Read Online All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacey - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shannon Stacey
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Pretty sure they put cooking directions on the ham wrappers.”
“Jesus. A dozen people? Really?”
“You, me and Mom is three. Mitch and Paige. Ryan, Lauren and Nick. I know Mom invited Andy and, since Drew’s newly almost-single as well as Mitch’s best friend, he’ll probably come with him.”
“That’s ten.”
She glared at him. “I said close to a dozen. Ten is close to twelve. What about Sean and Emma? Did you call him yet?”
“Sean doesn’t want to travel during the holidays, with Emma being pregnant and all.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Not with the baby, no. Him? Maybe. It’s some kind of superstition thing. He says there’s always a super-sad, tragic accident on the news Christmas Eve and being out on the roads with a pregnant wife is tempting fate.”
She tapped a pen against the notepad she was making lists on. It was a habit that was really starting to drive him insane. “That’s a little weird. I didn’t think Sean was afraid of anything.”
“And she’s not even that far along yet. I hope he realizes if he wraps her totally in Bubble Wrap, she’ll suffocate.”
“How many pounds of potatoes should I make?”
“How the hell should I know? Google it. Or, better yet, ask Rosie.”
“We told her we’d take care of this.”
Yes, they had, but he’d seriously underestimated the effect this nitpicky shit would have on his sanity. “I don’t think telling you how many pounds of mashed potatoes ten people will eat will cause her to relapse. Or call Fran. Call Paige or Gavin. Just stop asking me .”
“You’re in a pretty crappy mood for somebody who didn’t spend the morning scrubbing toilets and counting rolls of toilet paper.”
“You offered. If you don’t want to help, don’t. I’ve done my share of toilet scrubbing over the years and I don’t really give a shit.”
“Hey,” Katie said quietly.
He didn’t want to hear any more. After shoving his feet into his boots, he opened the back door. Fresh, cold air would do him some good. Especially if it kept anybody from bugging him.
“Hey!”
He turned, halfway out the door. “What?”
Katie looked him in the eye, her face calm but very serious. “You’re being an asshole.”
He shoved his hand through his hair, then stepped back into the kitchen so he could close the door. “Yeah.”
“Tell me why.”
“Because nothing’s changed.” The words he hadn’t meant to say just kind of slipped out, but he wished they hadn’t, because he didn’t want to explain what they meant, even if he could.
Back during the summer, telling his brothers how he felt about the Northern Star had been a huge relief. And their understanding—their willingness to work toward freeing him from the obligation—had given him hope. But now, as the snow fell, it was more of the same thing he’d done every winter for as long as he could remember.
“But things will change, Josh. It probably feels as if you’re doing the same old thing you’ve always done, but this year’s different. You’re not doing it alone and your whole family’s working on making things change for you. But it’s going to take some time. You know that.”
He should have known Katie would know what he meant. Nobody got him like she did. “I know. It’s just that this is always a stressful time for me, and with Rose being sick and this party and everything, I’m a little overwhelmed and I get back in that stuck forever mind-set.”
She grinned, killing the tension just like that. “Stop being so stressed. You have me this time.”
He laughed. “That would be helpful if you’d spent more time as a kid cooking with your mom and Liz and less time changing the oil in the tractors with me and my dad.”
“Shut up.” She started tapping the pen again. “What are you going to do now?”
“I need to take a quick ride out through the woods. Getting snow and then a warm spell and then a heavy, wet snow means there are branches down. I want to
“Jesus. A dozen people? Really?”
“You, me and Mom is three. Mitch and Paige. Ryan, Lauren and Nick. I know Mom invited Andy and, since Drew’s newly almost-single as well as Mitch’s best friend, he’ll probably come with him.”
“That’s ten.”
She glared at him. “I said close to a dozen. Ten is close to twelve. What about Sean and Emma? Did you call him yet?”
“Sean doesn’t want to travel during the holidays, with Emma being pregnant and all.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Not with the baby, no. Him? Maybe. It’s some kind of superstition thing. He says there’s always a super-sad, tragic accident on the news Christmas Eve and being out on the roads with a pregnant wife is tempting fate.”
She tapped a pen against the notepad she was making lists on. It was a habit that was really starting to drive him insane. “That’s a little weird. I didn’t think Sean was afraid of anything.”
“And she’s not even that far along yet. I hope he realizes if he wraps her totally in Bubble Wrap, she’ll suffocate.”
“How many pounds of potatoes should I make?”
“How the hell should I know? Google it. Or, better yet, ask Rosie.”
“We told her we’d take care of this.”
Yes, they had, but he’d seriously underestimated the effect this nitpicky shit would have on his sanity. “I don’t think telling you how many pounds of mashed potatoes ten people will eat will cause her to relapse. Or call Fran. Call Paige or Gavin. Just stop asking me .”
“You’re in a pretty crappy mood for somebody who didn’t spend the morning scrubbing toilets and counting rolls of toilet paper.”
“You offered. If you don’t want to help, don’t. I’ve done my share of toilet scrubbing over the years and I don’t really give a shit.”
“Hey,” Katie said quietly.
He didn’t want to hear any more. After shoving his feet into his boots, he opened the back door. Fresh, cold air would do him some good. Especially if it kept anybody from bugging him.
“Hey!”
He turned, halfway out the door. “What?”
Katie looked him in the eye, her face calm but very serious. “You’re being an asshole.”
He shoved his hand through his hair, then stepped back into the kitchen so he could close the door. “Yeah.”
“Tell me why.”
“Because nothing’s changed.” The words he hadn’t meant to say just kind of slipped out, but he wished they hadn’t, because he didn’t want to explain what they meant, even if he could.
Back during the summer, telling his brothers how he felt about the Northern Star had been a huge relief. And their understanding—their willingness to work toward freeing him from the obligation—had given him hope. But now, as the snow fell, it was more of the same thing he’d done every winter for as long as he could remember.
“But things will change, Josh. It probably feels as if you’re doing the same old thing you’ve always done, but this year’s different. You’re not doing it alone and your whole family’s working on making things change for you. But it’s going to take some time. You know that.”
He should have known Katie would know what he meant. Nobody got him like she did. “I know. It’s just that this is always a stressful time for me, and with Rose being sick and this party and everything, I’m a little overwhelmed and I get back in that stuck forever mind-set.”
She grinned, killing the tension just like that. “Stop being so stressed. You have me this time.”
He laughed. “That would be helpful if you’d spent more time as a kid cooking with your mom and Liz and less time changing the oil in the tractors with me and my dad.”
“Shut up.” She started tapping the pen again. “What are you going to do now?”
“I need to take a quick ride out through the woods. Getting snow and then a warm spell and then a heavy, wet snow means there are branches down. I want to
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