Page 30 of Maybe This Christmas
“I’ll make sure to mention it to them when I see them later today.But to get back to my point.”She set down a chair with a firmthudon the thick carpet.“This is a temporary job, with an end date.You work for Ellis & Daughter.”
Caleb let out a soft grunt.Sometimes, he wondered if he should discuss renaming the business with his father.
However, he realized if he did that, he was committing to staying in Falling Leaves and taking over the business when his father retired.Something would have to change with the business.Ellis & Daughter wasn’t so much a thing anymore.Sabrina’s time was spent at Sky House.He wanted to take the business into a different direction.He’d tried numerous times to put his plans onto paper, but all he’d end up with were a few bullet points before he gave up.
He glanced up to find his mother pulling down chairs at the next table.“How come Sabrina didn’t ask you to be the activities director?You’re here half the time anyway.”
Lainey’s sweater jingled as she spun around.“First of all, my official title is ‘Commander in Cheer’, for which I am paid an annual salary, thank you very much.”
She didn’t say the quiet part out loud, for which Caleb was glad.He had this job because he’d worried his family.And whether he wanted to admit it, they’d been right to bring him here.He’d needed to crawl out of his depressive state.
“I’m going to go get a hangover cure from the kitchen while you keep pulling down chairs.I think we could both use it after last night, hmm?”
His mother made off for the kitchen as Caleb worked in silence.His mind automatically drifted to what he’d show Emma when they went into town.Of course, he was sure Sabrina probably had some scripted tour in mind, but seeing as neither of them would be here when they left, he could play it by ear.
Spending another day with Emma was worth looking forward to.As long as he remembered to keep his heart firmly in its place.
* * * *
Emma met Caleb at the lodge van at nine sharp.She’d had some tea and a piece of buttered toast, as that was all her stomach would tolerate.She hadn’t drunk like that in years.Seeing Caleb gave her an altogether different sort of stomachache.That butterfly escaping its cage sort of feeling.
Caleb passed a to-go cup of coffee to her.“I hope you have an appetite.I have a treat in store for when we get to town.”
“The longer I’m vertical, the better I feel.”She nodded toward the van.“Is anyone else coming along?I just wanted to be sure if this was a casual thing or an employee/guest-sanctioned trip.”
Caleb chuckled.“Technically, it’s both.We offer tours into town a couple of times a week.Since it’s Saturday, there are usually other people who come along.But we’re not the only ones fighting off the hair of the dog this morning.”He took a sip of his coffee and gazed at her over his cup.“That was a long way of saying it’s just us.So, you can sit up front, or in the back if you want to feel fancy.It’s just a van, either way.”
She chuckled.“Front seat it is.”
Caleb swung open the driver’s-side door and leaned over as he placed his coffee cup in the center console.Emma tried hard not to notice how well his khakis fit his backside and broad thighs.
She failed.
He popped out of the car and walked around to open Emma’s door for her.“My lady.”He twirled with his left hand before offering it to help her into the van.
“You’d never know this was your first time offering this tour.”She slipped into her seat.
“I’ve been here long enough to overhear the old activities director’s speech before leading the tour.Because, of course, my sister has this tour timed down to the minute.”
Caleb closed the door and ran around to the driver’s side.Once he was buckled up, he turned to her.“I hope this doesn’t make me look hopelessly uncool, but I need to wear glasses to drive.”
She coughed to cover up the unintentional whimper that emanated.She was a total sucker for men in glasses.Instead of admitting this to Caleb and possibly freaking him out, she said, “Sure thing, Grandpa.”
“We’ve already established that our age gap isn’t glacial,thank you very much.”
“Okay, okay.I’ll just call you lodge man, then.”
“Hey, now, that makes me sound like the guy on the side of a paper towel roll or something.”
They came to the end of the long driveway.Caleb paused to look out for passing traffic before he pulled out onto the windy mountain road.
“I mean, I could see it?I’d ask you to cross your arms across your chest to be sure, but you’re driving right now.”
He chuckled.“The flannel uniform doesn’t help things, that’s for sure.Feel free to turn on the radio if you’d like.”
The van had an old-fashioned radio, like the one Emma had in her first car.When she turned it on, she found only static.
“Oh yeah, we might not get reception until we get further down the mountain.If you want to risk it, I think there’s a CD in there.”
