Not So Saint Nick

Home Sweet Home - I

Chapter 6

After a ninety-minute drive from the airport in Boulder, Grier was leaning forward gripping the dash of her brother-in-law’s truck and feeling the excitement of coming home for the first time in more than six months.

Her brother-in-law, Curly, was as close to a real brother as she could have had growing up since he’d always been around with Twila. She’d been surprised to see him waiting for her when she’d gotten through security. Usually, her dad or her one of her paternal grandparents would be there waiting but according to Curly, there was an issue with a delivery they were expecting from the city in preparation for the holiday and both her father and Twila were trying to get it sorted. Her grandparents were on a cruise and not back yet. She was happy for it.

They’d made small chitchat with Curly giving her updates on everyone in the town on the drive home. However, she could have predicted everyone’s updates because nothing in Coldreach ever changed. The town was a version of history repeating itself only with different players. There was always a scandalous teen pregnancy, usually from one of the more popular families. There was always a well-loved person who got sick, and the town rallied around, two years ago it was her Granny. There was always a tourist driving through on the way to the ski resort, or popping over from the resort, who fell in love with one of the locals but never stayed. Regardless, she hung onto every tidbit of gossip like Curly was preaching the best sermon she’d ever heard.

But now, she was ready to be home with her parents, especially her mom and sister, to feel their support after the hellish weekend she’d endured.

“You ready? Your mom is chomping at the bit to get her hands on you, G. She was crying on the weekend after finding out what the little psychopath did to you.”

“I could really use a mom hug.” Grier admitted as she saw her mother looking out the window of the big ranch house living room. The truck came to a halt and Grier was jumping out of the barely stopped vehicle and running into her mother’s outstretched arms as she raced up the patio steps to meet her mother at the front door.

Her mother was rocking her back and forth in her arms, “oh baby girl, I’m so sorry you’re going through all this s**t so close to Christmas. My poor girl. You’re home now. Mama’s going to take good care of you while you’re here.”

Grier felt the tears welling up in her eyes and she struggled not to cry at her mom’s reassuring words. “How could she do this to me, Mom?”

“Because she’s a giant asshole,” Twila’s words floated around her as she wrapped both her and their mother in her arms. “Welcome home, Grier. We’re going to have a bonfire later and we’ll burn all the s**t she left here over the years.”

“I’m not even mad about the guy, but she was my friend,” she sniffed against her mom’s shoulder.

“Stupid Cumbucket,” Twila hissed.

Their mother smacked at her, hitting her on the bottom and Twila jumped and it made Grier giggle.

“My boss made an edible slime candy in the product development research lab and put it in in little plastic bins and made labels which say c*m Bucket on it. He sent me a text this morning to say he shipped a pack to her at her home.”

“No!” Twila was aghast and impressed at once. “Why?”

“I told you already. He was returning my laptop I left in his car. We were back a day early and I was so excited to get away from his cranky face and I grabbed my suitcase but not my laptop bag. He noticed it on the floor, and he brought it up. He was there while I was confronting Hazel and Arlo.”

“Doesn’t explain him being nice to you.” Her mother frowned as she pulled the girls into the house.

“Well, yesterday morning, Hazel got to work early to try to get me to talk to her since I blocked her on my phone, and I refused to let her up into the condo building. She cornered me near the elevator, and I told her she was uninvited to Christmas and her new nickname.” She smiled half-heartedly through reddened eyes at her sister. “She freaked out and caused such a scene she got fired for it. Anyway, I was the picture of professionalism, but my boss asked me what happened. I told him and I mentioned the new nickname. He, being the great candy maker he is, decided we needed to give her a grown-up version of coal in the stocking and made her a treat in her honor. The little labels printed and put on the cans and everything. They look like real candy containers you’d get in a candy shop except they are definitely not PG rated.”

Twila burst into laughter, “how come you never told us he has this sense of humor?”

“Because I didn’t know. He’s always been a surly bastard but yesterday morning he was actually smiling. I mean, big wide smile,” she sat down on the sofa giving a wide smile of appreciation to Curly who walked by her carrying both her suitcases and an overnight bag over his shoulder. He grunted back at her, and she elbowed her sister, “you may need to take one for the team. I jumped out of his truck and didn’t even offer to help.”

“Are you kidding. I chase the poor man around the house. He hides from me.” Twila was openly watching her husband’s backside disappear down the hall towards Grier’s childhood bedroom. “That ass is mine later, Curly.”

Grier giggled when he backed up and wiggled it earning a whistle from his wife before he disappeared again.

“A mother doesn’t need to know such things,” their mother Phoebe made a face.

“Oh, as if we haven’t heard you and Dad,” Twila shot back.

“Or walked in on you a hundred times,” Grier added.

Her mother shrugged, “fair. Your dad is hot. So back to the mean boss man,” she waved her hands, “he suddenly turned over a new leaf?”

“No. I think it was a glitch in his programming. By ten in the morning, he was back to being a massive dickhead and then even though he knew I was flying out at seven this morning, he kept me working until nine last night and didn’t even say bye when I got out of the car. At least he feeds me when we work late, and I mean the food is good. I think I stay for the food alone. Last night was a five-star restaurant delivery and I ate the best, I mean the absolute best, lobster mac and cheese of my life. I’m going to miss the fancy food over the next couple of weeks.” She knew her family would have her cooking most of their meals though and she didn’t mind.