66. Family Surprise
SIXTY-SIX
Family Surprise
TARA
DJ Theo had the music going by the time Tara and Tristan arrived at the Christmas party. Matteo DiMonaco himself took care of the finishing touches on the food, since his son was taking care of another catering event in town that evening. He took off with a wave just as Steve walked up to Tara.
“Hey, you,” Steve said before leaning in for a kiss.
“I think we’re just about ready.” Helen turned to Ken. “Honey, are the desserts all set out?”
“Yes, dear,” Ken responded with a friendly eye roll. “The pastries are all set. Tiffany has taken care of the table settings, and Theo is ready for the dancing.”
“Dancing?” Steve asked just as Tiffany joined them with an equally puzzled expression.
They all exchanged worried glances. “There’s going to be dancing?”
“No,” her father replied, “but he’s ready for it.” Their dad leaned closer as if sharing a big secret. “I think playing the music at his last house party went to his head.”
“Ahh,” Tara answered while she and Tristan tried to keep a straight face. “He knows it’s just traditional Christmas music, right?”
“Yes.” Their dad nodded with a furrowed brow. “He knows.”
“Nick would have some dance moves, I’m sure,” Steve suggested.
That piqued Tara’s interest. “Oh, yeah?”
A whoosh of cool air filled the room as the door opened. Lydia walked in, carrying a small toddler. It was only 6 pm, but it was already pitch black outside. A light dusting of snow covered the ground thanks to a light, mid-December snowfall.
“Lydia!” Helen called out as she walked up to the front door.
Lydia sat her daughter down long enough to greet Helen with a warm hug, then crouched down to help Emmy with her coat.
“And this must be Emmy.” Helen directed all her attention to the little girl sporting the same matching ponytail as her mother. “Wow. She’s really grown!”
“Like a weed,” Lydia joked as she hung their coats on a rack near the front door.
Steve was never one to want kids. His only experience with being a parent was from his own home growing up, though he knew he could easily do better than his parents. Seeing Lydia excited about her child made him wonder what it would be like to have children with Tara.
Steve shook the thought from his head. He couldn’t fend off an uncomfortable burning in the back of his mind. The thought of Tara returning to Chicago after the new year meant their time together was nearing an end. She was the first woman he ever wanted to go out with more than once. The first woman he felt even remotely comfortable with.
The first woman he wanted more with was going to be leaving him soon and they didn’t plan to keep anything long-distance going.
It was going to be a hard goodbye.
Though for her, he wasn’t above begging, though he tabled that thought for another day.
“And how old are you now, little one?” Helen’s smile was genuine as she bent down to talk to Lydia’s daughter.
Emmy grabbed hold of her mom’s leg without answering, watching every single move Helen made.
Lydia prompted her. “Can you tell her how old you are, Emmy?”
“Four,” she said quietly while holding up four fingers.
“Four years old already?” Helen smiled. “My, they grow up so fast.”
“Tell me about it,” Lydia said while gently brushing Emmy’s bangs off her face.
Nick, their newest employee, was the last to arrive. He greeted Helen and Tara with hugs and everyone else with shy waves or handshakes. Kiro and Celeste were there, along with Derek, thanks to a special invitation from Ken.
Steve gave Tara a kiss then joined everyone for dinner. With laughter all around, they took turns trading funny shop stories, delighted with an evening spent together as friends.
Somehow, Nick ended up sitting between Tara and Emmy, who talked his ear off about all her favorite books. Lydia tried to run interference, but Nick indulged the four year old and even told her about some of his favorite child friendly books. Halfway through dinner, they were already best friends, laughing at Emmy’s silly jokes. Nick even helped her cut her food into smaller bites, giving Lydia a chance to take a few bites of her own while dinner was still hot, a rare treat for a parent of a small child.
Tara leaned in. “It’s like they’ve known each other their entire lives.”
“She’s certainly charmed him.”
“Charmed him ? He’s charmed her right back.”
“Reminds me of how happy he used to be,” Steve whispered back with a wide smile. “It’s good to see that side of him again. It’s been too long.”
A spoon tapping against a glass quieted the conversation long enough to draw everyone’s attention across the small room. Ken and Helen stood up.
“Good evening, everyone.” Helen started as Theo reached for his phone and lowered the music volume so everyone could hear.
Lydia shushed her daughter while Tiffany and Tristan leaned next to each other and came away with a small laugh, finishing up a joke they hadn’t yet finished before Helen’s speech. The clinking sounds of silverware on plates tapered off as everyone directed their attention to their hosts.
Steve rested back in his seat to reach his arm behind Tara’s back, rubbing her shoulder back and forth with his thumb. Tara leaned in just enough for him to drop a kiss on her temple as her mom continued.
“I’m so glad you could all make it out tonight to join us in celebrating another year at Between the Lines bookstore,” Helen began.
Smiles filled the room as everyone put their hands together in applause.
“Thank you for all you’ve done to make this year as good as it was. I know this has been a tough year, but no matter what, I want you all to be proud of everything we’ve accomplished.”
Tara’s brow furrowed as she met Tristan’s questioning gaze.
Tristan only shrugged in response. She exchanged similar looks with Tiffany as they returned their attention to the front of the room.
Ken grabbed his cane and stood up to address everyone, though he was still a bit wobbly. He wrapped his arm around Helen’s shoulders to steady himself then pulled her close.
“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for being here tonight,” he said. “I know how lucky we are to have such wonderful people working to make our little bookstore a success.” Ken smiled as everyone clapped . “Second, I want to acknowledge how lucky I am to be here at all.” He smiled at Kiro and Derek, who offered subdued smiles in return. They considered just doing their job the night they pulled Ken out of his wrecked car and rushed him to the hospital.
Ken walked toward Kiro and extended his hand. “I know a meal isn’t much of a thank you considering all that you, Derek, and the other men did for me, but please know I will always be grateful.” Ken thanked both of them before turning to Steve. “And I know you were there, too, Steve, helping the other drivers.”
Ken grinned. “But don’t think saving my life is going to make things easy on you. You’re dating my daughter, after all.”
Laughter filled the room as Ken hobbled his way back to stand by his wife who offered him an encouraging smile.
Tara shared another questioning look with Tristan while they waited for their father to continue.
“That’s why what I’m going to tell you is that much more difficult.”
“Difficult?” Tara muttered to herself. She met Tristan’s gaze.
He didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. In fact, Tristan looked like he was trying to suppress a smile. Was this the other secret he was referring to earlier?
“Yet, it’s also exciting,” Ken added, wearing a mischievous expression.
“Helen and I have decided to retire from retail,” he announced, to the surprise of everyone. “This is the last Christmas season we’ll be running Between the Lines bookstore.”