him to see Eric move out, Karina was sure. But Josh remained mostly upbeat, interested in the usual kid stuff like video games and basketball and cartoons. Even during his first cross-country flight—which definitely counted as a nerve-racking experience for some people—Josh seemed to be coping remarkably well.
    In his seat across the aisle from her, he balanced his knees on the back of the seat in front of him, keeping himself occupied by playing with a Rubik’s Cube. His hair fell across his face, mostly shielding his profile. Still, Karina could glimpse his sweet, full cheeks, his childish upturned nose, and his attitude of concentration as he worked on the puzzle. Knowing Josh, he would solve it quickly. Then he would boast to Olivia about how she couldn’t do the same. He would probably even—
    He did not own a Rubik’s Cube, it occurred to her.
    Karina nudged him. “Hey, buddy. Where’d you get that?”
    “It’s mine.” His fingers flew. “I brought it with me.”
    “You brought it on the plane?”
    “Yep.” More twisting and turning. “Pretty sick, right?”
    “Sure.” It was possible Josh had sneaked an extra item into his luggage. Although Karina had weighed every piece, to make sure they wouldn’t exceed the limits. Still, a Rubik’s Cube didn’t weigh much. “Did your dad give that to you? Or Chelsea?”
    Josh shrugged. “I just got it, that’s all.”
    “Where?”
    “Moooom.”
    “Okay, okay. Sorry. Good luck solving that thing.”
    “I don’t need luck. I’ve got two sides done already.” He twisted. “I’m a freakin’ genius with this thing.”
    Karina smiled at Josh. “Don’t say ‘freakin’,” she said, then went back to work on her laptop.
    Lots to do, lots to do, lots to do. Her sister was counting on her, and so—by extension—was her nephew.
    Plus, she still wanted to leave Eric gobsmacked by her efficiency and amazing butt-kicking evaluation of the B&B.
    All at once, though, the official Edgware documents that Stephanie had entrusted her with—along with strict, detailed instructions for using and uploading those documents—didn’t have the same appeal they had a few minutes ago.
    Biting her lip, Karina glanced around the plane. Nobody here would care if she waited until she arrived at the B&B before she examined all the evaluation paperwork. In fact, that would probably be a better strategy. Then she could approach the evaluation process fresh, without being influenced by the things she was supposed to be observing for potential franchising.
    If she was smart, it occurred to Karina, she would at least arrive at The Christmas House with no preconceptions or checklists in mind. That was only fair…right?
    Holding her breath, she shut down the evaluation program. Almost without conscious thought, she swept her finger across