Carrolls and Firrs: A Christmas Novella Read online

  Betsy’s eyes were boring into the side of Ellie’s head. “Noelle Carroll. No more stalling. Eat that cookie before I shove it down your throat.”

  Ellie stared at Betsy as she took a bite. The cookie was just as chewy but still tender as the ones made from unfrozen dough. She huffed out a sigh. “Fine. You can freeze the dough.”

  Betsy gave Ellie a smirk. “I know.” She leaned across the table toward Aspen. “Sometimes I eat the dough frozen.” Her eyes rolled closed. “It’s so good.”

  Aspen looked from Ellie to Betsy, then back to Ellie again. “Could we sell frozen cookie dough?”

  “Oh. My. Gosh.” Betsy flopped back in her seat, her eyes wide. “I would buy that all day long. Especially in the summer.” Her words got faster by the second. “I could make it without the eggs and it would still taste the same but people wouldn’t be weird about it.” She sat back up. “We are geniuses.”

  Ellie couldn’t argue. She wrote on her pad. “Have you heard of the place that serves cookie dough by the cup?”

  Betsy slowly turned to face Ellie. “We have to do that.”

  The three women sat, staring at each other.

  Ellie slowly smiled. “We are definitely geniuses.”

  Betsy grabbed the paper from under Ellie’s palm and snagged away her pen. She flipped the page and started writing. “We could offer a few different base doughs like chocolate, peanut butter, sugar cookie, maybe an oatmeal.” She wrote each down as she spoke. “But only three at a time and rotate. Then we could offer different toppings.” She looked up. “Like a cookie dough sundae.”

  “Why did you need my help again?”

  The surprise of Doug’s voice between them made Betsy’s hind end slide right off the edge of her chair. Ellie grabbed for her friend’s arm but Betsy was already scooped up and held mid-air, batting her blue eyes up at Doug.

  Ellie wanted to punch her, just a little, for looking at him like her knight in shining armor.

  Betsy beamed. “You surprised me.”

  Doug carefully set Betsy back in her seat. “I see that.” The look of concern he was directing at her friend wasn’t helping. “Are you okay?”

  Ellie took a long drink of her ice water. What in the world was wrong with her? Betsy was married. And pregnant for goodness sake. There was no reason to be bothered by the fact that Doug had his arms around her.

  Doug pulled up a chair from the table behind them and sat just behind and between Ellie and Betsy, his long legs stretching up the middle of their chairs. He leaned against Ellie’s chair, resting his arm across the back. “I think you fibbed when you said you needed my help.”

  “Maybe you’re just a very good teacher.” Ellie peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to embarrass herself by giving him the same look Betsy just did.

  “I think it’s more you’re a fast learner.” Doug’s voice was low, his lips so close to her ear she could feel the warm push of his breath against her skin.

  Luckily the long sleeves of her sweater hid the goosebumps tightening across her skin. She grabbed a spritz cookie from the large selection Betsy brought to their powwow this morning. Hopefully it would distract her a little from how close he was.

  And how very interested her friend and his sister were in their every move.

  Betsy and Aspen weren’t even trying to hide it. Ellie could feel their eyes bouncing between her and Doug. She shoved half the cookie in her mouth.

  “I think it’s just way more interesting than solar panels.” She ate the other half. “Certainly more satisfying.”

  Doug’s eyebrows raised. “Solar panels huh?”

  Ellie shrugged. “It was a start-up.”

  Doug’s attention was only on her, making Ellie feel even more uncomfortable. All three sets of eyes at the table were focused her way and it made her ramble.

  “A couple guys I went to college with developed a solar panel that could absorb twice the radiation energy in half the square footage.” She took a breath, not sure how much he was interested in hearing about the mundane details. He didn’t say anything so she kept going. “They asked me if I thought I could help them get it off the ground.”

  “And you did.”

  Ellie nodded. “I thought it was an amazing product and the idea of starting something from the ground up was exciting.”

  “Was it?”

  Ellie squirmed a little. Doug’s usually laid back manner was gone, replaced by a seriousness she hadn’t seen in him before. His jaw was tight, his gaze laser sharp.

  “I guess so.” She glanced from Betsy to Aspen, hoping one of them had something, anything to add to the conversation. No such luck.

  Some friends they were.

  Ellie looked back at Doug. “I guess not exciting enough to make me want to move to California when they sold the company.”

  Betsy held the pad covered in the morning’s notes up, finally interrupting what was a confusingly uncomfortable conversation. “What do you think of edible cookie dough?”

  Doug’s gaze slowly left Ellie and moved to the paper. He looked over their list of ideas as Betsy explained what they were thinking. Slowly Ellie could see the tension in his shoulders start to soften. A little.

  Finally he set the list down and looked around the table.

  “You guys are geniuses.”

  ***

  “What’s a matter son?” Doug’s dad didn’t turn his way, instead Bruce kept his eyes glued to the action on the large screen across the room.

  Doug watched his dad expertly manipulate the large board sitting across his lap. There weren’t many people who discovered video games after the age of fifty but Bruce Firr was taking to them like a fish to water.

  “How’s that game board working for you?”

  Bruce bumped a large red button with the outer side of his hand, pausing the football game he’d decided was his favorite of the five Doug bought him. He leaned back into the cushions, shaking his head. “Never in my wildest dream would I have thought they made something like this.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Doug came across a video one day of a man with the same sort of limits his dad had playing video games on a large scale controller made by a company down south. Doug ordered his dad one immediately. Even if they only rigged it up so he could change the television channels on his own it would be worth the investment to give his dad a little bit of his independence back.

  “Maybe we can see what other sorts of games they have for this thing.” Bruce grinned at his son. “I’d love to have some old arcade games. You think they make those?”

  The heavy weight sitting in Doug’s stomach lifted just a little seeing how much joy his early Christmas present brought his dad. “They do make those.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “We can order them now.”

  Bruce shook his head. “Nah. We can do that later.” He gave Doug an appraising look. “How’s my girlfriend?”

  Doug blew out a breath and shifted on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. “Ellie’s good.”

  His dad kept looking at him. Bruce Firr may not be physically what he used to be, but he was still sharp as a tack and didn’t miss a thing.

  “She’s a sweetheart isn’t she?”

  Doug bounced his heels on the ground. “She is.” Doug looked up and gave his dad a little grin. “She’s also the Carroll’s daughter.”

  Bruce threw his head back and started laughing. He wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand. “That’ll stick in her daddy’s craw won’t it?”

  “I’m pretty sure it will.” Doug chuckled, imagining the look on Dale’s face if he found out his baby girl was spending time with the enemy.

  Bruce sobered, crossing his arms over his chest, the line of his mouth pressed thin. “He’d be lucky to have a man like you to take care of his daughter.”

  Doug shook his head. “That girl doesn’t need anyone to take care of her. She’s smart.” He looked down at his worn work boots. “Real smart.”


  “What’s that mean?” His dad’s words were clipped, almost angry.

  Doug shrugged. “Ellie went to college for business. Helped start a company that sold for millions.” A company he Googled the hell out of the minute he got home after going over all the new ideas his sister, Betsy and Ellie came up with during their sugar binge.

  “So.”

  Doug looked up at his dad. “So, what?

  “Exactly. So what?” His dad snorted. “Anyone can go to school and be taught how to be good in business.” He looked straight at Doug. “Only really smart people can figure it out all on their own.”

  Doug let his head fall back to rest on the couch behind him. He wanted what his dad said to be true. On some level Doug even believed it was. How many kids could drop out in the eleventh grade and run a business so their family didn’t lose everything they had?

  How many would?

  It was something he was proud of. But not proud enough to overcome the embarrassment of being a dropout.

  What he thought wasn’t the problem anyway.

  Doug rolled his head to one side, looking his dad’s direction. “We’re under contract on that building in town.”

  “That’s good news.” Bruce fiddled with the joystick on his game controller. “You’ll sell the heck out of that girlfriend of hers’ cookies I can tell you that much.” He rubbed at his belly. “You should tell her we need to test them out some more.”

  Doug smiled. Partly because it was nice to see his dad enjoying his life and partly because he was glad for the change in conversation. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Doug stretched, pushing his arms out in front of him, trying to ease the tightness from his shoulders. “I’ve got to get moving before I sit here too long and fall asleep.”

  His dad settled back into his overstuffed recliner. “Don’t worry. I’ll go ahead and take that nap for you.”

  Doug patted his dad on the shoulder as he passed. “Enjoy it.”

  Grabbing the keys to the ATV off the counter Doug backed out the kitchen door onto the ramp. He pulled the door shut, turned around and slammed back into the door, his shoulder blades bumping the fiberglass storm door. “Holy –”

  Ellie started laughing, a foil covered plate balanced in one hand, the other holding her stomach. “That’s payback for scaring the crap out of my pregnant friend earlier.” She let out a few squeaky breaths and wiped at the corner of her eye. “I didn’t mean to scare you but I kind of wish I had.”

  Doug straightened up. “I’d hate to see what you’re capable of when you mean to.”

  Ellie was still smiling at him, her grey eyes sparkling. A knit hat covered in silvery snowflakes was pulled over her head, the fluff of the white pom-pom on top bouncing in the breeze.

  Doug turned back to the door. “Do you want to come inside? My dad’s probably still awake.” He grabbed the handle wanting to get her into the warmth of the house. After sharing her attention with his sister and Betsy he also wanted to get a little time with her all to himself.

  “I wish I could but I have some things I need to get done at the shop.” She pushed the foil toward him. “I just wanted to drop these off for your dad.” She stepped closer. “Make sure he knows I had to fight his daughter to get these for him.”

  Doug took the plate. “I know he’ll appreciate it.”

  Ellie stepped closer, pressing her front against his. She looked up at him with that sweet softness he was starting to get a little too used to. “I appreciate you.” She pushed up on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. All too quick she stepped away and walked back down the ramp and around the side of the house.

  Doug let out the breath he’d been holding. Disappointed in the brevity of her visit, he turned and opened the storm door and shoved his key into the lock.

  “Hey Doug.”

  Ellie’s head was peeking around the corner of the house.

  “I’ll call you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “THANK YOU FOR helping me with this.” Ellie carefully brushed along the tiny line of trim tucked just underneath the roof’s edge. “I am not a crafty person.”

  Betsy stared at Ellie across her newspaper covered kitchen table. “I have a dollhouse sitting on my table that says otherwise.”

  Ellie leaned back to check how the trim color looked against the blue-gray covering the majority of the small building. “Let’s just say I’m not sure this is my true calling in life.”

  Betsy pushed up on the table, using it to leverage her body up and out of her seat. She limped over to Ellie’s side of the table, holding her back as she went. “This sciatica is no joke.” Propping against the wall she shook her head. “If you don’t call this being crafty, I’m not sure we have the same definition of the word.”

  Ellie dabbed her thin brush in the tiny cup of black paint and slowly continued painting the trim. “I call this being OCD.” She grabbed a q-tip to clean up a line she overran. “Or just stubborn.”

  “I hope that man appreciates all the work you’re putting into this.” Betsy waddled across the kitchen. “If not, I’m sure there’s a little girl who would love to have it in about two years.”

  Ellie looked up from the tedious job she saved for last. “Emma wants a miniature coffee shop?”

  Betsy picked through the containers lining her pantry shelf. “No. This kid probably wants a bakery.” She pulled out two bags and sat down at the table.

  Ellie eyed her friend’s chosen snack. “Chocolate chips and Fritos?”

  “Don’t you judge me Ellie.” Betsy tried to talk around a mouthful of salty and sweet. “One day you’ll be right here where I am.”

  Ellie shook her head and went back to painting. “Not any time soon.”

  It was more than a full minute before the silence of the room registered. She looked up to find Betsy grinning at her.

  “How is Doug?”

  Ellie glared at her. “You know how he is. You just saw him yesterday.”

  “You know what I mean.” Betsy scooted her chair around the table, getting closer to Ellie’s side. “How are things with Doug?”

  “Things are fine.” Ellie ignored that her friend was now sitting a foot away, popping chips in her mouth waiting for more to be added to the explanation.

  Betsy didn’t wait long. “You’re making him a replica of his coffee shop out of your childhood dollhouse and all you can say is ‘things are fine’?”

  “It’s a complicated situation.” That was putting it lightly. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

  Betsy looked at Ellie like she’d lost her mind. “What’s to get ahead of? You like a man. The man likes you back. You and the man get together and be happy.”

  Ellie rinsed out her brush and set it on a paper towel to dry. Betsy was acting like there were no variables in the situation. Like this would be an easy, problem free relationship.

  She was in a relationship.

  For the first time Ellie fully realized what she let happen. Maybe did more than just let.

  “I really like him.” Ellie hoped the confession would lessen the weight resting on her breastbone. It didn’t.

  Betsy looked unimpressed. “No crap.” She tipped her head from side to side. “Not that I can blame you.” She wiggled her pale eyebrows at Ellie. “He has really strong hands.”

  Ellie glared at her pregnant friend. “I’m going to blame that on your hormones.”

  Betsy shrugged a feigned look of innocence on her face. “Sure. We can go with that.”

  “It complicates things is all. I came here with a plan and now…” Ellie took a deep breath. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

  “You aren’t still planning on moving back are you?” Betsy’s hand hung mid-air with a clump of corn chips pinched in her fingertips.

  Ellie squeezed her temples. “I don’t know. I’m not in a hurry like I was but I also can’t imagine staying.”

  Betsy looked bewildered and maybe a little hurt, he
r shoulders slumping as she sat back in her chair. “Why in the world not?”

  Ellie scooted close and wrapped one arm around her friend. “Doug’s not the only thing making me drag my feet.” She leaned into Betsy. “I want to be here to see Emma and help with the bakery and hang out with you.”

  Ellie might not be able to imagine staying but she could imagine leaving and it no longer held the appeal it used to. She looked at Betsy. “I just don’t want my parents trying to run my life.”

  Betsy stared back at her for a long minute.

  “Sounds like you’re already letting them.”

  ***

  Doug grabbed the armload of water bottles and now empty paper cups that followed him home from the coffee bar at The Grove over the past week and hurried to his tiny galley kitchen, dropping the bottles into the recycling bin and the cups into the trash. He expected to have a little more time to make his place look presentable but the day got away from him.

  In an effort to stay busy and smother out the seeds of fear trying to root in his gut Doug accidentally overbooked his day. He shoveled the fresh layer of snow from the sidewalks, took his dad out to feed the deer and did a pass by the new building to make sure everything was ready for work to begin after the new year.

  And now he was behind. Barely managing to fit in a quick shower and a half-decent straighten-up of his little apartment.

  He shook out the blanket wadded up in one of the reclining ends of the large sofa that took up most of the small living room, folded it and tossed it over the back. Luckily the space was small and he didn’t spend too much time here so there wasn’t much he needed to do.

  Voices floated up the stairs and through the open door. It was time.

  Doug took a deep breath. This was a big deal. One he hadn’t expected to happen just yet in his life. But here he was.

  And as much as he was scared to admit it, he didn’t want to be anywhere else. Except downstairs. With Ellie.

  One more deep breath and he stepped through the door onto the landing at the top of the stairs. His mother was making over Ellie, taking her coat and tossing it onto his dad’s lap.