It had been a little over a week and
Sarah couldn’t believe how much fun they’d had at the holiday party in her home
of all places. The best part was having Curtis with her, she decided. She’d
forgotten how it felt to have a companion. That was why she was going to ask
him to move in with her on New Year’s Eve. She hadn’t even mentioned it to
Amaya.
Curtis shuffled into the kitchen.
“Morning.”
Sarah smiled at him with the
I-know-something-you-don’t-know grin. “Good morning. I’ve made breakfast. Do
you know what today is?”
“Wednesday?”
“Yes…but do you know what happens today?”
“Trash pick up.”
Sarah’s smile faltered. “No.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve. I knew what you
were getting at,” he said, sitting at the table.
“Do you have plans?” She joined him at
the round kitchen table.
“Nothing concrete. We aren’t getting
together with the seniors club because of the fire, so I thought maybe we could
have my grandson bring dinner to us and we could rent a movie off the TV. I
hear it’s all the rage.”
“I like that idea.” It fit perfect with
her plan.
***
Amaya couldn’t wait for 3 p.m. when she
could lock the store. No one needed anything after that. The champagne should
have all been purchased and she didn’t carry noisemakers. The door bells
jangled and she looked up. Seeing it was just Kaila Lang from the seniors club,
she felt her shoulders slump.
She hadn’t heard from Tristan since the
night she’d kissed him and he’d rejected her. He didn’t even mention the tree
she’d lit for him at the golf course. It had been radio silence. He hadn’t even
returned to pick up the clothes he’d been wearing.
“Hi Amaya. The party was amazing. You
really made Christmas for my seniors.”
“Thanks. I’m glad they had a good time.”
“Are you okay?”
“What can I help you with today?”
She helped Kaila pick up a few items for
her New Year’s celebration and a hostess gift, then said goodbye.
The phone rang and Amaya reluctantly
answered.
“Amaya, it’s your grandmother.”
“Nana…”
“I’m having a quiet evening in with
Curtis tonight and we need food delivered. You’ll pick it up for me.”
Amaya considered what she could say. Of
course, or perhaps tell her the 12 places within a few miles that would deliver
to her.
“Whatever you need. It’s not like I have
plans,” Amaya mumbled. “Just tell me where to pick it up.”
“I’ll text you.”
“Nana, you don’t text.”
“I got a text phone for Christmas.”
Amaya let a smile crack her face. She
did love her grandmother and she wanted her to be happy, even if it meant
shacking up with Curtis, the grandfather of the man that she couldn’t stop
thinking about.
Every time the phone rang or the door
opened, she hoped to see him or hear his voice.
***
New Year’s Eve was always so much fun.
The merriment, the beginning of new things. Tristan had been working on his
house non-stop for the last week. He had only slept a few hours each night hoping
to get it done before New Year’s.
The fire marshal determined that the
fire was accidentally started by a wire. The insurance company was going to
pay. Tristan would start rebuilding the clubhouse in the spring, but this home
he was building outback, tucked in the woods off the eighteenth green. It was a
tiny house, only a few hundred square feet, but perfect for him and maybe one
other person.
He hadn’t spoken with Amaya since the
kiss. His brain had been messed up. He knew he should have called her. It
wasn’t that he didn’t like her or want to be with her. He had felt like he
should mourn his wife’s memory for an eternity. Now that he’d had time to
reflect, he knew that she would want him to go on with his life, to be happy.
And he’d make it happen.
He’d start by telling his grandfather
that he wouldn’t be able to move in with him, for one the house was too small,
and second, he needed to make sure he had the privacy to be with Amaya.
His cell phone rang in his back pocket.
“It’s Curtis. I’m ordering Chinese food
for dinner and I need you to deliver it to me and Sarah.”
“They deliver.”
“Yeah, but I want to see you on New
Year’s Eve. I have something to tell you.” Curtis hung up the phone before
Tristan could protest or ask any more questions.
***
Curtis rubbed his hands together before
patting Sarah’s shoulder. She had already asked him to move in with her and
he’d said “yes”. He couldn’t think of a single reason why a single guy like
him, with no place to live would turn down an offer to move in with a great gal
like her.
The knock on the door was quiet…like the
person was carrying a bag of food. Curtis winked at Sarah and went to the door
to let Amaya in.
“My dear.”
“Hi Curtis. I brought dinner.” She
handed the food over to him.
“I ordered food. What is this?”
He held in the smile. He peeked in the
bag to hide his amusement as he ushered her into the living room.
This time the knock was more of a pound
on the front door. “I’ll get it,” Curtis said, his smile wide and bright.
“Just sit. I’m up. I’ll get it,” Amaya
said. She went to the door and swung it open. Tristan stood there, shock in his
eyes, holding a plastic bag that smelled like Chinese. After a second his face
split into a grin.
“Amaya.”
Curtis saw her back up.
“Amaya, let the boy in,” Sarah said.
Amaya turned her glare on her grandmother.
“You did this on purpose.”
“You can’t prove anything,” Sarah said.
Curtis sat next to her smiling.
Tristan set the food down and pulled
Amaya further into the hallway. Curtis crept over to see what was going on.
“I’m so sorry about the other night.” Tristan
held Amaya’s arm.
“And for not calling?”
“That too. Can we start over? I brought
you a present.”
He pulled out mistletoe and held it over
her head. “It’s mistletoe.”
Amaya smiled up at him as he leaned in
for a New Year’s kiss.
American Sniper is a new war drama directed by the
legendary Clint Eastwood and based on the same named autobiography by Chris
Kyle, the deadliest sniper in the history of the U.S. military. Academy Award nominee
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) stars in the title
role and Sienna Miller portrays his wife in the film. I was really looking
forward to this movie for a long time, especially after hearing some very
positive reviews from critics. I became even more excited last week when it was
announced that the film received six Academy Award nominations including: Best
Motion Picture, Writing, Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and another
nomination for Bradley Cooper for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading
Role. In the end, American Sniper simply blew me away and I expect that it will
reel in a handful of those prestigious awards.
