Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bryn called Ivy and summarized the latest turn in her bizarre life. “So now you’re Team Westgate and he won’t be an asshat?” Ivy said. “I’m pretty sure that’s not enough to make a long-term relationship work, but maybe it’s a start.”
“Part of me is relieved, and part of me wants to go chase down a Blue female and pray she’s a match for Jaxon so I can push him off onto someone else.” Bryn shoved the last piece of cookie in her mouth.
“No one knows what the future will bring,” Ivy said. “Clint chased me for years and I swore we’d never end up together but look at us now. You and Jaxon could end up having a real relationship after you’re married.”
Did she even want that? “It’s not so much that I want something real with him,” Bryn said. “I just want something real with someone. Does that make me an awful person?”
“No. It makes you normal,” Ivy said. “Try looking at it this way, even if Jaxon had never been involved with Rhianna, this whole situation between you two would still be awkward. You’d have to become friends first before entertaining the possibility of anything more. And that’s kind of the point you’re at now.”
“I guess so,” Bryn said. “So maybe I should just concentrate on the friendship because that’s the first step toward not wanting to kill him on a regular basis. Right?”
“Exactly,” Ivy said. “With everything that’s been going on, I’m not sure you’re paying attention, but school is out for Christmas break soon. You’ll be at your grandparents’ house again, doing Blue things. You should probably come to some sort of understanding before then.”
What Ivy said made sense, but it wasn’t necessarily easy to put into practice.
…
Jaxon walked Bryn to breakfast and to all her classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. They were civil to each other but it wasn’t comfortable. By Thursday evening, Bryn was tired of walking on eggshells. When he walked her back to her dorm room after dinner, she said, “Can you come in for a minute?”
He gestured that she should open the door and then followed her inside and went to sit at the library table.
She sat across from him. Now what? It’s not like she’d rehearsed what she wanted to say. “I’m really tired of things being awkward between us.”
He snorted. “When has it not been awkward?”
“Point taken,” she said. “But it would be nice if we could dial the awkward down just a bit.” There had to be something they could do. She spotted a pack of cards Clint had left behind when they were doing homework. “Have you ever built a card house?”
“No.”
“Okay. Consider this a team building exercise.” She grabbed the deck of cards and set two cards up to start the base layer.
Jaxon looked at her like she was crazy. “Are we building the same house or are we each building our own?”
“Whatever you want,” Bryn said.
He grabbed two cards and copied what she’d done. Once he understood the process, he added more walls and a roof.
Bryn put the final card on her roof, and the entire thing collapsed. One of her cards slid over and tapped the back wall of Jaxon’s card house, causing his creation to fall apart.
“Sorry,” Bryn said, and then she laughed.
“Yes, I can tell you’re overcome with remorse.”
“Let’s build one together this time,” she suggested.
“On one condition.” Jaxon stood and went over to her bookshelf to retrieve a small wooden chest. “We use this to stabilize the base.”
“That’s cheating.”
“I prefer to think of it as an improvement in design.” Jaxon leaned the cards around the box. “The upper floors will still be tricky.”
They completed the first floor without incident. They managed to create walls for the second floor. “So far so good,” Bryn said.
He added cards for the roof one at a time. Bryn sat back and watched. Maybe the key to keeping him happy was letting him be in charge of things she didn’t care about. And wow, that sounded like something her grandmother would say.
When he added the last card for the roof and it didn’t collapse, he smiled at her.
“You look so proud,” she said.
“I am. The question is, do we start on a third floor or stop now while we’re in a good place?”
“I say, stop now,” Bryn said. “We can always try for more floors later.” After Jaxon left, Bryn wondered if the card house was representative of their relationship. They seemed to be headed back into the friend zone. Once they made it there, she’d be happy to stay at that level. There was no reason to go for anything more.
…
Whether it was due to the approaching holidays or the fact that there hadn’t been any recent attacks, the mood on campus seemed festive. Even Jaxon seemed more relaxed than normal.
“Do you think the dragon-pires have moved on to different hunting grounds?” Clint asked over pancakes Saturday morning in the Dining Hall.
“Maybe.” Bryn took another bite of her butter-and-syrup-drenched carbohydrate bliss. No matter how crazy her life became she could still find comfort in food. “It might be easier for dragon-pires to stake out some of the subdivisions for now, since all the students will be heading home for Christmas break soon.”
“Great,” Ivy said. “Now I can be paranoid about dragon-pires attacking at home, too.”
“I’ll never leave your side there, either,” Clint said. “So you won’t have anything to worry about.”
“My parents might have something to say about that,” Ivy said.
“That is the one downside to going home,” Clint said. “Being apart.”
“I thought your families spent Christmas together,” Bryn said.
“We do,” Ivy said. “But there are also Girls’ Days Out and entire days of baking cookies that are no-guys-allowed.”
That reminded Bryn of something. “I wonder if my mom and I could bake cookies at their cabin? Last year, I missed that.” She sighed. “Having my parents back this Christmas is the best present ever.”
“Speaking of presents,” Ivy said. “Have you figured out what you’re buying Jaxon?”
Ugh. “No. I mean what do you buy someone who has a freaking forest in their house?”
“A platinum-plated bug zapper?” Clint said.
Bryn laughed. “Funny, but I don’t think he’d appreciate it.”
“What would you buy him if he weren’t obscenely wealthy?” Ivy asked.
“Good question.” If she took away the money, what did Jaxon enjoy? “It’s not like he has any hobbies that I’m aware of, but I do know that he likes books, cars, and cookies.”
“Find out his favorite author and buy him a boxed set of books,” Ivy said.
“He is a Westgate,” Bryn said. “Maybe a first edition of a book, signed by the author would work.”
“That would be cool,” Clint said. “Where do you shop for something like that?”
“I have no idea, but I bet my grandmother would know,” Bryn said.
After hanging out with her friends, Bryn went back to her room and made a couple of calls. The first one was to her mom. She arranged to meet them the next afternoon for a cookie baking extravaganza. The second call was to her grandmother who pointed her in the right direction to purchase rare books. Now, Bryn just had to figure out what kind of books Jaxon preferred. She hadn’t paid attention to what he’d been reading. Maybe Miss Enid the librarian could help her out. She called the library.
“I’m not supposed to share patrons reading lists,” Miss Enid said. “But since it’s for a good cause, I can tell you that he reads a lot of thrillers.”
That didn’t narrow the field much. “Thanks.” Bryn hung up the phone.
There was one more person who could clue her in. She called Westgate Estate and asked the operator for Lillith.
“Hello, Bryn. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, I was hoping you could help me come up with a Christmas present for Jaxon.”
Lillith laughed. “Westgates are notoriously difficult to buy for, but I should be able to help you. What have you come up with so far?”
“I was thinking about a signed, first edition novel of one of his favorite books, but I’m not sure what that would be.”
“Oh…that is an interesting idea. I know he enjoyed those books about a wizard and a hobbit and something about a ring. We read those over and over again when he was younger. I think he even took a set of them to school.”
“Are you talking about the Tolkien books like The Lord of the Rings?”
“That’s right,” Lillith said.
“As a Westgate, do you think he’d like a nice leather-bound copy of the set or maybe a signed copy, if I can find one? Even if it doesn’t inspire jealousy and awe in his friends? Is that really important?”
“His father has taken care of the jealousy and awe gift,” Lillith said. “So you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Sorry.” Lillith laughed. “You’ll have to wait and see. I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
“Fine. Well, I guess I’m off to shop for rare books,” Bryn said.
“Have fun and I’ll see you at the Christmas Ball.”
Armed with this new and amusing bit of information, Bryn called the rare book dealer her grandmother had suggested in Dragon’s Bluff. She didn’t want to come right out and say, what is the most expensive version of this book that you have, so she improvised, “I’m interested in rare Tolkien books. What do you have available?”
An hour later, Bryn had used a substantial amount of the money her grandparents had put into her account when they’d accepted her as their granddaughter to buy a first edition, signed, hardback set of The Lord of the Rings. The dealer assured her that he’d take care of the transaction and have the books wrapped and shipped to Sinclair Estate. Hopefully, Jaxon would appreciate the gift. If not, Bryn knew what she’d be reading over Christmas break.
What would Jaxon buy for her? Would he even attempt to find something she’d like, or would he buy the most expensive and exclusive item he could find for the strange game Blues played? With her luck, she’d end up with a book bag bedazzled with diamonds in the form of a giant W or something ridiculous like that. Truthfully, the only thing she wanted for Christmas was to spend time with her family. She’d love to have her parents and grandparents in the same room, but she was beginning to realize that might never happen. For now, it was enough that she’d be baking cookies with her mom and dad tomorrow, which left one question. Who would be riding to Sanctuary with her? She hadn’t thought to ask Clint and Ivy if they wanted to go to Dragon’s Bluff so who did that leave? Only one person was that interested in her personal welfare. She grabbed the phone and dialed Jaxon’s number.
“Hello?” Jaxon sounded irritated. Great.
“Sorry to bug you, but I’m visiting my parents tomorrow and I know the SUVss are Directorate sanctioned, but I wasn’t sure if I should ride out there alone.”
“What time were you planning on going?” he asked.
“Noon.”
He was quiet for a moment. Maybe she should have called Clint and Ivy.
“I can drive you there at eleven thirty and pick you up at two,” Jaxon said. “I’m meeting my father in Dragon’s Bluff for lunch.”
“Thank you. That will work.”
Bryn called her parents to update them on the change of plans.
“So Jaxon is driving you out here.” Her dad sounded like he was plotting something. “You know, I’ve never met him.”
This wasn’t a road she was ready to go down. “You have plenty of time to meet him. If you want you can frown at him from the front gate when he drops me off, but I’m not arranging a meeting. Tomorrow is supposed to be fun, not stressful.”
“It would be fun for me.” Her dad laughed. “For him…not so much.”
“Another time,” Bryn said. “See you tomorrow.”
…
Jaxon wasn’t super chatty as he drove her toward Sanctuary, but at least the silence between them was comfortable.
“Thanks for taking me,” she said.
“Not a problem,” he said. “I’m glad you didn’t ask me to meet your parents.”
Bryn laughed. “My dad suggested I bring you along for a meet and greet. I told him this wasn’t the right time.”
“Good answer,” Jaxon said. “It’s strange. My father raised me to think badly of your mother, and before you gripe at me, I’ve overcome that. It’s funny that he never mentioned your father.”
“I will never pretend to understand how your father thinks,” Bryn said.
When they pulled up to the gate, Bryn grinned. Her dad stood there, holding an ax casually against his shoulder like he’d just gone out to chop wood. There was a small stack of wood in a wire basket at his feet, but Bryn bet the entire thing was staged.
“Want to come say hello?” she asked.
Jaxon put the car into park. “I can’t let the crazy man with an ax think he’s intimidated me, so sure, I’d love to meet him.”
Bryn laughed. “Okay. Try not to act too Blue. Let’s go.”
Jaxon snorted. She climbed out of the car and walked toward the guard at the admission checkpoint. Jaxon did the same.
“Who are you visiting?” the guard asked.
“My parents, Ian and Sara McKenna.” She pointed at Jaxon. “He won’t be staying. He’s just saying hello.”
The guard made them both sign in, gave them lanyards which had numbered pass cards, and then he allowed them to go through the gate.
“Hi, Dad.” Bryn grinned. “Jaxon wanted to meet you before he heads to Dragon’s Bluff for lunch.”
Her dad set the ax down and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s interesting to meet you,” Jaxon said. “The ax was a nice touch.”
“Thanks,” her dad said. “I thought it would help get the message across.”
“What message is that?” Jaxon asked without blinking.
“Despite the strange history between our families, I expect you to treat my daughter with respect.”
Jaxon nodded. “In spite of the strange history our families share, I do respect Bryn. So you’ve nothing to worry about.”
“Good.”
“I’ll be back at two,” Jaxon said to Bryn.
“See you then.” After Jaxon had signed out and driven away, Bryn pointed at the ax. “I can’t believe you did that.”
He grinned. “Come on. Your mom is chomping at the bit to make cookies.”
As they walked to their cabin, Bryn noticed that he wasn’t wearing his leg brace but he was moving well. There was only a slight jerkiness to his walk.
“Your leg seems better,” she said.
“Your friend Garret stopped by the other night. The new brace he made for me fits under my jeans. It’s amazing.”
After a round of hugs and a quick summary of her dad’s meeting with Jaxon, they started working on the cookies.
Bryn’s mom rolled out the dough for sugar cookies on the kitchen table. “I mixed this batch up last night so we could bake them today.”
“There’s about half a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough left in the fridge, too,” her dad said.
“Half a batch?” Bryn asked.
“I ate the other half.” Her dad grinned. “For quality control testing, of course.”
“Of course.” Bryn laughed. “Where are the cookie cutters?”
“On top of the refrigerator,” said her mom.
Bryn grabbed the brand-new package of cookie cutters and ripped open the bag. “Let’s see…we have a tree, a star, an angel, and a candy cane.”
“And I will be making my amazing snowmen.” Her dad reached for some of the dough still in the bowl and started rolling large, medium, and small-sized balls.
Bryn took a shuddering breath as a wave of emotion swamped her. She turned away and wiped at the tears in her eyes.
“What’s wrong, honey?” her mom asked.
And Bryn burst into tears. “Sorry, it’s just last year I never thought I’d see Dad’s crooked snowmen or make cookies with you ever again.”
Her mom dusted her hands off on her apron as she came to give Bryn a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was my fault,” Bryn said. “I’m the reason someone tried to blow up the apartment with you inside.”
“That’s not true.” Her dad came to join them in a family hug. “They came after us because we’re dragons who defied the Directorate.”
“The reason doesn’t really matter,” her mom said. “What matters is that we’re here together and we have cookies to bake.”
“You’re right,” Bryn said. “Back to the cookies.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon baking and eating cookies, and it was wonderful, but it wasn’t the same as it had been before all this dragon business happened. Then again, maybe it was because she was older, more aware of the craziness going on in the world, and everything seemed less safe.
When it was time to leave, her mom volunteered to escort her to the gate.
“Sure you don’t want to come along…maybe bring a machete or something,” Bryn said to her dad.
“No,” he said. “I think he got the message loud and clear.”
She hugged her dad and then headed out the front door with her mom.
Jaxon pulled up to the gate within seconds of Bryn’s arrival. She hugged her mom, signed out, and returned the lanyard. Jaxon opened her car door for her, giving a nod of recognition to her mother before climbing in and driving them back toward school.
“So what did you think of my dad?” Bryn asked.
“He made his point in an amusing manner,” Jaxon said. “What did he think of me?”
Her dad had said Jaxon didn’t seem as obnoxious as his father, but she probably shouldn’t share that quote word for word. “He appreciates your attitude toward me and likes that you come across as more approachable than your father.”
“According to my father, Westgates aren’t supposed to be approachable,” Jaxon said. “My mother had a different theory on the subject, so I landed somewhere in between.”
Thank goodness for Lillith.
“Speaking of your mother, how are she and Asher doing?”
“We didn’t discuss them,” Jaxon said.
And now she was back to thinking Blues were weird. “Anything else going on that I should know about? Any Dragon-pire reports or family drama?”
“I think we are at the no-news-is-good-news stage,” Jaxon said.
“That works for me.” Bryn said. “I’m hoping my chaos magnet days are over. I’d love an uneventful holiday season.”
“The Christmas Ball should be safer this year. Your grandfather has hired extra guards and installed more surveillance cameras around the estate.”
“That’s comforting, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to relax and believe an event is safe.”
“I feel compelled to point out that the common denominator among all the recent chaos has been you.”
“And you get to spend the rest of your life with me,” Bryn shot back. “You lucky duck.”
“I can barely contain my joy.”
They drove back to the Institute for Excellence trading comments and laughing. It was nice. On the way to her room, he said, “Do you still have the present I asked you to keep for me?”
Way to put a damper on the day. “I do.” Where is he going with this?
“Can I have it back?” he asked.
“Of course.” She unlocked her door, letting him into the living room and then went to retrieve the bracelet from underneath her sweaters. Should she admit she’d looked at it? No.
Jaxon accepted the box from her and held it in his palm like he was testing its weight. “I finally figured out what I should do with it.” He slid it into his coat pocket and then said, “I almost forgot.” He pulled a small white cardboard box from his pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this?” She opened the box and looked inside to find brownies dotted with green Christmas tree-shaped sprinkles.
“I stopped in a bakery to order something for my mother, and I saw those.”
That was oddly thoughtful of him.
“I know normal girls wouldn’t want to eat brownies after baking cookies all day, but I figured that didn’t apply to you.”
“It’s not like I can argue that statement, so thank you.”
“Good night, Bryn.”
“Good night.” She locked the door behind him before taking a bite of brownie. It was chocolatey fudgey heaven. A small voice in her head whispered that he must actually care about her. The smarter part of her brain said to shut up and enjoy the brownie. No reason to read anything even remotely romantic into the nice gesture.
Bryn stopped mid chew. Wait. What? Did she just think of romance and Jaxon in the same sentence? Sure, he was funny, and smart, and handsome when he wasn’t being an asshat, but that didn’t mean there would ever be any real feelings between them. Right?
She should shoot for friendship. Friendship might be attainable. If she went looking for anything more than that, she’d be disappointed. The brownie was a gesture of friendship. That was all. Just friends.