“I’ll have you crying like a baby. Smacked knuckles aren’t fun.”
“Would you kiss me all better?”
She grinned as she poured hot water into the bowl.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He kissed her cheek. “Baby, I gotta go out for a short time. Be back soon.”
“Okay.” She stirred the jelly crystals through the liquid.
“Anything you need?”
“Nope. I’ve got so much stuff…” She cleared her throat, smiled determinedly. “I’ve got all we need. But thanks.”
Yeah, she had bought enough for four extra people then topped up on more because she’d had a suspicion there might be more for Christmas lunch, considering her family was so free at inviting others without first checking with her.
Inconsiderate drongos.
Giving Flynn a wave goodbye and a pat for Scruff sitting under the table chewing on a rawhide bone while Phoebe lay on a chair reaching out in lazy swats to Scruff’s ears, Ben left to track down the mob.
~*~
The door jerked open and Gram looked up at Ben. “Oh.” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s you.”
“I’m here to talk to you.”
“Nothing you can say will change our minds.”
“Explain, then, if you prefer it that way.”
“I’m telling you-”
“Who is it?” Sally’s head popped into view over Gram’s shoulder. “Oh, you.”
“Yeah, me.” Ben squelched down the little zing of annoyance.
“Shut the door, Gram.” Sally disappeared from view.
Yes, because that was manners. He barely refrained from commenting on that, but he did jam his sneakered-foot in the door when Gram made to shut it. “Just fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen?” Gram scowled. “No.”
“Twelve.”
“Son, when you bargain, you don’t do it by twos or threes.”
“Fine. Twenty.”
“Nor do you go up.”
A muscle clenched in Ben’s jaw. “Forget about the time. Look, Gram, I’m here to talk to you about Flynn.”
“You gonna apologise for her?” Shaking her head while tut-tutting, Gram swung the door open. “She ought to be here herself to do that, but come on in.”
Entering the room, Ben’s gaze took everyone in - Sally and a lean bloke with red hair sitting on the edge of the bed with their ever-present mobiles in their hands, Gramma sitting primly in a chair with a cup of tea steaming at her elbow, and Gram who leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.
Today she wore a tank top with Don’t Give a Poopie on it in bright fluoro green print. Obviously she was in protest mode.
Personally, he didn’t give a poopie about her protest mode.
Gramma picked up her tea cup. “I can’t believe Flynn sent you here in her place. That girl needs to come and see us face-to-face.”
“Hard to do when you won’t answer her calls or tell her where you are,” he replied. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here?” Sally pouted, took a selfie.
“Because Flynn is upset. Yesterday was an over-reaction on everyone’s part.” Except Flynn’s, but bringing that up right now wouldn’t help the cause.
“Everyone?” Gram snorted. “Flynn came waltzing in the door making outlandish and totally untrue statements about us and our behaviour.”
“Plus we found out how she really feels about us,” Sally added.
“Completely uncalled for,” Daryl commented.
Ben speared him with a look. “Are you family?”
“No.”
“Were you there?”
“No. But Sally-”
“Then keep out of it.”
Gramma stiffened. “Daryl is our guest.”
“And you are Flynn’s.”
“No, we’re her pity invites,” Dax said from beside the window. The curtains were partially open, leaving a nice shadowy patch for him to sit in.
Probably letting the darkness absorb him or something. It’d explain why Ben hadn’t noticed him.
It took all Ben had to rein in his temper, and that was saying something because he was generally very even-tempered and slow to anger. But this lot were really burning his buns. “If you’d all just listen for a minute, I can explain.”
“Explain?” Gramma’s lips pursed. “I don’t need any explanation, I know what I heard with my own two ears.”
Everyone nodded. Including Daryl, who hadn’t even been there.
Ben took a deep breath.
“Don’t even bother with the excuses.” Gram lifted her chin, dared him with her gaze. “The damage is done thanks to Flynn. End of discussion.”
“Yeah,” Sally agreed. “End of discussion.
Ben glared at them all. “Fine.” Anger curled through him at their attitude. “Fine. That’s what you want? Fine. If this is the way you act and think and talk, I can see why Flynn got upset. Forget I came here.” He stormed off.
“Well, I never!” Gramma gasped.
He’d not gone five steps before fury bit at him. The memory of Flynn’s devastated expression rose in his mind. Devastation caused by those ingrates in the motel room behind him.
They weren’t going to come home for Christmas? Fine. Bloody fine. That meant he was free to give them a ripping and a half. A long overdue one.
He stalked back to the door, flung it open - narrowly missing Daryl who had come to stand behind it, no big loss - and stood with legs braced apart, arms akimbo, hands on hips, glaring from one person to another.
Their faces went from annoyed to surprised to trepidation.
Whatever they saw on his face made them all back away. Those standing, at least. Gramma actually leaned back in the chair while Sally skipped over to stand behind Dax, the Lord of Darkness and Freaky Shit.
“A few more things and then I’m finished,” Ben snarled. “Finished with you lot which will be a welcome relief. You all,” he pointed from Gramma who was opening her mouth, to Daryl sidling around the bed to stand beside Sally, “will shut up and listen. Understand?”
Not one person moved an inch. Ben wasn’t sure how he looked or sounded, but whatever it was it worked. They all remained mute.
“Firstly, Flynn invited you all here to share Christmas with her as a family, a get-together. It wasn’t a pity invite, it was simply she thought you were all spending Christmas alone as none of you have close family, so why not spend it with her this year? If you all had other plans, you should have been thoughtful enough to inform her of that instead of arriving and then shoving that at her when you were pissed.”
Gram made to speak, caught Ben’s glare, subsided.
“Now let’s just address the little lack-of-manners. You, Sally, had your face on your mobile most of the time, you ditched Flynn to go with Sid to meet perfect strangers you’d met on social media, became bosom-buddies with them and then Sid, who is apparently a cheating bastard which you realised too late, dropped you for the other woman.”
Daryl raised a hand hesitantly. “It was my girlfriend.”
“Don’t give a rat’s arse,” Ben snapped. “Dax, you drifted off, befriended Rosie, invited her to the barbie, forgot about her and brought along Amaris. Both times you didn’t even ask Flynn if she had room or food for another person. That resulted in a blue never seen before at Flynn’s house, right along with someone calling the police, all thanks to you. Yeah, you. That was on you. And you ditched her at the shopping centre.” When Dax just stared at him out of wide - God help him, this time orange eyes - Ben stabbed a finger in his direction. “You ever tell or even hint that Flynn is a darkness that’s a soul-destroyer and I will personally set your soul free of your body. You understanding me?”
Dax looked to either side but couldn’t meet Ben’s eyes.
“I’m taking that as a yes. Gramma.” Ben glowered at her. “You go on about manners and dare to accuse Flynn of lacking in them when you make snide comments about her c
ooking and also invite people around - in fact, you all do it, let’s make that perfectly clear right now. I’ve never seen such a lack of manners and courtesy from a bunch of people as I’ve observed from you lot.”
“Hey,” Gram said.
Ben cut his eyes to her.
“Uh oh,” she said. “What did I do? I didn’t do anything.”
“You and Gramma bicker and bitch with each other all the time. You get on each other’s nerves, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Your fighting gets on everyone’s nerves. Admit it, suck it up, and get on with it.”
Gram glanced around, caught Gramma’s eyes, cleared her throat. They both looked away from each other.
Nostrils flaring, Ben nodded sharply. “Flynn, however, is sweet and tender-hearted. She opened her home to you, her arms, offered you a lovely family get-together with no strings attached, and what she got for her troubles was an ungrateful bunch that came, plundered, and walked out after laying waste to her dreams.”
Okay, that was stretching it a bit far but Ben was in full swing now and he didn’t really care what any of them thought. It was what he felt, and he sure as shit didn’t give a tinker’s toss what they thought of him.
The only person who counted was Flynn, and he’d defend her to his last breath.
“So stay here,” he finished sharply. “Wallow in your self-pity and meanness. Flynn certainly doesn’t need or deserve your sourness. Good bye and good riddance.” With that he turned to storm away, only to come face-to-face with Rocky, Archie and Flynn.
Rocky and Archie pushed past him.
Flynn just stood there open-mouthed, staring up at him.
“Uh…hi,” he said stupidly.
She blinked. “Ben?”
Ah shit. He looked grimly at her. “You heard it all, huh?”
“Most of it,” she said slowly.
He couldn’t read her expression. She was looking searchingly up at him, and he had no idea what she was thinking. He wanted to take her in his arms, tell her it was all good, but he couldn’t because this was a part of him that she might see sooner or later. Never towards her, God no, but towards anyone who dared hurt her. He wasn’t going to hide it from her. He wasn’t perfect.
“I’m not happy Larry all the time,” was all he could think to say. “Sometimes I lose my shit, especially when someone I love gets hurt.”
Moving forward slowly, she reached out to lay her hand on his chest. Her gaze softened while a small smile appeared. “It’s all good.”
Relief trickled through him. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Reaching up on tip-toe, she kissed his cheek.
Sliding his arms around her waist, he cradled her close. As they hugged, he heard Archie and Rocky behind him.
Ripping the living hell out of the family.
“How could you upset Flynn?” Archie asked angrily. “That girl hasn’t a nasty bone in her body. When I broke my arm she did my washing and cleaning and cooking. Not once did she ask for payment or a thank you. Not once did she complain about coming home from her office job and helping me, even giving up some of her weekends to do it. And you accuse her of some shit? I’m ashamed of you all, but especially you, Linda.”
“But I - I didn’t - I - ” Gramma stammered, red-faced.
“Don’t you start on me,” Gram dared to warn Rocky.
“Start on you?” He almost yelled. “Start on you? I’ll end it with you right now if it means Flynn being happy. When I first moved into that street no one wanted an old bikie there, but Flynn baked me a cake - which was damned delicious, let me point out - and brought it over. When I got drunk and fell over and cut my head, she took me to the emergency room to get my head stitched up, then when I got home she checked on me and ran some errands. No one else did. Well, apart from Ben, but he’s a bloke.”
Like that explained it all.
“And a vet nursie, which is a sissy job, so you can expect him to want to do the shopping and shit for you when you’re sick. But no way was I letting him take my stitches out.” He huffed out an indignant breath. “She’s way too good for you lot. Come on, you two. Home.” He flapped his hands at Ben and Flynn as though shooing a couple of chooks away.
More than happy to leave, Ben started to walk away with Archie stomping past muttering angrily.
“Wait.” Flynn stopped.
Ben looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I just want to say something to them.”
Involuntarily, his arm tightened around her waist. “Flynn, there’s no need to make amends. This is on them.”
“I know. I’ve got this. I do. Trust me.”
He sighed, looked at Archie and Rocky who both shrugged. Returning his gaze to Flynn, he nodded.
She strode up to the doorway of the room where everyone sat in stunned silence staring at each other. “Christmas dinner is at my house tomorrow. You are all welcome to come. I’d love to see you all there, spend time with you without fighting, but if you choose not to come, well, that’s your decision.” She paused, nodded. “Okay. That’s it.” With a little duck of her head and a wave, she returned to Ben’s side.
Silently they walked back to the two cars parked not far off. Archie and Rocky got into Archie’s car, while Ben sat Flynn down in the passenger seat of his car. As they started the cars, a paddy wagon swung into the motel parking lot.
“Uh oh,” Flynn said
A cop got out of the paddy wagon and went into the office.
Ben started the car and reversed, both he and Flynn watching as the manager and the cop came out and the manager pointed towards the motel rooms. As Ben and Archie’s car pulled away, the cop got back into the car and the paddy wagon drove along the parking lot and turned into the vacant parking bay right outside the room Flynn’s family were in.
Following Archie’s car, Ben pulled onto the road and they drove away.
Flynn started to laugh.
Grinning, Ben shook his head. “You are an evil child.”
“I didn’t call the cops.”
“Someone did.”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re enjoying it.”
“Karma, baby, karma.”
Ben laughed along with her.
The day had turned out just beautiful, he thought, as their laughter simmered down to contented tranquillity. A glance sideways showed Flynn more relaxed than he’d seen her since her family arrived just days ago. Her face was bright once more, her smile sunny.
His Flynn was back.
“So.” She looked at him. “Rocky wouldn’t let you take his stitches out, huh?”
“I offered. I could have done it.”
“Oh, Ben.” She patted his hand. “I’d let you take my stitches out if I had any.”
“Thanks, baby. That means a lot to me.”
She giggled. He grinned.
Archie’s car turned into a local pub, both of them getting out and waving to Ben and Flynn. Ben hooted his horn and Flynn returned the wave as they passed.
Minutes later they pulled into his driveway. As he turned off the motor, Flynn unclipped her seatbelt, got up onto her knees on the seat, reached over to wrap her arms around his neck, and kissed him so sweetly his heart melted.
Pulling back a little, she looked deeply into his eyes. “You know, I thought Christmas had been spoilt.”
“Yeah?” He framed her dear face in his hands.
“Turns out I was wrong.” Leaning forward, she kissed him again. “Best Christmas ever.” Another kiss, soft and warm. “Because you’re sharing it with me.”
Flynn might not know it but he was going to be sharing every Christmas with her until they were old and grey…and beyond.
Or maybe she did know, because when she pulled back there was a mysterious light in her eyes.
Or maybe that was his imagination.
He gave a mental shrug. Didn’t matter. It just was going to be.
Chapter 8
Christmas Day
Sitting cross-legged on the
rumpled bed, Flynn shook the box.
“Don’t shake it,” Ben warned.
“Because it’s breakable?”
“Open it and find out.”
“Open yours first.”
Ben studied the box in his hand. Shook it.
“Ben!”
“Is it breakable?”
Laughing, she lightly punched his arm. “Open it and find out.”
“Let’s do it together.”
“Great plan. Count of three.”
Paper went flying with more enthusiasm than finesse.
Flynn gave a little shriek of delight. “A Christmas Angel reed diffuser! Ben, how did you know I wanted it?”
“Saw you peering longingly at it in the shop window. Was able to get the last one.”
“So it was you who bought it.” Flynn looked accusingly at him.
“Good plan, huh?” He winked. “I made sure I had what you wanted.”
“Cheat.” She winked back, made a kissy sound. “Thank you thank you thank you.” Leaning forward, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before sitting back cradling the ceramic Angel in her hands while bouncing a little on the bed. “Come on, open your present all the way.”
Obligingly, Ben pulled the tissue paper away from the object in the box, only to gape in surprise. “Sand pictures!” Holding the framed glass up, he watched in delight as the multi-coloured sand trickled down to form patterns. “I’ve always wanted one. How did you know?”
Her eyes danced with glee. “You spoke about it once, how you saw one as a kid and always wanted one.”
“I always meant to get one.” Fascinated, he watched the valleys and peaks form. “Flynn, thank you.” Eyes still on the sand picture forming, he looped a hand around her nape and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “I owe you.” He turned his eyes to her. “Take off your nightie.”
“Really? Now?”
Placing the sand picture carefully on the bedside table, he plucked the Christmas Angel from her hands to place it just as carefully beside his present. He smiled slowly and wickedly. “Can you think of a better time for me to pay my debt?”
“Hmmm.” She placed a finger to the corner of her lips, looked up at the ceiling. “Let me think.”
Ben pounced, she shrieked. The laughter quietened to whispered words before slipping into moans of shared passion.
Christmas Blue at Flynn's Page 12
