by Casey Peeler
Chapter 32
Cadence
It’s Christmas morning and when I wake, I grab my cellphone and glance at the clock. It’s eight-thirty! I jump out of bed and run downstairs to find that no one is in the house. Strange. I slide on boots and walk toward the barn. Sliding the door open, I see Mom and Gran milking. I kind of wish Barrick was here this morning.
“You guys didn’t wake me up!” I say, walking over to them.
“You never get to sleep in and we thought that would be a good Christmas present,” Mom says.
“Yeah, you deserve it. You’ve come a long way,” Gran says.
“Well, then, I’m going back to the house.” I hurry back inside and stop to see what Santa brought me. I’m surprised when I don’t see much of anything. What in the world? I decide to peek in my stocking and find an iTunes gift card and new makeup. I know that’s not why we celebrate, but a gift card and makeup? Maybe Mom and Gran are still hiding some presents until they get done in the barn. I go to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee and suddenly hear a horn blowing. I turn to look out the window and see a Range Rover coming down the driveway with Jade’s car behind it. I’m so confused.
With my cup of coffee in hand, I walk to the front porch and see that Mom and Gran are walking toward me. Barrick gets out of the Range Rover. Oh crap! I haven’t put any makeup on or brushed my hair. I quickly set my coffee down and pull my hair in a messy bun.
“What do you think?” Mom asks.
“What do you mean? Are you selling the Suburban?” I question.
“No. It’s for you. Merry Christmas,” Mom cheers.
“Really? Really-Really?” I ask as she eagerly nods her head yes.
“Gran and I have been talking about it for a while so when I spoke to your dad a few weeks ago he looked into it and had it shipped here.”
“Oh,” I say with less enthusiasm.
“You don’t like it?” Mom questions.
“I love it,” I say.
“Don’t you want to go check it out?” Mom asks. I’m still in shock as I walk toward the Range Rover.
“Merry Christmas,” Barrick says as he hops out of the truck with a big grin on his face.
“Merry Christmas!” I hear Jade yell as she approaches the vehicle.
“Merry Christmas!” I say to both of them. “I’m going to kill you, you know,” I say, looking at Barrick.
“Why? Your mom and Ms. Mae made me do it.”
Barrick moves out of the way and lets me sit in the driver’s seat. The seats are black leather and it has everything I could have imagined.
“You guys want to go for a ride?” I ask everyone.
“Y’all go on. Your mom and I have a few things to finish up,” Gran says.
I hop in the driver’s seat and Jade grabs shotgun. Barrick sits behind me. “Where to?” I ask.
“Wherever you want to go.”
We take it out on the two-lane road and drive through town. I absolutely love how it handles and it fits me perfectly. There’s no way I would want to drive a truck permanently and a car doesn’t seem to fit me either. I think this SUV is perfect.
When we get back to the house I wish them a Merry Christmas and thank them for helping with my gift. I tell Jade I’ll call her later. I know I’ll see Barrick in the morning before I leave. Mom and Gran are sitting at the kitchen table when I walk in the house, so I sit and we enjoy breakfast together and then open presents. When we finish, Mom informs me I should probably call Dad. Great. Bah humbug.
I grab my phone and walk to my room. “Merry Christmas, Dad,” I say when he answers.
“Merry Christmas.”
“I love my SUV.”
“I’m glad. Did it have everything you wanted?”
“I guess, and more I’m sure. I haven’t had time to check it all out,” I say.
“Great. So, your flight arrives at one tomorrow. I’ll make sure Mindy is there to pick you up. I’ve got a meeting until three, then we have a party at the Moore’s tomorrow night.”
“Can I get Lauren to pick me up?” I question him.
“No, I’d rather Mindy pick you up. You need to spend some time together. I think she’s got a few things lined up for you two.” Great, an afternoon with the home-wrecker. “Can I speak to your mom for a minute?” he asks, which is unusual.
“Sure.” I take the phone to Mom and she walks into another room. When she returns, she hands me the phone and I say my goodbye to Dad. Mom looks like it was nothing big, and typically I can tell when he’s said something to piss her off. Maybe he was being cordial and wishing her a Merry Christmas. At least that’s what I hope.
We spend the remainder of the day enjoying each other’s company, and when the afternoon rolls around the three of us finish the chores in record time. In my few short months here I’ve realized that having a farm is a huge responsibility. You never get a day off.
As the evening rolls in, we enjoy a dinner that’s not your typical Christmas meal. Instead Gran steams oysters. They aren’t my favorite, but they have both insisted that this is our new tradition.
Gran pulls the bucket from the water and lays them on newspaper while Mom and I take the shuckers and pry them open. I try one and almost gag.
“I can’t do this,” I say as I remove the slimy mess from my mouth.
“Cade, either cover it in cocktail sauce or smother it in melted butter. Either will do the trick.” I shake my head as I watch Gran slurp them down.
“I think I’ll just have a salad and baked potato,” I say to Mom.
“Suit yourself,” Gran chimes in.
When we finish eating, we all clean up together and then Mom excuses me to go pack. I grab my suitcase and stare at my closet. I decide to pack everyday clothes as well as a few fancier outfits. As I’m folding my last piece, my phone rings and it’s Lauren.
“Merry Christmas, ho!” she yells.
“Back at ya, bitch,” I say and we start to laugh.
“So you want me to pick you up tomorrow?” Lauren questions.
“I wish, but Bimbo has our day planned out. Dad insisted that she pick me up.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. And, get this, tomorrow night I have to go to a party at the Moore’s. Please tell me that you are going too.”
“Of course! Do you think I’d miss getting a glimpse of Jack Moore in a suit? Hell no!” I smile because that is a very fine sight. We spend a few more minutes talking about what we got for Christmas and I tell her about my new car.
Before we hang up, I tell her I’ll text her once I know what is going on. I can’t wait to see her. I look through my suitcase again and decide to throw in my dance stuff as well. I think a little time in my old studio would be perfect.
Barrick
Jade and I spend the afternoon with Mom and Dad and Memaw comes over to see what Santa brought like she has since we were born. I, however, can’t stop thinking about Cadence standing there looking absolutely stunning in her pajamas with no makeup and her hair pulled up in one of those bird’s nest-looking things. I swear she doesn’t know how beautiful she is. Don’t get me wrong she looks stunning when she has herself put together, but there’s something about seeing her so natural.
“Hey, loverboy, snap out of it,” Jade says.
“What are you talkin’ ‘bout?” I question.
“You’ve been somewhere else all day.”
“No I haven’t,” I reply.
“Yes, you have. Ever since you saw Cadence this morning you’ve been all goo-goo eyed.”
“Shut up,” I say to her and leave the room.
When I return, Jade continues the conversation. I tell her to leave me alone, and eventually she does. However, this isn’t before Memaw, Mom and Dad have started twenty questions as well.
We eat supper together and enjoy a night of Christmas movies. When everyone can’t keep their eyes open we all retire to our rooms
, and that’s when I hear Jade on the phone with Cadence. I quietly tiptoe to Jade’s room and put my ear to the door to see if I can hear what they are talking about. I can make out something about clothes, a party, and then I hear her say something about a tux. I don’t have to wear a tux. What are they talking about? I hear Dad clear his throat behind me.
“What are you doing?” he asks and I turn to tell him to be quiet. He shakes his head and motions for me to follow him.
As we walk into the kitchen he tells me to take a seat.
“Why are you listening at your sister’s door?”
“I don’t know.”
“Barrick. Answer the question.”
“I overheard her on the phone with Cadence. I wanted to know if she was talking about me.”
“Here we go,” Dad says as he sits back and crosses his arms. “Spill it.”
“I asked her to The Loft for New Year’s. I knew Jade was going with Aaron, and didn’t want her to be alone.”
“Yeah, you keep tellin’ yourself that, son,” he says with a laugh.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know that you wanted to ask her. Don’t make it look like a pity date.”
I don’t say anything because he’s right. “Dad, I overheard Jade say something about a tux. Do you think she has a boyfriend back home?”
“I have no clue, but that’s something you’re going to have to trust her on. You also have to remember that she’s not from ‘round here. She’s from a different world, and you can’t fit a square inside a circle,” he says as he stands and leaves me at the table. “Oh, and don’t do that to your sister. Would you want her doing that to you?” I shake my head no and call it a night.
