Page 11 of Merry Mayhem
I shoot a quick glance at my watch. My shift at the hospital tonight is the late one. I agreed to work it so I'd have the next few days off. To give me and Gavin time to enjoy Christmas together. I wonder if Cooke will take me up on the offer to spend it with us.
“I've got a few hours before I have to leave. If the two of you can clear enough for me to get out, I'd really appreciate it.” I narrow my eyes at them both. “Unless Cooke needs to get to work himself. Then you and I can manage ourselves, Gavin.”
“Don't worry about me. Been told more than once lately that I need to take some time off work. It's not a bother for me.”
I wonder if he's being honest. It's easy to see that he could be a workaholic. He's focused, intent, and hard driving in business, I'm sure. The kind of person who wouldn't typically take a break at the holidays.
The details he shared with me last night jab at me. How he never felt truly included at Christmas with the foster families he was living with. That likely has a lot to do with his reluctance to stop working. If he's busy, he's less lonely.
I decide then that he'll be part of this Christmas with us. Not an afterthought. But an intentional, included guest.
Now if I can only figure out how to actually do that in the short time I have left.
11
COOKE
Gavinand I work together to clear enough space for Gretchen to leave for work. She hugs her brother and gives me a smile over his shoulder.
“Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this. It's a lot of work.”
I drag in a breath, the cold air in my lungs jolting me out of the haze that's settled over me. A haze that has far too much to do with the flush in her cheeks and the wisps of hair that frame her face, even though she put a warm hat on to fight back the chill wind.
She's a beauty. And I shouldn't be noticing that. Just like I shouldn't have noticed the way her leggings clung to her hips last night. Or the way she listened to me when I shared a slice of my history with her. The kid didn't ask me for help so I could crush on his sister.
Regardless, that seems to be the case, though.
“There's going to be a lot of people that need help with snow today.” Gavin grins up at me as he speaks. “We might need reinforcements. Can I call my friend Corey? He'd like to make some extra money too.”
“Sounds good, G. Just make sure it's all right with his parents. We don't want the same misunderstanding we had with your sister.”
“It'll be fine.” He dashes away to call his friend, and I stand there, leaning on the handle of my shovel. I wasn't lying when I told Gretchen there were plenty of people who'd be relieved to hear I was taking time off around the holidays. Merritt, Laurel, and even the owner of the company I was negotiating with had all said something to that effect recently. Still, it felt odd. For so long, I'd just been focused on work. It was easy. Productive. Made me feel successful.
Honestly, it made me feel seen. In a world where, for much of my life, I hadn't been.
Gavin appeared at the doorway, and I gave myself a quick mental shake. I was having fun, and there was nothing wrong with that. If it felt a little strange, that was just more proof that I needed this break.
“Corey's mom and dad said yes. They're going to drop him off here and then we'll start working. With another person, we should be able to clear things faster, get more houses done. And make more money.” He said the last bit with a little wiggle, an excited sort of dance that I suspected he'd picked up from his sister.
“He also asked me if I could sleep over tonight. His parents gave permission for that, too. Do you think Gretchen will be okay with that?”
He eyed me hopefully and I shrugged. “Let's see how the day goes. You might both be so overtired after working all day, you may decide all you want to do is sleep. If you're up for it when we're done, there's no harm in asking her. I get the sense she just really wants you to have fun. Spending time with your friends is part of that.”
“Do you have friends you do sleepovers with?” It was an innocent question, but it still brought up a pang of loss.
“I have some good friends now, and we travel together occasionally. When we need to for business. But when I was a kid, I didn't get invited to many sleepovers. I'm sure they're a lot of fun.”
He watches me for a few seconds, then gives me a conspiratorial grin. “We had a sleepover last night. You, me and Gretch. Did you have fun?”
I pause, the truth of that statement hitting me hard. All I can do is admit it.
“Yeah, Gavin. I really did.”
12
GRETCHEN
It feelslike a really long shift. We're shorthanded and of course, there's always a rush of accidents or strange injuries right before the holidays. Kids playing with early gifts and cutting themselves. Same with the adults. I cleaned plenty of wounds on grown men, bandaged more than enough burns, knowing they wouldn't be the only ones who'd get themselves hurt before Christmas was actually here.
