Page 49 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song
“Yeah, kid, which is why I’ve been looking into what it will take to step away from the construction company and all the bullshit that’s been going on under the new owners.”
“Wait, seriously, you’re thinking about quitting?” Song squeaked, pulling away to stare into Suede’s eyes and the seriousness he saw reflected there.
“The company but not the industry,” Suede explained. “Seeing you take a chance on yourself, your music, and your personal life has gotten me thinking a lot about doing the samething myself. I’m tired of busting my ass for a paycheck with nothing else to show for it. Even Solo finds time to date when someone catches her attention, and we both know how much time she’s devoted to her job to be named the manager. I’ve never found that balance, and honestly, it’s getting old. If it weren’t for the invite to join you and your men tonight, I would have been sitting on the couch watching Christmas Vacation and eating gourmet popcorn by myself until I passed out and left the movie to watch me.”
“Finally!” Song declared, wiggling around in the seat doing a happy dance. “Dude, how long have me and Solo been trying to tell you that you need to dust off your good jeans and take someone out? Do you have someone in mind?”
“I wish. I don’t even know where to start when it comes to meeting someone except maybe the pool table down at Rusty’s ‘cause I’d be down for anyone who just wants to shoot a few games, have a few beers, and talk about how the Raven’s season went this year because I was seriously impressed by the effort they’ve put in and hope that carries them through the playoffs.”
“Same. Football night here means barbeque, wings, and a ton of submarine sandwiches. You have to come over and watch a game with us sometime, especially if you’re going to have more free time.”
“I hope to,” Suede said. “I’d love to take you up on the offer. Right now, I’m looking into all the steps of getting my own contracting company up and off the ground, because I’d much rather do smaller renovations than work on massive wide-scale structures and housing developments, crafting row after row of the same cookie-cutter homes in the latest subdivision.”
“Then you should go for it,” Song said.
“Trying to. All my certifications are up to date, so right now I’m reading over the paperwork regarding permits and licensure, which is a lot,” Suede admitted. “I’ve already reachedout to a few guys who I’d love to bring on if I do get things up and running, and they are definitely on board to jump ship if I can pull this off, but it’s some scary-ass shit too when I start thinking about the insurance I’ll need to carry and what the startup costs are gonna look like, in addition to being able to make sure I could pay the crew and keep up with my own bills. Solo’s gonna help me with that part since she’s got a better head for numbers than anyone I know.”
“I never would have passed any of my math classes if she hadn’t guided me through the problems step by step until I actually got the hang of them.”
“Same, and she was two years behind me,” Suede admitted. “I’ve never understood how she could just sit with the book and start working through the examples without a teacher to break it down on the board or anything else to get her started, but she saved my ass many a year with her ability to do that. She’s always been amazing that way, just like Mom.”
As if she knew they were talking about her, Solo’s laughter drifted down the hall, reminding them that they had a game night to get to.
“She laughs like her too,” Song said, closing his eyes and letting the ringing sound wrap around them.
“Yeah, she does. We’d better get out there before there’s no more fun left to be had,” Suede declared, standing slowly, while Song popped out of the chair and helped him the rest of the way up.
The laughter grew as they reached the hall, and it wasn’t just Solo’s. Zachy’s giggles mingled with Daddy’s chuckles, and they could all see why the moment they spotted Papa Cooper in an elf hat and bedroom slippers, wearing the angry elf sweater they’d found him in downtown New York. He was grinning ear to ear too and preening as he showed off the outfit he’d chosen for the evening.
“Oh, oh man,” Suede chuckled. “No wonder you love it here so much. Dad used to put on stuff like that all the time.”
“Seriously?” Song asked, giggling as his brother threw an arm around his shoulders.
“Hell yeah, and drive us to school that way too, complete with Christmas carols blaring.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Awe, honey, you were so young; that’s not surprising,” Solo said as she wrapped her arm around Song’s waist, his siblings sandwiching him between them. “But seeing this, you’re gonna have so many opportunities to have those memories now, and I love that for you.”
“I love that for me too,” Song said as Zachy skipped over to him, plopped a Nightmare Before Christmas hat on his head to match the outfit Song had on, and gave him a wet, messy kiss on the cheek.
It was the perfect kickoff to games, fun, and a night spent with the people who meant the world to him.
Chapter 19
(Cooper)
“Shh, go check and make sure Song and Zachy are still preoccupied while I sneak them in,” Cooper hissed into Gage’s ear and nudged him in the direction of the playroom.
Gage nodded and hurried down the hall while Cooper opened the door for them.
“I haven’t seen so much snow in the city since ’78,” Zachy’s Nana, who insisted on being referred to as Nan, declared as she stomped the snow off her feet and removed her shawl.
“Me either,” her companion, Ms. Lottie, replied. “And it can all stay right here with the four of you when we roll out of here on Monday.”
Cooper kept his chuckles low as he guided them from the living room to the kitchen after they’d stripped off their outer garments.
“We’ve got cocoa, tea, coffee, and warm cider, if you’re looking for something hot,” Cooper explained. “There’s anassortment of cold drinks in there too, but none of them are caffeinated.