**This is basically an addition to 'Home For Chritmas' that a dear friend
asked me to write; it takes place approximately a week later.
Three days before Christmas, Amanda and Lee Stetson were in their kitchen, with their youngest son, Matthew, finishing preparations for a family dinner. As Lee tossed the salad and Amanda placed warm rolls in a basket, Phillip came into the room. "When's dinner, Mom?" he asked reaching for a roll.
She gently swatted his hand before he could steal the bread. "In just a minute," she answered. "Call Jamie and Liz. . . "
But Jamie came into the room before she could finish her sentence. "Right here, Mom."
"Great, just go get Liz, then, and we can eat."
Phillip took one step toward the door, stopped and bellowed. "LIZ!"
Amanda was startled, not expecting him to yell so loudly, and Lee chuckled. "Phillip," she admonished him, "I could've done that, go and find her."
Phillip rolled his eyes, put out that he actually had to exert physical effort on behalf of Liz and headed out of the kitchen to try to locate her. But Liz had heard his call, and she was coming into the room just as Phillip was leaving. As usual, he was walking too fast and he nearly ran her over in his departure, causing her to lose her balance. Phillip reached for Liz at the same time she caught his upper arms, to keep from falling over.
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly.
"It's okay," she answered, looking slightly bewildered.
Phillip held her for a moment, so she could recompose herself. He was about to let her go when Matty started a playful chant. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Phillip watched as Liz's eyes widened. He turned to Matty, astonished that such a demand had come out of his little brother's mouth.
"What?" Phillip asked, surprised.
Lee laughed, while Amanda placed her hand over her mouth; Phillip could tell she was trying her best not to laugh. "Lee taught him all about mistletoe today," she explained as she pointed to a spot above their heads. "It's his new favorite game."
Phillip shot an accusing glance toward Lee, but he just shrugged.
"Oh," Phillip turned back to Liz to gauge her reaction, as she hadn't said a word. A tinge of pink had settled on the top of her cheeks; it only made her look more pretty and he was happy to have finally found a situation she didn't seem to know how to handle. But still he hesitated -- it wasn't that he had never thought about kissing Lizzie; he had, but this wasn't one of his daydreams. And though they had been occurring more frequently since their 'talk,' this wasn't a fantasy -- not in the kitchen with the whole family participating.
"Come on, Phillip, we haven't got all day," Lee goaded him, seeming to find the whole thing very amusing.
Phillip swallowed, trying to gather all the courage and confidence he could muster, but as he watched her, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. His breath hitched in his throat.
Matthew giggled and shouted "Kiss!" again, obviously growing impatient with Phillip's hesitancy.
By now, everyone was staring at them, and waiting. . . there was no way he could back out of this now and hold onto any of his dignity.
Taking a small step forward, he leaned toward her, mesmerized by the intensity of emotion in her pale blue eyes. He hesitated only for a second, then softly pressed his lips to hers. She froze, almost as if she hadn't actually expected him to go all the way, but recovered immediately and pressed back. Surprised, Phillip pulled away. The contact had lasted only for a moment, but Phillip was thoroughly dazed.
The sound of Liz's voice, saying something about her foot, finally snapped him out of it.
"What?" he asked, confused.
The corner of her mouth turned up in an amused smile. "You're standing on my foot," she said again, slower this time.
Phillip looked down. His big shoe was, in fact, right on top of her little bare foot.
"Oh!" He jumped back, embarrassed. Now, he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Even when Liz started out uncomfortable in the situation, she still managed to make him look like stupid.
Bending her knee, she raised her lower leg so she could rub her squished toes.
"Sorry, are you okay?" he asked, sincerely concerned. How was it that Liz always made him feel so. . . incapable?
"Yeah," she smiled graciously. "I'm fine."
"Good. . . "
The room filled with an awkward silence. "Well," Lee clapped his hands, "who's ready to eat?"
Phillip let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, grateful for the change in subject. "I'm starved," he said turning from Liz and leaving her in the doorway alone.
But as he walked past Lee, Lee patted his arm and smiled. "Real smooth, pal," he said quietly.
Phillip did his best to ignore his stepfather's teasing. If only he could keep that kiss out of his mind, he could pretend it hadn't affected him the way it did.
The End
Three days before Christmas, Amanda and Lee Stetson were in their kitchen, with their youngest son, Matthew, finishing preparations for a family dinner. As Lee tossed the salad and Amanda placed warm rolls in a basket, Phillip came into the room. "When's dinner, Mom?" he asked reaching for a roll.
She gently swatted his hand before he could steal the bread. "In just a minute," she answered. "Call Jamie and Liz. . . "
But Jamie came into the room before she could finish her sentence. "Right here, Mom."
"Great, just go get Liz, then, and we can eat."
Phillip took one step toward the door, stopped and bellowed. "LIZ!"
Amanda was startled, not expecting him to yell so loudly, and Lee chuckled. "Phillip," she admonished him, "I could've done that, go and find her."
Phillip rolled his eyes, put out that he actually had to exert physical effort on behalf of Liz and headed out of the kitchen to try to locate her. But Liz had heard his call, and she was coming into the room just as Phillip was leaving. As usual, he was walking too fast and he nearly ran her over in his departure, causing her to lose her balance. Phillip reached for Liz at the same time she caught his upper arms, to keep from falling over.
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly.
"It's okay," she answered, looking slightly bewildered.
Phillip held her for a moment, so she could recompose herself. He was about to let her go when Matty started a playful chant. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
Phillip watched as Liz's eyes widened. He turned to Matty, astonished that such a demand had come out of his little brother's mouth.
"What?" Phillip asked, surprised.
Lee laughed, while Amanda placed her hand over her mouth; Phillip could tell she was trying her best not to laugh. "Lee taught him all about mistletoe today," she explained as she pointed to a spot above their heads. "It's his new favorite game."
Phillip shot an accusing glance toward Lee, but he just shrugged.
"Oh," Phillip turned back to Liz to gauge her reaction, as she hadn't said a word. A tinge of pink had settled on the top of her cheeks; it only made her look more pretty and he was happy to have finally found a situation she didn't seem to know how to handle. But still he hesitated -- it wasn't that he had never thought about kissing Lizzie; he had, but this wasn't one of his daydreams. And though they had been occurring more frequently since their 'talk,' this wasn't a fantasy -- not in the kitchen with the whole family participating.
"Come on, Phillip, we haven't got all day," Lee goaded him, seeming to find the whole thing very amusing.
Phillip swallowed, trying to gather all the courage and confidence he could muster, but as he watched her, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. His breath hitched in his throat.
Matthew giggled and shouted "Kiss!" again, obviously growing impatient with Phillip's hesitancy.
By now, everyone was staring at them, and waiting. . . there was no way he could back out of this now and hold onto any of his dignity.
Taking a small step forward, he leaned toward her, mesmerized by the intensity of emotion in her pale blue eyes. He hesitated only for a second, then softly pressed his lips to hers. She froze, almost as if she hadn't actually expected him to go all the way, but recovered immediately and pressed back. Surprised, Phillip pulled away. The contact had lasted only for a moment, but Phillip was thoroughly dazed.
The sound of Liz's voice, saying something about her foot, finally snapped him out of it.
"What?" he asked, confused.
The corner of her mouth turned up in an amused smile. "You're standing on my foot," she said again, slower this time.
Phillip looked down. His big shoe was, in fact, right on top of her little bare foot.
"Oh!" He jumped back, embarrassed. Now, he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Even when Liz started out uncomfortable in the situation, she still managed to make him look like stupid.
Bending her knee, she raised her lower leg so she could rub her squished toes.
"Sorry, are you okay?" he asked, sincerely concerned. How was it that Liz always made him feel so. . . incapable?
"Yeah," she smiled graciously. "I'm fine."
"Good. . . "
The room filled with an awkward silence. "Well," Lee clapped his hands, "who's ready to eat?"
Phillip let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, grateful for the change in subject. "I'm starved," he said turning from Liz and leaving her in the doorway alone.
But as he walked past Lee, Lee patted his arm and smiled. "Real smooth, pal," he said quietly.
Phillip did his best to ignore his stepfather's teasing. If only he could keep that kiss out of his mind, he could pretend it hadn't affected him the way it did.
The End