Charlie Foxtrot (Book 2 of Love is War Series)

Chapter 2

“Merry Christmas!” Muse squealed as she opened the door. Her father and brother, Bryant and Drew, had finally arrived. It took a little longer for them to travel across town since Mr. Anderson’s back had been bothering him some and he moved slower in response to his pain. Without the normal narcotics he’d used for the pain, he was struggling.

Muse squeezed her brother hard but was gentler with her father, who couldn’t be said to be fragile, but his bones were weaker with age, and his injury still bothered him enough that she was very aware of his aches and pains.

“Daddy! Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, pumpkin.” Her father’s voice had slowly withered a little with age. Not so sloppy and slurred without all the drugs dulling the edges of his suffering, but a little brighter just the same. He’d decided to get professional help right after Muse’s wedding, and he’d stuck to his guns.

“Mr. Anderson…” Clay had come up to him to shake his hand, but the older man brusquely pushed it aside and pulled his son-in-law for a hug.

“Bah! I told you at the reception, Clay. Call me Bryant or Dad—either or. None of this Mr. Bryant crap. I’m your father-in-law, not a business associate. You don’t need to sell me on you. You’re already married to my daughter.”

Clay’s lips twitched in amusement. Bryant acted like an older, more laidback version of himself sometimes. “Good to have you here, Bryant. My little hummingbird has been singing so many damn Christmas songs in expectation of the holiday, it’s like living at the local Starbucks. If I hear another note of Mariah Carey’s—”

“Oh, hush, Clay. That song is on all the time, and it’s catchy as hell. It’s like if you hear it once, it literally will run on a loop nonstop in your head. It’s the Mariah effect. Staggering since the woman has an inexplicable vocal range. Why anyone would even try to sing along with her is amazing to me.”

“Sweetheart, why don’t we let your family in the damn house already? It’s not like it’s cold in Tampa, but the wind chill is a little brisk today.”

“Oh, right.” Muse’s resulting peal of laughter was almost giddy. Clay’s wife loved to give gifts, and now that she could afford more lavish ones, she’d had more fun selecting things she knew her loved ones would enjoy. Before this, it had been penny-pinching careful planning every time.

It was just around noon on Christmas day, and Jim, Clay, Marietta, Muse, Drew, Bryant, Sarah, and Clay’s father, also named Clay, were in attendance, but Mary was going to leave in a couple of hours to go to her sister’s house and celebrate with her niece and sister. Clay couldn’t remember the sister’s name, but the niece he knew, because she would be working at CBC come the New Year. Auden Fenn was a transplant to Tampa from the East Coast of Florida. Her new employer knew very little about her except that she had experience in administrative work and was related to his old nanny-turned-housekeeper. The rest was a bit of a mystery, but he figured he knew enough to know that something was wrong. She was quiet. Too quiet sometimes. Something was missing in the equation, but it seemed too personal for him to ask about. He needed an employee, not some heart-to-heart time with his housekeeper’s niece.

Marietta and Muse went off to get some drinks for Drew and her father, and Clay escorted their most recent guests to the Great Room. It was where Muse had put up a huge tree and spent a full day and a half decorating it. Clay thought she went a little overboard, but it made her happy and he had plenty of money to spare. Her happiness had meant everything to him for a while now, even if he hadn’t known it at first—or shown it—at first.

“Beer, Drew? Dad?”

“Water for me, sweetheart!”

“Water as well, sis. I’m driving later.”

“That’s hours from now! You can have a beer!” Muse’s fading voice called out before Mary scoffed.

“Enabler much?” Muse muttered under her breath.

“I heard that!”

“Shocking, Dumbo.”

“Ugh.”

Clay had made sure that Bryant got the most comfortable chair in the Great Room and leaned it like he was sharing a heap big secret. “Muse has been decorating like mad around here. It’ll be just a few minutes until—” Christmas music piped in through the walls where Clay had recessed spots in the corners for speakers. They were hidden to the naked eye unless you looked closely. The volume was loud until someone, presumably Muse, messed with it, and they were able to hear themselves think after thirty seconds of annoyed looks.

A few minutes later while everyone was chatting happily, the two women came out with two waters and a beer. Handing the beer to her brother, Muse gave him a pointed look. For some reason, Drew refused to imbibe in any mind-altering substances in front of his dad. Muse thought he was overreacting and Drew was being a mother hen about his father. Clay had to agree, because Bryant’s crutch had never been alcohol, but pills. Narcotics, to be exact. The few times her family had visited the house since Muse and Clay had become engaged officially, Bryant hadn’t even looked thirsty for a drop. He’d drunk beer before, but because it was frowned upon for people in Narcotics Anonymous to drink or take drugs, he went full cleanse and stopped even the occasional beer while watching the Rays play on television. Even though the older man wasn’t complaining about it, Drew was very aware of all his father’s ailments, especially his recovery from drugs.

“I say we open presents now so I can clean up a bit!” Muse took a sip of water and set it back down on the coffee table. “I worked so hard decorating, I wouldn’t want it to look untidy.” She seemed almost nervous and eyed one of the smaller boxes that looked that it already been open and pushed back under the tree out of the way. Clay and his wife exchanged glances, but didn’t say anything for a moment.

“Well, that sounds like a good idea,” Sarah Bennett exclaimed. “You know how I abhor wallowing in disarray for too long.”

“Yes, my love,” her husband soothed, rubbing her knee with a calming hand. “You are indeed a little irritable when things aren’t just so.”

“Here, let me start!” Muse’s cheeks were flushed with excitement as she picked up a box and handed it to Sarah. “This is from me. I sort of picked it out myself.”

Sarah gave her a warm smile and took the gift from her. It was a black velvet box with silver lettering on it and a complicated bow that Muse pointed to.

“Just pull that end of the ribbon and it should loosen to get inside.” She gestured again, and Sarah looked a little uncertain, but stuck a hand out and pulled it. She was delighted and let the ribbon fall to the floor in her surprise. When she opened the box, she covered her mouth as Muse’s eyes widened and she bit down gently on her lip. “I know you described it to me. I just hope I got it right.”

The older Mr. Bennett dropped his head down to look at the gift, and she looked moved to speechlessness. “Honey, what is it?”

The older woman blinked, her eyes a little wet. “It’s…oh, Clay, remember that old locket I had when I was a little girl that got lost when we moved into the estate? Well, I looked up and down the entire house trying to find it, an—”

“Love, don’t you mean you had the maid do that?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Clayton. You knew what I meant. Don’t interrupt me.”

Clay Jr. sat back a little and let his wife continue.

“Well, Muse here asked me about it, and I guess I was so into the description that she had this one made almost to a perfect emulation.” She smiled down on the box and took the delicate golden chain with the small heart-shaped locket, holding it up to the light. It was amazing that something as frail-looking as this was initially intended for a child. After she’d regarded it for a bit, she clasped it to her chest and looked at her daughter-in-law, whose expectant face was hopeful. “Dear, sweet Muse, this is the most thoughtful and moving gift I think I’ve ever received. I…I want to thank you, sweetheart. I have no words.”

There was a long pause as they all watched Sarah hug Muse. Someone cleared their throat. Another person sniffled. Clay thought that was Marietta, and his father shifted uneasily in his spot on the sofa. Sarah was obviously touched, but she didn’t openly weep. You may have had to hospitalize Clayton Bennet Jr. if she had. His wife was staunchly composed 99.9% of the time.

“Well, I don’t think anyone of us can top that, so it’s a good thing we got it out of the way.” Jim turned around and nodded to Clay before muttering something under his breath. No one in the room caught it except Clay, but the moment was quickly past.

“Well, Muse, are you planning on outdoing us all on your first Christmas with the Bennetts, or will you let some of us stake a little claim in the limelight with our gifts?” Clay’s voice hinted at jest, but Muse wondered if he was being only facetious.

“Sorry, sorry. I guess I should have saved that one for last?” She stood up and brushed off her knees, even though her carpet was clean as a whistle. She’d seen to it. “Uhm, I’ll start passing out the rest of the presents. I won’t even look to see who they’re from.”

Slowly, people started to talk again, Clay Jr. holding his wife’s hand, the both of them talking sotto voce and examining the locket together. Sarah opened the heart locket, reading the inscription inside as her eyes continued to grow moist. When Muse placed a gift into Jim’s lap and then Clay Jr.’s, she turned back around and went to grab more. Clay III moved forward and spoke. “Honey, let me help you or we’ll be here or afternoon.”

“Okay.” Muse sat with her knees on the tree skirt and started to hand her husband packages of varying sizes. He handed them out, and the tearing of wrapping paper and exclamations of surprise and joy soon altered the heavy atmosphere.

Muse loved her new sweater from Jim and kept rubbing the softness on her cheek, and the new Apple watch Clay got from his wife for his morning jogs was warmly welcomed. Mary was hard to buy for, but there was an antique armoire that Muse had found that she knew Mary would love, so they’d hid it in the garage where she rarely ventured.

After Jim and Clay moved it into Mary’s room and added the armoire to a corner where she had some spare space, they were done with gifts. Muse and she went to fetch more drinks for everyone. In the kitchen, while they poured out more spring water and grabbed more beer for their guests, the once again became comfortable in each other’s presence. The two women were constant companions at the Bennett home, and a startled Muse was hugged tight by a weepy Marietta, who explained her tears after a few moments.

“I remember when I was living at home, my mother and father only could afford a small one bedroom, so I slept in the living room. I never had any privacy, so they bought a divider so I could change in private behind it. We didn’t have room for a dresser, so they purchased a secondhand armoire. That and my tiny bed were the only big things I owned. When I became pregnant and got kicked out onto the streets, I had nothing to my name except the clothing I’d kept in my armoire. You would think that would make me hate my parents or attach bad feelings to the furniture from my youtg, but it didn’t. It reminded me of a simpler time, a time when nothing was skewed by lust or love or any other emotions outside of the simplest of loves. The love of a parent to a child, and vice versa. As much as I didn’t completely get along with my parents at the end, I still remember good things.”

Muse was confused. “But what about your sister? Where did she sleep?”

“In the bedroom with my parents. She was younger and went to sleep earlier than I did. It was easier that way.”

“Where are your parents now?” She almost didn’t want to ask.

“Dead. My mother went first a few years ago, my father within a year of her. Mom had undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, and Dad…well, I think he died of a broken heart. They said it was natural causes, but that’s usually what they say when they don’t know at all, right? He passed away in his sleep, in the same bed he found my mother in when she went into shock and passed away. They both died in their sleep in that bed, 364 days apart.”

“I…I’m so sorry, Mary. Were you on good terms with them when they died?”

“Meh, so-so. We forgave each other slowly over the last few years they were alive. I don’t think we would ever be the same again unless they lived another 20 years.”

“No!”

Mary nodded her head. “My parents were old-fashioned. I loved them, but they were definitely from a different time. It’s okay though, sweetheart. I consider you and Clay my family now, and blood is only one aspect of family.”

Muse’s eyes got misty, and she pulled the older woman into a long, heartfelt hug.

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