Page 20 of That First Flight
“You’re not working tonight,” she says with certainty.
“I am, babe. I’m sorry.”
“But you’re not.” She laughs. “Samuel told me they are forcing you to take the day off to spend it with me.”
“What?”
“His exact words were “that girl works too damn much.” Sorry for cursing. But you do work a lot, Mom. I know why you’re doing it, and trust me—I’m really thankful. But take the break he’s giving you. You need it.”
Shit, Samuel’s right. Mackenzie is on winter break. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her since we moved here because she hates her new school, classmates and teachers. It’s not like our small town at home and she says people look at her as an outsider. And since she’s been off, she’s spent more time with Samuel than she has with me.
I’ve picked up every shift I could to make as much money as I can since it’s the busiest season at the bar. We have been flooded from travelers coming to ski for the weekends and people getting away for the holidays.
Just as I’m about to apologize, yet again, for working so much, my phone rings on the couch.
“Hello?”
“Macey, it’s Samuel,” he answers, practically screaming.
“I figured that.” I huff out a laugh. “The caller ID told me it was you. Also, you don’t have to scream, I can hear you perfectly clear on this end.”
“Always a smart ass,” he scoffs, but keeps his voice raised. “Listen, you’re off the schedule tonight.”
“So I heard.”
“Mackenzie beat me to it?” he questions.
“She did. But isn’t it supposed to be busy tonight?”
“We’ve been doing New Year's Eve since we opened this joint in the dinosaur ages. We’ve got it handled. You spend some time with that sweet girl of yours.”
I swallow past the dryness in my throat. “Okay.”
“Gotta run. I’ll see you for the lunch shift tomorrow.” He hangs up before I can respond.
“Well I guess I’m off,” I tell Mackenzie as I walk back into our kitchen again. “What do you want to do tonight?”
“I’m good with doing nothing, honestly. I know money is tight right now. I really am perfectly okay with just snacks on the couch and watching everything on TV.”
“No,” I stop her. More abruptly than I planned too. “Don’t you worry about money being tight. You’re way too young to even be saying that. Besides, it’s not your responsibility. Let's make it the best New Year's Eve ever.”
“Okay?” Her tone is laced with uncertainty because she doesn’t want to have to put us out more than we already are. “What if we get dressed up and go to dinner, andthencome home and wear jammies?” she suggests.
“Are you sure that’s all you want to do?”
“I’m sure. As long as we're doing it together, I’m happy.”
She turns around to place the French toast on the pan, but my eyes remain locked on her back. Her words ring in my ear about how she’s happy as long as we’re doing it together.
Who knew one sentence could take a small amount of weight off my shoulders?
Dinner ended up being exactly what the two of us needed together.
There’s a small pizzeria on the mountain that is on the more upscale side of places here in town. We got dressed in nice jeans and pretty shirts and made our way there. It wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be, but it was just right for us.
We chatted about everything, including her not wanting to return to school and begging me to homeschool her when they go back mid-January, to laughing about the latest show that she and Samuel have been watching at night.
Having a foodie for a daughter has its ups and downs. Since I wanted to spoil her tonight, I settled for a bowl of chicken corn chowder soup so that she could order her filet mignon with a side of mashed potatoes.