The Christmas Tree Guy

by Railyn Stone

  “Quinn.”

  Quinn turned to see his boss exiting the gym’s office, coming his way. “Hey, what’s up, Adam?”

  “I’ve got something you have been waiting a long time for,” Adam said, handing Quinn a business card.

  “What’s this?”

  “Your dream job,” Adam answered, walking alongside Quinn to the locker room so he could put up his bag.

  “My dream job, what are you talking about?” Quinn looked at the card and read the name. Looking at the card a little closer, he realized it was the card of the head of the training department for an NFL team in Florida. He looked up at Adam with a puzzled look on his face, and wondered why he was handing the card to him.

  “I have a friend that wants to talk to you. He seems to have a position opening up on his staff and he’s looking for a trainer.”

  “Are you serious?” Quinn swallowed hard as he stood staring in disbelief at Adam. “You are kidding me, right?”

  “Look, I know you are happy here, Quinn. And I know you’ve been getting courted by a lot of organizations. But, he’s a good friend and I mentioned you to him. Plus, I told him what I’ve seen you do with some of the athletes here. He wants to meet you. It’s a great opportunity.”

  “Wow, Adam, I don’t know what to say.” Quinn stood holding the card in his hand and trying to get his mind to catch up with the words Adam was saying. The job he had in Texas before had been a great opportunity, but it hadn’t ended well. He had gotten his life back in order and he was happy with it. Not to mention, he and Sydnee were making progress. At least he was hoping they were. She had finally let him spend time with her kids and, even though she was kind of forced to, her mother now knew about him. He also knew opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime and he did want another shot at it. This was the NFL and they were calling him.

  “Don’t say anything to me. Look, he’s in town for a couple of days. Give him a call so you guys can meet up and talk. Just check it out, find out if it’s something you would be interested in.” Quinn knew Adam was supportive of the trainers working for him and he had been especially supportive of Quinn. “Honestly, I will hate to see you go, but I know I can’t hold you here. You’ve got too much talent. Talk to him. See what you think.”

  “I will. Thanks, Adam,” Quinn extended his hand to shake Adam’s.

  “Hey, no thanks needed. Just remember me. Tickets, 50 yard-line, all right,” Adam laughed as he turned and pointed at Quinn, leaving him to get ready for his first client.

  “Wow.” Quinn whispered to himself as he sank down onto the bench. He leaned forward, never able to take his eyes off of the card in his hand. His heart, which should be leaping out of his chest, was heavy. Adam was right; this was an opportunity of a lifetime. This wasn’t just a semi-pro team. It was the biggest sports stage in the country. It was everything he had ever dreamed of. This was a true career changer. It was also a relationship changer. He knew all too well from his past experience. He could apply for the job, but what would it do to his relationship with Sydnee? He and Lexie had imploded and they were living together at the time. What would something like this do to him and Sydnee if they were miles apart? There was no way he could take a job hundreds of miles away from the woman he was really starting to fall for. Especially now that he was getting closer to Charlie and Travis. He couldn’t possibly walk away from them and do what their father had done to them. He had known the pain all too well himself when his own father chose a job over him. He couldn’t do it too.

  ###

  “Would you calm down?” Quinn grinned at Sydnee’s nervousness and he moved behind her to pull her into his arms. “It’s going to be fine.” He kissed her temple and released her so she could turn to look at him. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. It felt good knowing she cared as much about him as he did about her.

  He watched her rubbing her hands together and he took them in his to stop her from rubbing every last piece of skin off. “How do you know that?”

  “Because, I just know, okay?”

  “She leaves in two days. Two days.” Quinn laughed at Sydnee repeating her ‘Mother is going home’ mantra as she busied herself in the kitchen. He decided to hold off on telling her about the job opportunity. She had enough stress on her as it was. Since her mother came to town, Sydnee was wound up and he couldn’t figure out how to get her to calm down. It probably wasn’t the right time to add his possible chance for a job hundreds of miles away.

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yes. As soon as she leaves.” Quinn thought about Sydnee’s phone call to him earlier and how, against her better judgment, she was going to try what he did with his mother. Of course it wouldn’t be nearly as many people since the rest of her family was in Atlanta. However, they would have a family dinner, and he could sit down with her and the kids so Carroll could see just how wonderful he was. Quinn was all for it. He knew if he just got the chance to talk to Carroll, then she would realize he wasn’t so bad. Plus, he loved spending as much time as he could with Sydnee and the twins. Now, they were in the middle of said family dinner, and Quinn felt like he had been on a witness stand with the amount of questions Carroll had directed at him. He thought he handled it fine. She was just like any other mother who wanted the best for her child as far as he could tell. Sydnee on the other hand, was a basket case. He had offered to help her with getting the dessert from the kitchen so he could make sure she was okay. “I’m just ready for this to end.”

  “Syd, she is not that bad.”

  “Whatever, Quinn. She had to have asked you more than fifty different questions. She didn’t even ask Matt that many questions when I first introduced them. It was like watching an episode of Perry Mason or something.”

  “Perry who?”

  “Oh, please, don’t remind me of how old I am. Never mind.” Reaching out, Quinn took her hand and squeezed it. He needed to figure out how to get her to relax and calm down enough to get through the rest of dinner. Her hands were shaking and he turned her to face him, taking one of her hands and placing it on his chest.

  “I’m fine. See, I’m still in one piece. No harm, no foul.” Sydnee acted as if the Great Wall of China was about to fall on his head and he didn’t understand why she was as nervous as she was. Something else must be going on he wasn’t aware of and he worried maybe he had said something or done something wrong.

  “I know. You have been so good about all of this.” She reached up, running her delicate hand across his face and he relished the feel of her skin on his. He could stand there looking in her eyes for the rest of the day if she would let him.

  “I’m heading back in there. You need any help with anything?”

  “No. This should be ready in a few. Just take this and some more ice.” She handed him the pitcher of iced tea and the ice bucket to head back to the dining room they never used except for when her mother came. Quinn winked at Sydnee before walking into the dining room to find Carroll talking to the boys.

  “Where’s Sydnee?”

  “She’s finishing up in the kitchen.” Quinn gestured to Carroll’s glass to see if she wanted more tea. She quickly shook her head and he noticed her recline in her chair. One finely pressed leg crossed over the other and her arms followed suit. She sat watching him like a hawk.

  “Nana, can we go watch cartoons?”

  “Travis, that’s fine sweetheart, and it’s ‘may we’, okay?” Her face lightened for a moment as she turned graciously to her grandsons.

  “Okay.” He hopped down from his place at the table along with Charlie. They were just about to take off running down the hallway, when both looked over to see the disapproving glare of their grandmother and they walked quickly out of the room.

  “Would you rather have coffee, Ms. Duprey? I can get that for you if you want.”

  “Oh, no. I am fine. Tell me something. Do you make it a habit befriending single mothers and spending time with them and their
children?”

  Clearing his throat, Quinn sat down across from her and noticed Carroll’s skeptical glare. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Well, I just wonder what you are getting out of this. Is this something to make you feel better about yourself, or do you genuinely care for my daughter and grandsons?”

  “Wow. I understand your concern for Sydnee and the boys; especially after all they have been through. But I assure you, I only have the best intentions when it comes to them.” Quinn wasn’t sure what Carroll was inferring. He only had the best in mind for Sydnee and the boys. Her demeanor from dinner had certainly changed and her aloofness earlier had quickly turned to animosity. He wondered again just what he’d missed.

  “Really? And exactly what are your intentions? You are obviously a lot younger than my daughter. You two are clearly from different backgrounds. What could you possibly have in common with her? Not that I’m too sure I want to know.” Her haughty look unnerved Quinn and he suddenly started to understand why Sydnee had been so worked up. Her mother just didn’t think anyone but Matt was good enough for Sydnee. It was the fact that anyone white would never be good enough.

  “Ms. Duprey, your daughter is an extraordinary woman.” Quinn didn’t notice Sydnee had come to the doorway and heard the tail end of the question her mother asked. “I am pretty sure you already know this, but your daughter is special. Her laugh, her smile, just her sheer being is magic. She lights up a room when she walks in it.” Quinn paused for a moment, thinking about Sydnee and how he felt when he was around her. “Sydnee is beautiful, an amazing mother, and she has a strength I’m not even sure she realizes she has. Nothing can break her. Nothing can stop her from being who she is and that’s amazing to me. So when you ask me about my intentions, well, my intent is to be in her and the boys’ lives for as long as she will let me. My intent is to protect them from anything and anyone who dares to hurt them. My intent is to love your daughter like no one has ever loved her. She has my heart and I plan on protecting hers for as long as I live.” He hoped the woman could understand just how much he cared about Sydnee. He knew they would be met with opposition. Unfortunately, there were still people in the world against interracial couples. They didn’t want to see people who were truly in love with one another together, just because of the color of their skin. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t want to understand it. To him, it made no sense. No one should be close-minded about love. He wasn’t raised that way and he wasn’t about to change his mind about it. He didn’t want to disrespect Carroll, but he refused to let her or anyone else hurt or demean what he and Sydnee had. And he certainly wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Sydnee and the boys because of them being together.

  “Well, you’ve just got it all figured out, don’t you? Hmm, think it is easy? You and Sydnee can be together and ride off into the sunset with Travis and Charlie and everything will be fine. You both are living in some kind of dream world and frankly, I don’t like it. You can’t possibly think you can protect my daughter and grandsons from the hurt and pain a relationship like this can cause.”

  She continued to stare him down and Quinn sat back for a second. He was stunned by the differences in Sydnee and Carroll. Yes, it had taken Sydnee a moment to consider going out with him, but it was because it was something she’d never done before, not because of his skin color. “Ms. Duprey, with all due respect-”

  “Don’t ‘with all due respect’ me. I am not going to sit by and idly watch my daughter make decisions that will end in nothing but pain and misery. If you think I’m going to accept this, you are sadly mistaken.” Quinn could feel the hatred pouring out of her eyes and intricately woven in between every word coming from her mouth. “I love my daughter. I love my grandchildren. They deserve to have a life full of love and laughter, not one of painful and uncomfortable situations.”

  “Ms. Duprey, I love your daughter and your grandsons. I would never do anything purposely to put them in painful situations.”

  “You are purposely dating her aren’t you?” Carroll shot back and Quinn paused.

  “Well, yes-”

  “Then you are purposely putting them in a no-win situation. Get it through your head. This will never work and I’m not about to let them endure something they don’t have to. They haven’t had anything like this in the past and shouldn’t be subjected to it now.”

  Quinn looked down at the table and gathered his thoughts. At the rate it was going, he wasn’t going to win with Carroll, but he needed to let her know how he felt. He slowly lifted his eyes to hers. “Ms. Duprey, I can see you don’t approve of my relationship with your daughter-”

  “I don’t.”

  “But you may want to think about this. Even if I weren’t in their lives, they are all going to be presented with uncomfortable and painful situations. We all have them in life. There’s no getting around it. That’s just life. I care about them enough to be there for them when they go through those painful situations.” Quinn kept his eyes trained on Carroll, letting her know he wasn’t about to back down from her. “And, I’m not in a competition with Sydnee’s past. In all honesty, there is no competition.” Quinn paused, looking at Carroll’s displeased face. He was sure he wasn’t winning any points with her, but he had to let her know just how much he cared about Sydnee. “Matt was a source of one of those painful situations. He didn’t respect her and he didn’t know how to love her and take care of her.”

  “And you do?”

  Quinn’s silver eyes darkened as he stared evenly at Carroll. “Yes, I do. You may not believe me, but I have Sydnee’s and Charlie’s and Travis’ best interests at heart. You never have to worry about me hurting them. I am not Matt and I know how special all three of them are.”

  “So, who’s ready for dessert?” Quinn and Carroll’s face off ended when Quinn finally glanced to see Sydnee in the room. He offered a stiff grin at her and stood from his seat.

  “I’ll go get the boys. They went to watch cartoons.” He walked out of the dining room to the boys’ playroom.

  “I guess you got the answers you were searching for, Mother?”

  “Why can’t you see this is not going to work?” Carroll snapped, standing from her spot at the end of the table and smoothing her blouse. She observed Sydnee continuing to place the dessert on the table. “I don’t like this, Sydnee, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want my grandsons growing up around him.”

  “Why? Mother, you don’t even know Quinn. You haven’t given him a chance at all. You see how much he cares about us. He sat here and told you that.”

  “It’s really not polite to eavesdrop, Sydnee.” Carroll walked to the other side of the table, leaned on it, and looked into Sydnee’s eyes. “I know I surprised you with this visit, but if he is going to be here, Sydnee, then I will not.”

  “Mother, what are you saying?” Sydnee stopped mid-movement and her breath caught in her throat. “Are you asking me to choose between you and Quinn?”

  Carroll stood straight and looked down her flawlessly powdered nose. “When you decide to make good choices and not betray me and the people who have loved and supported you, we can talk. Until then…” Carroll trailed off as she watched Quinn and the boys enter the room. He could tell something was going on between the two, especially when he saw an errant tear escape from one of Sydnee’s beautiful eyes. Carroll moved around the table and stalked out of the room. Quinn drifted to Sydnee’s side and rubbed her arm, wiping away the tear before the boys noticed.

  “Hey, everything okay?”

  “Yes.” Sydnee diverted her eyes toward the floor and gathered herself, trying to calm her breathing. Quinn knew she was doing it for the boys’ sakes; she didn’t want to upset them.

  He knew she wasn’t okay and he wasn’t quite sure what he could do to make things better. Clearly, something happened between Sydnee and her mother while he was out of the room. “You sure? Is something wrong?”

  “Oh, no,” she said giving him the best smile she could as she d
ipped ice cream into bowls for the boys.

  CHAPTER 13

  During the following weeks Sydnee agonized over her mother’s last words to her. She had walked on eggshells while her mother visited and had been left despondent when she gave her the ultimatum concerning her and Quinn. If only she would give him a chance. It was like a bad dream. She knew there was a possibility people would have a problem with them being together, but she never imagined her mother would act the way she did. She wanted to be closer to her mother, not just for the boys’ sakes, but also for her own. Sydnee needed her mother’s love and approval. She wanted it more than anything when it came to their relationship, but now it seemed impossible. She called Carroll numerous times, only to leave voice mails. Her brother told her he would talk to her and to give it some time. Her mother would come around soon. But Sydnee wasn’t so sure. They had disagreed on things before, but never to this level. Laughter and squeals from the backyard snapped her back to reality and she turned to look outside. She chuckled as she stood in the kitchen watching through the window at the boys playing with Quinn. He asked her over and over what happened and why her mother left so quickly. She lied and told him her mother needed to get back. A family issue had come up. Nothing serious, but she needed to go back to Atlanta. She knew he was skeptical but she was grateful he didn’t push the issue. She continued to watch Quinn laughing and running around with the twins; they ate up every moment of attention he gave. He was so great with them. Why would her mother want her to end this?

  “He’s at the forty, the thirty, the twenty…and he’s taken down by the defensive end, Travis Garrett at the fifteen.” Quinn lay on the ground under the weight of the two giggling six year olds. Their friendly game of football had quickly escalated into ‘let’s tackle Quinn’. Sydnee had never seen them laugh so much and it warmed her heart to watch their interaction. It was an unseasonably warm day and instead of them staying in the house and playing video games, Quinn had suggested they play outside.