Page 10 of Shelf-Made Man
“I wasn’t that young. My poor mom was busy enough already without having to wait on me.”
“Your father couldn’t help?”
Tobias shrugged. “Never had one. Hang on.” He went into the living room and returned with a framed photo from the bookshelf, which he handed to Alfie, who examined it closely.
His mother was in a pretty green dress and, since the photo had been taken at Tobias’s college graduation, he wore a cap and gown. The two of them looked like complete opposites. He was tall, bulky, and pale, while she was tiny and had dark brown skin.
Alfie, unlike most people, didn’t remark on their physical dissimilarity. “I can see in her eyes how much she loves you.”
“She did. She died not long after this photo was taken.”
Alfie looked stricken. “I am so sorry.”
“I still miss her. She adopted me when I was an infant and she was a single woman in her late forties.Some people thought that was a bad idea, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better mother. She was brilliant—a university professor—and strong and supportive and kind.”
“Ah,” said Alfie as he handed back the photo. “Then I am grateful to her for teaching you so well.”
The cinnamon roll feeling was back.
Tobias busied himself for a bit, checking Alfie’s wounds—which looked no worse, at least—and fussing with the blankets and pillows. He brought him tea and water and, when Alfie admitted that he could eat, a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce. He also brought in a comb for his thick blond hair and a damp washcloth and plastic basin of warm water so he could freshen up a little. By the time Alfie had peed again, the pain lines had returned to his face.
“Get a good night’s sleep,” Tobias instructed him. “That always helps.”
“Is thisyourbed?” Alfie looked troubled.
“Yes.”
“Then where will you sleep?”
Tobias had been considering that very question. His spare bedroom was set up as an office and had no bed. He’d once owned an inflatable mattress he’d bought for camping trips, but it had proved too flimsy for his body, and if he still owned it, he didn’t know where it was or whether it was still usable. The floor would kill his back. That left the couch, which was oversize but still not really big enough for him. He’d napped on it before, though, so he guessed hecould manage even if he’d be scrunched up for a night.
“I’ll be just in the next room. Call if you need anything.”
“I can’t take your bed!”
Alfie moved as if he were going to sit up, so Tobias gently pushed him back down. “I don’t want to have to sew you up again. Do me a favor and stay here, okay?”
“It’s a large bed. There’s room enough for us both.”
That was technically true. But between Alfie’s injuries and his nudity, Tobias deemed it best to sleep somewhere else. His life was not a romance trope. “I snore. Now get some sleep. I want you in good enough shape to share your backstory tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, Alfie nodded. Tobias rearranged the pillows and turned out the lights. “I’ll leave the door open a crack if that’s okay. So I can hear you better if you need anything.” Or if he collapsed onto the floor again.
As Tobias was easing the door closed, Alfie’s quiet voice came out of the darkness. “Thank you, my friend. Your mother would be so proud of you.”
Chapter
Five
So it had not been just a very weird dream. When Tobias woke up in the morning, muscles stiff and joints crackly from sleeping on the couch, there was still an elf in his bed.
He couldn’t tell whether Alfie looked improved over the previous day, but he wasn’t bleeding and didn’t look worse, so Tobias counted it as a win. Alfie greeted him with a warm smile. “I must be keeping you from your regular life.”
“My work can wait.” That was true, although Tobias rarely acknowledged it, even to himself. None of his clients were particularly desperate to get anything from him at the moment, with the holidays upon them and lots of people on vacation. But when he kept his head buried in the job, he felt important and didn’t notice his loneliness as much. Today, however, he could accomplish those goals without his computer’s help.
“Do you, uh, need to use the mayo jar?”
Alfie glanced at the side table, where the item in question waited. “I was hoping perhaps I might be able to make it to the toilet this morning, with a bit of help.”
