Chapter 9 Stephanie
Chapter nine
Stephanie
There are six siblings—Gabe, Zoe, Elijah, Veronica, Austin, and me. All of them are married or have significant others who will also be there.
Gabe and I are the only siblings who don’t work for Hiram.
All of my nieces and nephews are pranksters. Watch your shoes.
Nana, Hailey, Gabe, and Ivy are your only safe zones. Everyone else is a land mine.
In my last bit of office housecleaning, I powered down my computer and quickly scanned my office.
It was snug but sleek, done up with a soft neutral colour palette and sage accents and boasting of just a desk and two chairs along with my filing cabinet.
Nash’s office connected to the back of mine, our desks in each other’s line of sight when the doors were open.
As I grabbed my purse, I heard his murmured undertones through the closed door. Must be a phone call.
With one final scan to triple-check I hadn't forgotten something, I stepped out into the open concept of the cubicles, which were decked in garland and leftover lights from the party last week, ready to embrace the holiday madness. The office was already deserted, and I couldn’t bring myself to feel guilty that I hadn’t said goodbye to anyone.
They hadn’t made an effort to say goodbye to me either, and the platter of gingerbread men I’d had delivered at lunch would suffice.
My cell vibrated as I started down the hall towards the elevators, and I smiled at the caller ID. It was my sister-in-law, Ivy. “Hey, hey, hey, Ives!”
“It’s Jackson, Auntie Steph!” a young boy’s voice corrected.
I laughed. “Does your mother know you’re calling me?”
“Yes. I only have five minutes, though.”
“You guys already on the road?” I checked my watch. It was just after six.
There was a scuffle in the background, then Jackson replied, “Yup. Dad said we just passed Mesquite. We’re almost in Arizona.”
“Making good time,” I teased. It was a long trek from San Diego to Jackson, Wyoming, with four kids. As much as I loved my nieces and nephews, I didn’t envy Gabe and Ivy those fifteen hours in the car. “What can I do for you, kiddo?”
“Did you see the game last night? It was amazing! Cal Satterfield nailed that goal in the third period. Did you really see him at Thanksgiving?”
I should have expected this. Jackson was obsessed with Idaho’s Caldwell Chargers, a prominent AHL team in the hockey world, particularly with their right defender, Cal Satterfield, who just happened to be the older brother of my best friend, Juliet.
Anytime Jackson called me, it was usually related to hockey and to ask if I’d had any new encounters with his hero.
Cal was a great guy, no doubt about it, and great role model material.
But I was an honorary little sister and thus not obligated to think he hung the moon like most of his fans.
“Yes, I really did. No, I did not sit beside him, but he played Settlers of Catan with the girls and me.” I winced at the deafening screech of excitement.
There was a scuffle and then a different bright voice came over the line—this one decidedly not Jackson. “Hi, Auntie Steph! I just finished my dishcloth! There’s a few holes, but I did what you said and kept going.”
I smiled at my niece Ava’s enthusiasm. The last time I’d seen her, I’d gotten her started on knitting dishcloths. Nice and easy for a beginner. “That’s great, lovey! Did you start something else?”
“Yup, I’m making a scarf with some Christmas yarn Daddy got me.”
That sounded very much like my older brother—big strong Marine but a total softie for his girls—but before I could get another word in, another scuffle crackled the line, and I yanked the phone away from my ear with a wince. It sounded like it was clanging through a rock tumbler.
“Ava, it’s my turn to talk to Auntie Steph!” from a disgruntled Jackson.
“But I needed to tell her about my scarf!”
“Ava, hand the phone back to your brother and ask permission next time.” That no-nonsense mom voice was impossible to mistake for anyone but Ivy.
“Bye, Auntie Steph,” Ava grumbled.
“Bye, sweetie.” Not gonna lie, it was pretty sweet to have them argue over me.
“Sorry,” Jackson apologized, when the phone was back in his possession. “Dad said next time the Chargers play in San Diego he might take me to see them!”
“That’s great, kiddo!” What he didn’t know was that his Christmas gift from me was tickets to one of Cal’s home games in Caldwell right after Christmas. “Listen, I gotta run. Last-minute Christmas stuff is calling. But I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
“Love you, Jack-Jack.”
He groaned at the nickname like any ten-year-old boy would but rattled off a goodbye and “love you too” before hanging up.
I pressed the down button on the elevator and waited for it to arrive.
Mentally, I sorted through the remainder of my to-do list. Packed?
Check. Food? Mostly check. Text Nana about the room?
Eh... I’d chickened out about that so far.
If I told her right now I had a boyfriend, she’d have questions.
Dropping it on her felt more doable. But about the room…
There was no way Nash and I were sharing.
We were not one-bed troping our way through this fake relationship. No way.
I pulled out my phone before my courage died.
ME
Hey, Nana! I know it’s last minute, but I’m bringing a friend for Christmas, and they need an extra room. Can you swing that?
No three little dots appeared telling me she was typing back. I sighed and slipped the device back into my purse as the elevator chimed, the doors whooshing open.
“Hold the elevator!” a familiar tenor voice called from behind me, muffled footsteps jogging my direction.
I stepped inside and held the door as Nash tumbled in after me.
He waited till the death trap rattled into motion before smirking down at me. “Trying to duck out on me, Steph?”
The shortened use of my name was a new thing for us, but I secretly loved hearing him say it, like the sap I was. I rolled my eyes. “You were on the phone, and I have… things to do tonight.”
A twinkle lit his molten eyes, and he leaned closer. “So mysterious. What kind of things?” He put the last word in air quotes. “You’re the kind of woman who had her bags packed the day after we made our arrangements.”
I bit my cheek to keep from smiling, even though my face heated a little. The seventy-eighth downfall to dating your boss—he knew how organized you were. “True,” I confessed, leaning against the metal bar that dug into my lower back.
“I heard you on the phone, and I believe the name Cal Satterfield was uttered more than once.” Nash’s eyes danced. “Should I be jealous?”
“Honorary little sis, remember?” Cal was objectively good looking but not my type.
Nash chuckled. “So it was Jackson calling to debrief after the game last night? It was a good one.”
I groaned, tipping my head back against the mirrorlike wall. “Don’t tell me you're a fan of the Chargers, too?”
“Guilty.”
“Figures,” I groused. “And yes, it was Jackson. He calls without fail because, apparently, being friends with a famous hockey player’s little sister makes me the cool aunt.”
“You hate hockey, don’t you?” Nash stepped closer to me in a dare.
“Hate is a strong word. But—” My phone vibrated loudly, and I froze, my heart skipping a beat.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Nash asked, eyebrows raised. The elevator jiggled, making my stomach swoop, before it halted and flung the doors open. He motioned for me to step out ahead of him.
“There’s plenty of things I haven’t told you,” I huffed, adding under my breath, “including whether or not you’ll have a roof over your head for the next week.”
We waved to the night security guard before the automatic doors blasted us with the frigid December air.
I shuddered and flipped my woolen coat collar up against the chill, but I couldn’t do anything about my nylon-clad legs.
I really needed to invest in those fleece tights Paisley swore by—a necessity for Idaho winters when you wanted to wear a skirt or dress, she said—or just not wear pantyhose during the five months of cold weather Spokane always got.
“You ready for tomorrow?” Nash asked as he walked me across the parking lot to my car—rather Liz’s car because she let me borrow it since she was on Christmas break.
Ben said I needed a new transmission, and that extra two grand wasn’t in the budget before Christmas, even if he was cutting me a deal. The Flea really might be resting in peace this time because it was almost cheaper to buy a new vehicle instead of doing the repairs.
Ready? Was I ready to sprinkle the metaphorical blood in the water and let the sharks circle around us? “Of course,” I chirped like the idiot I was for living under the delusion that this would go over well and that the persistent buzz of my phone wasn’t Nana losing her ever-loving mind.
After I unlocked the driver’s door, I faced him. “I think the real question is, are you ready?”
Nash smiled, that southwest dimple popping in the dim light of the streetlamps. It was just starting to snow and the small flakes landed mesmerizingly on his dark curls—freshly cut. He leaned forward and opened the door for me. “I’m nowhere near as organized as you are. That’s why I have you.”
“Not what I meant, but I’m glad for the job security.” I laughed and slid into the seat, dropping my purse onto the passenger seat and ignoring the persistent hum of my phone. No doubt Nana would be calling any minute.
Nash paused for a second, leaning down to peer at me. “You don’t need to worry about me, Steph. I can handle your family. I can handle you, too. Crazy doesn’t scare me.”
The sincerity of his words hit me in the chest, and pesky tears burned my eyes.
I so desperately wanted to believe him, but I’d believed other guys who had promised to stick around only to ditch me when I didn’t fit in their plans anymore.
Would Nash be different? He was the one who wanted things to be real between us.
Well, I did, too. More than I was admitting out loud—especially since I’d told him I’d think about his offer.
But would this be the Christmas my crush died because reality and my family’s insanity crashed down around us?
Or the year I was finally brave enough to reach out for what I wanted?
Gently, Nash reached out and lightly tugged one of my curls, breaking the tension. “And I hope you’re bringing your A-game because I found an ugly sweater to top all ugly sweaters.”
I snorted. “If you can give Nana a run for her money, you’ll have half the family in love with you.”
His grin was hypnotic in the shadows. “Good thing I’m only concerned about one member of the Addams family being in love with me, then. That might be too much pressure otherwise.”
I stared at him, dumbstruck. But my mouth dried at his words, my tongue refusing to work. Was he… did he just… flirt? Were we at that stage? Man, I was rusty.
Nash winked. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at 6:30. Drive safe.” Then he closed the door and waved before strolling across the parking lot towards his Wrangler like he hadn’t just dropped the biggest bomb.
Turning the ignition, I cranked the heat and let Liz’s Christmas music flood over me—you could never go wrong with the Jonas Brothers. While I waited for the car to heat up, I snuck a look at my phone, which sure enough, Nana was blowing up.
NANA
A friend? How delightful!
Are you bringing Liz again? We haven’t seen her in forever!
She didn’t mention coming when I asked her to send some cookies with you. I thought she was spending Christmas with her fiancé?