Calliope was home before anyone even noticed she''d been gone.


    Ss and the others were busy getting dinner ready in the kitchen, chopping and sautéing, everyone working together like a well-oiled machine.


    Calliope popped her head in, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.


    "I''m back!" she called out, grinning.


    Her brothers and Ss barely nced up from their prep work. One was rinsing potatoes, another was slicing up a roast, someone else was stirring a pot on the stove. The whole scene could havee straight out of a movie-everyone pitched in,ughing and joking as they went.


    "Let me help out!" Calliope said, grabbing an apron and tying it around her waist.


    Ss looked up with a gentle smile. "No need, Callie. Why don''t you rx in the living room? We''ve got this under control. Besides, with all the oil and smoke, you''ll be better off out there."


    Quentin nodded. "He''s right. You''ll just distract us with your culinary genius. How about you let us show off for once?"


    "Hey, Callie, everything sorted out?" Norton asked, ncing over his shoulder. "Yep, all good," Calliope replied, her voice casual but her mind somewhere else.


    She decided not to mention the trouble she''d just dealt with. It was Christmas Eve, after all, no point in ruining the mood with drama. Especially not with Ss. If he found out Oliver hade looking for her, he''d spend the whole night stewing over it.


    Let them do whatever they wanted with the Jewell family, she thought. That mess was officially not her problem anymore, not since her grandfather told her to stay out of it. If anyone deserved a little trouble, it was them.


    Still, she wasn''t about to let Ss get mixed up with Oliver. That guy just radiated bad news, and Calliope was fiercely protective of the people she cared about, Ss most of all.


    She tried to join the kitchen crew, but the guys practically shooed her out, insisting the kitchen was their domain tonight. "Go grab some snacks and chill," they said. "We''ll have dinner ready in no time."


    With no other choice, Calliope flopped onto the couch and grabbed her phone. She scrolled through her group chat and fired off a few messages.


    Almost immediately, Portia Sutton sent back a photo of her own family crowded into their kitchen, her dad carving a turkey while her siblings set the table.


    ?


    Calliope snapped a quick pic of her own kitchen-her brothers and Sitas working together, flour everywhere, someone burning garlic in the background-and sent it to the group.


    Portia: "Wait, you''re not cooking? Your brothers and Mr. Myers are doing the whole thing? That''s impressive!"


    Mavis Shepherd: "Dinner looks amazing over there. Mind if I crash your party?"


    Calliope: "Mavis, didn''t you say you had ns tonight?"


    She''d originally hoped Mavis would


    join them for Christmas dinner. She


    knew things at Mavis'' ce were rough, and if she wasn''t going home for the holidays, well, that said enough. But Mavis had mentioned an evening date, so Calliope hadn''t pressed.


    Mavis: "ns fell through. ssic."


    She sent a shrugging emoji.


    Calliope: "Then get over here! You know you''re always wee. Want me to


    Mavis: "Nah, I''ll drive myself. See you soon."


    Calliope: "Text when you''re on your way. Drive safe!"