If It's meant To Be (Completed)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“Danica!” my mom called from downstairs.

She was loud enough for me to hear through my headphones. “Mom?” I called back.

“Can you give me a hand, please?”

“No. I only have two. If I give you one, I’ll have one left and one’s not enough.”

“Get down here, you smart ass.”

I frowned, dashing off the headphones and making it into the kitchen where she was preparing the Christmas dinner. Chad would join us, and he was taking his daughter for us to meet. Mom told me and Carly about it just this morning, which was a kind of surprise to me because I didn’t know he had a daughter. Carly was very excited.

I met my mom in the kitchen. “What do you need help with?”

She pointed to the food on the counter. “Can you take those to the dining table for me, please? Chad should be here any minute.”

The doorbell chimed throughout the house as she said that, and she glanced towards the foyer. “I’ll get it,” Carly called.

Mom carried the ham to the dining room before she went to greet our guest. I carried the rest of the food until everything was waiting at the dining table. Mom led Chad and his daughter into the dining room then, her face lit up with a smile. Carly came in behind them, taking her usual seat at the table.

Mom turned to me as she reached for the blond-haired girl. “Girls, this is Chad’s daughter, Olivia. Be nice to her.”

Olivia waved her hand at us with a shy smile, which made her look adorable. I gave her a welcoming smile. “Nice to meet you, Olivia. I’m Dani. Welcome to the family.”

“I’m Carly,” Carly told her. “When dinner is over, come with me to my room. I’ll show you what I got for Christmas.”

Olivia smiled at her. “Okay.”

We all sat down at the table and mom said the grace before we eat. “How’s the internship going Danica? I hope you’re learning a lot of useful skills.” Chad asked me.

“I am,” I told him. “I just wished I had more time there to learn even more.”

He smiled. “Well, maybe you can do some more time before you go off to college.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

I turned to my mother. “So, mom, can I go over to Heidi’s house after dinner? I have something for her.”

She shook her head. “No. You saw Heidi yesterday and you can see her tomorrow. Today, you spend time with your family.”

I frowned and picked at my food. “Fine, I’ll go tomorrow then.”