Originally Brittney had been part of the group’s New Year’s plans, but in light of what had happened the day after Christmas, the guys had been fine with a change in plans.
She hadn’t heard from any of the Garrets since the day after Christmas, and Natalie knew why.
*****
December 26th
Natalie poked her tongue out as she experimented with some spare parts she’d found in a box. The house had begun to stifle her with the added presence of the Garrets, so she’d quietly retreated to her new space.
As soon as she’d entered the new workshop, the tight feeling in her chest had eased. She wanted to be happy around everyone, god did she want to be happy, but it just wasn’t happening.
Victoria had started to give her worried looks, and the last thing she’d wanted was for her family to notice her funk.
Brittney had been flirting, not-so-subtly. In front of Maddie.
Natalie wasn’t sure why that made things worse, but it did. She wasn’t interested in Brittney. Not even a little.
The outer door to the barn squeaked, prompting her to pause. She watched the door to the space out of the corner of her eye. She licked her lips as her heart began to pound. Would it be Maddie again?
There was a soft tapping.
“Come in.”
It wasn’t Maddie.
“Hey, Natalie,” Brittney said as she pushed inside. Her head swiveled as she checked out the workspace.
“Hey,” Natalie replied warily. It bothered her that she couldn’t feel relaxed around Brittney anymore.
Brittney continued to look around, her hands snug in the pockets of her bright white jacket. “This is pretty cool.”
“Yeah, it is. Pops did an amazing job.” Natalie stepped back with a sigh, walking over to one of the side shelves to snag a Gojo wipe or two to clean her hands with. Brittney patiently waited for her to finish, and Natalie grew nervous in the silence. “What’s up?” she asked to fill the quiet as she cleaned her hands.
Alert blue eyes watched her every move. “I wanted to thank you for my Christmas gift. I was going to do that last night, but my mom was here and I wanted to do it in private.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Natalie replied nervously, tucking her hands into her pockets to avoid fidgeting with the spare parts she’d been working on.
Brittney frowned and stared at her face. “You know it’s my favorite book—one both my mom and dad read to me when I was little—and I just wanted you to know I love it.”
Natalie nodded and wished she’d chosen something more impersonal. She’d picked the first edition to A Little Princess some time ago when she’d had the opportunity to get a very cheap copy. It had seemed like a good idea at the time.
“I’m glad you like it,” she managed to say, but couldn’t look Brittney in the eye.
“Natalie, I think it’s time we had a talk.” Brittney drew closer, stopping an arm’s length. “I came out to my mom yesterday. Did you know that?”
Natalie’s pulse picked up. Oh, shit. No wonder Maddie had been watching them like—no, she should be happy for Brittney. “That’s great, Brit.”
“Yeah, it was. My mom was so good about it. I guess I knew she would be, but I couldn’t stop that fear, you know?”
Even though she really didn’t, Natalie nodded. As much as she loved the Holders, when she’d come to understand her sexuality as a young teen, she’d have dropped them without a moment’s notice if they’d reacted poorly to her coming out. Admittedly, it had taken her a while to fully trust that they loved her unconditionally.
“The only reason I could do it was because of you, to be honest,” Brittney continued.
“You’re not giving yourself enough credit. Although I’m glad I could help support you through this, I know you would have figured things out on your own,” Natalie said, meaning every word.
Brittney’s smile became soft. “You’re sweet.” The way she looked at Natalie set Natalie on high alert.
Natalie was aware the moment Brittney started to lean forward. She brought her hands up to Brittney’s shoulders to keep the younger girl from getting closer. “Brit, I’m glad I could be here for you. As a friend. It’s important to have support for the big things in our life.”
“Natalie, I like you as more than a friend,” Brittney admitted as she searched Natalie’s face. “Way, way more than a friend.”
“I’m sorry, Brittney. I just don’t see you that way.” Natalie didn’t reach for Brittney when she physically recoiled away, instead stifling an internal sigh.
“But the book, my dad,” Brittney babbled, “doing things at my house to make me smile. You’ve gone out of your way to do so much stuff for me.”
Natalie winced. “As a friend. I like your family.” She wondered, even if she wasn’t religious, if some deity would strike her down for the… it wasn’t a lie, really.
Brittney seemed even more confused than before. “I know you said Victoria was young—”
“You’re the same age as her, Brittney.” She thought of Victoria and Deacon, not wanting to say anything against their relationship. It worked for them. “I really just have never thought of you in that way, the same way I wouldn’t for her.”
When Brittney still seemed unconvinced, Natalie stopped to gather her thoughts. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I already have feelings for someone else, okay? Someone I met through work.”
Brittney clenched her jaw, frowning as she considered the words. “Someone through work,” she mumbled. “You’re not making that up? I thought you were taking a break from dating.”
Irritation made Natalie’s eye twitch. If Brittney remembered that, then why would she—whatever. “Dating isn’t the same as feeling something for someone. One I can control, the other I can’t.”
“With how amazing you’ve been I really thought,” Brittney’s voice trailed off as tears gathered in her eyes.
Shit, was all Natalie could think. “Look,” she began.
Brittney shook her head, her hand rising to swipe at her eyes. “No, just. You’ve said enough.” She turned on her heel. “I think it’s better if we don’t talk for a while.”
“If that’s what you need.” Natalie winced, hoping it didn’t sound as patronizing as it felt to say.
Brittney didn’t respond verbally, hunching her shoulders and shoving her hands back into her pockets as she stalked from the room.
The sudden silence left Natalie feeling drained. “Well, that went well.”
*****
Present
Maddie stared at the screen of her laptop, not really focusing on the article she’d been struggling to get through for the last hour. She couldn’t focus, not when her daughter had been upset.
She hadn’t questioned Brittney early the day after Christmas when her daughter had asked if they could go home. Immediately.
In the car ride she’d tearfully come out to Adam, and had gone on to say she’d thought Natalie liked her but it turned out Natalie really liked someone else.
Maddie’s heart had leapt at that, but she’d only shared a look with Adam. It had been a lot for him to process, but they’d done their best to comfort Brittney.
Which, of course, had only gone so far. It had really helped that Adam had been home.
As much as she loved Brittney voluntarily seeking her out to talk and to cuddle on the couch, she didn’t like witnessing her daughter’s first real heartbreak.
Maybe it was a little unfair, but she was glad Natalie had rejected Brittney. There was an important gap in age there, Natalie’s life experience at twenty-four definitely beyond that of the late-blooming eighteen-year-old Brittney.
Her fingertips brushed softly over lacquered paint, and she blinked when she realized she’d absently been stroking the new addition to her desk. The Oriental lily was beautiful, its star shape flawlessly unfurled. The petals were a pristine white with just the barest blush of pink along its tips.
It was incredible to loo
k at, and the small NN branded on the smooth underside of the wrought metal had her believing this was something Natalie had taken her time creating. She could only imagine the care it must have taken to have everything looking so… perfect.
Her finger traced a petal lightly again without a thought. She’d seen some of the custom parts Natalie had designed but had no idea that Natalie could create something so exquisitely elegant.
It shouldn’t surprise her that Natalie had remembered about the flower, and yet Maddie had been utterly dumbfounded upon discovering the gift. She shook herself.
They hadn’t heard a peep from Natalie since her awkward parting with Brittney, and Maddie supposed it made sense. Still, Adam was looking forward to getting his old car repaired.
She nibbled her lower lip as she checked the time. It was just after two, surely late enough in the day to call. It was reasonable to wish Natalie a happy New Year, and she could hopefully also find out if Natalie would continue to work for Adam.
Phone in hand, she pulled up the familiar number. Her thumb hesitated over the call button, and she glanced up at her open door. It wouldn’t do for Brittney to overhear the conversation.
She stood and closed the door, turning the lock after only the slightest pause. A tingle spread from her hand as she hit the call button and raised the phone to her ear.
The phone rang a few times, and she paced as she waited for an answer. She combed her free hand through her hair. Just as she considered hanging up before it went to voicemail, the call was finally answered.
She froze once she realized there was quiet breathing on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” Natalie asked drowsily.
Maddie frowned and double checked the time on her watch. She stared as the hands confirmed it was the time she believed it to be. Natalie was still in bed. Maddie had forgotten to take into account that maybe Natalie and her friends had been out celebrating the new year. Natalie just hadn’t seemed the type.
She wasn’t sure why the realization upset her, but it did. “Natalie, honey, are you alright?”
The sounds of covers rustling and low curse words filtered over the line, prompting Maddie to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“Maddie.”
The single word sounded resigned, prompting Maddie to frown.
“Is this a bad time?” she asked as her stomach twisted. She’d thought she and Natalie were at least friendly. They’d cleared things up, hadn’t they?
Natalie sighed. “No, this is fine. What can I do for you, Mrs. Garret?”
The use of the formal name stung Maddie more than she cared to admit, and she began to regret her decision to call Natalie. She’d called for a reason though, and she’d get that over with and end the call as soon as possible.
“Well, Miss Navarro, I was just calling to inquire if you’d continue your work on Adam’s car. I thought since you were still on break that you’d have swung by another day by now.” Maddie bit her lip, fully aware as to why Natalie hadn’t come. She hadn’t meant that, really. Brittney was still so upset.
On the other end of the line, Natalie audibly ground her teeth. “Excuse me, I was under the impression that the work was according to my timetable. Last I checked, I’m allowed to enjoy at least some of my time off.”
Maddie’s nails bit into her palm as she clenched her hand. Why was Natalie behaving this way? Maddie silently counted to ten. “My apologies,” she ground out, “I was only curious, and I wanted to wish you well in the new year. Good health, Natalie.”
Upset, she hung up before Natalie could respond. The call had been nothing like she’d expected. She normally had much better self-control; Natalie had simply caught her off guard.
She took a seat her desk, feeling inexplicably melancholy. Perhaps a bit of reading would help, she thought as she pushed her phone to the corner of her desk. Just as she was debating between a physical book and her e-reader, her phone began to vibrate.
Even with it pushed off to the side, the picture of Natalie working was clear.
Briefly, she considered ignoring the call. She didn’t want to fight with Natalie. Her hand moved without her permission, bringing the phone to her ear.
“I’m sorry, Maddie,” Natalie said without preamble. “I shouldn’t have been so… just, yeah. I’ve been in a little bit of a funk and I made the mistake of letting the guys take me out last night. So now I’m hungover, too. That doesn’t excuse the way I was acting. I just wanted you to know, I guess.”
Maddie leaned into the phone. Natalie’s apology was genuine, her voice softly entreating. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you, too. I was just surprised. I’m afraid I don't do well with surprises.”
There was silence for a moment. “Maddie, you’re a doctor. I’m pretty sure handling surprises is like a main part of your job.”
“That’s work, it’s different. I know what to do for medical emergencies because I’m trained to handle those; social interactions are different when they’re so personal. I’m afraid I’m a little rusty. All of my friends are work colleagues. We maintain rather casual ties, at that.” She traced imaginary patterns across the top of her desk with her free hand.
Natalie’s laughter soothed the last of her disquiet, and she smiled. “Sounds like you could use a better friend to practice with.”
The implication was clear. At least, if Maddie wasn’t misinterpreting things. “Is that a good idea?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie admitted as she smoothed a hand over her dark slacks. “Brittney is still so unhappy.”
“Ah, so she told you about that.”
Maddie tilted her head. They weren’t going to speak of the other thing, then. “Yes. She’s picked a marvelous time to become closer with me.”
“I would never intentionally do anything to mess things up for any of you. You know that, right?”
“Mm.” Maddie absently ran her fingertips over her bottom lip. “I think so, yes.”
“Good.”
Unsure what to speak about, Maddie resumed her default. “If you’re hungover, please be sure to drink lots of water. Make yourself eat a little something, even if you don’t feel like it.”
“Thanks, Doc. I’m already on it. I was up earlier and managed to find my way to the kitchen for water and aspirin.” Natalie hesitated. “So, how are things there?”
“They could be a little better,” Maddie admitted honestly. “We managed to talk Brittney into going to the town’s annual New Year’s Eve party and she even smiled a few times.”
“Good, that’s good. Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes. It’s nice to see everyone and reminisce a little over the past year. The food was delicious, and the music was decent.” She cut herself off when she realized she’d been about to say ‘even you would have liked it.’ Perhaps the week Natalie had stayed in Sage Valley had made Maddie too used to her presence.
Natalie laughed again. “Sounds so much better than my night. I was completely wasted by the third bar because people kept buying me drinks. I’m pretty sure I was in a dirty stall getting sick when the clock rolled over and hit the new year.”
Maddie covered her mouth in an attempt not to laugh. “Oh honey, I hope you learned your lesson.”
“It’s one I’ve learned before, but sometimes I forget. Thankfully I don’t need a lot of reminders. This might be the last one, in fact,” Natalie admitted.
Maddie chuckled. “I’m fairly certain you’ve probably said that before. I know I did more than once when I was in college.”
“So I was thinking of getting some work in on the G-47s this weekend. What do you think?”
Adam was leaving for work Friday, and wouldn’t be back until Sunday night. She’d be happy to have the company, though she wasn’t certain how her daughter would feel. “I’m not sure how Brittney would feel about it,” she voiced aloud and then paused, considering that Natalie did have legitimate work to do, and depended on the income. “
But you’re not at fault for anything, and Brittney generally keeps to her room anyway. I think you should come.”
“If you’re sure,” Natalie said, sounding relieved.
Maddie knew she’d made the right choice. It was rather last minute for Natalie to find other work, and there were still nearly two weeks until the spring term would begin.
“You know, you didn’t sound too impressed with that New Year’s Party. Out of curiosity, what constitutes decent music to you?”
Maddie smiled and considered her reply before speaking. She moved around her desk to take a seat, not certain how long she’d be speaking and wanting to get comfortable.
“Well…”
Chapter Eighteen
It was odd to be back in Adam’s workshop after the last time Natalie had left. Going back to the simplicity of working on the G-47s was almost an alien concept. So much had happened with the Garrets that it was hard to believe there was still such an uncomplicated aspect to her association with them.
Maddie’s car was gone but Brittney’s was in the driveway. Natalie had stared at the main house for a while before finally just going into the garage. Brittney was her friend. Despite the younger girl’s feelings, that remained the same. The last thing Natalie wanted was for Brittney to be unhappy but there was little she could do—except give Brittney space.
Working was a good, safe way to keep her mind occupied and engaged.
The car was completely gutted now, and she’d been making progress rebuilding smaller parts and retooling what she could. Adam was still in the process of deciding what kind of engine he wanted to drop in, so she could only work on minor things until then.
She set up her music and turned to begin her labor of choice, completely absorbed by her work before the first song had even finished.
Time flew as she made her way through the small mental checklist she’d organized before beginning. As a result, she wasn’t sure what time it was when the smell of food pulled her away from assembling the plastic bits she’d made with the 3D printer.
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