CHAPTER SIXTEEN
(chapter title – Christmas with the Davis Family)

"Roger! Mark! Sara! It's so great to see you again." Lydia Davis called as Roger pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, Mark and Sara right behind him. Roger smiled at his mom and kissed her cheek.

"Uncle Roger! Uncle Mark! Sara!" Anne's kids – Sidney, Abby and Alex – squealed and knocked Mark down, hugging and kissing him all over. Sara laughed as Anne, Leslie and Jim came out of the house, followed by Alan Davis – Roger's dad.

"Hi Aunt Anne, hi Aunt Leslie, hi Uncle Jim. Hi Grandpa." Sara greeted each member of the Davis family.

"Hi Sara. You've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you." Anne noted, hugging Sara. Anne's husband, Jeremy, was working over the holidays, so they wouldn't be able to see him.

"You really have." Jim added, smiling. Jim Davis was the youngest of the four and the only one that wasn't married.

"Good news Roger – she doesn't look a thing like you." Leslie teased. Leslie was due to have her first baby in the spring of next year.

"Very funny Leslie." Roger told her sarcastically.

"Well, let's not stand out here and catch a cold. Let's go inside." Lydia told her family, putting an arm around Sara's shoulders and drawing her close.

"I hope I made enough food for everyone." Leslie piped up. She was walking with Roger and Mark.

"I'm sure you did, Les." Sara told her, smiling.

"So, Mark, how've you been?" Alan asked, hugging Sara.

"I've been good. Thanks for asking." Mark answered, smiling.

"Sit with me, Sara!" Six-year-old Sidney insisted, pointing to the empty chair next to him.

"No, Sara! Sit with me!" Four-year-old Abby argued, patting the chair next to her.

"Me!" Two-year-old Alex screamed from his high chair. Anne rolled her eyes and gave Alex his pacifier.

"I'll sit in between you two, how's that?" Sara compromised.

"That's a good idea, Sar." Roger complimented, smiling at her from across the table.

Soon, everyone was seated at the table and the Christmas lunch was to begin. Sara helped Sidney and Abby scoop food onto their plates as the adults asked her questions about what was going on in her life.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Sidney asked.

"Yes, I do, Sid." Sara told him, scooping some more mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"What's his name?" Abby asked.

"Peter Baxley." Sara answered, taking a sip of her Coke.

"Do you guys approve of him?" Leslie inquired. Both Mark and Roger nodded. Sara smiled and took a bite of mashed potatoes.

"How are your friends doing, Sara?" Alan asked as Jim helped him with his food. Alan Davis had been paralyzed from the waist down when he was thrown from a horse when he was forty. He was going to be turning sixty in a couple months.

"They're good – thanks for asking Grandpa." Sara smiled at her grandpa – looking so regal at the head of the table.

"So, Roger, have you been writing any more songs?" Anne asked, helping Alex with his food.

"Yeah – I got my band back together, so I'm happy about that. I'm also bartending at a night club four nights a week." Roger told her, stuffing food into his mouth. Mark laughed and helped himself to more chicken.

"Could we hear one of your songs Uncle Roger?" Sidney asked.

"Pwease!" Abby pleaded. Roger laughed and nodded. Sidney and Abby cheered and hurried up with their lunches.

"I'll do the dishes." Sara volunteered after lunch. Everyone thanked her as she made trips from the kitchen to the living room to get the plates, silverware and glasses and put them on the kitchen counter.

"Mind if I help?" Anne asked, coming up behind Sara, nearly startling her.

"Not at all, Aunt Anne." Sara told her, smiling. Anne put a dish in the soapy water and rinsed it with a sponge.

"So, how's school going?" Anne asked.

"Pretty good – I got the lead in the winter musical, so I'm happy about that." Sara told her, rinsing a glass and putting it on the drying rack.

"That's wonderful, Sara. You should be happy." Anne praised. Sara smiled and nodded. Her gaze went to Mark, who was holding Alex and singing to him.

"He's wonderful, isn't he?" Anne's voice startled Sara out of her daydream.

"Yeah, he really is." Sara told her, smiling.

"Are you guys talking about me?" Mark asked, walking over to them.

"Oh, yes, Mark. We were talking about a mean father you are." Anne joked.

"Very funny, Anne." Mark told her sarcastically. Sara and Anne burst out laughing.

"Oh, Sara, grandma and grandpa want to see you." Mark told Sara. She nodded and walked over to where her grandparents were sitting.

"Hi Sara sweetie." Lydia Davis greeted Sara as she sat down next to her.

"Hi grandma. Hi grandpa." Sara greeted them, brushing a stray hair behind her ear.

"We have something we want to give you." Alan Davis told her, handing her a long box. Confused, Sara tore the wrapping paper off and gasped – it was a beautiful blue top with quarter-length sleeves.

"Thank you grandma. Thank you grandpa." Sara thanked them, hugging both of them.

"Why don't you go try it on, just to make sure that we got you the right size." Lydia suggested. Sara nodded, stood up and walked to the bathroom, carrying the shirt with her.

Once inside the bathroom, Sara took off the top she was wearing and put the blue one on – it fit perfectly.

Removing the tags, Sara put her shirt she had been wearing in a plastic bag and put it near the door so that she wouldn't forget it. She then went to join Sidney, Abby and Roger on the couch – they were watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

"Hey Sar." Roger greeted her as she sat down on the armrest.

"Hey Dad." Sara greeted him as she rested her head on his shoulder. Roger wrapped an arm around Sara's shoulders and looked over at Mark, Anne, Jim and Leslie playing a card game. There was occasional conversation, but not much.

"Who wants dessert?" Lydia asked, walking over to the refrigerator and got out a tray of chocolate chip cookies.

"I do! I do!" Abby and Sidney chanted, rushing over to where their grandmother was.

"Abby, Sidney, remember your manners." Anne reminded her children.

"Yes, mommy." The children chorused. Anne smiled and returned to the card game.

"What about you, Sara? Would you like a cookie?" Sidney asked her, walking over with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand.

"Yes, please, Sidney." Sara told him, smiling. Sidney handed her the chocolate chip cookie and walked away, licking his fingers. Sara took a bite of the cookie – it felt like she had died and gone to heaven.

"Mmm. This cookie is good, grandma." Sara told Lydia, finishing up the rest of her cookie.

"I'm glad you like them, sweetheart." Lydia said, smiling.

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Around six o'clock, Mark, Sara and Roger said their goodbyes and got back in the car to drive back to their little brownstone and settle down for a nice long winter's nap.