Free Queenie Baby: Pass the Eggnog by Christina A. Burke Page B

little alone time with my guitar and a nice bowl of hot soup in my room under the eaves sounded heavenly.
    My mom and Ashley were staring out the window.
    "What's so interesting?" I asked, grabbing yet another Christmas cookie. I made a mental note to renew my gym membership when I got back home.
    "Granddad's making a snowman with the kids," Ashley said softly.
    "I can't believe he's here after all these years." My mom sniffed loudly.
    I watched my nephew Justin nail Granddad square in the forehead with a snowball. Granddad retaliated by hooking Justin's ankle with his cane. Justin shrieked as he face-planted into the snow. I smiled. Good one, Granddad.
    "Why the tears, Mom?" I asked. "He's here now, so make the most of it."
    "But he's sick," my mom wailed. "That cough is horrible; he might not have long to live. It's not fair!"
    "Do we know what's actually wrong with him?" I asked. Granddad looked pretty good for a dying man. "I mean maybe he's just old and has a cold."
    Ashley glared at me. "He went up to the mountain to die, Diana. Do you really think that means he's just getting a cold? Obviously, he's got cancer or something."
    My mom gasped at the "C" word.
    "See, that's not obvious to me," I replied. "Bill Sprague said he thought Granddad was sick, and he was afraid of leaving him alone on the mountain. Granddad just said he wanted peace. He didn't say a word about having cancer."
    "But what about Granny Babs saying Granddad was going to be joining her for happy hour?"
    "Really, Ashley? You're basing all this off a conversation Mammaw had with our dead grandmother?"
    "Hey, she was right about finding Granddad!" Ashley pointed out.
    I shook my head. "No, it was Mabel at the post office that was told us about the Sprague truck being around town. And, now that I think about it, Mabel's also responsible for Lindsey coming back to Kyle. No ghosts, just a nosy mail lady."
    "Oh, come on, Diana," Ashley said, "even a Grinch like you has got to admit there's Christmas magic in the air."
    I wasn't going to admit it to my sister, but things had been a little weird. I gave my mom a hug. "You've finally lost it, Ashley," I said as I grabbed a bowl of soup and half a sandwich wrapped in a napkin and headed for the door.
    "Dress rehearsal's at seven," Ashley called. "Don't be late!"
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CHAPTER NINE
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    Â Max was close on my heels when I reached my room. He must've sniffed out my sandwich, I decided, as I opened the door. I set my food on the nightstand and flipped on the gas fireplace. I sat down cross-legged on the bed and took a big bite of sandwich. Max stared at me with huge black eyes half hidden by the white bangs that all but rendered him blind.
    "You need a haircut," I said, taking another bite of sandwich.
    He gave me a look that said, No, I need a sandwich .
    I handed him a stray piece of turkey. It was gone in an instant, and he continued with his intense stare. It wasn't actually begging, more like he was staring me into submission. Look deep into my eyes … I giggled and handed him another piece. It was working.
    I finished the sandwich and took a few sips of delicious soup. Max lost interest and curled up in front of the fireplace when he realized I wasn't going to let him share the bowl with me. With finally a few minutes to myself, I mentally replayed the last twenty-four hours. Granddad, the ghosts, Kyle and his wife. It was a lot to take in. Not to mention my mysterious mirror messages. What did they mean anyway—help, hope—I didn't get it. I could see the first one could have been a message to help find Granddad, maybe the next message was about having hope for the future? I wasn't really great at puzzles. I'm pretty sure the ghosts were wasting the messages on me.
    I brushed off the crumbs and got down to business with my guitar. First, I worked on a few songs that weren't about Christmas to get me warmed up. I even ran through