Page 42 of Maybe This Christmas
She leaned forward, bringing their mouths together.“Yes, I think we are.”
* * * *
“High stakes bingo!Come get your pull tabs here!”Babs stood by the front door, her wacky Christmas sweater haphazardly blinking red and green Christmas lights.
“I don’t know if my sister and brother-in-law would want you to be running a gambling ring out of the lodge.”
Babs lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose and rolled her eyes at him.“Of course, everything is legal.See, Eleanor is over there!”She pointed inside the lounge.“Would we really be running an illegal gambling ring if the recently retired sheriff of Falling Leaves was in attendance?”
“I suppose not,” Caleb said carefully.
“So, if you want to come, you’ll need to pony up the dough.The minimum is twenty dollars, six dollars per sheet.Pull tabs start at three dollars and increase from there.We’ll have a special raffle mid-tournament.The prize is a room refresh renovation from Ellis & Daughter!”
Caleb snorted.“That’s news to me.But hardly the first time my sister has signed me up for something without telling me first.”
Emma reached for her wallet before Caleb got the chance.“You got dinner, I’ll get the…gambling.”
Caleb was desperate to get away from Babs, whose gaze was currently darting back and forth between them like she was watching a tennis match.
Once she’d bought several pull tabs and bingo sheets, they made their way into the lounge.Nearly every table was full, save for one in the back, next to his parents.
“Caleb, are you okay?”Emma’s hand came to his arm.
He leaned down to speak to her over the noise.“The only table left is next to my parents.You sure you haven’t had enough of my family?”
She laughed as she angled herself against him.“Davis’ parents used to quiz me on Canadian politics.They had a buzzer when I got the answer wrong.I’m not even Canadian!Yours can’t be as bad.”
“Well, I guess we have no choice but to find out, as my mom just spotted us.”
Lainey Ellis stood and began waving her arms.“Caleb!Emma!Over here!”
Emma gave his arm a squeeze.“We can handle it.And if not, booze will help.”
He exhaled.Even amidst the chaos of nearly a hundred guests and Falling Leaves locals piling in for bingo, Emma gave off a calming air.
He just hoped that it wouldn’t disappear the longer she sat next to his mother.
Lainey came around the table and ambushed them.“I was hoping you two would show up tonight!Emma, have you met Caleb’s dad Glen yet?”
His dad, to his credit, gave a half-hearted wave before turning back to watching a basketball game on his phone.Dad knew as well as he did that his mom would give him a hard time if she found him on his phone once bingo started.
Emma and Lainey began chatting amicably.Perhaps he was harder on his mom than he should be.Even though he’d been back in town for over a year, he still wasn’t quite used to her being a part of his day-to-day life.
His dad looked up as he sat down.“I ordered you two a couple of beers—they should be here shortly.I figured you’d need them.”
Caleb chuckled.“Hey, while I’ve got a minute with you, I was wondering if we could get a meeting on the books for early next year.To discuss the future of the business and all that.”
Glen turned his phone face down on the table.“Did you get another job, Caleb?If you did, don’t worry about me.We can figure it out.”
His father wouldn’t ask for help if he were dangling off a cliffside.He was the stoic type, no matter what.Last year, Sabrina and their mother had almost lost their minds trying to get him to attend his therapy sessions after surgery.
“I haven’t applied for a teaching job in months, Dad.Not that environmental engineering jobs arethatplentiful in this part of Virginia anyhow.”
“Then what is it?”
Caleb shot a glance behind him to be sure Emma wasn’t in over her head with Lainey.The two chatted as if they’d known each other forever.
“I was thinking maybe it’s time for me to take a bigger stake in the business.I know Sabrina is working with the inn more during the busy winter season.Come spring, she’ll have more time to work on jobs.But we could expand the business beyond what it is now.”
