Read Online May in December by Dawn Flemington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dawn Flemington
Ads: Link
this damn machine he wasn’t home cooking a feast for himself and Jorry.
Thinking of Jorry made him smile. He recalled bits and pieces from last night’s weekly video chats, when Jorry had renewed his ties to his childhood friends. Kelley and Kerri approved wholeheartedly of Jorry moving in, to the point that Bruce was basically ignored during the telephone conversation. Gail was almost unbearably giddy and sported a mischievous glint in her eyes during the whole phone call, as if she could read Bruce’s innermost desires.
Slow down there, fella. You’re going too fast. Focus back on the task at hand.
He glanced at the murky water surrounding his ankles. He had been called in to the resort on an emergency—the dish-washing room had flooded when the dishwasher broke down. Most of the time, this was his favorite part of the job, repairing broken things. He’d always had a knack for fixing machines and people. That’s why it had hurt so bad that he couldn’t fix—aka save—Robert from the big C.
Whoa. Now that’s a revelation I didn’t expect.
“Hey, Bruce.” Denise, the restaurant manager, trudged over with an apologetic smile. “Thanks for coming in on Thanksgiving.”
“No problem. I was next on the roster.” Bruce wiped a screwdriver across his sleeve. “Besides, I’m making double holiday time.”
“Is the problem repairable today?”
“Yep. I have to go to the shop and get a few pieces. I should have it back in working shape in a couple of hours.”
“Whew. You don’t know how good that sounds.” Indeed, it must have, as the frown lines on her face faded. “With such a large attendance for the all-day Thanksgiving buffet, we’re already swamped, and we thought we might have to wash dishes by hand too.”
“Not today. Tell your kitchen crew they will be out of here in time to enjoy their holiday.”
When Denise walked away, Bruce thought about his own delayed celebration at home. He was dissatisfied the job had taken so long, as he’d wanted to make the day special for Jorry, especially since the last time he had a Thanksgiving dinner was before his grandmother had died. Come to think of it, the last time Bruce had celebrated Thanksgiving was in the hospital with Robert.
So this year he had resolved to do the best thing for both of them—make their own Thanksgiving dinner. Bruce had bought the turkey and the supplies for all the traditional dishes, and he had been prepared to start cooking them when he’d received the emergency call to come in to work. With the hours spent in dirty water and food waste, there was no way he would be able to get the dinner fixed by tonight.
When Bruce had told Jorry the news about having to go in on an emergency, a look of disappointment had flitted across his face. That expression had just about killed Bruce, but by the time he’d left for the resort, Jorry was watching the Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade on television and reassuring Bruce it was all right.
Bruce knew he would make it up to Jorry. He would cook the dinner tomorrow or he would take him out to eat. Either way, they were going to celebrate Thanksgiving together. That thought alone helped the time pass quickly.
Within a couple of hours, the job was done, the dishwasher put back together, and Bruce was packing up his tools to leave.
“Wait a minute.” Denise returned, holding out two take-out boxes. “I know you were pulled away from your own activities. Allow us to give you a free Thanksgiving meal, compliments of the Otsego Oasis Resort holiday buffet.”
Bruce thanked her. “You didn’t have to.”
“Of course I did. It’s only fair, and you are much appreciated. Thank you.”
Tired, wet, and hungry, Bruce made it to his truck. He had pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the service drive to I-75 to head home when an oncoming SUV swerved into his lane. With a quick jerk of the steering wheel, Bruce was able to avoid the collision with only two fatalities—the
Thinking of Jorry made him smile. He recalled bits and pieces from last night’s weekly video chats, when Jorry had renewed his ties to his childhood friends. Kelley and Kerri approved wholeheartedly of Jorry moving in, to the point that Bruce was basically ignored during the telephone conversation. Gail was almost unbearably giddy and sported a mischievous glint in her eyes during the whole phone call, as if she could read Bruce’s innermost desires.
Slow down there, fella. You’re going too fast. Focus back on the task at hand.
He glanced at the murky water surrounding his ankles. He had been called in to the resort on an emergency—the dish-washing room had flooded when the dishwasher broke down. Most of the time, this was his favorite part of the job, repairing broken things. He’d always had a knack for fixing machines and people. That’s why it had hurt so bad that he couldn’t fix—aka save—Robert from the big C.
Whoa. Now that’s a revelation I didn’t expect.
“Hey, Bruce.” Denise, the restaurant manager, trudged over with an apologetic smile. “Thanks for coming in on Thanksgiving.”
“No problem. I was next on the roster.” Bruce wiped a screwdriver across his sleeve. “Besides, I’m making double holiday time.”
“Is the problem repairable today?”
“Yep. I have to go to the shop and get a few pieces. I should have it back in working shape in a couple of hours.”
“Whew. You don’t know how good that sounds.” Indeed, it must have, as the frown lines on her face faded. “With such a large attendance for the all-day Thanksgiving buffet, we’re already swamped, and we thought we might have to wash dishes by hand too.”
“Not today. Tell your kitchen crew they will be out of here in time to enjoy their holiday.”
When Denise walked away, Bruce thought about his own delayed celebration at home. He was dissatisfied the job had taken so long, as he’d wanted to make the day special for Jorry, especially since the last time he had a Thanksgiving dinner was before his grandmother had died. Come to think of it, the last time Bruce had celebrated Thanksgiving was in the hospital with Robert.
So this year he had resolved to do the best thing for both of them—make their own Thanksgiving dinner. Bruce had bought the turkey and the supplies for all the traditional dishes, and he had been prepared to start cooking them when he’d received the emergency call to come in to work. With the hours spent in dirty water and food waste, there was no way he would be able to get the dinner fixed by tonight.
When Bruce had told Jorry the news about having to go in on an emergency, a look of disappointment had flitted across his face. That expression had just about killed Bruce, but by the time he’d left for the resort, Jorry was watching the Detroit Thanksgiving Day parade on television and reassuring Bruce it was all right.
Bruce knew he would make it up to Jorry. He would cook the dinner tomorrow or he would take him out to eat. Either way, they were going to celebrate Thanksgiving together. That thought alone helped the time pass quickly.
Within a couple of hours, the job was done, the dishwasher put back together, and Bruce was packing up his tools to leave.
“Wait a minute.” Denise returned, holding out two take-out boxes. “I know you were pulled away from your own activities. Allow us to give you a free Thanksgiving meal, compliments of the Otsego Oasis Resort holiday buffet.”
Bruce thanked her. “You didn’t have to.”
“Of course I did. It’s only fair, and you are much appreciated. Thank you.”
Tired, wet, and hungry, Bruce made it to his truck. He had pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the service drive to I-75 to head home when an oncoming SUV swerved into his lane. With a quick jerk of the steering wheel, Bruce was able to avoid the collision with only two fatalities—the
Similar Books
