20. Babysitting
20
Babysitting
I trudged a few feet closer to them to block Harvey and said, “Hey, everybody.”
Two kids launched themselves at me. I slid back a few inches in the snow, but managed to keep them somewhat away from my date, who tilted his chin up, tough and sharp in contrast to the warm guy I’d been kissing.
My second-littlest cousin, Joon, ducked under my arms, pushed up his glasses, and squinted at my date. “What happened to your face?”
“What happened to yours?” Harvey shot back. Apparently, he wasn’t used to kids.
My hands were full with the other cousins, so I ushered Joon away with my foot. “Remember what we said about commenting on people’s bodies?”
“No,” Joon lied.
There was nothing wrong with Harvey’s face. It was as beautiful as always. And I hadn’t left lipstick on him during our kisses, so I snuffed out my cousin’s questions with the easiest answer.
“My friend likes ornaments, so he got some piercings. Like your sister in her ears. Don’t you think he’s pretty?” I kept my tone light more for Harvey than the kids, though there was the slightest growl of warning underneath.
“Yes,” Joon's sister May said.
Joon shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Hey, you brats. I told you, no running,” Zack thundered, marching over to us.
May ran to him to get picked up, then clamped her hands over her ears just in case he shouted anything else.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Why do you think? I got roped into babysitting," Zack grumbled.
“Don’t you mean spying?” I hissed.
“Hey, I covered for you. You’re lucky I convinced the rest of them not to come hunting.” He glared at Harvey. “You’re the guy?”
Harvey offered him his hand. “Hey, how’ve you been?”
Zack narrowed his eyes and hoisted our little cousin higher on his hip. “Busy consoling my cousins about jerks who don’t deserve them.”
My heart almost stopped beating. What was he doing?
“That sounds dramatic,” I said, not-so-subtly urging him to drop it.
Harvey curled his fingers inward and glanced between us. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you had your hands full.”
Smoke curled from Zack’s nostrils. “If anybody hurt them–”
“I get it,” Harvey said flatly. “Big brother is watching.”
Joon tugged Harvey’s jacket and pointed. “He’s not our brother, he’s our cousin.”
Could they be any more embarrassing? I urged him back to Zack’s side and started dragging Harvey away. “Okay, it was great to see you, but we need to get going.”
May dropped out of Zack's arms and reached for me. “Can’t we go with you, Shelby?”
“Don’t you want to see the horsies?” I asked, hurrying through the forest.
“Horsies,” The little cousins bolted for the sleighs.
Zack grunted and took off after them. “I said no running.”
Finally, I could return to my date, assuming my family hadn’t scared him off. “Sorry about them," I said.
“It seems troublemaking runs in the family,” he said dryly.
“Kinda, yeah.” What would be a good distraction or segue back to romance?
Harvey let out a breath. “Is there anywhere around here we could get a stiff drink?”
Was I boring him to the point he’d rather get drunk than deal with me and my family? I flexed my fingers. “They have a cocktail lounge in the red tent if you need it.”
“I was kidding.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, ambling along the path, probably looking for an escape beyond the lit street. “Did you really need consoling, like your cousin said?”
“I…had a rough week.” I rubbed my cheek on the fluffy hood liner. Harvey had already apologized to me. There was no need to rub salt in the wound. “But besides my overbearing family, I’d say today has been totally uplifting. Magical, even.”
“Glad to hear it," he said flatly.
So, he didn’t feel the same? Although he’d always been less forthcoming with his feelings. We wandered through the shop kiosks with their acorn owl ornaments, got some apple cider donuts, and chatted under twinkling lights and the stars.
Harvey eyed the cocktail lounge in the red tent as we passed. “Can we go in?”
I stuck my hands in my pockets. “Oh, sure. I’ve never seen it.”
Frowning, he tilted his head. “Don’t you come here every year?”
“Yeah, but I’m not big on drinking. Not that I think it’s bad. I mean, you can do it. Although a bar wouldn’t exactly be my ideal first or second date. If you’re even thinking…of that.” Oh, Santa save me, I was going to start rambling. “I just like talking to you fully present, like we have been. And part of my ‘thing’ is when I go to my headspace, I want to be around people who can be responsible. It’s a safety thing. But I’m not the boss of anybody, and hanging out with me isn’t like babysitting, so if you want to relax–”
“Where is a good place, then?” Harvey held the tent flap open, ushering me inside.
“To drink?”
He shook his head. “To relax. For our second date. Assuming I pass the test.”
“Oh.” I brightened. He wanted a second date already, even after meeting my family? I skipped by his side. “Anywhere else, really. The zoo, the park, museums, restaurants, movies…”
“Does it have to be Little-person-friendly?” he asked delicately.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged, his gaze darting around the red tent to the polar bear statue on the bar by the ice machine. “Can we see an R-rated movie?”
Giggling, I tugged his hand. “Of course. I’m not always in that headspace. But I have preferences, just like anybody. I mostly want to hang out with you. It doesn’t have to cost money. We could relax at your place to watch movies, play games, talk, whatever.” Not at my house, though. Mom would be a nightmare. Even if she was at work, I had no doubt she’d send Aunt Coral and Zack over to check up on us. “What do you want to do?” I asked.
“The less people involved, the better. I say we meet at my place,” he said, leading me out of the tent.
“Yeah, at least my cousins can’t crash our date, then.” I squeezed his palm and swayed our linked hands. Alone with Harvey. His place . That was a surefire way to get to know him without any interruptions. “Thanks for being so good about them, by the way," I said.
“No problem.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Although, I don’t think your family loves the fact you’re dating a thug. They kept staring.”
I snuggled into his side. “That’s probably because you’re so pretty.”
“Nah, it’s probably the piercings.” He tugged his olive hat over his reddened ears.
“They’re not used to seeing them, that’s all,” I said, stroking his arm. “You are very striking. And when you smile, it’s dazzling.”
“What?” He laughed, then bit on his lip ring. “Is that a compliment?”
“Yes.” Was he not used to getting many?
He rolled his eyes affectionately, a flush creeping up his neck. “You know, you’re pretty damn dazzling yourself.”
I laughed and fiddled with my huge winter coat. “I spent all this time on a non-elf outfit and you won’t even see it.”
“I like your elf uniform. It brings out the green in your eyes.” He smiled, light pink dusting his cheeks as he ducked his head. “I have to admit, I miss the silver bells announcing you were near. It was the best part of my day because I knew you’d be coming in.”
“Really?” I beamed.
He nodded, letting out a puff of sparkling air. “I know it sounds cheesy, but it was the saddest part too, because it signaled when you were going away.”
No one had ever said something like that to me. My insides lit up brighter than any Christmas tree.
“Hold that thought.” I ran to a kiosk we’d passed earlier, leaving a very baffled Harvey on the path, and hurriedly purchased a stocking with two bells on it. Rushing back to him, I untied the ribbon to free the bells, then bent over to reassign them to my boot laces.
Harvey placed a hand on my lower back to help me balance. “What are you doing?”
I stuck out my feet to show off my handiwork. “I got a little something to announce my comings and goings.”
He examined the stocking, then studied my face. “You did that for me?”
I nodded and twirled, bells tinkling. “What do you think?”
Harvey scooped me up in a hug, my bells and laughter chiming. “You’re amazing,” he said.
“So are you, Harvey.”
Whatever was under my jacket: my outfit, my skin, my heart–soon, I’d show him all of it.