Magic in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Christmas River Cozy Book 7) Read Online Free Page B

it’ll be for all involved.”
    Laila, now almost nine months and who was growing by leaps and bounds every day, let out a cry from her high chair at the kitchen island.
    I could understand the feeling.
    But, I reminded myself, listening to every detail of Kara’s spats with her mother-in-law was just the price I paid for having a best friend – and such a good one at that. Kara had always been there for me, and that seemed more than worth the occasional – or frequent – rehashing of family feuds.
    And besides, I wasn’t exactly listening to Kara as closely as a good friend should have been. My mind had been on something else all morning – something I hadn’t quite been able to shake.
    “I know you don’t know what I’m talking about, Cin,” Kara said, picking up Laila, who was already giggling after her little fit. “It’s not like you have a mother-in-law to deal with.”
    Kara peered at me, as if she had been reading my less-than-enthusiastic thoughts.
    But she was only half right about that: because while Daniel’s mother had taken off when he was just a kid, there were ten years of my life before marrying Daniel where I’d had to deal with my first husband’s mother. And while that hadn’t exactly been a walk in the park – she often got after me about wanting to see some grandchildren running around – I fared much better than Kara was faring now.
    My best friend stopped pacing, suddenly seeming to remember that little fact about me being married before.
    “Oh,” she said. “Sorry. I forgot about Evan.”
    “It’s all right,” I said, lining up the gingersnap pie crusts in a row. “Sometimes I forget too.”
    I smiled.
    Evan, and all of the problems and the pain he’d caused me, felt like another lifetime these days.
    And I liked it that way.
    “But am I wrong, Cin? Do you think I’m being an unreasonable daughter-in-law to not want to be criticized left and right by that woman?”
    “You’re not wrong,” I said quickly. “Mother-in-laws are just…”
    “A royal pain in the ass?” she said, covering Laila’s ears at the last part of the sentence. “God’s way of laughing at you?”
    “Maybe,” I said, smirking. “But it’s just sometimes… sometimes I think that everything in this world costs something, Kara. Even things that you think shouldn’t cost something. And I think putting up with Edna’s thoughtlessness and underhanded comments might just be the price you have to pay for such a wonderful husband and such a sweet baby girl.”
    She stopped pacing for a second. A moment later, she was staring out the window, lost in thought.
    I took that as a good sign that what I said had gotten at least partially through. I started filling up the crusts with the creamy filling, which in less than an hour, would be a to-die-for, luscious Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie – by far the biggest seller of the autumn season. This was my second batch of the pie this morning, and I had a feeling I’d be making another one before the day was out.
    Kara placed Laila back in her high chair, giving her a small toy to keep her occupied. Then she finally took a seat herself on the barstool at the kitchen island.
    “Well, when you put it like that…”
    She shook her head and let out a sigh.
    “But I don’t see why I couldn’t have ended up like you, Cin. Finding a great guy that I don’t have to pay every day to be with.”
    She placed a hand over her mouth and let out a sharp, sudden giggle.
    “I mean… that sounded dirty, didn’t it? Like I pay John to be with me or something. Like I’m actually the John and he’s the…”
    She trailed off and giggled some more at the silly joke. I shook my head, but couldn’t help smiling some myself.
    “What I mean is that it feels like I shouldn’t have to put up with Edna to get my husband, you know?”
    I shrugged.
    “We all have our expenses, Kara. I might not have to deal with a mother-in-law, but I do have to deal with Daniel having a job