Page 11 of Burden to Bear

Chris tipped his chin up slightly, caution working its way into his expression. “I’m not sure what to make of that. Are you pissed off that she’s got a boyfriend, or are you angry that he’s a dick?”

My eyes slid to the side, an unsettled feeling moving through me.

The silence was enough for my brother to draw his own conclusions. “Maybe it’s a bit of both.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter either way.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“Look, Chris, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t interested almost exactly the minute I met her, but there’s no point in making myself crazy. She can be gorgeous and sweet and unbelievably friendly. If she’s already tied to someone else, I can’t go there.”

Chris sighed. “Look, I’ve got to go, so we’ll have to talk about this later, but if the guy isn’t a good guy, I’m guessing he won’t be around for long. Maybe you just need to be the friendly neighbor until she figures out that you’re the better guy.”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

Maybe instead of wallowing in self-pity and jealousy, I could be the good guy. I wouldn’t push boundaries or cross lines, but I could prove I was the better guy.

“When did you get so smart?”

My brother chuckled and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “We can’t all be brilliant like me. I’ll try to give you some pointers when I get back.”

Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be waiting on pins and needles until you return.”

“Uncle Brock, are you coming back?” Izzy’s voice carried through the house.

“The princess has spoken. I better get out of here.” Chris moved to the front door, pulled it open, and stepped outside. “Have fun today.”

“We will. Go get your shopping done, and maybe show me just how smart you are by finding yourself a lady while you’re doing that.”

Chris huffed. “I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

A moment later, he was gone, and I closed the door behind him. But I didn’t do that before glancing over at Mia’s house and seeing her outside with her decorations.

Then I spent the rest of my afternoon decorating my tree and having fun with my niece.

FOUR

Mia

“Enjoy the break, Mia!”

“You, too. See you all next year.”

I stepped through the front doors of Backyard Treehouse and made a beeline across the parking lot toward my car. I felt completely focused and zoned out at the same time, like I knew exactly where I was going and what I needed to do, but that I was doing it while in a fog.

It was all the result of what happened not more than twenty minutes ago while at work. Since today was our last day open for the year, because Christmas was in three days and Backyard Treehouse was closed during the week between the Christmas and New Year holidays, it was a slower day. All the members of the staff had decided to have a celebration of sorts just before the start of our break. We all brought in some delicious treats, did a gift exchange, and just enjoyed being at the end of another year of hard work.

Everything had been wonderful until one of my coworkers, Paisley, walked into the room where we were all congregating with a look of utter devastation on her face.

Wanting to be sure nothing was seriously wrong, even if I suspected the worst, I asked, “Is everything okay, Paisley?”

Silence fell over the room, and everyone turned their attention to her. She flopped down onto a chair and revealed, “I just got my period. Three days before Christmas. This is going to be the worst holiday.”

For Paisley, I understood why this felt like such a big deal. She had plans to hop from one house to another over the next few days visiting with family and celebrating, and this was just going to put a damper on all of that for her.

I, along with everyone else in the room, could sympathize with Paisley. It should have ended there, but it didn’t. I’d been outwardly sympathetic toward Paisley, because I understood what she was feeling, but inside, I was freaking out.

The conversation had set off all sorts of alarm bells in my head, and it wasn’t long before I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

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