Page 49 of Disorderly

“Hear you’re having a real party after this.” The chuckle in Jason’s voice was unmistakable but came reality when I glared at him.

“You know I didn’t want a big party.” I leaned in closer while Jarrod and Peter kept my mom occupied confirming where she wanted the food and drinks to be set up. “All I wanted was to spend time with you, Jarrod, and Peter. But mainly you and Jarrod.”

“I know, Baby Girl, but hosting a party is a rite of passage.”

I raised my eyebrows and stared at him. In what universe did he think I was really the one hosting it? “You know it was all my mom, right?”

He glanced over his shoulder before leaning in, pressing his lips to mine in a swift kiss that left me breathless and wanting more. “I know. If it helps, just think of how happy you’re making her.”

His words took the grumpiness out of my sails. Mom worked hard. She never wanted me to lack for anything. It often resulted in her picking up extra shifts as she didn’t like leaving work shorthanded and patients receiving substandard care. Between her and my dad, it was no wonder that I was so involved in helping those less fortunate than us. And since dad died, I couldn’t remember when she took a night to herself. Not even a date as far as I’d known. My shoulders slumped as I became resigned to having the party. “Fine. I’ll do it for her.”

“That’s the spirit.” Jason chuckled as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me towards the kitchen. “Now, let’s help your mom finish up. She looks stressed.”

Stuck in my own misery all day, his words made me realize that I hadn’t really looked at my mom. And one look confirmed his assessment. Mom looked stressed. While she’d been chewing her lip this morning, I hadn’t noticed that it looked almost raw, her tell when things got bad. And when the light hit her face in a certain way, I could the dark smudges under her eyes that her makeup didn’t fully cover. Streaks of grey hair coloured her dark brown hair that matched mine and the little crinkles around her eyes that I’d always loved had grown into true, deep laugh lines. In short, she looked tired, worn out, and worried. If me, hosting this party tonight would take away some of the weight on her shoulders, then I’d gladly do it… even if I hated every minute that I was there.

Soon, Mason and his family arrived along with Deena, Sasha, and their parents. We filled the seats around the large, extended dining room table. The smell of my favourite chicken pot pie meal filled the air. It was a recipe that dad taught us that came down through his family, although I did add a few tweaks. Mom and I worked on it all day which was probably the reason why I made it through the stress and dread without cracking.

Mom and Peter carried out the two giant cake pans filled with the creamy goodness hidden under the flakey pastry crust. The green salads were already on the table.

“Dig in, everyone.” Mom grinned at me and winked. The move relaxed the band that had been around my chest. I still worried about her, but if she could relax enough to joke, then I knew we weren’t in the danger zone yet. “Katy went crazy and made enough to feed us for a year.” And while everyone laughed, the first pan was emptied before everyone at the table had some on their plate.

The table was relatively silent as people scarfed down the food. Talk was kept to mundane things when it happened. But finally, our plates were scraped clean along with the two pans of pot pie—I knew I hadn’t made too much—and the cake was set in front of me. After a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday which made me, glad birthdays only came around once a year, things relaxed a little. People sprawled back in their chairs. If we’d been a sitcom, I’m sure the males around the table would have popped the buttons their pants to make room for all they ate. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around. This was the birthday celebration I wanted, and I planned on holding onto it as long as I could.

“I’m so glad that you were able to get tonight off and weren’t called in, Marie.” Mom smiled at Mrs. Helton, and I was relieved to see that it was her true smile, not the permanently tired one she usually sported.

“Me, too. It’s been rough at the hospital lately. One of our nurses, Debbie, quit suddenly before Christmas, leaving us short staffed. Not that she’d been working many hours lately since she has been off sick on and off since October, but none of us ever expected her to leave until she bagged herself one of the single doctors.”

I felt Jason stiffen a little next to me and when I glanced at him, he was staring at Peter who looked a little too innocent. It made me wonder if they knew this nurse that mom spoke about, but before I could question them, Mason pushed his chair back and stood.

“Well, it’s been nice, but it’s time for you, old people, to leave so we can have Katy’s real party.” He winked as he grinned at me, making me wish I’d found a way to put my foot down and put a stop to it.

“Don’t forget,” mom said, “Peter, Jason, and Jarrod will be next door, so things don’t get out of hand. We don’t want any visits from the police.”

“Not to worry, Mrs. Nelson. I’ve kept it small.” I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I doubted Mason ever did anything small. At least not since he was in kindergarten. He turned back to me, crossing his heart with his finger. “I promise. I know how much the upcoming exams mean to you”—when his mother cleared her through interrupting him, red stained his cheeks—“I mean, important to us, I decided to forgo the giant party and just invite some of our closer friends over for movies. Like we used to do as kids, just with more people.”

If he wouldn’t have taken it the wrong way, I would have jumped up and kissed him. Movie nights had been our thing when we were kids. We’d often spend Friday night at each other’s house, as our parents took turns going out for a date night, watching movies until we fell asleep on the floor, wrapped up in quilts. If I couldn’t spend my birthday with just Peter, Jason, and Jarrod, movie night with Mason and friends was the next best thing, and far superior to the other option.

“That sounds great.” The relief in my voice was noticed by all as many of them laughed.

And while everyone around the table stood and began to clear it, Jason leaned it. His lips brushed my ear as he spoke. “Happy birthday, Baby Girl.”

I turned and our closeness made our lips brush, forcing us to widen the distance a little between us before someone noticed. “You knew?” He nodded, but the smile on his face told me there was more to it. Light bulbs went on in my head. “This was your idea, wasn’t it?”

He grinned. “Like I said, Happy birthday, Baby Girl.”

“Thank you.” And despite the risk, I pressed a kiss to his cheek, making sure the corners of our lips pressed together before I stood. Of all my birthday presents, this had been one of the best. No giant party because Jason was looking out for me even as he encouraged me to broaden my experiences. It was no wonder I loved him.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Katy

After my birthday weekend,it felt like I blinked, and when my eyes opened, I was staring down Spring Break near the end of March. But then that is what happens when you spend nights studying for first semester final exams, held at the end of January before moving on to the mad dash to prepare for our next few fundraisers: Valentine’s Day and WinterFest with the latter taking up most of my time.

At least with WinterFest, the weight and bulk of the organization didn’t fall on my shoulders even if I was still instrumental. But work didn’t stop with the organization of the various fundraising activities to raise funds for the food bank, that helped to sustain them until the summer tourist season started. For nearly every day of the two week-long WinterFest, that spanned the end of February and the beginning of March, I worked at either the fundraising booths or helped various businesses who set up booths. Without the summer influx of university students coming home and looking for work, nearly every business needed help to handle all the tourists who arrived to take part in all the festival activities including ice fishing derbies, car and motorcycle racing on the giant ice track, the market, the ice and snow carving competitions, and all the other winter-type activities. Hence the reason why it was prime time to raise needed funds for those who were less fortunate.

Not that every activity I was involved with was done on a volunteer basis, helping the businesses came with a paycheque, giving me extra spending money since mom didn’t allow me to have a part-time job yet. Although I hoped that showing her how I could keep my grades up, continue to volunteer, and work would help her to rethink her rule about no part-time jobs and allow me to at least find one for the summer. Yes, I was lucky that I had a rather large bank account set aside for my education and I was able to receive extra grants, but they were all due to my father’s murder, making me feel a little uncomfortable and sad that I had them. If I could, I would have given up all that money to have my dad here and alive.

All of that meant, I didn’t get to spend much quality time with Jason or Jarrod. A couple of weekends that Jason had been scheduled to come home, winter weather struck, dumping snow and ice on the roads, leading to warnings from police to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary. And while spending time in person, being able to touch and kiss him felt necessary, it really wasn’t. Besides, I didn’t like the idea of him risking himself just to drive home when he was perfectly safe and sound where he was.

---