Page 66 of Babies for the Christmas Grump

My jaw tightens. I don’t want her help. I don’t need it. This is my mess to clean up.

I stare at her for a long beat, trying to gather myself. “So, you’re just here from LA to help me? What about your wellness business?”

She leans against the desk. “I can take a break.”

Before I can retort, a voice calls out from the back of the hotel.

“Ryder?” Dex appears, his ever-present optimism cutting through the tension. “Everything okay out here?”

“This is Claire,” I tell him with a sigh. “My sister.”

Dex smiles politely, unfazed by the continual family reunion I never asked for. “Well, we’ve got breakfast ready in the restaurant if you’d both like to have something to eat?”

I shoot Dex a grateful look, more out of habit than anything. If there’s one thing I can trust Dex with, it’s knowing when to step in, and when to defuse the situation. He’s good at that.

Claire doesn’t hesitate either. She simply nods, her gaze never leaving me. “Sure. Breakfast sounds perfect.”

I take a seat across from her, my movements sharp as I sit down. Dex retreats to the kitchen, leaving us alone. Just the two of us. It’s too much.

The waitress sets down mugs of coffee and a basket of warm pastries, and Claire’s eyes follow every motion, taking in every detail with quiet curiosity.

It’s hard to ignore the way she watches everything. She’s trying to piece it all together in her mind. But then her gaze lands back on me, and I feel her eyes probing.

I take a slow sip of coffee, avoiding her stare.

“So,” she begins, breaking the silence, “I guess I’m not the only one who’s been keeping an eye on the news.”

I set the coffee cup down, the sound a little sharper than it should be.

“Yeah, guess not,” I mutter. “That’s what happens when you’ve got a mother like ours. Always making headlines.”

Claire smirks, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of something. Relief? Familiarity?

“Don’t I know it,” she says, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “She did the same to me when my wellness studio first started getting attention. Never let me have a moment to myself.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You meanshewasn’t the one with the spotlight? That’s a shocker.”

Claire scoffs, but there’s no real bite to it. She’s leaning back now, eyeing me with that calculating gaze that used to drive me insane.

“No, believe it or not, I was the one running the damn business. Mom just made it her personal mission to turn every damn press interview into a ‘look at me, I’m the queen’ show.”

I can’t help but grin at that. “Well, to be fair, she does wear it well.”

Claire rolls her eyes but laughs lightly. It’s almost normal. For a second, I’m reminded of the old Claire, before we both got sucked into the mess that is our family.

She leans forward, folding her arms on the table, a more serious look crossing her face. “I didn’t come here to add to your stress, Ryder. But I saw what was happening. You’re drowning. And if you’re not careful, Mom will drag you under with her.”

The mood shifts, just slightly, but it’s enough for me to feel the tension creeping back in. I’ve been ignoring this for years: Claire was always the one who could see the truth of things, even when I didn’t want to face it.

She’s got this way of cutting straight to the heart of the matter, and it’s just as annoying as it is… necessary.

I let out a sharp exhale, running my fingers through my hair. “I don’t need your help, Claire. I’ve been managing just fine without you.”

She narrows her eyes at me, and there’s the sister I used to know—the one who could call me on my bullshit without hesitation.

“Sure, you have,” she says, giving me a look. “Managing so well I can practically feel the cracks in the foundation from here.”

My teeth grind a little at her words, but I don’t want to let her get under my skin. Not again. So, I shrug and force myself to drink more coffee.