Chapter 102

• Blake’s [POV]
• Saturday morning I woke up early, made breakfast, and read the newspaper before I got ready to go pick up Nina. She didn't know it, but I'd arranged for us to spend the day with my parents. They lived just outside of Waltham, but we didn't get to see them as often as I'd have liked.
• Since they'd retired from teaching at the university, my parents had made it a point to spend several months per year traveling to the far reaches of the globe, exploring countries and cultures that they'd read about. They were active and engaged members of the global community, and as a result, were often not around for quick visits. This year, they'd decided to spend Christmas at home, so at the beginning of December, they'd phoned all of the relatives living close by and told them that the party was at the Gaston home this year. I hadn't seen what they'd done to prepare, so today I planned to bring Nina over and view the preparations.