Eleven | Sam
Eleven
Sam
“I t’s really nice of you to do all of this,” Cassidy said, smiling as we watched Kennedy smear more red frosting on her sugar cookie. “But Avery is totally going to kill you when she sees this mess.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing she’s still sleeping and that I’ll have it cleaned up before she gets up.”
“Do you want me to stay over tonight and help with Kennedy so Avery can rest?”
I shoved a hand through my hair and looked down at the little girl who was now covered in red, green, and yellow frosting. I wanted Avery to trust that I could handle taking care of her daughter, but at the same time, I hadn’t been around a child since Cassidy was little. It was a lot to take in, and I didn’t want to mess things up.
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all. I’m off tomorrow anyway, so it works out. Is Avery scheduled to work tomorrow?”
“Yeah, but I called Piper this morning and let her know that she’s sick. She’s checking with some of the part-time employees to see if anyone can fill in for her.”
“I’m sure she’ll be upset about missing work, but it’s for the better. She’s in no condition to try to do anything right now.”
“Why will she be upset?” I asked, lowering my voice so Kennedy didn’t hear as I stepped back into the living room, hoping my sister would follow.
“She’s trying to get enough money to start her Christmas shopping, so she was really looking forward to her first paycheck.”
“And now it’s going to be short,” I commented, putting the pieces together.
“It’s okay. I’m supposed to get a Christmas bonus next week, so I can always give that to her. It won’t be much, but something is better than nothing.”
“Do you think she would be mad if we put her name on the gifting tree at the mall?”
Cassidy shrugged and looked over at Kennedy.
“Even if she is, she can’t stay mad forever. Plus, the more gifts we can get for them, the better. It breaks my heart not being able to buy for them the way I want to.”
“I know. Me too.”
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C assidy helped clean up the mess and then got Kennedy into a bath before Avery woke up and saw her covered in frosting. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Cassidy had said about Avery needing money to start shopping for Kennedy. I didn’t usually give Christmas bonuses at Sugarplum Lattes because we always had an elaborate holiday party instead. Still, I kept getting a nagging feeling about changing things this year.
While Cassidy sat curled up on the couch with Kennedy, watching a movie, I sat at the kitchen table, looking over the reports from the past three years on what I’d spent on the holiday parties. It was roughly the same every year, which was nice because at least I had an amount to go off of. Between renting a ballroom at the Sugarplum Suites for the party, having a plated dinner, and offering everyone two drink vouchers, I was spending a lot. If I took that money and divided it among all of the employees, I could give everyone a very healthy cash bonus this year instead.
I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down everyone’s names, making sure that Piper got a slightly larger bonus for the extra work she’d been doing. Not only did she run a tight ship when I wasn’t there and kept things in line, but she was also going in on her days off to cover shifts when we needed it.
By the time I had everything written down, I smiled at the paper and felt a warmth spread through me. By eliminating the holiday party this year, I would be able to give everyone a five-hundred-dollar cash bonus this week.