by Jenny Hale
“What should I call him?”
“Maybe Mr. Sinclair.” She stopped the car and turned off the engine. “Ready?”
When Richard answered the door, Max did a deep, dramatic bow and said, “Hello, Mr. Sinclair.” Richard clearly attempted to keep a straight face, and Abbey shook her head infinitesimally while tugging on the shoulder of Max’s shirt to make him stand up.
“That’s not him,” she whispered. “And you can just greet Mr. Sinclair like you greet everyone. This is Richard.”
“But that’s what they do in movies.”
Richard bowed. “Hello, Mr. Fuller,” he said. He took a step back to let them enter. Abbey smiled at his gesture. “I hope I’ve put all the furniture in the right rooms,” he said to Abbey. “I think I’ve got it, based on the size of it all. Just call me if you need to move anything. Don’t try to do it yourself. The boxes of decorations are all in the hallway still.”
“Thank you, Richard.”
Max took his shoes off and lined them up at the front door. He peered up at Abbey with an unsure look. The color was coming back into his face a little. He’d held down the crackers she’d given him earlier, and he’d even had some juice before they’d gotten there. She smiled and left her shoes beside his. “Before we go upstairs, do you want to see a giant piano?”
“Yes!”
Abbey took him into the ballroom. She figured she’d check for those hidden outlets while she was in there. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she said, clicking on the lights for each of the Christmas trees.
Max was standing in front of the piano, his gaze moving from one side of it to the other.
“It’s so shiny.”
“I know.”
Max moved over to the bench and sat down in front of the gleaming keys.
“Don’t touch them,” she whispered gently. “You might get your germs on them. We don’t know if you’re still contagious or not.”
“It’s all right,” Nick said from the doorway, and Abbey turned around. “Hello,” he said, walking toward them. “You must be Max,” he said, producing that generic smile. He stood at just enough distance to make Abbey worry that he thought Max might get him sick. She wished that she hadn’t had to bring him.
“This is Mr. Sinclair,” Abbey introduced him. “He’s very good at playing the piano.”
Nick smiled.
“Would you like to try to play?” Nick asked Max.
Max nodded.
“Go ahead then.”
Max scooted the bench closer, creating a hollow screech throughout the room, and Abbey cringed at the thought of what it might have done to the floors. She hoped he hadn’t scratched them. She looked over at Nick, but he didn’t seem fazed. He seemed to be thinking about something else. Max tinkled out a few notes, the sounds getting deeper as he made his way down the keys, and Nick focused on him again.
“Lovely,” Nick said, but his thoughts still seemed a little preoccupied. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Max.” He turned to Abbey. “Is there anything that you’ll need from me to help you get started?”
“I think Richard has everything under control.”
“Okay.” Without another word, he left the room.
Abbey stood there a moment as Max continued to play on the piano. Nick had always been somewhat reserved, and he wasn’t forthcoming with his daily goings-on, but today, he’d been less focused, his mind clearly somewhere else. Something about his features just now made her feel like he was worried about something—maybe it was the crease between his eyes that hadn’t been there before, the smile that wasn’t his real smile… Something wasn’t right. If she hadn’t had Max with her, she might have tried to find out what was wrong, but she didn’t want to get into anything that might not be appropriate for little ears. Plus, to judge by the way he left, it was clear that Nick was quite busy. She found the outlets and jotted their locations on her sketchpad.
“Want to see the upstairs?” Abbey asked Max.
He slid off the bench and ran across the room to her. When he tried to come to a stop, his feet were not on the large rug, but on the slick floors surrounding it, and he slid across them until he bumped into his mother.
“See?” she giggled. “I told you that you could slide on the floors in your socks.”
As they walked through the entryway, Max continued to get a running start so that he could slide toward her, his laughter rising into the air all the way up to the second floor. It was good to see him feeling better. When he got close to her again, she felt his forehead. It was still a little warm, but it wasn’t nearly as hot as it had been.
When they got to the bedrooms, she checked that everything was there. It looked like most of the furniture had been delivered, but Richard had put one of the bedroom suites in the wrong room. She pulled out her cell and texted him using the number Nick had given her when she’d first arrived. It didn’t take Richard long to appear at the door to the bedroom.
“Everything looks great, Richard. Thank you so much for arranging to have it all assembled and put into the rooms.”
Max tugged on the hem of her shirt, and she put up her finger to ask him to wait his turn.
“Did I get it all right?” Richard asked.
“Nearly,” she smiled. “I’m going to need to switch this room with the one beside it. I’m so sorry, but is there any way I could get someone to help move it?”
“Mama, can I go downstairs and slide in the hallway again? I’ll come right back up.”
Abbey nodded, trying to keep her focus on Richard. It would be good for Max, give him something to do while she explained what needed to go where.
“No problem at all. With the snow coming down again, they’ll be able to help you right now. They’ve already shoveled the walk, and there isn’t a whole lot to do outside in these conditions.”
It didn’t take long before the men showed up, and they moved the furniture that she’d asked them to switch. As they’d disassembled the enormous beds and taken them piece by piece to the other rooms, Max had called up to her from downstairs, showing her how quickly he could slide. Whenever he wobbled, he’d bend his legs and slide on his knees. He was having so much fun, and it was working out because she could pull out the bags of things she’d bought for the rooms and begin to piece things together. The first bedroom was already the color she’d wanted, and she was keeping the crystal chandelier, so it was the easiest of the bedrooms. She spent all of her time arranging the furniture and putting the final touches on the room.
When everything was in place in the first room, she clicked on the lamp on the bedside table, giving the room a warm and cozy glow. The bottoms of both tables flanking the enormous bed were bookshelves that she’d filled with all her favorite books. She had candles lit on the dresser, the scent of vanilla filling the space, and a cozy throw across the bench at the foot of the bed. While she’d decorated for Nick, clearly this was a room suitable for a woman, and she wondered if his sister would like it. When Abbey had gotten the bedroom nearly decorated, she peeked over the railing to find Max.
“Max?” she called down quietly. He wasn’t down there. “Max?” she called again, padding down the steps, the enormous space completely silent. Had he gone looking for a bathroom or something? She walked into the ballroom, glancing from one end to the other. “Max?” No answer.
As she went in and out of rooms, she started to fear for him. Had he gotten himself lost in this big house? What if he’d gone outside and couldn’t get back in? Was he somewhere crying because she couldn’t hear him? How long had he been gone? Her heart pounded with every step she took. She checked the dining room—nothing. She went to the kitchen. No one there. Her hearing sharpened as she listened, willing herself to hear his voice. Then, she tipped her head to the side to try to make out the sound she heard. Was that Nick’s voice? She followed the faint sounds, listening, as her eyes darted in every room for Max. The talking got clearer until, to her mortification, she could hear Max’s voice. Was he in Nic
k’s office?
She bit her lip as the conversation became clear. Abbey stopped just outside the office, out of sight, and listened for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to apologize. She could hear the clicking of computer keys as Max talked.
“Is this where you do all your work?” Max asked.
“Mmm hmm.” More clicking of keys.
“What is your job?”
“I buy and sell companies.”
“What’s a company?”
More clicking. “It’s… a business.”
“Like those big buildings downtown?”
“Yep. Like those.”
“Did you know your floors are really good for sliding?”
Abbey heard a burst of laughter escape, and her heart did a leap. “Are they?” he said. The clicking continued, and she knew that she had to go in and relieve Nick. It was terribly unprofessional, and she had no idea how long Max had been there. Nick was probably getting nothing done. But she’d never heard Max talk to another man like he was talking to Nick. He seemed so interested, so chatty. He hadn’t been like that with any of the other men in her life, other than Gramps.
“You should try it sometime.”
“Perhaps I may.”
“Want to try it now?”
Oh no. She had to go in!
“I really have to work. I’m sorry. Maybe another time?”
Abbey was about to walk into the doorway when she stopped. Max said, his voice disappointed, “Okay.” It was a quiet “okay,” and she could tell, for whatever reason, he really wanted Nick to try it. She wondered if he’d be satisfied if she did it with him. Maybe during her lunch break, he could show her how to slide. But, the reason that Abbey had stopped was because when Max said “okay,” like he had, the clicking stopped.
There was quite a long moment of hesitation as she waited to hear what would happen next, and then she heard the squeak of a chair. It sounded like Nick had stood up. She should’ve just gone in right then, but something held her back. It was almost like she could feel Nick’s deliberation all the way through the wall. Or maybe she was just hoping that he was deliberating. He was probably trying to figure out how to get Max out of the room. At any time in the conversation, however, he could’ve said, “Let’s go find your mother,” but he hadn’t. Nick had answered Max’s questions, even if they were short answers.
“I suppose I can take a quick break,” she heard Nick say, and she covered her mouth in astonishment. Was Nick Sinclair actually considering sliding around his house in his sock feet?
Abbey walked into the room. “Hi. I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know Max had wandered down here. Please, sit back down. I’ll take him back with me.”
“Mama! Mr. Sinclair is going to slide in his socks with me. He said he would.”
Abbey felt awful to have put both Nick and Max in this situation. She knew Nick had work to do, and she also had an inkling that, because he was thoughtful, he’d follow through with Max’s ridiculous request. She could feel the heat under her skin and the worry creeping into her stomach.
“You can call me Nick,” he said again, now standing beside Max. Nick’s eyes were curious, looking at her son—curious like they’d been when he’d looked at Abbey. The only difference, though, was that he wasn’t smiling. He was more cautious, almost too careful, like he was a little uncomfortable.
“You really don’t have to do this,” she said quietly to him as they followed Max out of the office.
“It’s fine.”
They walked in silence to the entrance of the house. All Abbey could think about was how preoccupied Nick had seemed this morning. He’d barely smiled. And how they were disrupting whatever it was he had been doing.
When they arrived at the entrance, Max stopped and bent down. He began untying Nick’s shoes. “Oh, honey.” Abbey tried to pull him up. Those shoes looked like they cost more than her monthly salary. “Nick can do that himself.”
“I’m just helping,” he said, tugging the laces from the wrong spot and causing them to knot.
“It’s okay,” Nick said, bending down and helping Max. He slipped his shoes off and set them aside.
There was something about seeing Nick assisting Max with the laces and now in his sock feet that made Abbey smile. Had he ever been allowed to do this kind of thing as a boy?
“Okay,” Max said with authority. “What you have to do is get a running start. Like this!” He took off from one side of the room. “Then, just stop real quick and you’ll start to slide.” He slid across the floor. “If you feel like you’re gonna fall, go down on your knees. Here, I’ll show you.” Max demonstrated the knee slide. “Think you can do it?”
The corners of Nick’s mouth were twitching just slightly, and Abbey wondered if he wanted to smile. Then, to her complete surprise, Nick took off across the room. Abbey watched him as he ran, his body moving effortlessly with every stride. He stopped and slid toward Max, coming to a stop in front of him.
Max let out a loud laugh, putting his hands on his knees and giggling uncontrollably. “Isn’t that fun?” Max said.
Nick laughed too. “Yes. Thank you for teaching me,” he said with happiness in his eyes. He walked over toward his shoes.
“Wait!” Max stood up.
Nick turned around.
“Let’s do it again but race this time.”
“Max, Nick has work he has to do.”
“Please?”
Abbey thought about how entertaining this was for Max, and a pang of guilt swelled in her gut. He was either at school where he had to sit at a desk most of the day, in their little apartment with no room to run around, or with her mother and Gramps, where he had no one to play with. He was craving interaction, attention from someone. While she didn’t want to bother Nick, she wished he would do this for Max’s sake.
“Would you like a head start?” Nick said, and Abbey almost fell backward with excitement. There was absolutely no reason in the world for Nick to race her son, but he was doing it!
“Give me just to that Christmas tree.”
“Okay. Where do you want to begin the race?”
“Right here.”
Nick followed Max to the starting point and lined up next to him. While his curiosity was still evident, the uncertainty that she’d seen on Nick’s face was easing slightly.
“On your mark,” Max said, his eyes darting over to Nick. “Get set. Go!”
Nick let Max have the head start until he got to the Christmas tree. It was clear that Nick, who could easily beat the thin, tiny legs of her son, was running slower to allow Max to win. Max yelled to slide, and they both hit the brakes, sliding side-by-side until Nick slowed himself down, allowing Max to reach the stairway at the other side of the room.
“I won!” Max said, giggling. “Wasn’t that so fun, Nick?”
Nick was smiling, the edges of his mouth turned down in that way of his. A chuckle escaped his chest. “Yes. That was fun, Max. Thank you for teaching me. Now I’ll be able to do it any time I want.”
“Yes!” Max said. “You could do it on the way to bed every night! I would. Where is your bedroom? Is it upstairs?”
“Max,” Abbey said quickly, realizing that Nick hadn’t ever shown her his bedroom. Max didn’t need to keep Nick from work any longer, nor did he need a tour of Nick’s private bedroom. “Let Nick get back to work. I’m sure he’s busy.” She turned to Nick. “Thank you for taking time to play with Max. I’ll make sure to keep him with me from now on.”
“It’s fine.” He smiled, but there were thoughts behind his eyes that she couldn’t read. “And you’re right. I really do have to get back to work.”
“Max,” Abbey said. “Let’s go upstairs and finish decorating.” She felt his head again. “You feel much better. Perhaps I can take you to Nana’s.”
“It’s fine if he stays here,” Nick said.
“Can I watch you do your work?” Max asked, and Abbey put her hand on his shoulder to try to stop his
forward behavior. “It’s more fun than watching Mama decorate.” He made a face and Nick chuckled again.
She didn’t want to put Nick in a situation where he was babysitting. He needed a decorator, not a single mom with nowhere to leave her kid. “Come with me,” she said, putting her hand on his back in an attempt to lead him toward the stairway.
Max seemed to interpret his mother’s tone because he complied without any further discussion. But, as they started up the steps, he called back down to the entryway, “Bye, Nick!” Nick turned and waved, but his face was serious as he watched little Max heading up the stairs.
“Can I come again tomorrow?” Max asked.
“I think you’re well enough to go back to school,” Abbey said, with a little laugh.
“Aw. But I like talking to Nick.”
“What do you like about it?”
“He looks like the daddies that come to my school sometimes. They eat lunch with the kids in my class at the special parent table. It always looks like they have lots of fun over there. I liked talking to Nick like they talk to their daddies,” he said as he smiled up at his mother.
She smiled back at him, but inside, Abbey felt very, very empty. She felt responsible for making the choices she had, but at the same time, she knew that if she hadn’t made those choices, she wouldn’t have Max in her life, so she didn’t really know how to feel. It wasn’t guilt as much as it was a longing for things to be different. As he grew up, who would answer his questions in a way that only men can answer? Who would show him that men can read bedtime stories and cook dinner? With Gramps’s illness, he wouldn’t be able to do those things for Max like he had for her. All Max had was his mother, and she was doing the best she could, but she wanted more for him.
“I’m glad you had fun with Nick,” she said as they got to the top of the stairs.
Abbey looked at her watch. She had just enough time to get the bedroom with the picture in order to show Nick tomorrow. She hoped it would be a wonderful surprise. She whispered what she’d planned to Max as they made their way toward the room. In his excitement, Max ran ahead and opened the wrong door. It was the fourth door, the one Nick had said didn’t need any decorating. Max swung the door open, peered inside and then stepped back into the hallway. “This isn’t the room,” he said, but Abbey had stopped cold.