Carrolls and Firrs

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  Aspen peeked into the bag. “Is that the cookie dough?”

  Ellie nodded, her eyes bright. “I brought a few different kinds and some of the toppings so we could try it out.”

  “You can set that right here.” His dad held his arms out and grinned. “I’ll be sure nothing bad happens to it on the way to the kitchen.” He winked at Ellie. “I swear.”

  She carefully tucked the bag on top of her coat and held it in place while Bruce wrapped his arms around the pile. She raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m holding you responsible if anything happens to that in transit.”

  “You mean like if it mysteriously disappears so no one else can eat any?” His dad wiggled his eyebrows at Ellie as Janie turned his chair toward the kitchen.

  “Such a flirt.” She pushed his dad out of sight with Aspen following behind.

  Ellie didn’t move, but the corners of her mouth barely tucked into a smile as she watched down the hallway. Doug was glued in place, watching her watching them.

  She looked up the stairs and her smile grew. “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”

  His chest squeezed and the anticipation rooted in his gut amped up a notch. So much for trying to ignore it all day. “I didn’t want you to think I was a slob.”

  “Oh honey she’ll figure it out eventually.” Janie swept in and wrapped her arm around Ellie. “Are ya hungry honey?”

  And just like that Ellie was gone. Before he could even have half a second with her, his mom stole her away. By the time he joined the rest of the family in the kitchen, Ellie was squeezed between his dad and Aspen at the kitchen island. Bruce was up in one of the backed bar stools and Ellie was sprinkling random bits of cookies and candy over a double scoop of cookie dough at his direction.

  Aspen had a blow torch.

  “Don’t you touch mine with that thing.” Bruce had his arm curved around the backside of his cup and was scooting it closer to his chest as Ellie was trying to squirt canned whipped cream over the top.

  His mother had a handful of spoons and was dipping into the large containers lined up down the middle. She took a bite from one and paused, tipping the container up and peering at the lettering on the side. “This one is my favorite.”

  Ellie tucked one of Bruce’s large handled spoons into the side of his bowl then leaned to see which container his mother was favoring. “Is it the oatmeal?”

  His mom nodded and scooped out another mouthful. “Oh man that is good.” She dropped her dirty spoons in the sink. “Honey you outdid yourself on that one.”

  Ellie barely pinked at his mother’s praise. “I blended up the oats a little bit so they wouldn’t be as chewy since they aren’t being cooked.”

  Aspen looked at Ellie, her pointer finger bouncing against her bottom lip. “I have a better idea.” She stepped away from the counter and started going through cabinets.

  Doug seized the opportunity and slid into her vacated spot beside Ellie, letting his hand rest on the small of her back because…

  Just because.

  He leaned toward the assortment of containers spread across the counter. “Which one of these is your favorite?”

  Ellie grabbed the container on his far left and slid it his way. “This one.”

  Doug reluctantly took his hand off Ellie’s back and snagged a plastic spoon from the pile on the counter. “Are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to guess?”

  “If you really want to know it’s written on the side.” She turned a little more his way. “But since I’m trying to make sure they taste like what they should it would be great if you could guess.”

  Doug skimmed his spoon across the smooth dough. “If I guess right?”

  “Then Betsy will stop driving me crazy about running things while she’s off on maternity leave.” Ellie leaned back in his dad’s direction. “My friend who makes all this is almost eight months pregnant.”

  “Ah-ha.” Aspen plopped a small cast iron skillet down on the counter.

  Doug stuck the cookie dough covered spoon in his mouth and watched his sister scoop a wad of dough into an ice cream scoop. She held it over the skillet, ready to let it drop.

  “What if you pre-heat the pan?” Ellie grabbed his dad’s bowl without missing a beat, making sure it didn’t continue scooting away from him as Bruce tried to scrape the last of his pre-dinner snack from the bottom.

  Aspen’s eyes widened. “You’re right.” She dropped the dough back into the container and tapped her fingers on the counter. “We’ll have to wait until after dinner for half-baked cookie dough then.”

  Doug set his empty spoon down. “Peanut butter.”

  Ellie rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek. “Correct.”

  His dad gave his mom a wink. “If I guess what’s in the oven can I get some kisses too?”

  Janie swatted at Bruce with a hot mitt. “You watched me make it.” She turned her back to pull a large tray of lasagna from the oven.

  Bruce elbowed Ellie as he continued to taunt his wife. “You’re being awfully stingy considering it's Christmas.”

  Ellie giggled as his mother set the tray on the table that sat between the kitchen and the family room. “Don’t encourage him.” She wheeled over his dad’s manual wheelchair and parked it beside Bruce’s stool. “That’s why he doesn’t have his electric chair right now.”

  Ellie turned to Doug in confusion as his mom and Aspen helped Bruce switch seats. “What happened to his electric chair?”

  Doug leaned into her ear, not so much because it was a secret but more because he wanted to have her to himself just a little. “He kept running into things trying to chase my mom around. Messed up one of the front wheels and I had to take it to the shop.”

  Ellie covered her mouth with one hand, stifling a laugh. “You’re kidding.”

  He shook his head. “Also not the first time that’s happened.”

  “You’ll have plenty of time to whisper in her ear after dinner.” His mother tossed her oven mitt, the still warm protective glove bouncing off his shoulder and onto the counter. “Come on and eat.”

  Dinner went quickly with his mom and dad providing most of the entertainment, bantering back and forth. It helped keep his mind off the tightness building in his chest as the night went on. A little.

  Tonight he was giving Ellie her Christmas gift. Gifts. One wasn’t a big deal.

  But one was. At least it was to him.

  When the table was cleared, the dishwasher was loaded, and his dad was full and happy in front of the television with his mom and Aspen keeping Bruce company, Doug finally had Ellie all to himself.

  It was what he wanted and dreaded at the same time.

  “I need to run out to my car really quick.” Ellie had her hand on the door and was out on the porch before Doug could get an argument out.

  It took a few long strides to almost catch up with her. “What is it with you and running around outside without a coat?”

  Ellie opened the back hatch of her Jeep. “I’m not wrestling on a coat for a two minute trip outside.” She leaned into the back, and came back out, struggling with a box half her size.

  Doug quick stepped to her side and took the package from her. “What in the world is this?”

  She gave him a nonchalant shrug and pulled the back door down into place. “I guess we’ll find out.”

  His mind raced as they walked back inside, trying to guess what he was carrying. The box was heavy and evenly weighted. Nothing shifted around as he moved. Not a single clue that might give away its contents.

  Ellie closed the door behind him. “You didn’t have to carry that.”

  Doug peeked over the top of the box, an intricate bow blocking part of her face from view. “It’s almost as big as you are.”

  Her eyebrows drew together, the right one lifting just a little. “So.”

  Doug took short steps toward the stairs, trying to feel with the toe of his shoe for the bottom step. “In case you can’t tell, even I’m not hav
ing the easiest time with it.” The rubber edge of his sneaker bumped the wood riser and Doug eased up the stairs, being careful not to bang the box against the railing just in case what was inside was breakable.

  Ellie followed. “I just feel a little bad making you haul around your own gift.”

  “I guess I’m earning it then.” He navigated through the doorway at the top of the stairs and set the box onto his recently cleared coffee table. He stepped back and for the first time noticed the paper folded carefully around the gift. Deep green fir trees clustered on a gold background with soft stars scattered between them.

  He looked at Ellie.

  Her bottom lip was between her teeth and her eyes showed a rare glimpse of uncertainty. “You can open it if you want.”

  His plan was always for her to open her presents first but in true Ellie style, she was taking all his ideas and turning them on their head. It looked like he was going to have to wait just a little longer.

  Squatting down, Doug spun the box, looking for the best way in.

  “Here.” Ellie knelt beside him and tugged at the ribbon wrapping up and around the sides. “Untie this and lift the top off.”

  Now he could see it was two pieces. Almost like it was upside down with the box sitting on the lid. Doug untied the ribbon and unwound it from the gift then slowly pulled the box up.

  He was speechless.

  For days he’d been worried about her reaction to his gift. Maybe she wouldn’t understand it. If she did maybe she wouldn’t want what it meant.

  He wasn’t worried anymore.

  “Ellie.” Doug swallowed, trying to come up with words. He settled on the truth. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Do you like it?” Her voice was soft, hesitant.

  Doug looked at the small building. It wasn’t the thought that went into the tiny replica. It wasn’t the sentiment of Ellie changing her childhood memory as a gift to him. It wasn’t the manifestation of their shared dream that had him choking on his words.

  It was all of it.

  “Like isn’t the right word.” Doug dropped one knee to the ground and held her face in his hands.

  “I love it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “IT ALREADY LOOKS brighter in here.” Ellie’s dad carried a load of collapsed boxes through the front door, breathing heavy from the small amount of physical labor. He set the pile down in the center of the mostly cleared out shop and stood for a minute catching his breath. “Man I’m out of shape.”

  Ellie turned toward the wall so her dad wouldn’t see the look on her face. Dale Carroll was in shape alright, but it was more of a circular one. “I’m glad it looks brighter. Hopefully the paint will make the room look bigger too.”

  Trying to ignore the stiffness in her arms she went back to work rolling soft grey paint over the 1970’s wood-look paneling that covered the shop walls since before she was born. It turns out she was the only one in her family that could paint worth a darn and anyone who said painting was easy work was a liar and should be kicked in their shins.

  “I think it does.” Her mother drug a folding chair across the scarred wood floor to the center of the room and parked it beside the bundle of boxes her dad brought in and went to work organizing the last bit of inventory that needed to be packed up. “The ceilings look taller too. I can’t believe the difference.” Cris sat down and used a pair of scissors to snap the plastic tie holding the boxes together. “When is the electrician coming to wire up the new lights?”

  Ellie set the paint roller in its tray and wiped a glob of paint off the tip of her finger onto an unpainted portion of the wall. “He’s supposed to be coming by tomorrow to see what we need done so I guess we’ll find out then.”

  She rubbed at her shoulders trying to loosen the knots three solid days of packing up the shop tied her muscles into. Unfortunately painting for the last two days left her hands too weak to accomplish much.

  They weren’t even a week into the overhaul and she was falling apart. Her back was sore from carrying box after box to the back garage, her limbs were exhausted from spreading around three gallons of paint, and her neck ached from staring up at the ceiling all day yesterday.

  But they were on a tight deadline and there was no time to waste. It was too bad half her crew didn’t seem to be on the same page.

  Rolling her head back in an attempt to ease the discomfort in her neck, Elle took the opportunity to check yesterday’s handy work and scanned the ceiling for any missed spots. She wasn’t sure what made her happier. Not seeing any patches of the old dingy finish peeking through or how amazing the now glossy white surface was going to look once the chandelier was in place.

  They had two weeks before the grand re-opening was scheduled. Posters were hung around town. The mayor was slated to attend. Ellie even booked a small acoustic music group to play at the event.

  That meant it was not a flexible date and keeping her parents on task was proving to be about as easy as herding cats. Her dad continuously found ways to disappear and her mother needed constant direction and praise.

  Ellie rolled her shoulders and swung her arms hoping to work up the gumption to finish the list of tasks she had left for the day. “Hopefully I can get at least one coat of paint on the walls today and tomorrow we can paint the shelves.” No one answered. She looked around. “Mom?”

  Gone. Both her parents were gone.

  Ellie threw her hands up. “Guys?” It was a good thing she wasn’t their boss because they would both have been fired by now.

  Twice.

  “Dad?” Ellie stomped into the bakery and peeked into the kitchen. When her dad disappeared nine times out of ten that was where he she found him. Raiding the fridge to see what Betsy may have left after her most recent baking trial. “Helloooo.”

  No parents.

  She went back to the shop and huffed out a breath. For people who begged her to come home and help them with their business, her parents weren’t too worried about making sure things got done.

  The sound of low whispering stopped her feet in their tracks. Ellie stayed perfectly still trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. She followed the hushed words down the back hall, toward the office.

  “We should know.” Dale probably thought he was whispering but as Ellie closed in on the partially shut door to the office, her father’s heavy voice easily carried into the hall. “We are her parents.”

  The temperature of Ellie’s blood went up a few degrees. Everything she was doing for them and they had the gall to not just sneak off and leave her working, but to do it so they could talk about her behind her back?

  As much as it stung, the conversation going on between them wasn’t a surprise. It was only a matter of time before the Cris and Dale of her youth came rushing back onto the scene. But darned if this wasn’t a terrible time.

  There was so much to do. The shop’s facelift to complete. The menu overhaul of the bakery still had kinks to work out. Betsy’s looming maternity leave. If they wanted to be dramatic busybodies, it would have to be their own time they wasted. Not hers.

  She pushed open the door and crossed her arms. “Can I assume you two are done for the day?”

  Cris looked like a deer in the headlights. “Oh honey we were just going over some things.”

  Ellie snorted. She was tired. She was frustrated. And now she was royally hacked off. “Yeah. I heard.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened as Dale took a step toward Ellie. “Don’t take that tone with me young lady.” He tugged at the waistband of his pants. “You may be grown but I’m still your father.”

  Ellie straightened her spine and let her shoulders fall back refusing to back down. “We have a huge amount of work to do and if you two are going to be unreliable then I will hire help.” She planted her feet and tipped her head back slightly.

  “Unreli—” Dale turned to Cris then back to Ellie, then back to Cris, scoffing and sputtering the whole time.

  Her mother
elbowed her way in front of Dale. “What your father is trying to say is we think that as your parents we are entitled to certain information.”

  “Entitled.” She stared at her mother. “To certain information.” The words only became more enraging the second time. Ellie shoved her fisted hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. “What exactly is it you believe you have a right to know mother?”

  Her dad wiggled one meaty finger in her face. “We deserve to know where you go after work. We deserve to know who you spend your time with. We deserve to know what goes on in your life.” Each time he said the word deserve it became sharper and angrier.

  And each time he told her what he deserved Ellie came closer and closer to walking out and leaving her parent’s to clean up their own darn mess. That’s what they deserved.

  “We’ve been very patient with you Noelle.” Her mother’s tone was infuriatingly chastising. “Letting you go away to school and spend some time in the city—”

  “Letting me?” They’d lost their minds. “Letting me?” Anger made her brain short out. “Letting me?”

  “Letting you.” Dale’s face matched his red flannel shirt and a fine mist of sweat coated his forehead. “And boy am I regretting it now.” The finger was back in her face. “It’s time for you to grow up Ellie. You need to start acting like an adult and adults talk to their families about important things.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. As if they had any clue how adults really acted.

  “Don’t look at me like that.” Dale dropped his finger to her neck. “You think we don’t know where that came from?”

  Ellie’s hand automatically went to her collarbone. She tucked the delicate white gold fir tree shaped pendant under the neck of her old work shirt, protecting it from her father’s tirade. How could they know where the necklace came from?

  “We know you’ve been seeing someone and gave you more than enough time to bring him home so we could be sure we approve.” Her mother stood shoulder to shoulder with her dad. “We just want to be sure you’re making good choices.”