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Jesse went to bed tingling with a combination of trepidation and excitement. He woke, not feeling rested, to the sound of Christmas music drifting up from somewhere on the lower floors.
When he went downstairs, he found a stream of people flowing between the entrance and the library, all carrying Christmas decorations. The music was coming from the in-house speaker system, and many of the staff were wearing tinsel in their hair, festive earrings or Christmas jumpers.
“Happy Christmas Eve,” Tom said as he joined Jesse in the hall. “Guessing the boss had a last-minute attack of the festive spirit.”
“Yeah,” Jesse said hoarsely, “I guess.”
“You okay?”
Jesse tried for a smile and made for the break room. “Yeah, all good. Hey, I was just thinking… We should get some more security staff in, just for the next few weeks.” Jesse went to the coffee machine. “You know how holidays send people nuts.”
“We can do that,” Tom said, leaning against the counter and folding his arms, “if you think that’s necessary.”
“I do—booze, family bust-ups, disappointing presents.” He shrugged. “That shit gets people all riled up. They’re bound to lash out at the local pariah more than usual.”
“I’ll get on it this morning.” Tom fetched mugs from the cupboard. “So, big day tomorrow. What are your plans?”
“I’m supposed to go over to my brother’s, to see my nephew.”
“That sounds lovely.” Tom paused as Jesse fetched the milk without making eye contact. “Not looking forward to it?”
Won’t be going if I’m in fucking jail—for good this time.Jesse swallowed the words and poured the milk. “Just a lot to get done first, is all.”
“Like what?” Tom said, taking his mug and following Jesse from the room. “Systems are all online. Holiday cover is arriving at noon. I’d say we’re free and easy.”
Jesse made sure the security room was empty then went in and shut the door behind them. “You were with Emory in Austria, right?”
“Yes…” Tom said carefully. “Why?”
Jesse gripped his coffee mug, hard.
“It means the world that I can now trust you with this on a personal level.” Emory’s words echoed in his head. He let out a noisy sigh and sat at his workstation. “Nothing. Forget it.”
“Jesse, you seem unusually tense this morning, even for you.”
“It’s just this bloody holiday,” Jesse snapped, then shook his head. “Sorry. I’m a dickhead.”
Tom chuckled and sat next to him. “You’re not a dickhead. Sometimes Christmas is hard. I get that. And I guess a lot has changed for you, coming here. How about I get us some breakfast, huh? The holiday pastry should be arriving any minute.”
Jesse smiled. “That sounds good.”
“One thing Christmas is good for,” Tom said, moving to the door, “is comfort eating. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey,” Jesse said. Tom paused in the doorway. “What are you doing tomorrow? I never asked.”
Tom put his hands in his pockets, looking a little sheepish. “They put a pretty good staff meal on in the break room. Plenty of booze, too. With any luck, I’ll be passed out under a table by three p.m.”
“You’re not going to see your family?”
“Nah,” Tom said with a shrug. “Easier to stick around here.”
Something tightened in Jesse’s chest as he watched old pain cool the warmth in Tom’s eyes. “Okay, man. Well, I hope they push the boat out.”
“They usually do.” Tom returned his smile and left. Soon he returned with a plate stacked high with Danishes, croissants, cinnamon whirls and pecan plaits, plus a tub of jam, one of cream and another of butter.
He and Jesse allowed the excellent food to move the conversation on as they did their routine morning system checks and joked about what their dads had looked like in Father Christmas suits when they had been kids. Jesse was surprised to find the memories less painful than usual.
At noon, the temp staff came in to relieve them for the holiday weekend, but it was close to one before Jesse was satisfied that they knew what they were doing. Tom finally dragged him from the room, then they were standing, slightly awkwardly, in the hall outside their bedrooms.
