by Natalie Ann
Zach never had a knack for tinkering. His grandfather tried, and Zach did too, but it was more frustrating for both of them. Especially with Zach talking nonstop when his grandfather was trying to concentrate.
“Give the kids my best,” Zach said, purposely excluding his mother.
“I will. Have a good day.”
Zach hung up the phone and looked at the clock. Still two hours before he wanted to leave, so he got to work like he’d said. Because he told his grandmother that was what he planned for the day and he never lied to her.
With You
A little less than two hours later, Zach pulled into the church’s parking lot. Not too many cars around yet, so he turned in the back and parked by Amber’s red sports car.
He walked around to the passenger side of his rental and pulled out the large box, then made his way to the open door.
When he popped his head in, he saw people around moving briskly but they looked organized at the same time. His type of people.
“Zach,” Amber said, noticing him first. He’d been looking for her, but hadn’t seen her in the sea of people. “What do you have there?”
He held the box up higher. “Courtesy of Celeste.”
Amber peeked in the box, then lifted the foil off the disposable tin. “She even carved it for us. She’s an angel. And pies, too. Damn, she is good. Did you volunteer to deliver it so you could see me?”
“Of course. I might have mentioned I was hoping you’d put me to work.”
“Really? Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
He was where he wanted to be for the moment. “I do. It’s with you.”
“Wow. Okay. If you insist, but don’t think you’re going to be put on the easy work. Follow me and we can set this turkey up now. People will start piling in in about twenty minutes when we open the doors.”
He walked over with her to a cafeteria-line set up where there was tin after tin of turkey sliced and ready to go, along with potatoes, stuffing, and vegetables. Desserts were off to the side lined up and being sliced and put on paper plates.
“This is unbelievable. I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.”
She smiled proudly at him. “It’s nice having this big of a kitchen for the hall. People rent the space for parties and weddings and such. It brings in some nice revenue for the church. But it also comes in handy for times like this.”
“Did you guys cook all of this food this morning?”
“No. A lot of it was dropped off in the last thirty minutes, just like you’re doing now. This gets us started while the rest is cooking. Others will drop off more in the next hour or so, almost in shifts. My mother is a drill sergeant when it comes to these dinners.”
“I might like your mother,” he said.
“Yeah, well, today is not the day to meet her. At least not yet.”
He didn’t think so, but if he had the chance, he was going to use every bit of charm he had.
“How many will you serve?”
“Last year was over a hundred. We’re expecting the same turnout this year, but I think we’re lined up to serve more. Anything left over will be donated to the homeless shelter in the area, or saved up and repurposed for food to sell at Bingo tomorrow night.”
“Bingo,” he said, laughing. This couldn’t be the same woman he met in Vegas. “Do you work Bingo?”
“Not anymore. Come on, no time for chatter. If you want to work, we’ve got to get to it.”
And work he did. He was moved everywhere at one point or another. He didn’t have time to talk even if he wanted to.
Between replacing tins, refilling pitchers with water, coffee and juice, slicing pies, washing bowls, and wiping up messes on tables, he was exhausted and it’d only been three hours.
A little after three o’clock, the last of the people were being served and there was very little food left, but no one was turned away.
“My feet are killing me. Why don’t you look even a tiny bit wilted?” he asked Amber. “You had to have been here early.”
“I’ve been here since five this morning, just like my parents and a few others. Remember, I’m on my feet all day long moving like this every day. Some of us don’t sit behind a desk at work.”
He forced a laugh out. If he had more energy, he’d pull her in for a hug, but couldn’t even manage that. How he was still standing was beyond him. “How long will you stay now?”
“We need to clean up the hall. Others will take care of the kitchen. My mother has a system and doesn’t like it disrupted.”
“Is that your father over there?” he asked of the older man he’d noticed walking around all day, talking to people while they ate, entertaining kids, even delivering plates to those who had trouble making their way to the line for food.
“It is. He’ll make sure he talks to everyone before they leave. Thank them for sharing the holiday with him and see if they had enough to eat.”
“Thank them?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “My parents don’t want anyone to feel like this was charity or a handout. It was a holiday celebration and that’s how everyone is made to feel.”
He’d had need in his life, but never like the people here today. And the amount of work that went into the day was more than he could have ever comprehended. He was both humbled and satisfied in a way he’d never experienced before.
“You come from good stock, Amber.”
She looked at him oddly for a second, then leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly.
“Yeah, I guess I do after all.”
“Amber, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
He turned and noticed a woman that had to be Amber’s mother, then extended his hand. “Hi. I’m Zach Monroe and I was just telling your daughter this event was eye opening for me. I feel honored to have been a part of it.”
“Zach, this is my mother, Anne Deacon.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Deacon.” His grandmother raised him right.
“I hear a soft accent in there. You aren’t from around here, are you?” she asked.
He knew an inquisition when he saw one. Not only was she ready to start questioning him, she wasn’t even a little bit wilted, either. He was starting to feel slightly inferior between these women.
“I live in Richmond, Virginia.”
“How do you know my daughter then? I don’t recall her ever going to Richmond.”
“Mom, Zach is very close with Nick and Rene Buchanan. He’s visiting right now.”
“Oh, you met Amber through Rene,” Anne said.
He could let her believe that, or he could tell her the truth. Instead he turned his head to see how Amber answered. She chose the truth, too.
“Not originally. I met Zach in Vegas a few weeks ago. He also works for Nick and was at the convention, too. I always say it’s such a small world,” she said, a bright smile on her face.
Anne frowned. “Vegas. I hope you were a good girl there, Amber.”
“Aren’t I always, Mom?” she said sweetly, her eyes laughing at Zach.
“I never know when you’re joking or being honest. I’m just going to choose to believe you were raised right and acted accordingly. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Monroe,” Anne said and walked away.
“Ouch. Mr. Monroe,” Zach said. “What did I do?”
“You met me in Sin City. Don’t take it personally.”
It was hard not to and just made it all the more difficult for him to win her parents over now. “So, what do you need me to do to help you clean up?”
She looked at him skeptically. “Really? Are you sure it has nothing to do with my seventy-year-old mother running circles around you today?” she asked, laughing.
“No,” he said, nodding his head yes.
She giggled. “All right. I could use your help so I can get out of here faster. A shower and a glass of wine are calling my name. The sooner I get to them, the better.”
For the next forty minutes, they folded
chairs and put them against the wall, wiped down tables, then swept and finally mopped the floor once the last dinner “guest” had left.
Now they were in the parking lot next to his car. “So are you really going home alone?” he asked.
“Yes. I normally do. I just need to decompress after the day.”
“Aren’t you the least bit hungry?” Now that he was done working, he found he was starving.
“I am, but I’ll get something at home. Are you going to Nick’s now?”
“I’ll go back and shower quickly, too. I think I smell like Thanksgiving dinner mixed in with a cardio workout.”
She reached her hand out and grasped his. “Thanks for coming today, Zach. It was unexpected, but it meant a great deal to me. I’m sure there are better ways you wanted to spend your holiday.”
“I’m sure there are better ways you’d want to spend yours, too, but since the only thing I really wanted to do was spend it with you, it worked out well. Don’t you think?”
“Yes. I do.”
Love Life
A short time later, Zach was showered and changed and pulling into Nick’s driveway.
He knocked once, opened the door, then called out. Susan Buchanan, Nick’s mother, came rushing forward and gave him a hug.
He hugged her back, secretly wishing she were his own mother. She had treated him as such since Nick brought him home for Thanksgiving their freshman year of college. “I didn’t know you and John were coming.”
“John didn’t tell you?” she said.
John, Nick’s father, worked with him in Virginia, stepping in for Nick once he’d decided to relocate here.
“No, he never mentioned a word.”
“That’s because when we talk, you never let me get a word in edgewise,” John said when Zach walked into the living room.
“Good to see you too,” Zach said, laughing.
His grandmother was right. He was spending Thanksgiving with family anyway. Nick’s entire family was present, including Trixie, Nick’s grandmother.
“Zach, you’re looking a little tired right now,” Trixie said. “Have a rough night?”
Not as rough as he would have liked, but he couldn’t say that to this group of people. Or at least not everyone in the room.
“I was home early last night, but I just got done helping out at the Thanksgiving dinner at Amber’s parents’ church.”
Rene giggled. “She put you to work. Gosh, I love her.”
“Cute, Rene. But no, she didn’t even know I was going. I dropped off food for Celeste this morning when I mentioned it to her at breakfast, and then I stayed to help Amber.”
“So you tried to score points with her?” Nick asked.
“Why else would I work my butt off on a holiday?”
Susan walked over and pinched his arm. “You’re a softy and you know it. That might have been your original thought, but under it all, you’re always there to lend a hand.”
He wrinkled his nose. Yeah, family. They knew him well.
“So why are you trying to get on Amber’s good side?” Trixie asked.
“Why else, Grandma?” Rene said, pushing herself to her feet and making her way to the table with the snacks. “Amber and Zach hooked up in Vegas. Didn’t even know each other since Nick bailed on me last minute and I didn’t go.”
“He didn’t bail,” Mallory said, jumping in. “I wasn’t feeling good and he was nervous about leaving me. You could have still gone, though.”
“I could have, but Cole would have driven everyone insane here, so it was better to stay back. Besides, if I went, Zach would have never spent all the time he did with Amber.”
“I’m getting a little uncomfortable here with the way you guys are talking about my love life as if I’m not even in the room.”
“Love life,” John said. “Not just a hook up then?”
Zach turned and looked at John—the father he never really had as a kid—and wondered if he really wanted one now as an adult.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it does,” John said. “A hook up wouldn’t have you all twisted up like you are right now. And it explains a lot about the last few weeks, too. I’m thinking there’s more going on than you’re telling us.”
“Dad,” Nick said, jumping in. “Zach never leaves the details out of things.”
John looked at Nick, then at Zach. “You’re probably right. Still, where is she now?”
Zach was grateful for Nick’s interference. But John was right, he normally didn’t leave details out, and that he was doing it now to people he secretly wished were his own parents should mean something.
“She’s home relaxing. She was at the church since five this morning.”
“She’s alone on a holiday,” Susan said. “Really, Zach. I’m disappointed. Go get the girl.”
It reminded him of what Celeste told him days ago. “She said she wanted to relax. That it’s part of her routine after a long day.”
“And you believed her?” Rene asked, then grabbed her phone.
***
Amber was sitting on the couch in sweats and slippers, her hair in a bun and she was just getting ready to take her first sip of wine when her phone rang.
She wasn’t on call this week—that was Dena’s responsibility—so she was going to let it go, but was secretly hoping it was Zach.
Instead, she saw it was Rene. “Hey, girl, why are you calling me when you should be enjoying your holiday?”
“You’ve got ten minutes to get ready. I’m sending Zach over there to pick you up.”
Amber sat up straight on the couch. “Wow, you’re bossy. And no, I don’t have ten minutes. I’m beat and I’m relaxing. Enjoy your family holiday.”
“Don’t be stubborn, Amber. Come be with us for the evening.”
“I’m tired, Rene,” Amber said. It was partially the truth.
“You have endless energy and you know it. Ten minutes, Amber.”
The phone went dead before she could say another word. Damn, Rene never used to be like this.
Two choices. Stay where she was and enjoy her wine and comfy clothes and turn Zach away when he showed up in ten minutes. Because she was positive he would be here. Probably with bells on since she hadn’t missed his longing glances and hesitation when she said she was going home to relax.
Or she could change her clothes and spend some more time with Zach.
Her body said to relax at home. Her heart said he spent part of his holiday helping complete strangers for her. The least she could do was go visit with him for a bit longer.
It had nothing to do with the fact she wanted to spend more time with him. That she was already softening her resolve to try to get to know each other first.
After today, she realized she knew everything she needed to know about him. If he ended up playing her like a fool in the end, at least she went in with her eyes wide open.
So she dumped her wine back in the bottle, then went to her room, and changed once again.
This time though, she took more care with her appearance than she did this morning.
There wasn’t much she could do about her hair at this point. She’d blow dried it out but kept it up out of the way. She loosened it some and hoped for a nice chic casual look, but figured no one was going to buy it.
Like clockwork, there was a knock at her door. She opened it up to see Zach standing there, not looking a bit tired now. Instead, he looked energized.
“Well, hello again. Long time no see,” she said, giving him a kiss and a little cuddle. What she had wanted to do earlier but couldn’t with all the watching eyes. Especially her parents.
Her mother wasn’t stupid and knew Zach was there because of her. And just to tweak her mother—because it was something she’d done all her life and habits were hard to break—she’d kissed him on the cheek.
It actually went as well as could have been expected, the introduction between her mother and Zach. As gruff as her mother could be, th
e fact Zach spent his holiday helping out would go a long way toward her parents’ positive thoughts. Zach had to have known that.
She heard him inhale her scent next to her. “Hmm, flowers again. Much better than turkey and potatoes.”
“You smell fresh yourself.”
“A shower will do that to you,” he said, laughing. “Are you ready to go?”
“I wasn’t going to, but decided that maybe it would be fun.”
“Fun to spend time with me, or fun to not be alone for the holiday?”
“Since I was far from alone for most of the day, I think that should be answer enough.”
She grabbed her jacket and locked the door behind her.
Zach was quieter than normal on the drive over. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Oh course,” he said, turning his head. “Why do you ask?”
“Just checking.”
Another minute went by. “Have you ever met Susan or John? Rene’s parents?”
“I met Susan once when she came to visit Rene at the office. Not John, though. Why?”
“They’re like the parents I never had as a kid. Normal parents,” he said.
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“They know we met in Vegas.”
“Oh,” she said. “So am I going to be run through the wringer today? Maybe I should go back home?”
“No. They won’t do that. The thing is, Rene told them we hooked up in Vegas. I just wanted you to know that.”
“What a little snot. Why would she say that? Couldn’t she just say we met? She actually said, ‘hooked up’?”
“She did.”
“I guess that’s her way of getting even with me for all the teasing I do to her in the office. So are they going to judge me?”
“No. They aren’t that way. I just wanted you to know that they know some of our background. And that they would have never told me to come get you if they thought it was something as simple as a hook up.”
She processed what he said, weighed her words, then said, “It’s never been that simple, has it?”