𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 | 𝐁𝗼𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲/𝗥𝗙𝗞

XXV: "Mont Tremblant"

[Christmas Day, 1949]

"Evie! Will you please come down?" Julia yelled out from the staircase. She had an apron on and was reminding her daughter about their plan that afternoon, but Evelyn remained unresponsive, causing her to head upstairs. "Evelyn, come out," Julia demanded, her knocking should've been loud enough for Evelyn to hear. Ultimately, the door creaked open. "What?" Evelyn peeked at her mother; showing only an eye for her to see. "You promised to help me bake desserts." Julia placed her hands on her hips, feeling betrayed. Evelyn childishly rolled her eyes. "Are we baking macarons again?" She inquired of her mother while they were descending from the stairs. "Always, ma chérie!" The excitement Julia had for baking was unfathomable for Evelyn; she was not a patient soul; waiting for the macarons to be done could feel like an eternity to her. "I'm sure they're delighted to eat the same dessert every year." Evelyn quipped sarcastically. "Hush." Julia placed her forefinger on her small lips.

Evelyn grabbed a baking sheet and passed it to her mother; who was paying attention to whisking a yellow batter. Then a smell of cigarette from the living room seemed to found its way to the kitchen -- the only clue Evelyn needed to know that her father was home. "You never asked Papa for help... You know grandma was a baker, right? She must've taught him a thing or two." Maybe Evelyn thought it'd be funny to tease her mother like that, but at the same time, she was tired of seeing her father lazing away in the house; doing nothing but listening to music, and read a nice book. "He's a man. They don't have the patience." Julia muttered. She gripped onto her wrist to achieve stability and balance as she delicately pumped out multicolored batters onto a parchment paper. "Bull... crap." Evelyn stopped herself from cursing when her mother gave her the side-eye look. "Then they shouldn't be in the government; dealing with people requires the utmost patience." She kept her eyes on the icing bowl she was supposed to be whisking. "Some men can be patient with strangers, but not themselves." Julia placed the piping bag on the counter.

"Whisk it gently, Evie." Julia snuck a glance at Evelyn's buttercream before putting the macaron shells in the preheated oven. The daughter remained silent as she was working on the icing. There was an intense expression on her face; her eyes were narrowed, her lip was bitten down, and her hand movements were unstable. "So... Mama. When are we going on that ski trip?" The whole reason for her disorderly behaviors originated from the upcoming event. "Tomorrow, you silly girl. I've told you this a million times." Julia patted Evelyn's on the shoulder before taking away the bowl from her hands. "I forgot." Evelyn stood in front of the sink, washing her hands — her mind was overthinking about the moment she'd have to see Bobby and his girlfriend. "Evie," Julia called out to her anxious daughter. "Hm?" Evelyn turned around to face her. A look of concern appeared on the mother's face. "Why don't you go get dressed? I'll finish up and call you when we're leaving." Julia faintly smiled and Evelyn began to worry if her mother could see through her. "D'accord, Ma." She immediately made her way upstairs. Julia noticed Maurice's eyes staring at their daughter, she quietly called him. "What's going on with Evie?" Her question was met with a shrug from the man. It was clear to be a dead end.

"Julia, Evelyn!" Rose Kennedy exclaimed as she opened the door to her house for the two guests. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Kennedy." Evelyn gave her a weak smile; she felt odd about the enthusiasm Rose had when they hadn't met in more than a year. "Merry Christmas, you two. Evelyn, you look lovely. Do come in." The older woman stepped aside as the mother and the daughter headed to the festively decorated living room. "I see you have a Tupperware in your hands... I wonder what's inside." Rose raised her eyebrows with a smirk pasted on her face. "Oh, yes. I sure hope you still enjoy them." Julia handed her the container filled with the multicolor homemade macarons. "We all looked forward to this." Rose left the living room and headed to the dining room to put it in on the table.