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An idea begins to take root, one I instantly feel guilty for, but that doesn’t drown out the internal voice telling me it could be done.
I do need more information first.
As if this Aubrey is aware of my thinking and wants to assist, she gives it. Unintentional or not, I accept by carefully sliding my foot forward, using the tip of my shoe to snag the file she dropped. I wait, fearing I’ll be caught at any moment, but she’s so focused on getting approval for what she wants to do to pay me any mind.
Trying not to draw attention to what I’m doing, I reverse my action and bring my foot back, then put my carryon over the file it to hide it just in case.
I continue listening, wondering if she’ll share more to help, but she doesn’t. She’s awful free with the details regarding what Justin already has done to her and what he wants to while they’re gone.
Some of it I didn’t know was possible and wish I still didn’t.
I’m not even sure a few are legal.
If they are, they shouldn’t be.
Honestly, Aubrey might not be doing just the Jenkins family a favor by not going.
She’s doing me one, too.
Being Audrey Wilcox isn’t working for me at the moment.
Perhaps I’ll have better luck as Aubrey Simcox.
It’s only for the holidays anyway. A temporary role.
Hell, I’ve played the part of being happy with the Trudeaus for fifteen years. If I can pull that off, this will be a piece of cake.
**Carson**
“When is she due?” I ask my mom, Diana Jenkins.
“In a couple hours.” Her ears are attuned to me, but her eyes are on her task. Cleaning the spare room. In most houses, an empty space is easy to come by. In mine, with seven kids, not so much. As always, though, mom made it happen. It’s what she does. With a family of our size, it’s a necessary skill.
“I’m so glad you told me about this program.” That being Homefront Holidays, or HHP, as it was more commonly referred to. Oddly enough, despite being in the military since I was eighteen, I’d never heard of it until my teammate, Boone Gentry, was volunteered by our CO, Clayton Bowers.
Then again, it’s for men and women that don’t have a family to spend holidays with. And, as much as mine drives me nuts sometimes, I’m thankful for them. Can’t imagine not having them.
Boone, an only child, lost both his parents, though he only mourned one – his mom, his story to tell, not mine – and always stayed behind when the rest of us went home. I consistently invited him to accompany me and he consistently declined. Bowers, deciding he’d had enough, signed Boone up.
At first, Boone wasn’t pleased. Now, though, he’ll tell anyone and everyone that he can never repay Bowers because that sneaky maneuver brought Flora Dooley into Boone’s life.
They fell in love and got married with her accompanying him when he returned after the break. I’ve never seen Boone this happy. I should amend that as I never really saw him happy on any level. With his past, it was understandable.
When I’d come home last year for Christmas, Boone once more not with me, mom had threatened to call him herself and extend the invitation. I’d explained what Bowers had done and while she was disappointed Boone wouldn’t be with us, she was thrilled he was with someone.
That paled in comparison to her elation after learning Boone had asked Flora to marry him and she’d agreed. You’d think, with seven kids of her own, Mom would be too busy mothering us to hone in on the guys in my squad.
You’d be wrong.
Upon learning she could extend that mothering nature to even more people, she’d jumped at the chance to be added to the list of available hosts.
The vetting process didn’t take as long for my parents as for others due to me being in the Army, and my background being thoroughly checked when I’d joined, but it still took a bit.
With Christmas being her favorite holiday, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Aubrey is the first applicant they were matched with.
Hopefully, we don’t scare her off.
