Geoff was drying off when Teddy popped his head in.
“He’s here.”
“I’ll get dressed and be there in a minute.”
Geoff sighed when he was out of earshot of Teddy. They didn’t know Ciaran well, and now he’d be staying with them for who knows how long. Teddy was too kind sometimes.
“Hello again.” Geoff smiled as he entered the living room.
Ciaran was pounding the snow off his feet and smiled up at him.
“Thank you so much for letting me stay.” Ciaran’s voice was breathless. “I didn’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t had an opening.”
“It’s no trouble. We couldn’t let you freeze out in the cold.”
Ciaran smiled again. His face was reddening, nearly matching his hair.
“I’ll show you to our spare room. You can drop off your bags, and then we can have lunch.”
Geoff led him to a door at the end of the hall. “Here’s where you’re staying.”
“This looks gorgeous,” Ciaran said.
“Thank you,” Geoff said. “I set it up the best I could on short notice. I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s more than enough,” he said.
Ciaran placed his bags in the closet and followed Geoff back to the dining room. Teddy had prepared roast beef sandwiches, chips, potato salad, and various drinks. The spices Teddy used permeated the room. He was a master in the kitchen.
“This looks amazing,” Ciaran said. “Thank you again.”
“My pleasure,” Teddy said. “Help yourself to the food.”
They each filled their plates, Teddy pouring everyone a glass of soda before they dug in.
“I’m sorry you won’t make it to your family’s home for the holidays,” Teddy said. “It has to be hard to be away.”
“It is,” Ciaran said. “I haven’t seen them in five years. This was the first time I’d taken a break from work.”
“Hopefully, you’ll have an enjoyable holiday here with us. We’re homebodies most of the time, but if there’s something you’d like to do, just let us know,” Teddy said.
“You live on a beautiful property. Would it be okay if I went for a walk sometime?”
“Of course,” Geoff said. “I take walks a few times a week. There is a beautiful trail out of our backyard. I’d be happy to show you.”
“That’d be nice.”
“You guys can go for a walk after lunch,” Teddy suggested.
“What about the tree?” Geoff asked. They’d planned to decorate together after lunch. He didn’t want Ciaran to disrupt their plans.
“We can decorate after you get back. I’m just heating leftovers for dinner, so that won’t take long,” Teddy said.
“Don’t let me interrupt your plans,” Ciaran said. “I’m tired anyway. We can go tomorrow.”
Geoff smiled at Ciaran. He’d picked up on the cue. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Tomorrow after breakfast, then,” Geoff said.
