"Mary Lou! George! How are you both?" Celia asked excitedly, rushing up to greet them.
George grinned. "We are very well."
"And excited to be spending Christmas with y'all!" Mary Lou said cheerily.
"Y'all know Celia but I'd like you to meet our friend Jonathan and his fiancée Alice."
Jonathan stood and shook Mary Lou's and then George's hand saying. "Good to meet you."
"You must be the infamous Jonathan that Mandie speaks about." George said to Jonathan. Jonathan's eyebrows furrowed and he briefly glanced at Mandie and saying. "I never knew I was infamous." Without cracking a smile. Mandie saw a brief look of worry in his eyes.
The group of young people were just sitting down when a second knock on the door was heard. Mandie looked at Celia in slight distress- what if it was Joe. The two stood to go answer the door. Mandie's stomach was in tight knots. With a deep breath she opened the door and laughed, it was only Tommy and Robert. To both Mandie's and Tommy's shock Celia flung herself into Robert's arms and the two kissed for a moment. Mandie and Tommy looked at each other, both their mouths were open, both were dumbfounded.
"Could we at least get out of the doorway?" Tommy asked, chuckling. Celia and Robert broke apart from their embrace and took a step backwards, both turning red with embarrassment.
Tommy grinned. "Ahh Mandie, how've you been? It's been a while. It was so kind of your mother to invite the two of us to the Christmas ball." The handsome boy said looking into Mandie's eyes.
"I'm wonderful Tommy, I'm so happy you could come." Mandie replied, her bright smile shining up at him. "Come on into the sitting room to see everyone else that's here."
"I guess we'll just leave these two to catch up then." Tommy said winking at Mandie.
"How about a walk outside?" Celia asked Robert, her cheeks still flushed.
"That would be nice." Replied Robert, smiling.
"We'll see y'all at dinner." Celia told Mandie.
"Don't be too long or we'll send someone to loom for the pair of you." Mandie teased lightly. The couple blushed as Robert helped Celia with her shawl. Celia shook her head and smiled at Mandie as the couple went out the door.
"Mandie you know they're getting married, don't you? Tommy asked, smiling down at Mandie as they walked to the sitting room.
"Yes, Celia told me last night. She asked me to be her bridesmaid." Mandie said.
"Funny, Robert told me last night and he asked me to be his groomsman." Tommy said proudly.
"I'm so glad that they decided to be together. I always thought they would eventually end up with each other." Mandie said as they entered the sitting room.
"Everyone this is Tommy Patton." Mandie said. "This is Mary Lou, George, Alice, and you already know Jonathan." Mandie finished.
Jonathan stood and shook Tommy's hand and said, "Good to see you, it's been a long while."
"But where is Celia and Robert?" Jonathan asked Mandie.
"They went for a walk outside." She replied. Jonathan raised his brows at her, Mandie realized he didn't know they were engaged. She gave her head a little shake. He nodded his headed, he understood that she meant 'don't ask questions.'
After everyone was introduced and getting comfortable, Liza came into the sitting room saying. "Dinnuh be ready."
The young people went to the dining room and found the men already seated. Everyone was seated when Celia and Robert walked in with their faces all flushed from the cold.
"What were you two doing out in the cold by yourselves?" Jonathan asked Celia, grinning. Alice nudged him in the ribs.
"Oh hush." Celia replied, blushing.
After dinner Tommy challenged George to a game of chess, Alice and Mary Lou who had quickly become friends, decided to go look around the house together. Celia and Robert decided to sit with each other in front of the fire, and Jonathan asked Mandie if she would like to go for a walk outside. Mandie gladly accepted and went to put on her shawl. She met Jonathan at the door, and they went strolling through the snow-covered garden.
"So." Jonathan said, grinning mischievously. "You didn't answer me at breakfast, when are you and Joe going to get engaged?" Mandie gave him a very unimpressed look. "And I want to know more about that George fellow, what's going on there?" Mandie look exasperated at the question.
"Me and George may have spent a lot of time with each other at one point in time but that is very much in the past Jonathan Guyer!" Mandie stated defensively, her eyes burning.
Jonathan looked at her hard. "How so? And you still didn't answer me about Joe."
Mandie got embarrassed. "I may have been lonesome for a while and started seeing George." Jonathan opened his mouth, looking to Mandie's surprise vexed. Mandie continued without letting Jonathan speak. "I realized it wasn't going to work so then we stopped seeing each other. I introduced him to Mary Lou and now the two are engaged, end of story. There is nothing between us anymore." Mandie finished and then added rather haughtily. "Not that it's really any of your business Jonathan Guyer." The angry look left Jonathan's eyes and he suddenly guffawed loudly. Mandie looked at him surprised.
"Aha! You admitted it right there. You were lonesome! Lonesome for Joe!" Jonathan triumphed.
Mandie's cheeks flushed, feeling embarrassed she said. "Oh, lay it off Jonathan. Maybe, maybe not, it won't matter either way if Joe doesn't feel the same way."
"Come on Mandie, just face it Joe is in love with you. He thinks of you all the time. He wouldn't stop talking about you at college." Jonathan chuckled. "It really got on my nerve sometimes."
Mandie opened her mouth and decided to give Jonathan a playful shove. "Hey!" He called as she rushed away.
When he caught up to her, she decided to try and change the topic, she was too embarrassed about what she had revealed to Jonathan about being lonesome for Joe. "So, you and Joe have both settled down and become friends." Mandie chose to say.
"Yes. We decided to dorm with each other, we became best friends. Joe didn't always like the mess I sometimes made but we had a great time." Jonathan replied.
"Oh, that's wonderful." Mandie said, realizing Joe probably didn't consider her his best friend anymore. Mandie shook the thought from her head, of course he wouldn't consider her his best friend anymore. They were two grown adults going their different ways, Mandie thought to herself.
"Say, when will Joe be arriving?" Jonathan asked her.
"Oh, Mother said he was coming this afternoon." As she said this, she realized Joe could arrive at any moment. Her stomach churned with butterflies; she wasn't sure how she was going to react to seeing him.
"Well then we should get back inside so we're ready to greet him." Jonathan said, leading the way back up the path. Turning he said. "Would'nt want you to be lonely for Joe any longer, I'm sure it's completely unbearable." He said taunting, grinning from one ear to another. Mandie's cheeks were redder than ever she was about to yell at Jonathan but realized they were entering the front door.
"Don't you dare repeat that to another living soul." Mandie hissed at him, hoping no one else had heard her.
Jonathan simply grinned at her and pointed to a bag in the front hall that Mandie recognized as Joe's. "Joe must've arrived already." He observed. All Mandie could do was nod in response. Her breath hitched it seemed as though butterflies were once again dancing in her stomach. In a daze she allowed Jonathan to lead her to the sitting room and there, Mandie fully lost her breath, sitting beside Tommy was Joe Woodard.