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4
Nick
“Nick! The tea’s on!” My mom’s voice drifted up the stairs. Sydney smoothed down her already-perfect gray cashmere sweater, tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“You ready?”
She nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” I grabbed her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Sydney paused, glanced up at me through her thick lashes.
“So how long have we been dating now, according to your timeline?”
“Hmmm. Good question. At least since May. So almost eight months.”
“’kay. Just want to get my facts straight.”
“Relax, Syd. It’ll be fine,” I leaned over and whispered in her ear. She smelled sweet and floral, just like I remembered.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sydney took a deep breath, then straightened her shoulders.
“Show time.” She plastered a warm smile on her face, the same one she used in meetings, and together we walked into the kitchen.
“Nicholas!” My gran rushed over, crushing me to her. “And you brought Sydney with you! How marvelous.” Gran air kissed Sydney on both cheeks then ushered us over to the round kitchen table set for tea, complete with Christmas plates and matching tea cups. Gran patted the spot next to her. “Come, sit, tell me all about football.”
Gran always knew how to strike up a conversation with me. I pulled a chair out for Sydney, then settled into the seat next to Gran and launched into the story of me getting traded back to New England.
“They called me on a Thursday and next thing I knew, I was on the first flight out Friday, playing in a game on Sunday. The moving company packed up my apartment and they shipped everything to me the next week. All my stuff was set up when I got home from practice. It was like magic.”
“Well, we’re so glad you’re home. I could never keep the time zones straight out there. No Daylight Savings Time; so confusing.” Gran shook her head, took a sip of tea.
“Here you go, kids.” My mom set the tea kettle down, along with a tray of sliced fruit and cookies.
“This looks amazing, Mrs. Milton. Can I help with anything?” Sydney asked, rising.
“No, no. You kids had a long drive this morning. Sit back and relax.” My mom sat down in the seat next to Sydney, handed her the tea box with an assortment of teas. “The Christmas Cookie one is good. Lots of cinnamon and vanilla.”
Sydney plucked the recommended teabag, passed the box to me. I went with Earl Grey, then handed it back to my mom. We set about steeping our tea, adding fresh sugar cubes, honey, and milk.
“What do you have planned today, Nick?” my mom asked, her teaspoon tinging the side of the teacup as she stirred.
“I think I’ll take Sydney into town for lunch, show her the shops. Do you need anything?”
“No, we’re good. Your father will be home around six and your brother’s coming over, too. We’ll have cocktails, then dinner.”
“Great. I haven’t seen him since he came out to Arizona. He still dating the teacher?”
My mom shook her head. “No. And I liked her, too. You might be my only hope for grandchildren.” She stared at me, her eyes wide, and Gran sighed over her teacup.
Sydney shifted in her seat, the tips of her ears pink. I nudged her foot under the table, and her eyes widened.
“Well, thanks for the tea, Mom. We should get going so we have enough time to shop. C’mon, Syd.” I stood, grabbing Sydney’s hand. We gathered our plates and cups, placing them in the wide farmhouse sink.
“Just leave the dishes, hun. I’ll get to them soon.”
“Okay. Thanks, Mom.” I gave both women a quick hug and ushered Sydney out of the kitchen before she turned an even brighter shade of red.
Sydney fanned herself as soon as we were out of eyesight.
