This is a short story set at Christmas after Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers. If you haven’t read that yet, you can find it at all major book retailers, including Chapters Indigo.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
Friday the 27th of December, 2002 – Parry Sound, Ontario
“You remember where Kennedy’s room is?” Lilah asked him, poking her head out of the kitchen again.
Jason nodded.
“How come Kennedy’s boyfriend gets to sleep with her? You never let my boyfriends do that!” Jason raised an eyebrow at the new voice echoing from the kitchen. Must be one of the twins.
“Because the last time you had a serious boyfriend, you were in high school. Kennedy is an adult.”
“That’s debatable,” the voice spoke again.
He trailed behind Kennedy into the large kitchen.
“Besides, Jason won’t disrespect our hospitality under our roof,” Kennedy’s father, Gerard, said, fixing him with a stern glare.
“Oh right, I forgot, there was something I wanted to show you out in the barn,” Kennedy said loudly, pushing him back the way they had come.
He picked up on her teasing. “Right, just let me grab something from my bag.”
“Stop teasing your father, Kennedy, or he’s going to have an aneurysm.” Lilah pushed coffee mugs into their hands. “Sit. Drink.”
“The barn belongs to me too,” grumbled Gerard under his breath, and Jason hid his laughter in his mug.
He straddled the bench at the table and Kennedy snuggled up in front of him without hesitation. He dropped a kiss on her hair. “Missed you the way a shadow misses the light,” he murmured.
He ignored the coos from her older sisters, who looked like brunette versions of Kennedy, and watched her face beam with happiness.
“Love you,” she said, pressing a kiss to his jaw.
His heart sped up at her words and he took a sip of his coffee to cover his emotions. “Oh, the fruit!” he said, suddenly remembering the packages in the trunk of his car. He got to his feet, steadying Kennedy with one hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t bother with his coat, just stomped through the snow in his boots to his car. He popped the trunk and gathered the crate of specialty fruit grown in the greenhouse, tucked the present for baby Arthur under his arm, and then tried to grab the jug with his free hand. It was too awkward for him to get a good grip.
“Need a hand?” asked Phillip from behind him.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”
Phillip closed the trunk after grabbing the jug. “What is it?”
“Freshly made guava juice from our greenhouses,” Jason replied with a grunt. He hefted the crate in his arms and walked back to the house. “I didn’t really know what to get your parents as a hospitality gift. My usual go-tos for Community members are local meats, breads, and produce, but you have all that out here. Kennedy mentioned that it’s hard to get certain fruits, especially in the winter.”
Phillip nodded. “Great idea. When I go to my in-law’s, we usually bring stuff from our farm and wine.”
“Kennedy told me that Gerard is training you to take over for him. How’s that going?”
“He told me to consider him a consultant for the planting this spring.” Phillip swallowed hard. “I’m completely in charge.”
Jason hummed thoughtfully. “It’s never easy to take over for your father. In some ways, having him there will make it harder for you, because it’ll feel like he’s judging you if you do things differently.” He stopped before he climbed the stairs to the front door. “In others, having his expertise on call will be a godsend. In the end, remember that he trusts you, so trust in yourself.”
“Thanks!” Phillip sounded surprised. “That… That helps.”
“Anytime.” Jason stamped his feet and walked up to the house. “When my father died, I took over everything. I was only twenty-three. I met a lot of resistance. A lot of people didn’t like my ideas or how I handled things.” He shouldered open the door. “It’s a lot better now.”
“I can’t imagine.”
“Jason! You shouldn’t have!” Lilah’s eyes were wide as she took in the size of the crate.
“You’re putting up with my bottomless pit over the holidays. And now I’m here too.”
There was a pause while he kicked off his boots and he worried he’d crossed a line. Then mother and son burst out laughing.
“I’m not that bad,” protested Kennedy from the kitchen doorway.
Jason raised an eyebrow. “Since you started training with Judy…”
“…I’ve been eating double what I used to eat.” She wrinkled her nose. “Gotta feed my new muscles somehow!”
“I never said it was a bad thing,” Jason said, eyeing her appreciatively.
“That’s my baby sister,” Phillip said, smacking Jason’s arm.
Jason grinned, glad the other man felt comfortable enough to initiate physical contact. Helping to shift bags of seed when he’d come up at Thanksgiving had given them some bonding time, but the other man was very quiet and Jason hadn’t been sure of his comfort level. “And she’s strong enough to defend herself. You should spar against her sometime.”
Phillip looked thoughtful.
Read Part 3 Dec 15, 2022
