Page 71 of Single Dad's Christmas Cookie

“What I can’t do is pack your clothes for you. I don’t know what you want to wear. You’re going to want something comfortable. And you should probably pack a few things you can’t do without for the next day or two before I can get a moving crew in here to get your things. We can have you completely moved out before the start of the new year. What do you need help with?”

Bryan knelt in front of me and rubbed my knee. Amelia leaned against my shoulder. Just having them here made me feel so much better. But all of my nerves were up and dancing and freaking out all at once. This morning had been nothing short of overwhelming.

“I have to give the landlord at least thirty days’ notice, and I only have a week until the new year,” I said, my stomach twisting into a knot. “I still had to come up with another month’s worth of rent.”

“That will give us time,” Bryan said, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “How much of this furniture is yours? I’m sure we could find a place for it, or we could put it into storage. There should be room in the barn attic.”

He grimaced at my horrible couch, trying hard not to say anything overly judgmental about it.

“Considering I got most of this stuff off the curb, it can go right back to the curb. My bed is brand-new, and the mattress wasn’t cheap. I’d rather not toss that out. I might be able to resell it. But how much demand is there for a used twin sized bed?”

“We can take care of that. Your bed is only a twin? Why didn’t you get a bigger bed?”

I shook my head. “That’s the school’s fault. The room I was supposed to get with them—they even sent me pictures—was just a regular sized bedroom with a twin bed, a chair, and a desk. It looked a lot like a standard dorm room. So I packed extra sheets from home. I still had stuff left over from when I was in college and living in dorms. I didn’t have the budget to buy a bed, but I needed one. I wasn’t going to waste money on sheets when I already had some. Besides, they’re cute. They have mermaids on them.”

I squeezed the pillow and felt pitiful. I had been such a dope.

“I have mermaid sheets,” Amelia said.

“Of course you do. I guess you can have these too when I move in,” I said.

Bryan continued to rub my knee. “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Why don’t you go wash your face, and then maybe Amelia could help you pack while I see what’s causing that smell.”

“I can do that.” I started to chuckle weakly.

“What’s so funny?” Bryan asked.

I set the pillow aside and leaned forward so I was good and close to him. “Your mother is going to have an absolute fit when she finds out you’re housing the help.”

He barked out a laugh. “Mother is used to having live-in help. What will blow her blood pressure is my shacking up with the help.” He kissed the tip of my nose and winked.

I wanted to laugh and dance. I was already crying. This time, the tears were happy tears. He had confirmed everything with those little words. I wasn’t going to have my own room because I was moving into his.

32

BRYAN

Mother. My gut clenched.

“I am sorry that she spoke so rudely to you.” I chose my words carefully. I couldn’t apologize for my mother, but I could, and I would, make sure that Nova knew she belonged in my house. She belonged at my dinner table, whether she cooked the meal or Emma did upon her return from vacation.

“My mother grew up in a manner that?—”

Nova waved. “It’s okay. Bryan, it’s okay. She’s…” Nova paused and glanced at Amelia.

“She’s used to being treated a certain way and treating people with…” Nova paused again.

“She’s a snob, Nova. She is a classist snob. She thinks simply because she grew up around obscene quantities of money that she can order someone around. I’ve spoken to her about this many times. I don’t want Amelia to feel the people who don’t have the income and revenue that generational wealth provides our family are any less deserving of being treated like humans.Amelia is learning that sometimes, the hardest workers are also the poorest.”

“And how is your mother going to feel knowing the cook, not even the full-time cook but the temporary cook, has moved in? She’s gonna love that I’m a school teacher,” Nova said sarcastically with a heavy eye roll.

“I know one way to make my mother eat her words, and that is to show to her that you belong in our home as part of our family.”

Nova’s lips parted as she took in a soft gasp.

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