Page 24 of A Little Christmas 4: Teller
I looked up to see Briggs standing in front of me. I hadn’t seen or heard him coming.
Without an invitation, he sat on the step next to me. “Mom was sorry she didn’t get to meet you. She sent along a bag of leftovers that I put in the fridge in my hotel room yesterday. I brought it along.”
I glanced down the street, coming up short. “Where’s your car?” It wasn’t anywhere I could see it, but there were a few busted streetlights, which only added to the broken glass still on the street in front of my building.
“It’s down the street where there’s no glass. Have you had a chance to think? I didn’t want to just lay it out like that, Teller, I swear. It’s just that when I saw the house—”
“You saw the two of us there together. I did too. It scared the hell out of me because everyone…everyone who ever gets close to me gets sick of me and leaves, and then I’m just alone again.” I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
When I met Briggs York, I somehow knew then that he’d flip my life upside down and walk away. I’d be standing there alone, yet again, wondering what I’d done wrong. That was just the way my life worked.
I was scooped into strong arms and held close to Briggs’s chest. “Whatever it takes for you to see that I’m not leaving you behind, I’ll do it. You’ve been hurt by people in your life, but, baby boy, I’m not one of them. I’ll never be one of them. I love you, Teller. All of you. The man and the little, and I want to make a life with you.”
My mouth wouldn’t move and the tears wouldn’t stop. What the hell was happening to me? I was melting down as we sat there with Briggs rocking me like a baby. It was the first time I could remember being held so tightly that I finally felt safe.
A white handkerchief appeared from nowhere, and Briggs began drying my eyes. He held the cotton cloth under my nose. “Blow.”
I laughed, and a snot bubble blew out of my nose. Briggs held up the handkerchief again, and I did as I was told.
“Good boy. You wanna go in, or do you wanna come to the hotel? What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?”
Had I made up my mind? I’d asked for time to think, but it had only been a day and a half. Was I caving so quickly? Barrett made a lot of decisions for Maizie, but there were things she stood firm on—like paying for her schooling. Shouldn’t I do that?
“I’d like to come with you, but I have three suits to alter, and my sewing machine, such that it is, is here. It’s not designed to be portable, so it’s really hard to move. I’ll come to see you when I get off on Sunday evening. I don’t want to upset you, but Istill need to do some thinking. I’ll have an answer for you about moving in by then. Good night.”
Standing, I hurried into the building and up the stairs to my apartment. Once I was inside, I pressed my ear to the door, expecting to hear footsteps following me. I didn’t, and it made me very sad. I was a fucking mess.
As I was delivering the change to the four-top in the bar of O’Malley’s, Craig, the busboy, tapped my shoulder. “Sorry to bother you, but a man is asking for you at the host stand. Greta asked me to tell you.”
I nodded, dropped the vinyl bill folio on the table, and went to the front, expecting to see Briggs. It was nearly time for me to clock out, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d come to get me.
When I stepped into the host area, I saw Maizie and Barrett sitting on a bench. “Hey, guys. Do you want a table? I have a group about ready to leave. I can ask Greta to seat you there.”
Maizie stood and stepped closer to hug me. “We, uh, actually came to get you for Briggs. He’s busy. He wanted to come get you himself, but he was waiting for a delivery. Do you need to get your stuff?”
That was a surprise. “Uh, I’ve got a few more checks to collect, but after that, I can clock out. Are we in a hurry?”
Barrett stood and walked over, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Briggs is making all of us dinner. I convinced this one”—he pointed his thumb at Maizie—“to close the books and come along.”
Generally, Barrett left the talking to Maizie and me, laughing and interjecting a word or two when he put his phone down toeat or take a drink. If he was asking me to do something, it must be important.
“Okay. Uh, let me finish up. It’ll be about fifteen minutes,” I responded. Maizie nodded, and the two of them returned to their spots on the bench.
I hurried into the bar and rang out the last of my checks before hurrying to the back to get my coat and backpack from my locker. I headed back to the host area at the front.
Maizie was sitting there, but Barrett wasn’t. “Where’d Barrett go?”
“He’s going to the store for Briggs, so you’ll drive us,” she said as she held up a key ring with a fob and a small wooden block with aTon it.
“Did you get a car?” I asked, taking the key ring and opening the door for her.
“Nope. It’s over here.” Maizie pointed to where a small SUV was parked beneath the large light. When we got closer, I saw it was a pretty teal Ford Bronco.
I pressed the unlock button on the fob, and the vehicle beeped and the lights flashed as the locks disengaged. I opened the passenger door for Maizie and walked around to get in on the driver’s side.
It had been a while since I’d driven a car, but once I acquainted myself with the way the vehicle operated, I started it and turned to Maizie. “Are we going to Barrett’s house? I have no cooking stuff at my place.”
She smiled. “Turn left out of the parking lot. It’s a surprise.”
