26. Sweet Dreams
26
Sweet Dreams
As much as I wanted to stay with Harvey, I had to go home eventually.
“I’ve got a Cinderella curfew,” I told Harvey as I tugged my warm sweater on.
“Does that mean I get to keep your boot?” He got down on his knee, my cheeks heating at the proposal-esque pose, and wiggled the jingling footwear at me.
I giggled and laid my hands on his shoulders for balance. “No.”
After helping me get my boots on, Harvey stood, squeezed the puffy parts of my jacket and pulled me against him. He peppered me with affection, starting a train of kisses that went from my lips to my neck.
“I can’t stay,” I whined, pushing on his chest so I didn’t melt into his embrace.
“I know. I wish…” He hung his head and hugged me. “Ah, I’ll see you tomorrow, anyway. We’ll set up our next date then.”
“I can’t wait.” I kissed his cheek and bounced into a tighter embrace.
Chuckling, he kissed my shoulder.
I wished I could stay and enjoy a million more little moments like this. But even without my overbearing family, mall duties demanded a good night’s sleep. If I was lucky, I’d dream of Harvey.
He walked me out to the car in the long-sleeved shirt I’d been wearing most of the evening, his breath coming out in pretty swirls against the dark sky. “Text me when you get home.”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes twinkled with the reflection of streetlights and snowflakes. He cupped my cheeks and kissed me. “Bye, Shelby.”
“Bye, Harvey.” I got into my car and started the engine.
Harvey waited until I was at the end of the block to shuffle into his building, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his flannel pajama pants. He must’ve been freezing, but he still escorted me to safety. What a classy guy.
I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel and hummed along to the radio on my way home. By the time I pulled into the driveway, my heart was filled with a melody.
Mom peeked out the curtains. I waved, though I wasn’t sure she could see me.
When I came in, she had her back to me and scraped a broom against the old hardwood floor. “How was your evening?”
“Good. We made spaghetti.” And love. All in all, a fantastic evening.
Mom kept sweeping the foyer. “We’re hosting tomorrow. You’ve got an opening shift, correct?”
I pulled off my boots by the door. “Yes, but I wouldn’t count on my being home by six.”
“Why not?”
“It’s been busy. Everybody rushes last-minute for Christmas cards or to at least do a social media thing.” I hung my coat and smiled at the memory of Harvey’s photos with Santa. Would he ever post them? Or would he let me?
Mom propped the broom upright. “If you can make time for dating, you make time for family.”
Yeah, but Harvey wasn’t demanding. He wanted to work with me.
Mom shuffled past me, her slippers scraping the hardwood floor. “That job asks too much of you. Why should you have to stay longer to hand out candy? People can line up by themselves without your help.”
“Is that what you think I do? Point and hand stuff out for ten hours?” I asked tightly.
She sighed and set the broom aside. “You don’t need their blessing. You’re leaving soon.”
“I’m not leaving. It’s ending.” Sugarplum would always be a part of me.
Mom smiled. “All the more reason to focus on family. When are you making cookies with your cousins?”
“Wednesday, probably.” I fluffed out my hair and got the dust pan to give me a few seconds to collect myself. “Let’s just herd these bunnies to a better pasture.”
“Bunnies?”
“Dust bunnies. I’ll throw them away.” I flashed Mom a smile and took care of the chore. A pile of dishes cluttered the sink. Rolling up my sleeves, I wet the sponge and figured I might as well help out while I had energy. “How was everybody today?”
Mom wrung her hands. “Good. The little ones were a bit wild, but that’s to be expected at that age. You and Zack were always fighting.”
“We still do.” I giggled.
Mom didn’t find that funny. “We love him. He’s family.”
I soaped up a pan and shrugged. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we can’t annoy each other occasionally. How’s he been doing?”
“Good. He’s looking at job applications.”
Outside of hard labor for our family? And no one guilted him about it? “How’s that going?”
She frowned at the dirty water. “He says people have been slow to respond because of the holidays.”
“That makes sense.”
“But he is handy.” She raised her eyebrows. “Have you heard back from anybody?”
Did she mean the fifty or so applications I sent out after I got my Associate’s degree? “Not really.” I hadn’t received any update on most of them. Working at the winter wonderland was a great distraction from all the ghosting and rejection. Once the holiday season was over, I’d get back into the trenches.
Mom straightened the coupon drawer. “Do you need to come back to the cleaning service? Or I can ask around church for opportunities.”
“No, you don’t need to do that. I’ll find something.” Most of the people at church only saw me as a potential secretary or babysitter. Although I could do those things, I wouldn’t want to risk my mom’s relationships if it wasn’t a good fit.
She folded her arms. “Do you want to go back to school?”
“With what money?” I laughed.
“What’s your plan, Shelby? Nursing and computing have great job security, you could pay off the loans–”
“Mom, seriously? You’re stressing me out. You already made me get a business degree because supposedly I could use it for anything. I’ll find something. Let me breathe.” I stuffed a pot in the drying rack and went to my room, flinging suds from my pruned fingers. I still had a week. Why was she hassling me? I didn’t plan to work two months of the year and sit around here, babysitting. I paid for groceries, my phone, and my car. Did she want to charge me rent? I’d understand, even if it would put a dent in my savings.
After I washed up for bed, Mom knocked, then opened the door without waiting.
“What is it?” I hugged my knees. Dare I hope for an apology?
Mom crept across the floorboards as if they were sticky. “Now that you and this boy have been on a few dates, will he be meeting the family?”
“We’ve only been out twice,” I said. She kept standing there, her hand on the doorknob, so I rolled my eyes and flopped onto the mattress. “Yes, you’ll probably meet him soon. But be nice, please.”
“Of course we’ll be nice. As long as he is. I worry about you, Shelby. Your father’s not here to talk about these things and–”
“I know.” I stared at the ceiling to avoid Mom’s gaze. Please leave.
“Sweet dreams.” She closed the door behind her.
I smothered myself with my pillow just to muffle a frustrated groan. She was driving me crazy. And after all Harvey and I had done in order to relax after a long week…
I hugged my pillow. Normally, it was a stand-in for Mr. Waddles. But tonight, the thought of Harvey brought me comfort. I remembered him hugging me by the sink, his arms enveloping my waist. Then, I pictured us horizontal on the bed, his bare back flexing as he kissed my chest. Waking up next to him had been better than expected, all sleepy smiles and twinkling eyes. Any fantasy with him, PG to X-rated, was a cure for my stress headache.
“You’re cute,” he’d say, and I'd hear, “You’re great.”
He’d hand me a cookie, and I’d feel like he loved me.
Visions of Harvey danced in my head. Tonight had been amazing. Hopefully, a future with him would be more than a sweet dream.