Jewel

Chapter 9: Surprise

Three days later, Linus sat at his desk in the small study in his home. He didn't have any clients to meet with this afternoon. He never brought work home with him before, but now that Eileen was here, he wanted to be near her. Although the two of them hadn't talked much since her first day on the job, just her presence made him feel at peace. He enjoyed hearing her bustling about the kitchen. For once, home wasn't so lonely. Sometimes, she would even sit in the parlor, reading a book or practicing her knitting. After all, it didn't take all day to clean a small home or cook meals for one person. Linus loved it that she stayed and found little things to enjoy during the day. It gave him hope that perhaps she liked his humble home.

At the moment, the house was silent. Eileen had gone to the market for this evening's dinner. She would be back very soon, though. Linus set aside some of his paperwork and raised his arms in a stretch, which was interrupted by a loud, quick rap on the front door. He sprang from his seat quickly and dashed to the door, thinking that Eileen needed help carrying food.

Just as he was bolting into the entryway, another impatient knock sounded, and Linus furrowed his brows. Confused, his pace slowed. He straightened himself just before the door and pulled it open cautiously.

"Linny!" he was nearly knocked over by a small, plump woman rushing at him. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her familiar figure.

"Mother?" his voice jumped an octave, and then he saw another woman on the doorstep, holding an infant and beaming.

"And Leah?" he choked, still processing.

"And Lizzy!" Leah gestured to the baby in her arms.

"I- what... come in, come in," Linus stuttered as he extricated himself from his mother gently and ushered his eldest sister inside. He grabbed the two trunks on the doorstep and closed the door behind them.

"Are you surprised?" his mother nearly squealed.

"Surprised? Mother, I'm in shock," Linus answered, but he chuckled a bit.

"Well, since you never come and visit your poor mother, I said to Leah that we would just have to come see you ourselves!" the older woman informed him with a bit of a pout. "I want to spend Christmas with my only son!" she clapped a hand to his cheek and planted a kiss on the other side.

Linus's head was reeling. "I- Christmas? Mother, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have been more prepared! Leah, you- you brought an infant to New York City? I- what did Dale say?"

"This infant is nearly six months old," Leah retorted. "Plenty old enough to travel with her mother."

"Six months?! Has- has it been that long since your letter?" Linus fumbled.

"Yes, brother, six months," Leah said emphatically. "Six months since I received one sloppy note in response that can hardly pass as a congratulatory letter," she chided.

"What? I've written since then, surely," Linus ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "Mother, Leah, come in, come in. Sit in the parl-"

Just then the front door flew open to reveal Eileen with her arms full of groceries. The door hit Leah in the back, causing her to let out a little yelp. Eileen stood in shocked silence out on the doorstep as the cold wind blew into the house.

"Eile- uh... Miss Jones!" Linus exclaimed. He quickly dropped the trunks he was still holding and bolted past his mother and sister. He extended his arm towards Eileen. "Please, come in. I've some... um... a few visitors," he explained, gently guiding Eileen into the crammed entryway and closing the door behind her.

Eileen immediately recognized the woman holding the child as Linus's sister, Leah, from the photograph. And the other woman appeared to be an older version of Leah, so she quickly deduced that she must be Linus's mother.