Come To Stay

by Natalie Anglin

  Come to Stay

  By

  Natalie Anglin

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Natalie Anglin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by Charlotte Tran

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  MAYBE IT IS OKAY TO TALK TO STRANGERS

  NEVER LOSE A BET AT CHRISTMAS

  THE MAGIC OF A DOOR DECORATING COMPETITION

  SISTERS ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN

  HOW TO STEAL YOUR BROTHER’S GIRL

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  For Jenna. A friend who reignites my love for reading every day.

  “Peace on earth will come to stay,

  When we live Christmas every day.”

  – Helen Steiner Rice

  MAYBE IT IS OKAY TO TALK TO STRANGERS

  Year: 1986

  “Please, please, please! It’s already December 23 and I still don’t have my brother’s present. If there is no gift under that tree when he wakes up on Christmas morning, he is going to kill me!’

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” the flustered cashier said. “Maybe you can buy him another book? We have a large selection of—”

  “No, you don’t understand!” Adrienne let her purse fall to the floor as she clasped her hands in a prayer position on the counter. “My brother is obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. It is probably the only book series he likes. I have been looking everywhere for a first edition copy of the trilogy and when I called yesterday, the person on the phone said that this store has a copy and that she would put it on hold for me.”

  “Do you have her name?” He asked. “I can contact her and see where this mistake happened.”

  “Yes!” She grabbed her purse and started rifling through it. It was full of junk — mostly old receipts, makeup and pens — but she finally found the piece of paper she was looking for. She laid it out flat on the counter. “See I wrote it right here. Her name was Penelope.”

  “Penelope,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, I’m not aware of anyone named Penelope working here.”

  “What?” Adrienne cried. “But I called the store — this store — last night and she was the one who answered!”

  “I’m very sorry ma’am and I will work to figure out how that came about. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact that we do not currently have the book.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, are you absolutely positive? Because—”

  “Excuse me.” Another man appeared beside the cashier, who was looking more overwhelmed by the second. “I’ll take it from here, Joe. Ma’am, I’m the manager of the store. Can I help you with something today?”

  “Yes,” she said sharply. She looked at his name tag. “Brandon. Yes, you absolutely can help me with something. My little brother is a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. For Christmas this year, I really wanted to get him the first edition copies of the book trilogy, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I called this store last night and a woman named… Penelope answered and told me you did have a copy. Now that other cashier, Joe, is telling me that you do not have a copy of the trilogy and that there isn’t even anyone named Penelope who works here. Can you explain that please?”

  Brandon looked perplexed. “Joe is right that there’s nobody named Penelope who works here, ma’am. I’m very sorry about that confusion. Is it possible perhaps that you called a different store?”

  “No, I was very careful to ask the address of the store three times!” She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down then said at a normal volume, “Look, I’m sorry about this. I’m just very stressed about finding this gift for my brother in time for Christmas. I have no other ideas of what I can get him. Is there any, and I mean any, chance that you have a copy of this trilogy around here somewhere?”

  Brandon pursed his lips and thought for a moment.

  “First edition copies are pretty rare,” he said. “We do have a small collection of them downstairs, however. We can look down there together if you would like, but it seems highly unlikely that we have the whole trilogy.”

  “I’ll settle for one book,” Adrienne said immediately. “Absolutely anything, just please help me out!”

  Brandon nodded and grabbed a key ring with about ten keys on it from the drawer in the counter.

  “Follow me.” He led the way through the bookstore to a set of stairs in the very back. A sign on the door read STOP. MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN EMPLOYEE TO GO FURTHER THAN THIS POINT. He used one of the keys to unlock the door then held it open for Adrienne to go through. On the other side was a set of stairs that gave way to a dark basement. Brandon let the door shut behind them then flicked on the lights. “It always seems scarier in the dark.”

  “You sure you’re not going to murder me down here?” Adrienne asked as they walked down the stairs. She was only half-joking.

  “Don’t worry, Joe watched us walk down here. And there’s security cameras down here since the books are worth so much. Pretty damning evidence.”

  Adrienne looked up. Sure enough, there were security cameras in each corner of the room. She let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding since walking downstairs and relaxed a bit.

  “Sorry I didn’t ask earlier,” Brandon said, “what’s your name?”

  “Oh, I’m Adrienne.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Adrienne. I’m Brandon. Which you already knew but it’s weird not to introduce yourself when somebody else does so there we go. Anyway, here are all our special edition books.”

  The walls of the room were adorned with bookshelves, each covered with locked glass panels. Inside the shelves were well-maintained copies of hundreds of books.

  “This is amazing,” Adrienne said in awe. “Why do you keep them all down here? Nobody gets to see them.”

  “Well, first of all, they’re worth a lot of money and it would be risky to keep them upstairs. But it’s best to keep older books in certain conditions so they don’t get ruined. Does your brother know much about that?”

  “Oh yeah, he knows much more about it than me,” Adrienne said. She glanced around the room. “Where would The Lord of the Rings be?”

  “Probably somewhere over here,” he said, gesturing to the far corner. “But just to be safe, we can check the whole stock. Wouldn’t want to miss it if it’s just hidden somewhere in here. Why don’t you check those two walls and I’ll check these two?”

  “Alright.” She walked over to the first wall, looking at the titles along it. She couldn’t help but be amazed at the early editions of the familiar titles.

  “It’s not over here,” Brandon said. “Any luck?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Adrienne shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair as she desperately tried to think of a solution. “I guess I’ll just have to get him something else.”

  “Not necessarily,” Brandon said. Adrienne looked at him incredulously.

  “You think that because I couldn’t find my brother the gift I wanted to get him, I should just not get him a gift altogether? Somehow I don’t think that will go over well.”

  A smile tugged at Brandon’s lips. “That’s not what I meant. It just occurred to me that I know of an antique bookstore in downtown Toronto. I think it’s closed for the night now, but you could go in the morning and see if they have the books. Then if they don’t, you still have the time t
o get something else. There are tons of shops in the same area, I’m sure you’ll find something, even if it isn’t as good as this gift idea.”

  “That would be great but unfortunately my car is broken. The engine died when I was on my way home from university, which was just great.”

  “I could drive you,” Brandon offered. Adrienne stared at him.

  “I’m sorry what?”

  “I could drive you,” he repeated. “I have a car. It’s not the nicest but it will do the job. I don’t have any plans tomorrow since I’m not working and I’m only getting together with my family on Christmas Day.”

  “I’m sorry, let me get this straight. You want to drive me — a total stranger — an hour both ways to Toronto so I might be able to get my brother a present. And you’re willing to drive in downtown Toronto. On Christmas Eve.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?”

  “Why should it be crazy for me to offer to do something nice?”

  “Because we don’t know each other!”

  “Sure, we do. I know your name is Adrienne, you’re in university, and you have a younger brother who loves Lord of the Rings and is into collecting things. You know my name is Brandon, I’m the manager of this bookstore and I believe in helping others in need. That’s plenty to know about each other.”

  “That’s barely anything!”

  “All the more reason I should drive you. We can get to know each other.”

  “You just disproved your own first argument.”

  “I’m simply changing my argument. So, what do you say?”

  Adrienne laughed in disbelief. “You’re actually offering this?”

  “Of course.”

  “I… Christmas Eve is a big deal in my family. I don’t miss much of the day. And I definitely need to be back for dinner.”

  “No problem. We leave in the morning, get there for opening, should be around 9 a.m. if I remember correctly, then if they have the books, you buy them and we come straight back. Otherwise, we find another store that has something your brother will like, you buy it and we come back. Either way, the whole trip can’t take more than a few hours. How about it?”

  “This still doesn’t solve the problem of you being a total stranger. I’m a pretty nineteen-year-old girl. How do I know you’re not going to abduct me?”

  “I promise I will not abduct you.”

  “Forgive me for not taking your word for it.”

  “What would you rather I do? Tell me how I can prove to you I am not a murderer and I will do it.”

  She thought about it for a few moments.

  “I suppose if you come pick me up from my parents’ house and let them see you, full face and everything. In fact, let them take a picture of us together so they can use it if I go missing. Also, you’ll have to give them your full name with proof of government I.D., along with your license plate number. And we’ll give them a time I’m definitely going to be home by so if I’m not then they can call the police as soon as possible.”

  “Would you like me to provide them with my social insurance number and credit card information while we’re at it?”

  “Don’t tempt me. But I suppose if you agree to all my conditions then you can drive me to Toronto.”

  “You’re phrasing that as though you are doing me a favour rather than the other way around.”

  “Well, you’re the one insisting on it!”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Alright. Give me your address and I’ll come pick you up at… 8 a.m.?”

  Adrienne wrote her address and phone number on the back of an old receipt and slid it over to him.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

  “So, did I pass all your tests?” Brandon asked.

  “Yes, I was very pleased to see that you came prepared with a recent photograph, your I.D. and your license plate number written down.”

  “Yes, I thought it would be best. I wasn’t sure you would get in my car otherwise.”

  “Hm, I probably would have but it did make me feel better so thank you for that.”

  “Do you want the radio on? Every channel is just playing Christmas music which I personally don’t mind but I know not everyone is huge on that.”

  “No, Christmas music sounds great. I’m such a sap for the holiday season.”

  Brandon turned on the radio. He fiddled with it a little while being careful to keep his eyes on the road.

  “You can choose which station you want,” he said. “Sorry, I have trouble doing two things at once.”

  “Oh, okay.” Adrienne switched the channels until she reached one, she recognized. ‘Winter Wonderland’ was playing. Adrienne began humming the song under her breath.

  “One of your favourites?” Brandon asked.

  Adrienne shrugged. “I guess so. I’m not very particular about the music I listen to, though. What’s your favourite song?”

  “Normal song or Christmas song?”

  “Both.”

  “Normal song… this song is a bit older but ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ by the Beatles. And Christmas song, I would probably say ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ by Andy Williams.”

  “Both good choices,” Adrienne agreed. She looked out the window. “Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Of course. We’re almost there, actually.” He looked at her briefly. “So, what are you studying in school?”

  “Business. Seems like a pretty boring major, I know, but I honestly find it fascinating.”

  “As long as you like it, that’s what matters.”

  “Did you go to university?”

  He shook his head and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song.

  “No. My parents wanted me to but I didn’t have enough money saved up after high school, so I started working. Then by the time I should have applied to start this year, I realized I had no idea what I would even study. I got promoted to manager of the store pretty quickly and I decided that I was happy doing that, at least for the time being. Who knows, maybe I’ll go back and get a degree later on, but for now, I’m happy with working.”

  “How do your parents feel about that decision now? You said they wanted you to go originally, do they still want you to drop everything and go?”

  “Yeah, definitely. My mom doesn’t care that much but my dad is constantly on my ass about it. He always wanted me to follow in his footsteps and go to medical school, so it’s a hard pill for him to swallow that it’s almost definitely not happening.”

  “I’m sure he just wants what’s best for you.”

  “He wants what he thinks is best for me,” Brandon corrected. “But what he thinks is best for me and what is actually best for me are two different things.”

  “Right.”

  “I’ve tried to explain to him that I never had any interest in going to medical school but before I can even get a word in, he starts laying on the guilt. He goes on and on about how hard he worked to get to where he is in life, all so that he could supply me and my siblings with a good life and education, and that I was throwing all that work down the drain if I didn’t go to medical school. And then I’ll say something about how that’s okay because I have four younger siblings and there’s every chance that one of them will decide to go to medical school, but he always combats it with how I’m the oldest son, so I need to set a good example and all that. Usually, we end off the conversation with him saying it’s okay and giving me hope that maybe that’s the end of it, but then he follows that up with how one day, when I have children and they betray me, I will understand his pain. And then to really sprinkle on the guilt, he says that he’s sure by the time I realize what a grave mistake I’ve made and how much I’ve hurt him, he’ll be dead, so I won’t even get the chance to apologize.”

  “And of course, he’ll probably die younger than he should because you didn’t go to medical school and can’t help him, right?”


  “Exactly!” Brandon slammed his hand against the top of the steering wheel. “Are your parents like that too?”

  “Not really with me but they say stuff like that to my brother. My dad has his own business and he desperately wants David to take over one day, but David… has other interests. Do you think any of your siblings are going to go to medical school and make your dad happy?”

  “Maybe one of them will. I mean, I have a younger sister who really wants to go to medical school, but my dad doesn’t even hear her when she says it. He keeps saying how she needs to marry a successful doctor and she fires back that she’ll become a doctor for somebody to marry instead.” He laughed. “Sorry, this is a lot to be unloading on somebody I barely know.”

  “No, it’s fine!” She smiled at him. “You promised I would get to know you so you’re just living up to those expectations.”

  He pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked.

  “Here we are. Miller’s Magnificent Books. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, no one will.”

  They both climbed out of the car. Adrienne pulled her coat tighter around her.

  “Is it me or is it colder now than when we left?” She asked.

  “It’s definitely windier,” Brandon said. “Does the store look open to you?”

  The lights in the store were off and there was a sign in the window that couldn’t be easily read from the street. Brandon ran up the couple of steps leading to the door and read the sign.

  “What is it?” Adrienne asked. She bounced on her toes to keep warm.

  “We might not have thought this plan through,” Brandon said.

  “Tell me it’s not closed.”

  “Not for the whole day. It just doesn’t open until 10 a.m. since it’s Christmas Eve.”

  Adrienne threw her head back and groaned.

  “It’s not worth it to drive home and back out here again,” she said. “Should we go pick out another present for him first then come and check if they have the books?”