Chapter 11
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", Meredith Wilson
He woke up as the light crept across his bedroom. Calleigh was sleeping deeply next to him, curled up around a cat. He strained to hear if anyone was up and moving about, but just heard the faint sounds of traffic from the main road and his next door neighbor's wind chimes blowing in the breeze. Smiling to himself, he carefully climbed out of bed and pulled the blanket up over Calleigh's bare shoulders.
The door to the guest bedroom was still closed and the bathroom was unoccupied. Matt was a lump of blankets on the air mattress in the living room. Toast had apparently decided that the middle of Matt's back made a lovely place to curl up for a nap and he grinned at the sight. Stretching, he made his way into the kitchen and went about his routine of changing the water in the cat dish and replenishing the food. He slid the door to the back porch open and went back to the kitchen to wash his hands and put on the coffee before pouring himself a glass of juice.
As he drank the juice and watched the coffee pot, he considered what was on hand for breakfast. He and Calleigh hadn't done a major shopping trip, since he knew that Matt and his Dad planned on going up to the store in Ft. Lauderdale. Plus, he hadn't known what, if anything, they planned on cooking. But there were enough staples around that he could probably put something together for breakfast. He pulled ingredients down from the cupboards and set about it.
Cooking wasn't his passion in the same way that it was his father's or his brother's, but he still liked to cook. He was always amazed as how comforting it was to make something from nothing, using the skills and the recipes he had stored in his head. When he was small, he'd spent hours standing on a chair in the kitchen of the restaurant, watching his grandfather and his father cook. Their hands always moved so confidently, their eyes skating over the rest of the kitchen, keeping an eye on the timer, the servers, or the next step without ever pausing or needing to read a recipe. He'd been awe-struck when he'd looked down at his hands one day when he was about twenty-one and seen them moving in the same confident manner that his grandfather's and father's hands moved. They were doing so now, retracing movements he'd memorized as a child without recourse to any recipe or even conscious thought.
A noise behind him startled him as he straightened from putting the pan in the oven. "Morning, Little Man," his dad yawned. "Cinnamon rolls?"
"No, coffee cake. I didn't figure everyone would want to wait for the dough to rise," he said.
"Probably true. And we'll be making them for Christmas morning anyway," his dad said.
Tim smiled and pulled down a coffee mug and filled it for his father. "Here," he said.
"Aren't you a good boy," his dad said, yawning again. "Mm, it's good."
"I have no idea what kind it is," he said, apologetically. "Calleigh gets it."
"She's got good taste," his dad said, sitting down at the table.
"I know," he said, joining his dad with the remainder of his juice. "Did you sleep well?"
"Sure did," his dad said. "What do you have planned for today?"
"Well, I figured you and Matt would want to go grocery shopping. I didn't do much because I didn't know what you guys had in mind," he said.
"Ah, yes, the grocery store stand-off," his dad said. "You're more than welcome to come along, although I think your mom was going to drag you off to cart her around to some of the sights. She thinks we're being a tad ridiculous."
Tim laughed. "Yeah, I did mention to Matt that we have grocery stores here. Right down the street, as a matter of fact. No, you guys go on ahead if you think you'll be ok on your own. I'll take Mom around to see stuff."
"That's fine. Just don't take her on one of those glass boat things, because Matt and I want to do that too," his dad said with a smile.
"No glass boat tour. Got it," he said, nodding. "I'll see if those are running the day after Christmas, how's that?"
"Perfect," his dad said. "We don't have to have Matt to the airport until 7pm, so we should have ample time."
"How long are you and Mom here for, then?" he asked.
"We'll head back on the 28th. I imagine Janie and Liz will have had their fill of the restaurant by then," his dad replied. "Not that they don't have plenty of help. Shelly's there, after all, and she could probably run the place with her eyes shut and both hands tied behind her back. I don't know why I bother going in at all, some days."
"Because the kitchen would fall apart without you," Tim said.
"Probably true. Oh well, it's not like we're ever busy right around Christmas, anyway. All the college kids are gone home and everyone else is eating at home," he sighed. "They can't possibly get into too much trouble."
"And it's not like they didn't grow up in the place, same as you, either," Tim pointed out.
"This is also true," his father agreed.
"What's also true?" Matt asked as he ambled into the kitchen. "Mornin'"
"That your Aunt Janie and your Aunt Liz grew up in the restaurant too," his dad replied.
"Oh, that. Don't worry, Dad, it'll be fine," Matt yawned. "Is that coffee? Can I have some? What's in the oven?"
"Yes, yes, and coffee cake," Tim said, getting up to retrieve Matt a cup.
"No, sit, I can get it," Matt said.
"It's fine, I had to get up and get my shake anyway," Tim said, handing his brother a coffee cup.
"Shake?" Matt asked. "You want some?" he asked, indicating the coffee pot.
"No thanks," he said. "Off limits."
"Ah," Matt said. "What in the hell is that?" he asked, watching Tim pour a violently lurid pink concoction into a glass.
"It's the stupid supplement shake," Tim sighed. "The strawberry flavor is the least objectionable."
"That is not a color found in nature," Matt said, looking nauseated, yet fascinated. "You have to drink that?"
Tim laughed. "Little brother, I lived on these for almost a month."
Matt shuddered. "That's just not right."
Tim shrugged. "It's not so bad now. I only have to drink three of them a day, now that I can eat again. It was four."
"Do you have to drink them because of their calorie content, or because of a specific nutrient content, or the protein or what?" Matt asked as he sat down next to their dad with his coffee.
"Calorie content, now. Although the protein certainly doesn't hurt," Tim said, taking as large of a gulp as he could. When he said least objectionable, he'd meant it. The thing still tasted lousy.
"Well, heck, if it's just calories, I can probably come up with something better for you. I guarantee it'll taste better than that looks," Matt said. "I've got a bunch of smoothie recipes for training."
"I don't know why on earth I didn't think of that months ago," their dad said.
"I probably didn't mention the shakes," Tim said with a shrug. "It didn't occur to me that there might be something else. And besides, I couldn't drink anything with a straw for the first six weeks anyway."
"How many calories are in one of those things, anyway?" Matt asked. "'Cause if you're not on a low-fat diet, we can make it with real yogurt and stuff."
Tim laughed. "Yeah, low fat isn't a word my doctor wants me using right now."
"Didn't think so," Matt said. "You're really skinny."
"I don't know exactly how many calories are in there," Tim said, taking the last swallow of the shake. "But the box is over there on the counter, behind the plant."
"I'll take a look later, before we go to the store," Matt promised. "Are we doing that today?"
"Yup," his dad said. "Earlier rather than later."
"Sounds good," Matt said. "So, when's the coffee cake done?"
Tim glanced over at the clock. "Soon."
"Speaking of grocery shopping, let's talk about Christmas a moment," his dad said. "Would there be any objections to a pork roast?"
Tim shook his head. "Nah, Calleigh eats pork."
"Well, I didn't think she was a vegetarian after she ordered carne asada last night. I was thinking about you," his dad pointed out.
"Oh! No, that'd be fine," Tim said, nodding.
"All right, then. I just wanted to make sure before I went and bought one," his dad said. "So, I'm thinking pork roast, applesauce, mashed potatoes, some form of vegetable, some form of bread."
"Can we make the cranberry apple chutney?" Matt asked.
"Certainly. I see no reason why we couldn't have two sauces for the meat. You're in charge, Matt. I suggest a call to your Aunt Sophie if you aren't sure of the ingredients list, given that she is the originator of that recipe," his dad replied.
"Ok," Matt said, nodding.
"Just don't make the vegetable asparagus, and it sounds good," Tim said.
"Right, then," his dad said. "Is it just the five of us?"
"Yeah," Tim nodded. "Alexx wants us to come over for Christmas Eve lunch, though."
"Fine with us," his dad replied. "Should we bring something?"
Tim shrugged as he got up to get the coffee cake out of the oven. "I don't, always. A bottle of wine is probably fine, but if you guys want to come up with something that goes with ham and scalloped potatoes, you go on ahead. I know Cal's going to make cornbread."
"Yum." Matt said. "Is it done?" he asked, leaning back and looking at the coffee cake pan.
"It needs to cool, Matthew," Tim said, dryly. "Do you want some cereal or something?"
"No, I can wait," Matt sighed.
Tim rolled his eyes as he brought the butter dish, a serving knife, and a stack of small plates back to the table. "Anyway, Cal's cornbread isn't like you're thinking. It's Southern cornbread, it's different. It's not sweet, and the texture's different. It's still good, though."
"Hmm," Matt said. "Interesting."
"I used to know someone who made cornbread like that," his dad mused. "You wouldn't remember, Tim, you were a baby. But it was good."
"Good morning," Calleigh said, wandering into the kitchen. "Did I hear something about me and cornbread?"
"You're making some to take to Alexx's, right?" Tim asked.
"Ah, yes," she said. "That's right. What smells so good?" she asked.
"Coffee Cake," Tim said.
"We're waiting for it to cool," Matt sighed.
"I see," Calleigh said, getting herself a cup of coffee. "It looks delicious."
"Can you bring it over with you? It ought to be cool enough for Matt, anyway," Tim said.
"Sure," she said, setting down her coffee on the table before going back for the pan.
"Yum," Matt said, dishing himself a piece. Tim rolled his eyes again and dished up pieces for everyone else.
"He's right, this is fabulous," Calleigh said, taking another bite of her piece. "How come you don't make breakfast all the time?" she sighed.
"I made you French toast the other day," he pointed out.
"That's right, you did," she said, nodding. "I apologize."
"Apology accepted," he said, taking a bite of his own piece. "What were you planning to do today?"
She shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. I do have some little bit of paperwork that has to get done, but that shouldn't take too long."
"Well, Dad and Matt are going up to Ft. Lauderdale and I'm going to take Mom out to see stuff," he said.
"That sounds good. How about you guys go on and do your stuff, and I'll get the paperwork done and catch you up later?" she said.
"All right," Tim nodded.
"Matthew," his father warned, "You had better go knock on the door and find out if your mother is going to want some of the coffee cake before you take a second piece."
"Oh, right," Matt said, dropping the serving knife. "Okay." He got up and ambled off towards the guest bedroom.
His father sighed. "I swear to God, it's a good thing we own a restaurant or he'd have eaten us out already. How I wound up with one kid who tried to live on air and one who eats anything that's not nailed down, I'll never know."
"I wasn't that bad," Tim protested mildly.
"Don't be so sure about that," his dad replied, raising his eyebrows. "I seem to recall several phone calls from a school nurse because you'd about passed out from forgetting to eat."
"I was busy," he muttered defensively.
"Yes, I know," his father sighed. "You don't do that anymore, do you?"
"Not at the moment, no," Tim admitted.
"Good. Keep that mindset," his father said.
"Good morning," his mom said, coming into the room. "I'm informed that there's coffee cake and if I want to save a piece from the ravages of my son's appetite, I should probably get up and have some now."
"I didn't say that!" Matt protested.
"Ah, but that's what you meant, isn't it?" she said, smiling at him.
"Well, kind of, I guess," Matt admitted as he flopped back into his chair.
His mother chuckled as she dished herself up a piece. "Be useful and get me a cup of coffee, please, Matthew."
"Yes'm," Matt replied, getting up to do so.
"So, I imagine there are already plans?" his mom asked, looking at the rest of them.
"Matt and I are going grocery shopping," his dad said. "Tim said he'd take you to see some of the things you wanted to see."
"Oh, lovely. Are you going to come with us, Calleigh, or did the boys talk you into the road trip?" his mom asked.
"I actually have a bit of paperwork to take care of, but then I'll catch up with y'all," Calleigh agreed.
"Good. I doubt Tim has any idea about shopping outside of books," she said.
"You want to go shopping?" Tim asked incredulously. "It's December 23rd!"
"Oh, we'll park you somewhere safe first, sweetie," his mom replied. "I have no intention of dragging you around shopping two days before Christmas, Tim. Which would be why I asked if Calleigh was coming with."
Calleigh laughed. "Don't worry, I'll go."
"You're both insane. Actually, you're all insane," Tim said, shaking his head. He could not imagine what would induce someone to step into a place of retail commerce two days before Christmas. Museums and such would be bad enough.
"Yes, well, this shouldn't be news, dear," his mom replied. "Ok, Matt, have at the cake."
"Thanks," Matt said, scooping up the last piece. "Oh…unless anyone else wanted it," he asked, belatedly.
"No, Matt, it's all yours," Tim smiled, after glancing around the table.
"Great," Matt replied.
"I'm going to go get dressed," his dad said. "Thank you for breakfast."
"No problem," Tim said.
"Yeah, I'm going to get started on stuff," Calleigh said. "The sooner I start the sooner I finish.
"Sounds good," Tim said, picking up the now empty pan and several dishes and taking them to the kitchen. He started cleaning things up as he listened to his mom and Matt discussing Christmas dinner. It was nice to have a houseful of people going about their business in the morning. He was starting to actually get excited about Christmas, something that hadn't happened in a long, long time.