Finding Charley (Full Circle) (21 page)

Chapter 23

“Merry Christmas to you, too, boys,” Dad says as he stands at the door.

Tessa and I turn our attention to the front door to see Dustin and Dylan.  Still in our pajamas, we get u
p to make our way to meet them.

“Merry Christmas, y’all two,” I say as we welcome them with a hug.  “Y’all wanna come in?”

“Nah, we just wanted to wish your family a Merry Christmas.  We are going out of town this afternoon to Gramp's house in Charleston, so we won’t be back for a few days.”

“Oh… well, that sucks.”

I hear Mama comment, “Charley Anne, watch your mouth.”

“Yes, ma’am.”
  I lead Dylan into the living room, and Tessa and Dustin follow.  “How long are y’all gonna be gone?  I mean, y’all will be back by New Year’s, right?”

“Oh yeah, we should be back by Thursday.”  Inside my heart skips a beat because I can relax, but I need to play it down. I place my hand on his leg.  “I really wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Me too, but Gramps is expecting his boys.  It’s this big deal when we go at Christmas.  We have a big shootout.”

“Fun!
  You know I’d beat ya though.”

“Yes, you don’t have to rub it in.”

“I guess when you get back, the Kluft girls will be here.  We are all gonna practice together at GPAC.  You should join us.”

“I think I will.  Well, we better get goin’.  Mom and Dad should have everything ready to go when we get back.  It was good to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Rice.”

“You too, Dylan,” Mama says, and Dad nods.

We walk them both to the front porch and outside. 

“Thanks for stopping by, Dylan.”  I lean up and kiss him.  “Behave while you’re gone, and I’ll see ya when ya get back.”

As I step back, he pulls me in close again.  His lips ravish mine like he’s trying to ma
ke this last until he returns.

Knowing Mama and Dad are on the other side of the
door, I pull away and place my hand on his chest.  “Guess we better calm it down.  They might be watchin,” I say as I point to the window.  He smiles, and it almost hurts because he looks so good.

“I’ll see ya, Charley.  Merry Christmas, Tessa.  You ready, Dustin?”

Dustin kisses Tessa bye and walks to the Mustang while catching glimpses of her over his shoulder.

When I open the door, I see Mama and Dad getting the presents out from under the tree.  Tes
sa and I jump in to help them.

Other than making piles of presents, there is no order to our gift opening.  It’s pure chaos.  We don’t take turns to see what everyone gets; it’s j
ust see who opens the fastest.

We pause when Dad opens his gift from us.  It’s a photo of
the one
and me.  Tessa took the picture and made an awesome frame.

“Char, now that’s what I’m talking about.  Tess, you made the frame, didn’t you?  It’s perfect.  You have a talent, you know.”

“Thanks, Dad.  I wish I could open my own store or do something, but I just don’t know how it’d go over.”

“Well, I believe you would do great.”

“Hey, Mama, whatcha think of those pajamas?” Tessa asks.

“They’re perfect!  I can always use a new pair of those.  The little martini glasses are too cute.”

“We thought that looked like you,” I say with a smile.

We enjoy everyone’s company, clean up the massive amount of wrapping paper from the floor, take our gifts to our rooms, and get ready for a day of celebrating Jesus’ birth with friends and family with no threat of Dylan to interfere.

Getting ready, I decide to look a little festive.  I pull on a red long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and boots.  I accent my wardrobe with a pair of Christmas tree earrings that Mama gave me when I was eight.  I wore them all the time until I realized it wasn’t cool to wear them anymore, especially in mid- July. 

I go to see if Tessa’s ready and to inquire if Cash has called or texted her this morning.  I knock and walk in.

“Are you not ready yet?”  I ask.

“What does it look like?” she answers as she stands there half-dressed with her hair still wet from her shower.  “You’re as slow as a snail.  It’s not like Dustin’s around or anything.”

“Well, you look like you’re trying to impress someone yourself, Charley, and those earring set it off,” she says with a smart ass attitude and her hand on her hip.

“Don’t be jealous.  You know you have a pair, too.”

“I do, don’t I?  Maybe I should wear them, too.  It would make Mama’s day.”  She finishes getting ready, and I borrow her phone.

Tessa: H
ey $ it’s me.  Merry Christmas.

Cash: Merry Christmas Char-coal!  I love you!

Tessa: I love you 2.

Knowing that he is about to respond to my text, I call him to hear his voice instead.

“Merry Christmas, Cash Money!  Was Santa good to ya?’”

“I’m talkin’ to you, so
yes, he’s been good to me.  How about you?  Did you get everything you wanted?”

“Almost.
  I want you here now, and I know that can’t happen.  But, I think this will make your Christmas.  Dylan’s gone to see his gramps until Wednesday.  Do you know what that means?”

“Damn right, I do!  That means you and me!”

“Yup!  What are y’all’s plans for the day?  We just finished presents, breakfast, and now are just hanging out until supper.”

“That’s about like us.  We do have to go by Aunt Joan’s for lunch, but that’s it.”

“So, does this mean that you’ll stay with me tonight?”

“Char-coal, I didn’t want to leave last night, but I was afraid that someone would catch us. Yes, I’ll stay with you tonight.”

“I can’t wait.  I guess just text Tessa or call me later.  This just might be the best Christmas ever.”

“No, Char-coal, this isn’t the best, but it is the first of many to come.  I plan on making each one better than the last.  I love you, and I plan on proving that to you each and every day of my life.”

“Cash, I love you so much, and I hope to do the same.  Enjoy your day with your family, and I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

After hanging up, I text all the Kluft girls to wish them a Merry Christmas and ask them about coming to Grassy Pond for New Year’s Eve.  Within seconds, there are all kinds of Merry Christmas wishes, pictures, and hell yes’s for New Year’s.  Of course, Hayden’s text is priceless.

Hayden:  Hell yeah!  That means I can get one of those cowboys to kiss me at midnight!  I’m in!

Me:  Country boy, Hayd
en, not cowboy. Get it right ;)

Tessa and I laugh as we read the comments.  The stress-free day has lightened both of our moods, and we can enjoy Christmas for what it’s meant to be.  Once Tessa is finally ready, we go downstairs to hang out with the family.

Grandma and Mama are sitting around the table with cups of coffee.  Tessa and I fill our own cups and sit with them.

“Girls, I’m so proud of who you have become.  I’m glad to say that y’all are my granddaughters."

Thanks, Grandma, but we haven’t really done anything,” I say.

“Yes, you have.  I’ve watched you two grow into fine young ladies.  You make me and the rest of y
our family proud.  Keep it up.”

“We’ll try,” Tessa says, and I feel an ache in my heart.  If my grandma only knew the real me and what I was doing right now, she’d be embarrassed, heartbroken,
and ready to beat Dylan’s ass.

We spend the remainder of the day helping Mama and Grandma prepare for the big meal and watching holiday movies. Oh, wait! We watch
A Christmas Story
over and over.

“Tess, please turn the dang channel.  I’m sick and tired of watchin’ this movie.  I need something other than a leg lamp and a BB gun!”

“One more time, Char.  Please?”  I look around the room.  Our parents and grandparents have now joined us.  I glance in their direction to see if their thoughts meet mine, and they do. It is so obvious.

“Um, no.
  Change it.  Anything but this again.  I think everyone in this room agrees.”

“Fine.”
  She huffs and then reluctantly gives in.   We decide on the
Hallmark Channel
, and before we are twenty minutes into the movie, all the men in the room are asleep.  Thank goodness they aren’t sawing logs.

After the movie, we all excuse ourselves to the kitchen.  Tessa and I complete the final touches on the desserts while Mama and Grandma finish the ham and sides.

“Girls, what are you going to do since the guys in your life are gone?”

I look at Tessa, and we both shrug.

“I guess I’ll be at the pool most of the time, but the Kluft girls are coming to celebrate New Year’s in the big city of Grassy Pond.”

Mama stops mid-stir on the macaroni and cheese.  “Were you planning on telling me this when they got here?”

“No, well, we just kinda finalized it this morning.  We wanted to get together, and Hayden and Anna are dying to find them a cowboy.”

Grandma chimes in, “Cowboy?
  Are they confused?  There are no cowboys in Grassy Pond.”

“I know.  Cash even told Hayden that, but they are Yankees and don’t know the difference between country and cowboy.  That’s why they wanna come.”

“I think that’s a great idea.  I’d just like a little notice.  Y’all going to the McCracken’s farm?”  Mama asks.

“Yup.”

“You do know that you’re gonna have to help me get this house back together for them to come.  There is no way I want new guests to see it like this.”

“Mama, you had a party here last night, and now it’s a holiday.  We’ll help ya, but they aren’t gonna care.”

“That might be the case, but I do.”

Once the food is ready, we all gather around the dining room table.  You would think that the way Mama is with Thanksgiving that she would be the same way with Christmas, but she’s not.  Instead, she just wants us to relax, eat until we are stuffed, and enjoy each other’s company.

When we finish eating, Tessa and I take care of the dishes and let the adults relax.  Dad and Grandpa watch the football game.  Mama and Grandma watch it with them, even though I think they could care less.

“Hey, Tessa, you got my back tonight?”

“You know it, but something just doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Watcha mean?”

“I just feel like this has been too easy.  He is liable to surface at some point, like last night.  That was crazy.  Something is way off, but Dustin doesn’t know anything.”  She stops mid-sentence. “Char, you don’t think…”

“No, I don’t think that Dustin is keeping anything from us.  He has been nothing but helpful.”

“I know I shouldn’t doubt him, but I just worry that he has those bad genes.”

As I let the water release from the sink, I turn to look at her.  “There is no way he is like him.  I’ve seen how he looks at you, and I know he loves you.  There is absolutely no way he is like Dylan.”

“Thanks, Sis.  I just doubt sometimes because Dylan is his brother.  It’s kinda like, how do they even come from the same family?”

“I know.  That’s one thing I’ve never understood.  How do wonderful parents produce children that are so far from their morals and values?”

Once we finish the dishes, we return to the living room.  The sun is starting to set, and it’s time to settle in for the night, or at least, make it look like I am.

“I think we are going up to my room to find another good movie.”

Grandma pipes in, “How about a round of cards before you go up?  Anyone wanna play?”

My grandma loves a good game of cards, and who in their right might mind would tell their grandmother no?  Tessa and I look at each other, and then she goes to get a
deck of cards.  We all meet at the dining room table and play a few rounds of Go Fish.

After Tessa beats us all four times, we throw in the cards, swear she’s a cheater, and retire to our rooms.  Tessa comes to hang out with me and lets me know that Cash is on his way to get me.

I take a minute and freshen up in the bathroom before I climb out of the window and make my way to meet him at the barn.  After our night got interrupted last night, I can’t wait to try to finish what we started.

That’s weird. He’s not here yet.  I wait for him on the inside of the barn.  I check on the horses and almost jump out of my skin when I hear the door open.

I turn around and see Cash standing there.  “Char-coal, it’s just me,” he says as he makes his way toward me.

I put down the feed bucket and turn to meet him.  I throw my arms around him, and he lifts me off the ground and spins me in a circle.

“Merry Christmas, Char-coal,” he declares as he puts me back down and kisses my lips.  I don’t want him to stop.  I want his lips on me forever, but he pulls away.  “Let’s get outta here.”

“Aight, a night at the club sounds good to me.”

We arrive at the club, and it’s almost like we are repeating last night.