When morning came Mandie was once again woken by Liza starting the fire. Mandie sat up.
"Good morning Liza." She said smiling, remembering Celia's news from last night and her own revelation about Joe.
"Morning Missy breakfust be almost ready." Liza replied.
Celia woke and yawned.
"Hello Liza. How are you?" Celia asked.
"I be jus fine missy." Liza said.
Celia said to Mandie. "Today Joe's coming isn't he." Causing Mandie to blush and her stomach to fill with butterflies she was not ready to face him.
"Yes, yes he is." She replied still blushing.
"Well, you got to get all prettied up for the doctuhs son, you don't want Miss Sweet Thang to steal him from you. Do you?" Liza said, causing Celia to roll around on the bed laughing and promptly fall onto the floor, scaring Snowball he hissed and slowly ran out of the room causing Mandie and Liza to laugh hysterically.
After Liza left the girls room, Mandie went to the closet and spent a long time trying to choose what to wear. In the end she chose a bright blue dress that matched her eyes. She put on the dress and began working on her hair, she decided to simply braid her hair in a long blond plait and twist it up to pin at the nape of her neck with a few loose pieces out front to frame her face. Celia was thinking about seeing her fiancé and chose an emerald green dress to match her eyes and left her hair loose.
As the two girls walked downstairs Celia said grinning. "So, what are you going to do about Joe now?" The thought of Joe arriving made her feel ill. "Ahh Celia what am I going to do now?" Mandie said concernedly. Celia shrugged in thought. There was no one else in the dining room yet when the two entered and seated themselves. Just then Mandie said. "I wonder when everyone will begin arriving." When at that moment they heard Liza at the door.
"Y'all jus come right on in." Liza was saying.
Suddenly Mr. Guyer, Jonathan, and a fair, curly dark-haired girl was standing behind Jonathan had entered the dining room.
"Jonathan." Mandie said excitedly as she quickly rose and wrapped him in a warm embrace.
"Mandie, you have no idea how much I've missed you this past year." Jonathan said smiling down at her. He had started to grow sideburns and he was taller than Mandie had remembered, but he was still the same old Jonathan who Mandie had regarded as an older brother.
"I missed you too Celia." He said, embracing Celia.
Mandie looked at the girl standing behind Jonathan's back, who was looking expectantly at Jonathan.
"Oh, Mandie, Celia I'd like you to meet my fiancé Alice." Jonathan said, smiling. Mandie and Celia gasped. Jonathan was engaged?
"I'm pleased to meet you Alice. How long have y'all been engaged?" Mandie said smiling excitedly.
"We've only been engaged two weeks; I hope it's no trouble, me staying for Christmas and all." Alice replied smiling.
"Of course not, there's plenty of room here." Mandie said.
"You must be Celia?" Alice asked Celia.
"Yes, I'm so happy for you two." Celia said.
"Thank you. I love your hair, it's like mine all curly but a much prettier colour than black." Alice said smiling at Celia.
"Thank you, I don't get many compliments about my hair colour." Celia said, laughing.
Just then Liza came out of the kitchen with more food. "Y'all come sit righ down fo breakfust." She called out.
Mandie passed Mr. Guyer, Jonathan's father. "Why hello Miss Amanda, it has been a while how have you been?" He asked, smiling.
"I'm very well Mr. Guyer and very excited to spend Christmas with all my friends." Mandie replied, glowing.
Mandie heard more noise from the hall, she ran over realizing who it was she quickly embraced the woman. It was Mr. and Mrs. Woodard, how she had missed them. They had known her father quite well before he passed on. "Hello my dear how are you?" Mrs. Woodard greeted Mandie warmly.
"Why Miss Amanda, look at you. All grown up." Mr. Woodard said, smiling as she turned to embrace him. "Your father would be so proud of you." He said causing Mandie's eyes to turn glossy.
"Oh, thank y'all for coming. I'm so happy you're here." Mandie smiled with her misty eyes. At that moment the other adults staying in the house made their way to the dining room. Everyone was laughing, hugging, and talking. Eventually everyone sat down. Jonathan and the girls at one end and the adults on the other end. Alice and Celia were sitting across from each other and began discussing New York. Mandie and Jonathan were sitting across from each other. Mandie decided to ask him how he and Alice had met.
"We met at college. As you know I went to the same college as Joe but took different classes, so it took me only three years to graduate." He spoke.
"Go on, how did you meet her?" Said Mandie.
"I was at this end of year party in the Spring, I was actually with Joe. I saw her and thought she was the most stunning girl I had ever seen in my life. All I could do was stare at her, she spotted me staring at her. She walked over and introduced herself to me, it turned out she was from New York too, I invited her to come visit over the summer break. She said she would let me know. So, I gave her my address and away she went. Every time I saw her after that my breath was quite literally taken away by her beauty. Joe kept laughing at me. I got pretty annoyed with him…" Jonathan trailed off in thought.
"And?" Mandie questioned. "Keep going."
"Well, she sent me a note saying she would come visit and from then on we knew we were meant for each other. And now we're engaged, end of story." Jonathan concluded, grinning widely.
"Wow, I never knew Jonathan Guyer could be the least bit romantic." Mandie said, taunting lightly.
"When are you and Joe going to get engaged?" Jonathan asked abruptly, putting on a teasing older brother tone.
Mandie was trying to think of a comeback to this question when the adults announced that the men were going up to Uncle John's office and that the women were going to town to do more shopping.
"Make sure to listen for the door Amanda while we are gone." Elizabeth said to her daughter.
The group of young people decided to retire to the sitting room. They were just sitting down when a knock was heard coming from the front door. Mandie left the sitting room to answer it. It was George and Mary Lou.
"Welcome! How are you both? I'm so glad y'all could come for Christmas." Mandie said, welcoming them in.
"It was so kind of your mother to send us an invitation to the ball." Mary Lou said, embracing Mandie.
"I hope you will both have a good time." Mandie said, smiling.
"I'm sure we will." George said. Smiling bashfully his and eyes caught Mandie's and she looked away quickly, feeling shy.
"Celia and a couple of other friends are in the sitting room." Mandie said quickly, leading them to the sitting room. The two set their bags down and followed.