JENN
The next day, I was downstairs making breakfast before my family woke up. My dad was the first to come downstairs.
“Good morning, baby girl. Good to have you home,” he said as he kissed me on the cheek and picked up a sausage from the plate.
“So good to be home, Dad. I missed you guys.”
“We missed you and these wonderful pancakes,” Dad said.
“Yes, we did,” Lauren, my stepmom, agreed. “You know I don’t cook much.” I smiled and gave her a hug. “Neither does your dad,” Lauren said.
Her dad laughed and kissed Lauren. “I didn’t marry you for your cooking skills.”
“I wonder why you married her sometimes,” Tyler said, laughing as he came down the stairs in just his shorts.
“Son, that would be too X-rated for you,” Jack said with a laugh as he walked towards the living room with Lauren.
“They make a great couple,” I commented for want of something to say as I was suddenly alone with Tyler. My eyes would not look away from his broad, naked chest. It was distracting, and suddenly I became clumsy with turning the pancakes.
“You okay?” he asked, coming closer to me and leaning in to take a sausage.
“Yeah. I think the heat of the stove is getting to me.”
Tyler smiled and leaned towards me a little more. At first I thought he was going to give me a kiss, but he turned on the fan over the stovetop instead. “That should help.”
“Yes, thanks. I forgot all about the fan,” I said, throwing my hands up in mock exasperation. I was glad he bought my explanation of why I was hot; I would not have wanted him thinking it had anything to do with him.
“So what’s in the pot?” he asked as he peered into the pot I was stirring. He knew what I was making, so I had no idea why he wanted to come so close to me in order to see it. But two can play at the game so I played around with him.
“Homemade pancake syrup.”
“Looks good.”
“Hope it tastes as good as it looks.”
“Things always taste as good as they look,” he said in a hoarse voice that caused me to look up at him.
He had a weird look on his face, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought there was some suggestive undertone there, like he was trying to say something to me but couldn’t. Was it possible he was suggesting I might taste good? I shook my head. I needed to get my mind out of the gutter. Why would my brother think anything like that? The Tyler I knew didn’t even notice I was a woman. His words could only mean that the food tasted as good as it looked; that, and nothing more.
“I’ve been known to screw things up. Let’s wait until we try the syrup to decide,” I laughed. Unless he really did mean me and not the food; in that case, he still had to try to decide. I was letting my thoughts run away with me again.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll take a shower and be back,” I heard him say.
I had been so lost in my mind I didn’t know when he stepped away from me and walked to the kitchen door. Goodness knows what else he might have said while I thought about inappropriate things. I should be spanked for even entertaining those thoughts.
“Huh-uh,” I responded noncommittally.
“You’re sure you’re okay, Jenn?” he asked as he left, but before I had the chance to answer, our parents had come through the door.
“She will be once you stop harassing her and actually take a shower and come back for breakfast,” Lauren teased.
I wanted to hug her and say thank you for rescuing me from that awkward moment, but I just smiled and kept cooking. Lauren sat next to me. For a few minutes, we remained in comfortable silence, she setting the table while I finished cooking.
“It’s so good to have you home with us, Jenn,” she said as she approached the oven.
“I’m so glad to be here. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be for Christmas.” It was true. Not that I didn’t enjoy spending Christmas with my mom; in fact, it was great – great sunny weather, nothing like the miserable cold that NYC offered in the winter months. But there was no Tyler in California, which just made the sunny weather not worth it for me. I’d take snow and cold days in NYC than the warmest, brightest day in California.
“Glad to hear that,” Lauren said.
“I don’t mean I don’t like California, don’t get me wrong.”
“Oh, no, of course not. Your mom is fun, and I’m sure you have a great time with her.”
I smiled, still trying to explain myself to wash away the guilty feeling I had about insulting my mom. “You know what I mean, right? I just like being with you guys too, and sometimes, it’s so hard to decide where to go.” The first part was true; I liked being with them, but the second part of my story was a lie. It was never hard deciding where to stay; my heart lay where Tyler was, and given the chance, I’d spend all my free days and nights with him.
“Yes, darling, I know what you mean. I do feel privileged that you’re spending the holiday with us. You know what?”
“What?” I asked, having no idea what she wanted to say next.
“Tyler loves your company. He might hassle you sometimes, but trust me, when you are not around, he mopes like a dog. I didn’t realize how lonely he felt as an only child until you came along.”
I nodded, her words making a lot of sense to me. I was technically the older child for my mom. Yes, she just had a new baby with my new stepdad, but I feel more like a mom to my baby sister than a sister because we are eighteen years apart. Tyler definitely made my life better and did a good job of taking that only child loneliness away from me.
“Yes, I miss him when I’m not here,” I admitted, but I kept the rest of my thoughts to myself. I missed him, not just like a brother, but also like someone I had a crush on, but this was something I could never let anyone find out, not our parents and certainly not Tyler.