Tied With a Bow

tell the difference between a horse that’s being ridden and one that’s wandering loose.”
    “In your sleep?”
    Robin’s mouth opened. Then closed in a frown. She was still frowning as she reached for the back door. “We’ll talk more later.”
    In the short time they’d been outside, the temperature had dipped from crisp to chilly as day slid into twilight. The bright, warm kitchen was inviting. Benedict smiled as he stepped inside—taking the rear, because threats were less likely to come from the house.
    The silence was his first clue. Then the smell—anger plus other emotions he couldn’t sort out in this form. There were a lot of tense bodies in that warm, welcoming kitchen.
    “What?” Arjenie said, frowning as she stopped and looked around.
    “Clay?” Robin said.
    “We need a family meeting.”
    “Wait a minute,” Seri began.
    “It’s not always best to drag everything into the open,” Sammy said.
    “And at Yule—”
    “Hurt feelings.”
    “Sit,” Robin said. “And be quiet until it’s your turn.”
     
     
    Carmen’s brother’s name was Ben, which disconcerted Benedict when he heard it again. How had he forgotten a variant on his own name? Pure distraction, he supposed. That other Ben was very politely asked to relieve Gary of kid duty so Gary could participate. Partners counted the same as spouses in the Delacroix clan—as family.
    Benedict wondered if he was considered Arjenie’s partner. He offered to go chop wood, but Arjenie told him he was family and an adult so he would certainly take part. No one argued, though Sammy looked uneasy and Seri tossed her head. But then the meeting was probably about him. Made sense for him to be there.
    There was enough room for all of them at the big cherry table, though they were a bit crowded. Benedict had just enough time to check in with Adam and Josh before Gary joined them.
    Robin sat at one end of the table, Clay at the other. A fat pinecone sat on the table in front of Robin. Gary seated himself on Benedict’s right, Clay gave Robin a nod, and the two of them held out their hands. Arjenie took Benedict’s hand on one side; after a second of observation he understood what was required and held out his other hand to Gary. Once everyone was clasping hands, Robin spoke. “We seek wisdom and clarity, and ask for the patience needed to reach these goals, and for the memory of who we are as individuals and as a family to guide us. Blessed be.”
    Most of the others echoed “blessed be,” though there were a couple “amens” mixed in. Arjenie and Gary both squeezed Benedict’s hands before releasing them.
    “All right,” Robin said, and set a pinecone on the table. “Clay, you asked for this meeting. I have something to bring up, too, but it may be connected to your issue. I’d like you to go first.” She passed the pinecone down the table.
    When it reached Clay, he held it in one hand as he began. “Seri and Sammy have a concern about Arjenie’s relationship with Benedict. I don’t care for the way they’ve expressed this concern, but it needs airing.”
    “I—” Seri started, then visibly controlled herself. “Excuse me.”
    Clay smiled and handed her the pinecone.
    “Thank you.” She sat up very straight. “I didn’t want to do this in a family meeting because I thought it would hurt Arjenie. But here we are, so”—she turned to Robin—“I’d like to open this up.”
    Robin thought, then said, “Ten minutes open discussion.”
    Seri moved the pinecone to the center of the table. “Here’s the deal. Arjenie didn’t come home for my and Sammy’s birthday.”
    “I explained that!” Arjenie protested. “And I hated to miss it, but I called. I sent presents.”
    “Yes, and I love the sweater, but this isn’t about presents. You didn’t come, and I . . . well, I’m sorry, but I didn’t believe your explanation.”
    Sammy snorted. “Too busy at work. Yeah, that’s believable.”
    Pink flags flew on Arjenie’s cheeks. “Since my work involves helping the people who stopped other people from destroying the country, maybe it should be believable.”
    “Our birthdays were after those horrible Humans First rallies.”
    “And you thought that meant the problem was solved?”
    “It’s not like that’s the only thing,” Seri said.
    Sammy picked up that thought and ran with it. “You moved across the country. Pfft. Just like that. You haven’t been home since you took that mysterious trip to San