Page 17
CHAPTER 17
Tempe
T he oven timer dings just as a plume of smoke wafts out, sending me into a mild panic. I yank open the door, and an acrid cloud billows into the kitchen. The green bean casserole is officially a casualty of Christmas dinner.
“Great,” I mutter under my breath, fanning the smoke with a dish towel before it sets off the smoke detector. I pull it out, examine the burned edges and wonder if I can just scoop out the interior.
That’s when the doorbell rings—perfect timing. “Cooper,” I yell over my shoulder, having no clue where he is. “Can you get the door?”
I’m met with silence, which means he’s upstairs playing video games with headphones on. My mom was resting in her room and wanted me to get her when our company arrived.
With a resigned laugh, I abandon the ruined food and rush to the door, still holding the dish towel. Opening it, I find Rafferty and Farren, both bundled up in winter gear, snowflakes dusting their hair. It had been forecasted to be a white Christmas and the flakes started falling around midday. Already the small lawn has a thick layer of fluffy snow and that always makes the holidays better.
“Hey! You’re just in time to witness my cooking disasters,” I greet them, turning away and heading back into the kitchen. Over my shoulder, I say, “Drop your coats and come on in.”
I’m at the oven, peering at my casserole when Rafferty steps up beside me. His hand goes around my lower back, grips my waist and he brushes a kiss on my cheek. “It doesn’t look that bad,” he says kindly.
Farren peers over his shoulder. “It’s far better than Rafferty’s cooking.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You’re both far too kind. But I’ve at least got other food to eat.”
Farren nudges Rafferty aside, grinning as she surveys the smoky scene. “Need some help?” she offers.
“Please,” I say, grateful for the backup. “If you can put the rolls in the oven, and Rafferty”—I look to him with a curious expression—“think you can handle slicing the ham?”
He gives me a smart salute and I’m overwhelmed with a sudden urge to kiss him.
So I do. It’s meant to be quick and affectionate, but as I start to pull away, he growls and wraps his arms around me. His tongue slides into my mouth, ever so briefly for a quick swipe, and that’s all it takes to daze me. I’m dizzy when he lets me go and gives me a quick pat on the butt. “We’ve got it covered.”
“Um… okay,” I say, my eyes drifting to his mouth.
He grins at me knowingly, but it’s Farren clearing her throat that has me jumping into action. “I’ll go rally the rest of the Martin family. Be back in a jiff.”
I bolt upstairs, barge into Cooper’s room and pull off his headphones. “Rafferty and Farren are here.”
Cooper’s eyes light up and he tosses the controller, rushing past me to hurtle down the stairs at breakneck speed. I get a glimpse of him in socked feet, sliding into the kitchen, as I slowly take the steep staircase.
In my mom’s room, I help her into her wheelchair, spend a minute in front of the dresser mirror so she can put on some lipstick, and then I wheel her into the kitchen so she can sit at the table and watch us minions hard at work.
Together, we manage to salvage dinner. Cooper keeps up a running stream of chatter with Rafferty about hockey as he slices and plates the ham. I finish mashing the potatoes, and to my surprise, Farren has the green bean casserole free of burnt edges and looking only a little pathetic. I set the table, using my mom’s good china and linen napkins. The entire time, the room is filled with laughter and the mood is festive as we all pitch in.
We’re cramped around the small kitchen table as it only seats four, so Rafferty brings down Cooper’s desk chair and squeezes in between me and my little brother. We’re elbow to elbow, passing plates rather than bowls, serving up portions for one another. The adults drink the red wine Rafferty brought and Cooper tries to guess what presents he got. While we normally open them in the morning, we agreed to wait until this evening to open them with our guests.
After we eat, we migrate to the living room where the Christmas tree twinkles merrily, gifts piled underneath. Rafferty excuses himself to go outside and when he returns, he has a huge red velvet bag comparable to what Santa might carry around, filled with more presents. Cooper practically vibrates with excitement as he watches his hockey hero hand them out.
I’m on the couch with Cooper on one side of me and Rafferty on the other. Farren has the love seat and we settle Mom into the recliner, Rafferty causing my heart to squeeze in all the right ways when he settles a blanket over her lap.
When we all have piles in front of us, we take turns opening them up. My mom is first at my insistence as she’s the one who needs the most holiday cheer. She oohs and aahs over a pretty sweater I picked out for her, delights in a box of handmade ornaments that Cooper worked on up in his room, and gushes over the tea gift basket I bought for her.
When she opens up a box from Rafferty, she gasps in delight at the new set of international cookbooks.
“Tempe said you’re a foodie,” he says helpfully.
“They’re perfect,” my mom says, shooting him a fond smile. “That gives me more incentive than ever to get back on my feet.” She glances at me, her tone so loving my heart aches. “Besides… we got to get this girl back to school so she can finish her degree. Right, Tempe?”
There’s challenge in her words because this is something we’ve been recently fighting about. She’s not going to be fully mobile by the time the semester starts in a few weeks and I’m going to defer one more semester. My mom is adamantly opposed to it and we haven’t been able to come to an agreement. I take a neutral approach though, merely saying, “Let’s get past the holidays and then we can discuss it more.”
“Nothing to discuss,” she says with a pointed look. “You’re going back to school.”
I change the subject, looking at Cooper who’s bouncing in his seat. “How about you go next, buddy.”
Cooper unwraps his presents with the vigor of a velociraptor tearing into raw meat. Paper goes flying everywhere and he hoots and hollers with each new revelation. While not something he would have asked for, his eyes sparkle over the massive science kit Farren gave him, and as expected, the video games from me and Mom spurred warm hugs. It’s when he opens the box from Rafferty—the Nikes he wanted but I couldn’t afford—that I have a whole new appreciation for the man’s thoughtfulness.
Farren and I exchange gifts next. She gives me a quirky set of earrings that are so perfectly my style it’s uncanny. I give her a scarf done in vibrant colors that match her spicy personality.
And then suddenly it’s my turn to exchange gifts with Rafferty and a wave of awkwardness comes over me. I know him, but I don’t, and I found it too difficult to buy a typical present like a wallet or cologne. Besides, that seemed a little too impersonal, so I hold my breath as he unwraps my gift.
His beautiful mouth splits into an even more beautiful smile as he studies the framed photo. My mom can’t quite see but she’s curious, so I provide, “It’s a picture of us taken at Stone and Harlow’s wedding.”
“It’s the only photo of us,” Rafferty says, his eyes coming to mine. “We need to take more.”
A tingle goes up my spine at the quiet reserve in his tone. The assuredness that there will be many more opportunities. I swallow hard and nod.
“I love it,” he says, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss.
My eyes cut quickly to Cooper who’s ignoring us, instead reading the instructions from the science kit. My mom’s eyes shine with amusement. Farren’s looking at me like, “Yasss, girl.”
“I got something for you too,” Rafferty says, and I blink, my attention going back to him. He’s holding out a small square box only a few inches deep wrapped in red foil paper with a white satin bow.
I take it, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me until you open it and we see if you like it,” he teases.
“I’m sure I’ll love it.”
And boy, do I love it.
Inside I find a delicate diamond bracelet twinkling at me. “Oh wow,” I murmur.
Rafferty takes it out of the box and affixes it around my wrist. I hold it up, watching the colored lights from the tree reflect in the facets. “It’s beautiful.” My eyes meet his. “Truly… I’ve never had jewelry like this.”
I’ve never had much in the way of jewelry ever. A few pairs of earrings I bought with my own money and a locket my mom handed down to me from her mom.
“It looks good on you,” Rafferty says.
And there’s no way to answer that other than by putting my arms around him and hugging him hard. “You’re the better Christmas present,” I murmur so only he can hear. His arms tighten around me, nearly cutting off my breath.
“Can we go play in the snow?” Cooper asks, and reluctantly, I draw back from Rafferty’s embrace.
“Do you want to build a snowman?” Rafferty sings and my head whips his way, jaw dropping.
“What?” he asks innocently. “A man can’t appreciate the movie Frozen ?”
“You’re like a freaking onion,” I say in awe. “Layers upon layers.”
“Let’s go,” Cooper exclaims, heading for the door.
“Don’t forget your hat and mittens,” my mom calls out.
I stand up from the couch, Rafferty following. I ask my mom, “Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?”
“You kids go have fun,” she says, reaching for one of her new cookbooks. “I’m going to plan out the first meal I’ll make once I get out of that dumb wheelchair.”
I go to my mom’s side, kiss her cheek, and then we all bundle up. The cold air nips at my cheeks as we step outside, but the excitement of building a snowman with Cooper quickly warms me up. Rafferty, Farren and I follow Cooper into the thick blanket of snow covering our backyard. The fresh powder clings perfectly while fat flakes drop lazily from the sky. The yard is aglow with the lights from the neighbors on both sides who go all out in decorating their houses.
“Okay, team, let’s make this the biggest snowman this yard has ever seen!” Rafferty declares with a mock serious tone, directing operations like a seasoned general.
Cooper leads the charge, his enthusiasm infectious as he pushes a small snowball until it grows larger with every roll. “Tempe, you gotta help me push,” he calls out, struggling with the now massive base of our snowman.
Together, we heave the heavy snowball into place. Rafferty and Farren work on the middle section, their teamwork seamless, while I start shaping the head. The air is filled with our laughter as we joke around, the soft snow crunching under our boots.
Once our snowman—dubbed “Mr. Frosty” by Cooper—is assembled and decked out with a carrot nose, stick arms and stone buttons, Farren grins mischievously at Rafferty. “You know, this snowman could use some company,” she says, and without warning, scoops up a handful of snow and lobs it at her brother.
“You did not just do that!” Rafferty exclaims, looking down at the snow splattered across his chest. He scoops up his own ammunition, his eyes twinkling with challenge. “It’s on.”
Within moments, the peaceful snowman-building session turns into an all-out snowball war as we take sides. Me and Rafferty against Farren and Cooper. Snow flies through the air, laughter and shrieks echoing through the yard. I dodge a snowball from Farren, retaliate with one of my own, and suddenly find myself caught in a crossfire between Rafferty and Cooper.
Rafferty cocks his arm to hurl one at his sister but sees an incoming missile from Cooper. He steps in front of me, taking the hit in his shoulder. He winks at me, and I laugh, feeling a rush of affection for him. “So gallant.”
“Anything for you,” he says, and then another snowball hits him in the face.
He turns slowly to face my brother, an evil smile curling his lips. “That’s it… you’re in for it now.”
Cooper shrieks and takes off running in an attempt to hide behind the snowman but Rafferty’s too quick. He’s on him, pelting him with ball after ball until Cooper cries uncle , laughing so hard he’s crying.
We don’t last long, the cold eventually driving us in. Once we get our boots off in the mudroom and out of our soaked outer layers, I head into the kitchen. “I’ll make hot chocolate.”
“And can we have cookies?” Cooper asks, running past me to the staircase. “I’m going to get my pajamas on.”
“Of course,” I say with a laugh, charmed he’s at ease enough with our guests to get comfy in his jammies. Farren follows me into the kitchen but Rafferty veers into the living room to go hang out with my mom.
As Farren plates cookies and I put milk on to boil, she says, “I’ve not ever seen my brother like this before.”
I glance at her curiously. “Like what?”
She shrugs as if she can’t quite articulate it, but attempts in simple words. “Happy. Content. Boyish.”
“I can attest to that,” I say and then amend, “Except the boyish part.”
“He’s in love,” Farren says, and I jerk, turning to face her. She grins at me. “It’s true. Mark my words.”
I stare at her because… well, if that’s the case, will he tell me himself?
“And you care for him deeply too,” she observes. “This is the real deal.”
“It feels very real,” I admit. “And I’m terrified.”
“Rafferty will never hurt you. He doesn’t have it in him.”
“No, he doesn’t.” It’s one of the things I know without a doubt.
“I suppose I should start telling you a bunch of embarrassing things about him, huh?” she says with an evil smile.
“Now does seem like the appropriate moment,” I say in a conspiratorial whisper.
We cackle and my mom calls out, “What’s so funny in there?”
“Nothing,” I call back, winking at Farren. “Just girl talk.”
I’m not sure, but I think I faintly hear Rafferty groan and that starts me laughing even harder.