“Well, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need, you know that. We’re all happy you’re here. We miss you. You’re the onlyone not around. It’s not the same. We need you as the blocker between us and mom and dad.”
I laugh, “Yeah, mom needs another woman on her side, I’m sure.”
“She does,” he nods so seriously. “Speaking of, it’s Thursday, our weekly dinner at mom and dad's so be there at six.” I stand and nod and hug him. “Thanks Adam, I’ll see you later.” He gives me a squeeze, then heads towards the door.
“And lock your door. I don’t need to find Gage over here!” he laughs and closes it. A few moments later, I hear his big diesel truck start up as he pulls away.
“You and me both, brother,” I mutter. “I definitely don’t need to find Gage over here.”
Chapter 4
Francesca
“Oh honey, you look so thin! What have you been eating? You need vitamins.”
“I’m fine Mom.” She’s got a death grip on me. “You just saw me a couple of months ago.”
“I know and you’re wasting away now!” she cries dramatically.
“Janet, honey, leave her alone.” My dad comes over and pries my mom’s arms from around my neck and pulls me into his side. “Thanks dad,” I whisper. He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “Good to see you home, sweet girl.”
“God! No one makes this big a fuss over me when I show up!” Billy yells.
“That’s because you never leave! Can’t miss what’s always eating your food and sleeping on your couch!”
Billy scoffs. “Whatever. You’d miss me if I was gone.”
“You should go and let us find out,” Tom jibes.
My mom smacks the back of his head. “Leave your brother alone.”
“Thanks, Ma,” Billy says as he falls into the couch with a bowl of chips. He mouths, ‘I’m the favorite’ to Tommy, to which Tommy answers with a flip of the bird.
I laugh, taking it all in. I missed this. The banter, the closeness, family. Life was never dull, growing up with three older brothers, twoof which are twins. Thomas, first, then William, a.k.a ‘Billy’, two minutes and thirty-two seconds later. He has totally lived up to the younger, wild brother status, while Tom has fallen into the stoic, quiet brother. Though none beat out Adam; he’s the epitome of the protective older brother, especially when it comes to me.Back then, I couldn’t wait to get away from it. Now I see, I was extremely lucky to have them.
“Everyone, come sit. Dinner is just about ready.”
We all grab a seat at the table, dad at the head and Adam next to him.They talk business, as usual. My dad started House O’Love Construction way back when. A play on words from our last name—Casanova—our town was newly founded, and he paved the way to develop it. Christmas, a typical small town with roughly fifty-five hundred people, is a family in itself.Everyone knows everyone else; they are always ready to help and always ready to lend an ear, and unfortunately, a tongue. Your business is town business, which is one reason I ran for the city. After so many years of it, I just wanted to blend in, not stand out. I wanted to be a number, not a first, middle and last name, shoe size, GPA or whatever other information they needed.
The town has grown and continues to grow, thanks to my brother, Adam.He took over when our dad retired but still defers to dad and asks his opinion.He’s on payroll as a consultant, which cracks me up because he just can’t let it go, no matter how much my mom pushes him to fully retire.
Adam has done a great job, though, taking the business into the next era. He’s not the only construction company around, but he’s the best by far in the surrounding towns and county. He’s put us on the map and has made this town fruitful, playing off the Christmas name and attracting tourists to keep businesses plentiful. Jackson helped with that, too. He quickly became a household name when he entered the NFL, making our small town an even bigger tourist trap.
My mom walks out with a pork roast and places it in front of my dad to slice. “No business tonight.Don’t you two ever have anything else to talk about?”
“Yes dear,” my dad says and winks my way. My mom runs her hand across his shoulder and looks lovingly at him. I want that. I want that silent, loving look that conveys so much meaning between only the twothat share it. If I was to blame someone for my unrealistic expectations, it'd be these two.
Dad carves and the rest of us pass dishes. “So, Francesca, not that I don’t love having you home, but what are the plans now that you are back here?”
I was afraid of this question. “I don’t know yet dad, I’m still just trying to unpack and get a grip on being back here.” I grin lightly and stuff veggies in my mouth, hoping to delay the inevitable.
“You can always come to House O’Love. We could use your marketing and public relations knowledge to market the town.”
“Frank, leave her alone,” my mother snaps. “Stop forcing the construction business on her.”
“I’m not forcing it. She’s good at what she does. Adam could use some fresh new ideas. An update on the website and social media wouldn’t hurt. You can never have too far of a reach.”
I look at Adam, and he’s giving me a sympathetic smile. “You know I’ll always hire you, but do what makes you happy first, Chess,” he replies lightly.
