“Why don’t you go watch the game with the boys, Emily,” my mother said, giving me a hard look. “You’ve had a rough day and could probably use a break.”
“Oh, I don’t mind helping out,” Emily said, even though I could see the weariness in her eyes.
“Nonsense, if I need help, one of my devoted sons can take care of the task,” my mother said, raising an eyebrow. I nodded in understanding.
“BRIAN! MOM NEEDS YOUR HELP!” I yelled from the kitchen, sending both Emily and my mother into a fit of laughter.
“No fair!” came my brother’s indignant response. “I always have to do everything around here!”
I handed Emily one of the open beers and motioned for her to follow me into the den. Alone now, I put my arm around her and felt her shift so that she was leaning against me. Neither of us said a word as we watched the game and drank our beers.
Around halftime, I heard a car pull into the driveway, and I got up to go greet Nina and let her know that Emily was here. From the front door, I could see Remy sternly lecturing Nina, who sat staring out the passenger side window with her jaw set in defiance. I waved and saw Nina’s eyes light up as she turned and said something to her mother before quickly exiting the car. She grabbed her bag out of the back seat and slammed the door harder than necessary. I waved at Remy and saw the disapproving look on her face as she backed out and drove away.
“Hey kiddo,” I said, kissing the top of Nina’s head as I grabbed her bag. “You okay?”
“What do you think?” she asked in a flat tone.
“Yeah,” I nodded, as I wrapped an arm around her and headed for the house. “Hey, we’ve got a guest for dinner.”
“Oh yeah?” Nina perked up.
“Your History teacher, Ms. Fowler,” I said quickly.
“Are you serious, Dad?” Nina asked, stopping dead in her tracks. “Tell me you're pulling my leg.”
“I’m not, kiddo,” I said, shaking my head. “Her house burned down this morning, and she didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I asked her to join us for dinner.”
“Just fucking great,” Nina muttered.
“Nina!” I warned.
“Fine, I’ll be nice, but between you and Mom this holiday seriously blows,” she said, angrily storming up the walk into the house.
I followed her inside and watched as she grudgingly welcomed Emily before heading into the kitchen to find her grandmother. I shrugged at Emily, who smiled and shrugged back.
Chapter Sixteen
Emily
I watched as Nina hugged her uncle and called out to her grandmother as she entered the kitchen. Blake shrugged at me, and I smiled and shrugged back. I knew it couldn’t be easy for a teenager to welcome her teacher into her home, on a holiday, nonetheless, and I was more than well aware that I was a complete stranger to the Gaston family.
“Is that my granddaughter I hear stomping through my kitchen?” Blake’s father called, as he emerged from the basement.
“Gramps, I don’t stomp!” Nina laughed, as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Merry Christmas, Gramps!”
“Merry Christmas, Punkin Pie!” her grandfather said, as he hugged her tightly. When Nina let go and stepped back, he looked over her shoulder and caught sight of me. “Well, who do we have here?”
“Dad, this is Emily Fowler,” Blake said, stepping closer to me as his father walked across the room. “Emily, this is my father, Alan Gaston.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Gaston,” I said, offering my hand.
“It’s Dr. Gaston,” Nina muttered, as she shot me a look that bordered on nasty.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous; degrees are degrees,” Blake’s father said, shaking my hand as he leaned forward and added, “Thermometers have degrees, and you know where we stick those. Please, call me Alan.”
“Merry Christmas, Alan,” I said, looking nervously at Blake, who smiled and nodded reassuringly. I smiled back and said, “Thank you for letting me join you for dinner.”
“It’s our pleasure, Emily,” Alan said, as Brian emerged from the kitchen carrying several cold bottles of beer. He gave one to his father and offered the others to Blake and I. “What brings you to our table this evening? Were you not able to make it home to your family today?”