The tree in the corner of their living room near the window seat was easily ten feet tall. It was decorated beautifully with ornaments Grace had handpicked. Neither Grace nor Noah had ornaments from their childhood. But they’d started a tradition this Christmas where each of the brothers gave the others one.
“One day, you’ll have a tree decorated with memories,” Grace had said.
Wes loved the idea and hoped his brothers both liked what he’d chosen with Hailey’s help.
“I don’t know how Tilly puts up with you,” Dolly said, a happy grin on her face.
“Oh, he’s not like this when we’re alone,” Tilly said, patting Morty’s leg.
“I’ve lived with him. He’s worse,” Grace said. She was tucked between Noah’s legs on the floor near the tree. They all had that after-dinner, post-turkey haze about them.
“Stayed pretty long for someone who didn’t like the company,” Morty said, taking a drink of his tea, which Wes was pretty sure was laced with bourbon.
Grace had worked for Morty after he’d broken his hip and once he was back on his feet, they’d become close enough that Grace stayed. This hodgepodge family they made up was unlike anything Wes ever expected to be part of. He glanced at Hailey again while the others went back and forth telling stories and quasi arguing.
Would she be here next year? Would she be with someone? Would he? There were moments when he forgot to push the memory out of his head that he could feel the pressure of her lips.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked, humor lacing her tone.
Wes jolted, realizing he’d been staring. “No. Nothing.”
She scrunched her brows, looking at him like he was being weird. Probably because he was. He needed those stupid Tetris pieces inside of him to settle the hell down into nice straight lines.
Dolly got up to grab some more tea, asked if anyone wanted any. Hailey offered to help her.
When they came back, Dolly was telling Hailey about a spice mix she used with chicken.
“I’d love the recipe,” Hailey said. “We make a Fiesta Cup that’s popular. I’m always looking for new ideas though.” She looked at Wes. “Leo is really great with coming up with salad combinations. He was actually talking about going to culinary school.”
Wes’s heart gave an extra pump. “He’s a good kid. I’m glad to hear he’s enjoying it. He’s in a tricky situation, living at home. He’s not sure how much he can get for scholarships but his parents make too much for him to get a lot of financial assistance.”
“We should be looking into offering a scholarship of some sort,” Chris suggested.
“Maybe something that isn’t just for teens heading to college,” Wes said, an idea humming in his brain. “I was chatting with a guy who came to pick his kid up from the coding class a few weeks ago. He was asking about adult training. Turns out, he’d been laid off after ten years with his company and wasn’t sure how relevant his current skills were. He needs to keep paying his bills while getting retrained. That’s tough in any economy.”
“I think that’s a lovely idea,” Dolly said. “There are lots of adults who need help but it’s not always easy to ask for it. I’ve only just squared away the medical bills from my husband’s passing. Even with my pension, I’m still tight every month. But who’s going to hire an old woman like me?”
Hailey set her cup of tea on the table. “I would.” Everyone looked her way. “If you’re serious. Things are busier than I could have hoped at the shop. If you can make salads, work a cash machine, do prep work, I’d be happy to give you some hours.”
“Don’t mess with me, honey. My heart isn’t as young as it used to be,” Dolly said, giving her a sassy smile.
Hailey laughed. “I’m not messing with you. Bryce and Leo are great but I’d love to designate one of them to deliveries, which means I need more counter help.”
“How about the catering? How’s that going?” Everly asked.
He saw her mouth tighten but no one else seemed to notice. “It’s getting harder to split my time. I’ve got a couple more scheduled that I need to do. The side work helps with the rent increase but I don’t enjoy it. The shop is everything I wanted.” She gave a “what can you do” shrug.
Wes glanced at his brothers. He wanted that property more than he’d wanted any acquisition in a while. He couldn’t help wondering if that was because he saw its potential or because of the woman sitting next to him. It’s okay if it’s both.