Michaela held hands with Colleen as they made their way through the large mall. It was December which meant two things: everything was decorated for Christmas, and everyone was shopping for Christmas. Michaela made sure to clamp onto Colleen's hand tightly, she didn't want to lose her in the sea of strange faces and tinsel.
They were in the mall because Michaela wanted to buy a few new outfits for the Christmas socials that she knew were coming up. Additionally, she needed to pick up the costumes that Colleen's dance instructor had selected for an upcoming recital. She also planned to meet Sully. He was going to take her and Colleen to lunch at his good friend's restaurant. As luck would have it, the dancewear store and the restaurant were right across the street from the shopping plaza.
She wasn't shopping for Colleen, only, on this trip, she was also shopping for her boys. Instead of taking them with her to the mall, she simply measured them to see if they had gone up a size and left them with Dorothy at home. The boys absolutely hated shopping for clothes, and she was too tired these days to hear their complaints.
Michaela did get a temp job at the hospital, but she got the graveyard shift, and she couldn't stand the nurses that she had working under her. They complained endlessly about their lives and their patients, every job that they were supposed to do anyway was treated like an extra chore, and they took too long on their breaks. To add insult to injury, most of them smoked, despite working in the healthcare industry, and they smelled like an old musty bar.
For the amount of money she was contracted for, for the next three months, Michaela couldn't complain too much. She was bringing in more money than she'd been bringing in from her practice. Nevertheless, not everything was about dollars and cents to Michaela, and she couldn't wait to open her office again.
After making their way through the large crowd, the mother-daughter duo entered Lyndals Department Store. Michaela had never heard of this store, but based on Dorothy's description of it, it sounded similar to Macy's and Nordstrom; two stores that she frequented in Boston all of her life. When they got there, Michaela decided to handle shopping for the boys first.
Michaela knew that Matthew was about to hit puberty and she expected him to have a growth spurt very soon. Fortunately, he wasn't quite there yet and the dressier outfits that he already owned still fit properly. What he needed most was a new pair of black dress shoes, so his mother picked up a pair for him.
Brian had grown since she'd last bought him new clothes; however, she typically bought Brian's clothes a little loose, so he'd have room to grow. He needed new dress pants and new dress shoes for sure, but his dress shirts that had once been a little loose, fit perfectly. Nevertheless, she opted to get him a new dress shirt, just in case. They still had 23 days until Christmas, and it was entirely possible that he could grow even more during that time.
As for Colleen, her sweet, sweet, Colleen…she had grown out of every holiday dress that she owned. They were all just too small. Michaela planned to buy her three new dresses and some tights and shoes to go with them. They had the School Christmas Program, the church social, the church service, and Sully invited them to attend dinner on Christmas Eve at his mother's house. Needless to say, they had several events that she wanted to make sure that her children were dressed up for.
When they reached the girl's section, Colleen raced to a dress that she thought was beautiful. "I want this one, Mommy!"
"Sweetheart, um…" Michaela said warily and scowled at the sight in front of her. The dress that Colleen liked was being marketed to seven to twelve-year-olds. This dress was a one shoulder number with a sequin bodice and a short tulle skirt. Michaela thought the youngest age that that particular dress was appropriate for was a seventeen-year-old. In her opinion it was much too mature for a seven to twelve-year-old, which made it much too mature for her six-year-old.
"Can I try it on, Mommy? Please!" the little girl begged, bouncing up and down.
"Uh…I don't think they have that one in your size," Michaela said, making an excuse to not let her try it on. She decided that she would pick out the dresses that she liked and would let Colleen pick from those.
Before she could start looking, Colleen found a second dress that she wanted, "I like this one, Mommy!"
Michaela looked at the dress that Colleen now wanted and grimaced at the sight of it. She preferred traditional holiday dresses for little girls. She didn't want anything that was cut for an adult or older teenager, and she didn't want anything that she considered to be garish.
To Colleen's credit, this dress was cut traditionally. It had a rose gold sequin bodice with a round neckline and elbow sleeves. The bottom was a satin rose gold skirt with a few layers of rose gold tulle. The dress was tied together with a large satin bow in front.
If that was all there was to the dress, Michaela would have approved right away. It was cut in a traditional style. Though it was made in a trendy color, it wasn't tacky, so she could live with it. The only problem was the bottom of the dress. There was a border of unicorns that were covered in rose gold glitter. It was a shame because the rest of the dress was fine, but the unicorns screamed kitsch to Michaela.
"Let's look around a little more," Michaela suggested.
"Okay, Mommy," Colleen sang happily.
"So, Sully stole your woman? Or are you tryin' to steal his?" Robert E. asked with a chuckle.
"Sully didn't steal anything, Robert E.," Grace answered before Tim could, "Knowing Timothy here, Sully's new lady friend probably doesn't even know he exists."
The good reverend was sitting at the counter of Grace's Restaurant and Bakery. Over a slice of apple pie and a glass of milk, Tim was explaining his sorrows.
"She knows I exist," Tim said defensively.
"But did you ask her out?" Grace inquired.
"Well-" Tim started to say.
Then Robert E. and Grace both cut him off and said in unison, "Noooo!"
"If you can't ask her out, then how was she supposed to know that you liked her? How was Sully supposed to know?" Grace questioned.
"Okay, fine," Tim said, giving up, "I guess he didn't steal her."
"No worries, Tim," Grace said, "We're still gonna help ya kick Sully's butt."
"We are?" Robert E. questioned.
"Yeah, we are," Grace said, "He's datin' someone new, and he hasn't told us yet? Where does he get off?"
"I don't want to be the person who let the cat out of the bag on this," Tim said, trying to get Grace to not say or do anything to Sully, "I don't think he even knows that I know."
Grace rolled her eyes and scoffed. Then she said, "Well if you don't want me to say anything, then it's your job to get his new girlfriend to attend his surprise party next Friday night."
"He does have a birthday coming up, doesn't he?" Tim said.
"December 9th," Grace reminded him.
"It's gonna be a boy-girl party, so try to bring a date," Robert E. teased, earning a laugh from Grace.
"Very funny," said Tim, "Who would I bring?"
"Who do we know that is still single?" Grace asked her husband.
"Hmm," Robert E. had to think about that one, "Myra? I don't know if that's a good idea though; she has a thing for unavailable men."
"Who's that?" the reverend inquired.
"She's one of my waitresses," Grace explained, "She used to date a married guy until his wife divorced him and he went to jail. It was a long time ago when she actually had a thing with him, but I guess she still writes her jailbird lover now and again."
"No, thank you," answered Tim, clearly repulsed.
"Horace is after her anyway," Grace informed them.
"Why?" Tim and Robert E. asked at the same time.
Grace put up her hands in question, "You'll have to ask Horace."
"Who is the married man she was dating before he went to jail?" Tim inquired.
"She's never told me his name," Grace explained, "I don't know why she liked him so much. He treated her like she was no better than a hooker. On top of it all, he told her repeatedly that he ain't never leavin' his wife. And Myra, God bless her, still kept goin' back to him. I don't know how anyone could have such little self-respect."
"After being with someone like that, she should be happy to have someone like Horace," Tim said.
"Yeah," Grace agreed, "And at the very least, Horace would respect her."
"Louise Chambers is still single too," Robert E. informed him.
"Yuck," Grace said, shaking her head, "There's a reason for that. Look, we invited a lot of people to the party and told them to bring a single female friend. At the time, I was trying to get Sully to go on a date with one of them, but maybe I can find a date for you instead."
"If I find that I would like to date one of the single women at the party, how do I ensure that they know that I am interested?" Tim asked.
"Ask them out," Grace said with a shrug, "You have got to get past this shyness, or you are always going to be alone."
"Just walk up to the prettiest single woman you see and start singin'," Robert E. said and then he broke out into song, " Oh, I, I just wanna be your everything…"
"Oh, I, if I stay here without you, Darlin', I will die," Grace sang another lyric from the famous Andy Gibb song, then she stopped and said, "I think that's the wrong song. He should probably sing... I'm so tired of being alone, I'm so tired of on-my-own, won't you help me girl, just as soon as you can…"
Robert E. chuckled as his wife started singing the famous Al Green song.
When Michaela and Colleen left the mall, they left with three new dresses for Colleen. The first one was a Christmas classic. It had a black velvet bodice with a round neckline and elbow sleeves. The flared, satin skirt was a red and black plaid. Michaela thought the dress would be great for the school program. The next dress was a solid forest green. It was a sweet long-sleeved velvet dress that reached Colleen's knees. It had a white peter pan collar and white pearls sewn onto the bodice. Michaela thought it was perfect to wear to the church service and to dinner at Sully's mother's house. Lastly, Michaela agreed to let Colleen get the rose gold unicorn dress that the little girl fell in love with. Michaela thought the dress would be fine at the church social.
Michaela and Colleen held hands as they crossed the parking lot to get to the Mercedes and put everything inside.
As they reached the vehicle, Michaela heard, "Hey, Darlin'!"
Sully ran up to meet them at her car.
"Where did you come from?" she asked, a happy smile spreading on her face.
He greeted her with a soft kiss and said, "I parked in front of my friend's restaurant, and then I saw ya walkin' to your car."
"I see," Michaela answered flirtatiously, biting her bottom lip. Noticing that Colleen wasn't jumping up and down and wanting to hug Sully, she said, "Colleen, aren't you going to say hi to Sully?"
Michaela turned to look at Colleen, because the six-year-old didn't answer. She found that Colleen wasn't standing right next to her. The small child had walked up to the front of Michaela's car and was captivated by something in the distance.
"Colleen?" Michaela said, wanting her daughter's attention.
Sully walked up a little to see what was doing such a great job holding Colleen's attention. He saw some high school aged cheerleaders doing stunts. Sully's mind immediately went to the little daydream he'd had a few days prior when he saw himself, Michaela, and the children in what he hoped was their future.
"Leave her be," Sully told Michaela as he returned to her, "She's busy," Then a smirk formed on his face when he glanced down and saw the shopping bags in Michaela's hand, "I see ya found Lyndals. What'd ya get?"
Michaela used her keys as a remote to open the hatchback of her Mercedes and she placed her Lyndals bags inside of the trunk area. Then she explained all of the items that she bought for her children.
"Did you buy anything for you?" Sully asked.
"I don't need anything," Michaela informed him. She'd told Sully about the troubles with her office and that she had to take a temp job; however, she neglected to tell him that she was living on much less than she was used to until she received her first check from the hospital. Moreover, she would effectively be living paycheck-to-paycheck until her insurance paid out. She felt it necessary to buy new clothes for her kids, but she didn't think it was necessary to buy new clothes for herself.
"Okay," Sully said, a little confused, but decided to let the conversation drop. He didn't view her as a clothes horse, but he knew that she came from a wealthy family, she made a good check as a doctor, and she was accustomed to buying new and expensive clothes. Plus, she'd left Lyndals with four bags. He couldn't help but think it a little strange that she didn't buy herself at least one new dress for the Christmas season.
"Do I look alright?" Michaela asked, suddenly remembering where they were going for lunch and getting nervous.
"You always look fantastic," Sully replied with a laugh. He felt satisfied to give her his honest opinion, "But what are ya frettin' about?"
"I am not fretting," she said.
"Yes you are," he said back.
"I am about to meet two of your closest friends," Michaela said, "I want to make a good impression."
"They don't care how ya look," Sully said, "I think it's nice that ya look great and ya smell great, but they just want ya to be a nice person. I don't think you'll have any problem with that."
"Thank you," Michaela said, hoping she wasn't getting too red faced.
"Ya ready to go to lunch?" Sully asked.
"Yes," she answered, "but we can't go without my daughter."
"Let me see if I can get this girl to come along," Sully said, and walked up to where Colleen was standing. She was completely entranced, like she was hypnotized.
Sully crouched down next to her and put his arm around her, "Snap out of it, Honey."
"Hi, Sully," Colleen said, snapping out of the spell, but still looking in the direction of the cheerleaders, "What kind of dancing is that?"
"They're cheerleaders," He explained, "I don't really know much 'bout cheerleadin'. When I was in high school, I used to see them cheerin' at football games mostly. I think they compete too."
"Can I take a cheerleading class?" Colleen requested. Looking back at Michaela, "I wanna do that, Mommy!"
"We can look into it," Michaela promised.
Michaela walked into the restaurant first, holding Colleen's hand. Sully held the door open for them and then followed behind.
Upon entry, Michaela read the sign that said, Please wait to be Seated, and stopped.
Sully stood very close to Michaela, and whispered in her ear, "We can bypass that. Follow me." Then he walked to the back of the restaurant with Michaela and her daughter following behind.
Michaela got a chance to look around as they followed Sully to the back. The place looked like a basic diner, but the decor was definitely a throwback to the 1950s. The floor was a blue and white checkerboard. There were retro looking white circular tables with silver accents all around, and each table had four shiny blue vinyl chairs. The blue of the chairs matched the blue squares on the checkerboard floor. Around the perimeter, was booth seating with white rectangular tables and blue vinyl bench seats. When they finally made it to the back, Michaela saw a white lunch counter with blue vinyl stools. In the middle of the counter, was a cash register. On either side of the lunch counter were four large glass cases: two on each side. On one side, the two glass cases were filled with several different cakes and pies. On the other side, one glass case was filled with cookies, brownies, and other sweets. Next to it, the other case was filled with an assortment of bread and rolls.
"Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear!" Grace greeted Sully loudly when she saw him. She was about to scold him about not telling her about his new girlfriend, but she stopped short when she saw he was with a young woman and her small child.
"Reverend Johnson's here, Mommy!" Colleen said happily, "Hi Reverend!"
"Well, Hello, Colleen!" Tim said in a friendly voice, standing up and getting ready to leave. The reverend hoped that Grace could hold it together and not say a word to Sully about his new relationship until he was safely gone and out of sight, "Hello, Dr. Mike."
"Hi," Michaela said casually.
"I need to get back to the church everyone. I do look forward to seeing you there on Sunday," Tim said, looking at Michaela and Colleen, and then nodding to Grace and Robert E. Finally he looked at Sully, dead in the eye, and said, "I hope I get to see all of you in church this Sunday."
Sully smirked at Tim's not so subtle hint but ignored it. Once the reverend was gone, Sully took the time to greet both Robert E. and Grace. When he saw that Grace had not taken her eyes off of Michaela, Sully decided it was time for introductions.
"I would like you both to meet my new lady friend," Sully said, motioning for Michaela to step forward, "This is Dr. Michaela Quinn."
"Dr. Quinn, nice to meet ya," Grace said and Robert E. followed suit, "You pick any booth that you want to sit at and order whatever you'd like, it's on the house."
"Oh, thank you, but-" Michaela wanted to refuse. She wanted to eat lunch with Sully and meet his friends, she wasn't trying to get a free meal.
"I won't take no for an answer," Grace said, cutting her off.
"Any friend of Sully's…" Robert E. added in, "Especially lady friends."
"Thank you so much," Michaela said.
"Find a seat," Sully directed and gestured at the same time.
When Michaela walked to a booth across the way, Grace came from around the counter with two regular menus and a child's menu with a small pack of crayons. She brushed past Sully and whispered, "You better call me later."
"I will," Sully promised.
Once the party of three sat down and ordered, Colleen started coloring the picture on her menu and Michaela started talking with Sully.
"That's very nice of your friend to offer a meal on the house, but I don't want to take advantage of your friendship with her," Michaela said.
Sully chuckled, "Grace hasn't let me pay for a meal in a long time. In fact, she sends home meals for me and the kids. I've shared them with ya before."
"I remember," Michaela replied, "but I still feel-"
"You wouldn't have paid for lunch today anyway," Sully said, trying to get her to relax.
"What do you mean?" she questioned.
"Well, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you pay your way? " Sully answered, with a laugh.
"Oh," she said, letting out a yawn, "I didn't think about it that way," Then she yawned again, "I'm sorry."
"There's nothin' to be sorry about," Sully said, noting her yawns, "Have ya been sleepin' okay?"
"You know about my office being closed," she reminded him.
"Yes," he replied, "Do you have longer hours at the hospital?"
"It's not the length of the hours, it's the time of day," Michaela informed him, "I have the night shift."
"Does that mean you're workin' all night long?" he questioned, not liking the sound of that.
"10:00 pm to 6:00 am," Michaela informed him, "Monday through Friday."
"Who stays with the kids?" Sully asked with a concerned voice.
"As of now, Dorothy, " Michaela said, "If it ever comes that she can't do it, I'll have to hire a babysitter that can."
"No," Sully said, shaking his head, "Ya don't need to hire a sitter, they can stay with me. Or maybe… Zac, Hanna and me will come to your house and stay with them."
"That's very kind," Michaela said. She didn't want to put Sully out like that, but she couldn't help but like the idea of him with the kids. It was far better to have him with her children than a stranger that she wouldn't have time to get to know before she left them alone in her house and with her children all night long.
"How long are ya gonna have to work nights?" Sully asked, when Michaela let out another yawn.
"Until February, at least," she replied, "I can't reopen my office before then."
"Do you need any help, other than findin' someone to look after the kids?" he asked.
"I can't think of anything else," she informed him.
"Maybe I should come over tonight," Sully said, "I think you may need a nap. Zac is going to a pizza party with his class, but me and Hanna can come by."
"Matthew is going to that too," Michaela said, "and Colleen's dance instructor is hosting a tea party themed Christmas get together for the girls tonight that Colleen is going to. So, it will just be Brian and I at home."
"Maybe the four of us can have our own little party," Sully suggested, earning a smile and a nod from Michaela.
They talked a little more until their lunches came and then Michaela explained that after lunch, she was going to the dancewear store to pick up Colleen's costumes for the upcoming recital. Then she asked, "Is Hanna going to perform? I know she goes to the same school."
"Not this year," Sully said, "She's in the two-year-old Mommy and Me class with my mother. When Ma puts her in the three to five-year-old class next year, then she'll do all of the dance recitals."
"You sound like you don't want her to be in dance," Michaela said, noting the emphasis and slightly sarcastic way that he said "Ma".
"I don't mind it," Sully explained, "It's a good way for her to make friends with other little girls her age. It's a good way for her and Ma to bond."
"But?" Michaela couldn't help but ask.
"I want her to play tee-ball and then softball," Sully admitted, "I wanna coach her and bond with her like I bonded with Zac. I'm afraid she won't wanna do it if she does all that dance stuff."
"Oh," Michaela started to say, and then yawned again, "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. Then she continued, "She'll want to play softball too. She likes playing with that tee-ball set at your home and she idolizes your son… and you."
"She's startin' to idolize your daughter," Sully informed her.
"She is?" Michaela asked for confirmation. She couldn't help but like the sound of that.
"Yeah," he said with a nod, "I took her to Target with me the other day. I needed to get a case of Gatorade for Saturday and I didn't have time to go to Costco. She made me stop in the little girl section. We don't shop in the girl section 'cause she's still in toddler sizes. But she don't even want clothes, she wants a purse that's shaped like a fox. I asked her what does she need a purse for? She said Colleen has a fox purse. She's been carrying it around the house for the last week."
Michaela smiled widely and then looked at her daughter who hadn't been listening. Colleen had finished her lunch already and Michaela pulled out her earbuds and her iPad that she had brought along, and gave them to Colleen to occupy her so she and Sully could enjoy their lunch and talk leisurely without Colleen getting bored. Michaela tapped her to get her attention.
Colleen paused her game on the phone, removed the earbuds and said, "Yes, Mommy?"
"Do you have a purse that is shaped like a fox?" Michaela asked. She didn't remember buying Colleen a purse that was shaped like a fox, though that didn't mean she hadn't bought it.
"No," Colleen said, shaking her head, "I have one that is shaped like a cat. We got it at Target, remember?"
Michaela thought the word "No" in her head, because she didn't remember buying a purse that was shaped like a cat, but she let her daughter continue talking.
"They had fox purses too," Colleen informed her, "They look almost the same, but the colors are a little bit different."
"Okay," Michaela said with a nod. Then she looked at Sully who was smiling at her.
When they finally finished eating, Grace took their plates and Sully went to the restroom. Michaela took out her phone, receipts from the mall and her old-fashioned checkbook register. She balanced her account so she knew exactly how much money she would have until she got paid. She nodded at her paperwork, noting that she had enough money to buy Colleen's costumes, get a tank of gas, and buy groceries. Then she'd get paid, and all would be well.
"Whatcha doin'?" Sully asked when he returned to the table.
"Just balancing my checkbook," she said and then quickly put everything away. Then she tapped her daughter and told her it was time to go. Colleen quickly removed the earbuds and gave them back to Michaela, along with the iPad.
Sully said a quick goodbye to Robert E. and Grace. Michaela added in a few pleasantries, and then the couple, with Colleen in tow, made their way outside.
"We're walking to the dancewear store," Michaela said, pointing to the store that was a little way ahead. Not wanting to say goodbye to Sully just yet, though she knew she'd see him around dinnertime that evening, she invited him to come to the dancewear store, "Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure," Sully said, and held out his hand so she could take it. Truthfully, Sully could care less about dance costumes, but he was very happy to spend more time with his girlfriend.
"Good afternoon," said the clerk who greeted them when they walked inside, "Can I help you today?"
Colleen excitedly skipped to the counter and said, "I'm getting my dance costumes."
"Oh you are?" The saleswoman said with a smile, "Are Mommy and Daddy here to help?" Then she nodded to Michaela and Sully.
Colleen gave the woman a bewildered look, "Why would Daddy be there?" She thought in her head. She hadn't seen him in months. Before Colleen could respond to what she considered to be a strange question, Michaela was right behind her at the counter.
"Yes, we have three dance outfits to pick up for Colleen Cooper," Michaela said, "She is in Ms. Newman's six to eight-year-olds class at The Dance Academy."
"Yes, Ma'am, I've had quite a few people pick up outfits for Ms. Newman's class today," said the salesclerk, and then she left to go to the back room.
"Why did she ask about Daddy?" Colleen questioned in a whisper.
"She was confused," Michaela whispered back. She didn't know how to explain that the salesclerk simply assumed that Sully was her father because he entered the building holding her mother's hand. Michaela didn't have to explain anything though, because her six-year-old's attention quickly gravitated to pretty hair bows that were right next to the counter.
Sully walked up to Michaela and said in a low voice, "I think we need to have a talk with all of our kids about our relationship and what strangers might think when we're all together."
"That's a very good idea," Michaela said. She wanted to tell him that he was the first man she'd dated since her divorce and she didn't have everything figured out yet, but then the saleswoman came back to the front counter.
"I have her three costumes and a bag of accessories to go with them. She has more costumes than most of the little girls that have come in today," The saleswoman said, holding three hangers with plastic garment bags attached. Around all three hangers was a large black plastic bag.
"She is taking ballet, jazz and tap," Michaela informed her. She concluded, based on the woman's comment, that most little girls were in one or two classes and Colleen was one of the few that was in all three. That was a change from the Beacon Hill Dance Studio. Most of the little girls were in every class offered there.
The lady unzipped each garment bag and laid out the accompanying accessories so Michaela could see them. When she got to the jazz costume, she shouted excitedly, "She got a pink one!"
"What do you mean?" Michaela asked.
"All of the ballet and tap costumes are the same," The clerk explained, "I mean that all of the ballet girls are dressed in the same candy cane costumes, and all of the tap girls are dressed in the green elf costumes. But the jazz costumes are in different colors. They all look like Santa girl suits, but I've seen purple, blue, gold, and silver…This is the first pink one that I've seen."
"That will be interesting to see on stage," Michaela said, as she examined the costumes. They were beautifully made and horribly garish at the same time. Since this was stage wear, the outfits were supposed to be flashy, and they certainly were that.
Colleen came over, and was trying to see her costumes, but she was a bit too short.
"Need some help?" Sully asked with a chuckle, and he lifted her so she could see the costumes.
"I love them!" Colleen cheered, "I really like the pink one! I can't wait 'til my recital, Mommy!"
The way Colleen's face lit up warmed Michaela's heart. It always made her happy to see her children genuinely thrilled about something.
Sully placed Colleen down on her feet, and the saleswoman packed up everything so Michaela could walk out of the store easily when she was finished paying.
Once she was ready, Michaela placed her card in the chip reader and waited for it to go through.
"Remove your card, Ma'am," The lady said, "It says it's been declined, but the chip might not be reading it right." She wiped off Michaela's card and placed it in the chip reader again and the card was declined a second time, "Let me try it up here."
Michaela watched as the woman ran her card through the cash register card reader, instead of the chip reader that was meant for customer use.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but this card has been declined," The sales woman said handing the card back to Michaela, "Do you have another form of payment?"
"My card was declined?" Michaela asked, completely mortified. She'd only ever had her card declined once before, but that was when Ethan was managing her money. She'd never once had her card declined when she was managing her money herself.
"What does that mean?" Colleen asked innocently.
"Sweetheart, why don't you pick out a pretty bow for you and one for Hanna too," Sully said.
"I don't think you can afford that, Sir," The salesclerk said to Sully, very rudely.
"Don't you worry about it, Ma'am," Sully answered her back.
Michaela looked back at her checkbook register and her mobile banking app side by side and realized what she had done. She transposed a two with a five in one transaction, and an eight with a three in another transaction. She'd spent more money than she'd thought, and now she didn't have enough money. She couldn't buy these costumes; she would barely have enough money for gas and food until she got paid.
"Didn't you check your account before you came in?" The clerk asked Michaela, smarmily.
"Well, sometimes it takes mobile apps time to update and-" Michaela began to say.
"Whoa," Sully said, cutting her off. He put a protective hand in front of her and told the saleswoman, "That ain't your business."
"Do you offer any type of layaway?" Michaela asked.
"Nope!" The woman answered smugly, "We do have a store credit card, but you'll need decent credit to be approved."
"Mommy," Colleen said, "I found this bow for me, but I can't decide which one is better for Hanna. Can you help me?"
"I think you should put those back!" The saleswoman told Colleen so harshly, that it startled the six-year-old and she dropped the bows on the floor, threw her arms around Michaela, and started to cry.
"Please don't speak to my daughter like that," Michaela said, and rubbed her daughter's back. She didn't want to tell Colleen she couldn't perform, but she didn't want to apply for a credit card either; and this obnoxious salesclerk was making everything worse.
"Well, you can't even afford this!" The woman yelled disrespectfully, gesturing to the costumes, "How are you gonna pay for that? You can apply for a credit card, but you have to be approved to be able to use it. That usually means that you have to have a history of paying your bills on time."
Michaela was ready to walk out of that store and never come back. She was so angry at the clerk, not to mention embarrassed.
Sully picked up the bows that Colleen had dropped and placed them on the counter. Sully pulled his card out of his wallet and slapped it down on the counter, "Put all of it on my card."
"Sully?" Michaela questioned. She didn't want him to do that.
"Your card has to go through too," The clerk said.
"The Sully Ranch is a business partner of this store, right?" Sully said, noticing a poster that was behind the counter that was advertising his ranch.
"What difference does that make to you?" she asked.
"Yes, or no?" Sully questioned sternly.
"Yes," The woman answered, "The owner's mother buys from our store for her granddaughter fairly often so we entered into a sponsorship deal. They advertise our store, and we advertise their ranch. Plus, donations are involved. Why do you even care?"
"No reason," Sully said, "Run my card please. Here's my I.D., wanna see it?"
The woman read the name Byron Sully on the card. Then she read the name Byron Sully on his driver's license. She looked at the picture and then his face. Once the clerk realized who he was, and what she had done, her mouth hung open, "I, I, I,..."
"Have nothin' else to say," Sully completed her sentence.
"I'm sorry, Sir," she said, now it was her turn to be embarrassed.
"I'm sure you are," Sully said with a dry chuckle.
"Please," she pleaded, "I need this job."
"You ain't even the owner of this store, and you're actin' like that?" Sully questioned. When the woman didn't say anything, he said, "I don't want anyone to lose their job, but I hope you learn some manners! Now would ya please put everything on my card?"
"Wait," Michaela said, "We're not going to buy that."
"Then how is Colleen gonna perform?" he questioned, turning to look at her.
"She can't this month," Michaela said, only to hear her daughter, who'd stopped crying, start crying really hard again.
"I wanna dance," Colleen sobbed into her mother's abdomen.
"I know you do," Michaela said and got down on her knees so she could look Colleen in the eyes, "There will be other recitals, Sweetheart, and you still have the Christmas programs at school and at church."
"No, she's goin' to the recital," Sully said, then he turned back to the salesclerk and told her, "Run my card."
"Sully!" Michaela scolded, standing back up, "I just told her that she can't. She has to learn that we can't always get everything that we want."
"She can learn that when it ain't Christmas," Sully said.
"You can't tell me how to raise my daughter," Michaela argued.
"I ain't tellin' you that," Sully countered.
"Um… Sir," The clerk said, not wanting to chance making Sully angry, "Your card went through, here's your receipt."
"Thank you," Sully said, taking the receipt. He turned back to Michaela and said, "The costumes are paid for."
"I hope you like them, they're yours," she replied and walked out of the store with Colleen, leaving Sully and the costumes behind.
"Bath time!" Brian sang and he gave his mother a hug.
"That's right, bath time," Michaela said with a laugh, squeezing him tightly. With one hand, she turned the faucet handles and started filling the tub with warm water, "Do you want bubbles today?"
"No want bubbles. My toys," the little boy told her, reminding his mother at the same time to get his bath toys out.
Michaela found his bucket of foam bath blocks and plastic sea animals in the bathroom closet and set it out in front of her son. She sat on the floor and was ready to remove his shirt, when she heard the doorbell ring. She kissed his cheek and ran her hand through his short blonde hair a few times.
"Mommy is going to go and see who that is," Michaela said, "You stay here and throw in all of your toys. Mommy is about to leave, what is the rule?"
"No bath by myself. Mommy will help," Brian said, echoing what his mother had taught him.
"That's right," Michaela replied. She kissed his cheek once more and then left to see who was at the door.
She went downstairs, and when she opened the front door, Sully was standing on the other side.
"Sully," she greeted him stiffly. She wasn't expecting to see him so soon after that truly horrid scene at the dancewear store. She felt that he should have respected her decision about the recital, but she wasn't sure that she handled it the right way, "What are you doing here?"
"You left these at the store," he said, holding out his hand and showing her that he had all of Colleen's dance costumes for her upcoming recital, "I know you're mad at me for payin' for them, but since they are paid for, you might as well take them."
"Thank you," Michaela told him, crossing her arms in front of her, "I'm sorry we had an argument."
"Is that what happened?" He asked, bitterly. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he'd over stepped or not at the store, but his feelings were hurt. He simply held the costumes out for her to take them.
"I guess we're still having an argument," She replied, keeping her arms crossed tightly.
Since she wasn't taking the items from him, he stepped around her and into the house. He placed everything on her sofa and coffee table, and then he turned to leave.
Before he walked back out of the front door, Michaela said sternly, "I will give you the money for all of that when I get paid."
"I don't want your money!" Sully replied tersely, turning back towards her, brimming with anger.
"It's your money!" Michaela insisted, "I'm paying you back."
"Why are ya makin' such a big deal outta this?" Sully demanded to know, "You bought Hanna's Halloween costume, and I didn't get upset. And! If I remember right, I bought Matthew's costume, and you didn't get mad about that either!"
"That was different!" she fired back.
"HOW!" Sully yelled loudly. Then he paused, took a deep breath, and regained his composure, "How?" he asked again in a calmer and lower voice.
"Well," she said, "My ex-husband used to spend money that he didn't have. I am trying to teach my daughter that if you don't have enough money, you don't keep spending."
"So, you're sayin' I'm just like your ex-husband?" he questioned.
"No, I didn't say that at all," she replied.
"Then what are ya gettin' at?" he inquired, "I don't know what you're talkin' about."
"This is different from Halloween because I wasn't your charity case then," she hissed at him. Though it was a half-hearted hiss.
"My charity case? You're my girlfriend! I bought your daughter a gift!" he argued, "Most women expect that out of a man!"
"Do you have any idea how humiliated I was?" Michaela questioned, "To have my card declined in front of my daughter? And the way that salesclerk went from polite to patronizing…"
"I know it was embarrassin', that's why I was tryin' to help you out," Sully explained.
"As long as I have been in control of my money, I've always had enough," she said, her face starting to crumble, "For me to miscalculate like that..."
Sully sighed and took her into his arms, "You're up all hours of the night workin' right now," he said, trying to get her to see reason, "You. Are. Tired."
"I told my mother that I could do this on my own," She explained as she broke down in his arms.
"Darlin'," he whispered and held her tightly to his chest, "You are doin' it on your own. You can't work at your practice right now, so you got yourself a job to pay the bills; and you're not the only one that runs out of money. For me, when business is up, it's up, but when it's down, it's down."
"I didn't want to say no to Colleen, but…but…" Michaela continued to let out her frustrations, "I don't want to be the one who disappoints her."
"Look, I shouldn't have bought the costumes when ya said no. Business is up right now and I have the money," Sully explained, "And it's Christmas time and I wanted to make everything work out. And I wanted to embarrass that clerk because she embarrassed you. Maybe it was childish..."
THUMP!
Sully and Michaela both looked up when they heard the loud sound.
"What was that?" he asked aloud.
"Brian," Michaela answered in a panic.
Together, they raced up the stairs as fast as possible. Michaela immediately went to her children's bathroom, with Sully right behind her.
When they got there, they saw Brian standing quietly and leisurely tossing his favorite bath toys into the tub.
"Hi Suhwy!" Brian greeted with a small wave, and then turned his attention back to his toys. He'd finished throwing in his blocks and fish, he was working on the other plastic marine life now.
"Hey, Buddy," Sully greeted back, casually looking for signs of injury.
Then Michaela gave Sully a bewildered look, wondering what in the world that sound was.
"Mama, Bubbles fall down," Brian said, tattling on the large pink bottle of Mr. Bubble that had fallen onto the floor.
Michaela let out a sigh of relief and then got down on the floor next to her son. She lifted the fallen bottle and placed it right-side-up into the bottom shelf of the bathroom closet, "That wasn't very polite of him, was it?"
"No, Mama," Brian agreed, shaking his head no.
To be continued. Please review. =)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it's a long one!
How would you have reacted if you were in Michaela's or Sully's place?
