Now that Sabin is at the house with us, I’m really geared up for the rest of the group to arrive, and I call a meeting of sorts on the deck, so we can make a list of everything to do.
Sabin flops into a chair and faces the water.
I rest my head in Chris’s lap while I type on my phone. “Okay, so we obviously need a tree and ornaments. Wrapping paper, name tags for presents. And food. What are our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus?”
Chris and I bounce around ideas, but Sabin mostly stays out of the conversation, either scrolling through his phone or staring at the water view.
Chris gets up to assess where to set up a tree in the living room. Before he goes inside, he kisses me on the mouth. “Glad you got to ride a horse. The pictures you sent were awesome.”
“And did you see the videos of Sabin riding? He’s amazing.”
“I did. Very, very cool. I’m happy that you two had such a good day. He’s a good brother and a good friend.” Chris kisses me again and pats Sabin’s arm before he leaves the deck.
Sabin still hasn’t moved, so I stick out a leg and lightly kick him.
“What’s up there? You’ve been very quiet.”
“Just looking for dolphins.”
He seems tense now, edgy even, and I don’t know why.
“Such a big fucking ocean, huh? It just goes on forever. All that water, full of currents and riptides, with hidden dangers everywhere. But it looks so damn pretty, doesn’t it? You’d never know.” He shifts in his chair. “Look, it’s kind of silly for me to stay here. I’ve got a place. I think I should just sleep at home.”
I sharply sit up. “What are you talking about? Why would you do that?”
“I have work to do, horses to feed and stuff.”
“You don’t have work now. Pearce told me you’re free, and I’m sure he’ll feed the horses. Sabe, you have to stay here. We’reallstaying here. That was the plan. I don’t…Sabin…”
“Okay, okay. Easy there…”
“Besides, I put three rubber duckies in your bathtub for you. You can’t leave now.”
He cracks a smile but keeps his eyes on the water. “Well, in that case, I guess I do have to stay.”
I feel an underlying anxiety creeping through my system. I felt it yesterday and this morning and again now as I watch Sabin while he watches the ocean.
Estelle is wearing the most inappropriate and tightest red spaghetti-strap nightgown, and she’s sitting on my brother’s lap with her arms around his neck. If I weren’t so damn happy to see her and if it weren’t Christmas morning—or closer to Christmas afternoon, given how late the college kids slept—I might casually throw a poncho over her. As it is, I’ve decided to embrace all that is Estelle. That also meant that I had to turn up the ceiling fan in our room last night to muffle the noise coming from the bedroom she was sharing with James. Both of them look so unbelievably gooey in love that I can’t be mad.
And at least she threw on a bra under her nightgown, so Christmas miracles do exist.
In lieu of his usual cowboy hat, Sabin has on a Santa hat and is handing out presents. “As we have about reached the end of the whole point of Christmas—the whopping gifts—Estelle, my favorite sister, this is for you. I expect that the high-quality nature of this gift will excuse me from any other gift-buying over the years to come.” He lugs a large rectangular item from behind the tree.
“Oh, no.” Eric covers his face with his hands. “I can’t look. I just can’t.”
“What?” Sitting next to him, I lean in. “What is it?”
“I’m pretty sure I have an idea, and just be happy that you don’t room with her anymore.” But he’s smiling.
Estelle leaps from James and claps her hands together. “Gimme, gimme, gimme! Gimme the goods, baby!”
Chris is smirking in the corner, so I imagine that Sabin filled him in. “Estelle, get ready to have your socks knocked off.”
She tears open the paper and absolutely squeals with pure delight. “Oh my fucking God, Sabin Shepherd! How in the hell are you so goddamn fucking brilliantly perfect?”
She’s bouncing around and totally blocking my view until she turns the gift toward the room and holds it above her head.
“Holy…shit,” I mutter.
