“You don’t get to choose family, Tim.” I wasn’t sure whether he asked me to keep putting up with Aaron, like it was expected of a family member, or if he wanted to point out how he kept trying with me, despite my stubborn misbehavior.
“You DO get to choose if you want one, though. And I got used to not having a family a long time ago.” I called back over my shoulder, and saw Claire slump to her knees and bury her face in her hands.
Re-entering the house, I found the commander and told him to simply call the police if Mike wasn’t gone in a minute. It earned me another angry look, but it was all I could do short of physically removing him and Claire myself. As much as I would probably enjoy that, it would most definitely be cause for my removal from the team. Instead, I returned to Mia’s side, who refrained from outright calling me a Gigolo, though I did hear her comment to a few of her friends about how my ‘companionship’ came at an ‘hourly rate’.
At the end of the evening, Mia had actually managed to make me forget all about that encounter with Mike and Claire, and I found myself once again enjoying her company. While the Millers retreated into their bedrooms to get out of their party clothes, I helped oversee the caterer packing up and leaving the premises. Then I was shown to a guest room while Michael took the night shift.
Christmas Morning started at Five A.M. for me, since Michael’s replacement would arrive an hour later and I needed to get ready before that. So, half an hour after my alarm rang, I joined Michael freshly showered, groomed, and dressed in the kitchen. When I turned on the oven to place my prepared pastries in it, Michael raised an eyebrow at me.
“You’re just gonna start baking in a client’s kitchen? At 5:30 in the morning?”
“Don’t worry. I talked to Mrs. Miller.” I answered.
I had not talked with Nora about using her kitchen, and under different circumstances I wouldn’t dream of doing something like this, but with the rather special relationship I had with this family, I was sure they wouldn’t mind. Especially after tasting what I was making.
Michael and I had just gone over the day’s schedule with the new guy, and consumed our second cup of coffee while letting the pastries cool down a little, when it was time for him to leave. As soon as I closed the front door behind him and the other guy left to check the surveillance system, I heard movement on the first floor and walked back into the kitchen. By now the whole first floor was smelling like cinnamon and roasted almonds. When Nora stepped into the kitchen, wearing a thin morning gown and a big bright smile, she immediately commented on it.
“Hmm, it smells good.” she said with closed eyes, wiggling her nose. “What is it?”
“Swedish Tea Ring.” I answered, placing one of the still warm things on a plate and presenting it to her, together with a cup of coffee. “I hope I didn’t overstep.”
“Oh, heavens no! Do you have any idea how nice it was to wake up to that christmassy smell?” she said, accepted my offering, and thanked me with a quick peck on my lips before taking her first sip of the coffee. “My! This is ... what brand is this?”
“The one in your cabinet. I added a little salt to the grind. Apparently, it reduces something that causes the bitterness and dulls the flavor, but I can’t pronounce it without getting a degree in chemistry.” I chuckled, and she gave me an acknowledging look before studying the pastry.
“Oh. My. GOD! That’s delicious! You made this?” she commented with big eyes after taking a bite, and I nodded. “What is this exactly?”
“Kind of a mixture between a Danish and a Cinnamon Roll. Glad you like it.” I smiled, and she leaned her back against me, not forgetting to wiggle her butt into my groin, when the kitchen door opened and George entered. Nora was obviously unimpressed by his arrival and didn’t even attempt to step away from me.
“George! You absolutely have to taste this!” she proclaimed, and then removed a piece of her pastry to offer it. He accepted it and nodded in approval.
“Try the coffee too. This boy is just a box of unexpected talents! You know,” Nora started, while raising her arm and placing her hand in my neck, pulling my face closer to hers. “If I wasn’t already married ... Well, no matter. I’ll just have to ask Mia to share you with me from time to time.”
With that, she pulled my face the rest of the way to hers and gave me a long loving kiss right in front of her husband, who did not protest in any way. Instead, he was eyeing the coffee with suspicion. Any thought I might have had of protesting her repeated insinuation about me and Mia was immediately blown out of my head. I did not have the time to enjoy this as long as I would have wished, though, as we all heard another two sets of feet rushing down the stairs.
Checking the living room, we found Mia and Jack attacking the presents under the Christmas tree like I thought only little children would. Although, the stuff they found in those presents was anything but child’s play. Everything was highly expensive, and, at least to me, seemed a little superficial. Like money, makeup, and spa tickets for Mia, or even more money and a trip to Mexico for Jack.
As Nora and George joined their children, I moved back into the kitchen to further cut up the Tea Ring, in case anyone else wanted to try it. When I left the kitchen and moved back into the living room, I was surprised when Mia jumped up, walked over to me while keeping her hands hidden behind her back, and acted a little shy.
“I ... uh ... I got you something. As thanks for ... teaching me all that stuff, you know?” she said, barely able to look me in the eyes, and finally pulled her hands from behind her back to present me with a tube-shaped wrapped box.
I blinked at her for a moment, but then unwrapped it. It was a doormat that said “There is no place like http://127.0.0.1”.
I have to admit, my first impression of it was that she simply googled “Housewarming gift for Nerds” and ordered the first thing that came up. I quickly realized, though, that it did prove she tried to get me something I would probably like, while taking my interests into account and remembering that I had my own place. She indeed put some thought into my present. There was no way I could possibly talk that down.
Thinking about that as I thanked her, a genuine smile spread on my face, which seemed to make her quite happy. Although her father, once again, looked anything but. That only worsened, when I pushed my hand into my knee pocket, pulled out one of the gift-wrapped little boxes, and presented it to her.
Mia got big eyes, just like her mother behind her for some reason. Then she enthusiastically grabbed it from me, tore the paper off, and slowly opened the little jewelry container. I mentally praised past-me for his foresight, as she ran over to her mother to show her the golden necklace with a thick heart-shaped pendant.
“Tim ... this ... this is...” she stuttered while shaking her head. Apparently, just like calling her beautiful, gold necklaces are also something I wasn’t supposed to get for a not-girlfriend.
I simply walked over to her, ignoring George’s death stare, and helped her put the necklace on.
“Look at the backside of the pendant. You see the circular indentation?” She checked, nodded, and looked at me eager to learn what it meant. “Press it twice quickly.”