Boyfriend for Christmas

Chapter 28....

Stepping foot into my mom's bakery, Anytime Cakes, brought me right back high school and working here. The smell of fresh cookies and bread incased the building and brought a smile to my face.

It's been a year since I last stepped foot in here and I was happy to see nothing has changed. The walls were covered with photos of customers and my family. My mom wanted the place to be home-y and friendly so over the years we've gotten pictures with almost every customer that has come here.

The handful of tables and chairs scattered about were still the same ones we've had for years. The whole place screamed home to me, making my heart hurt. Just another reminder of how bad of a daughter I've been not coming home more often to help out.

The moment Olivia and I stepped foot into the bakery Katie put us straight to work. Katie was a few years older older than at me at 27, the same age as Lucas. She's been helping my parents out at the bakery for years now and basically a co-owner at this point.

With a line already forming, even though it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet, Katie sent both Olivia and I into the back to start grabbing pre-paid desserts people have bought for the holiday. A lot of people in town loved to order all sorts of desserts for Christmas instead of baking them themselves. Whatever they wanted my mom made.

Once we got the orders out and the line disappeared for just a moment Olivia and I got to work on making more stuff for the front cases. So while we did that Katie worked the front.

"Are you sure we need to make all of these? You close for the next couple of days so doesn't the stuff go bad?" Olivia asked as she worked on measuring out flour into one of the big mixers. Thankfully she was already a good baker and my mom taught her how to use things in the kitchen yesterday. If not we would have been screwed with it just being me.

"You'll be surprised at how many people will come in today for stuff. You'd think they'd be home with families or getting ready for the festival but nope. But the extras we have we give to the shelters in town. Katie will drop them off after we close up." I said, sticking my hand into another giant mixer and pulling out cookie dough.

"Did you work here a lot as a kid?"

"I did actually. All through out middle school and high school I was here. My parents made us all get jobs so while my brothers were stuck helping my dad with his construction company I was here working at the bakery."

"I bet that was a blast." Olivia sighed. "I've always helped out at our Hardware store but this place is a lot more fun. And not as many creepy men." I couldn't help but laugh.

"So your brother told me you got into Dartmouth, that's impressive." I said after a moment.

"Yeah." She mumbled sounding very unenthused.

"Don't sound too excited over there." I joked. "Do you not want to go to Dartmouth?"

"It's not that I don't want to go I just...." I stayed quiet as she gathered her thoughts. "I don't know what I want to do." She admitted quietly.

"It's okay not to know what you want to do after high school. Trying to figure out what you should go to school for is really hard. What I really went to school for changed after my first year."

"You didn't originally go to college to be a web designer?"

"I actually went for business then I found computer science and fell in love. Sometimes it takes a few tries to find what you are good at, what you enjoy. It's okay to change your major multiple times if you don't know." I looked over at her as I spoke. "You are only 17 you don't need to have your entire future mapped out."

Grabbing the three trays of cookies I just made I quickly popped them into the oven and moved towards Olivia to help her with another batch. Olivia was quiet for a moment as we worked until she finally spoke again, her voice soft.

"My parents went to Dartmouth and met there. They always told us the story of how they met going to class one day. My father always said the moment he ran into my mom he knew he was going to marry her one day." I could hear the smile in her voice as she talked.

"When Knox decided not to go to college and instead listed in the Marines it's kind of up to me to be the one to go. To carry on our parents legacy of attending Dartmouth."

"You know I think your parents would be okay if you choose to go somewhere else. Just because they went there doesn't mean they expect you to. They just want you to be happy." I spoke just as softly, hoping I wasn't crossing a boundary by saying something.

"I feel like if I go I'll feel closer to them again." I paused at her words. Besides the tone she had it was the way she phrased it that made me stop.

"What do you mean?" I felt a pit in my stomach start to form. I knew that tone. I've used that tone.

"They died last year in a car accident."

Everything around closed in for a split second. Their parents died. The way Knox spoke about knowing what it was like to lose someone close to you. The way they both skirted around the subject about their parents being okay that they came home with me. The look in their eyes that only came when you lost someone you loved.

It all made sense now.

My heart squeezed so tight in my chest. They lost both parents. Both. I couldn't....I couldn't imagine loosing both my mom and dad at the same time. Losing my dad was hard enough.

"Liv I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay." She sniffled looking up at me as a tear rolled down her cheek. Reaching out I pulled the young girl into my arms. Her arms wrapped tight around me as she silently cried into my shoulder.

I should have realized sooner. The signs were pretty much there but I was too focused on making sure this fake relationship worked. I felt horrible for how many times I've brought up their parents and basically flaunting my mom in front of them.

"It's the reason I emailed you from my brothers laptop." Olivia hiccuped into my shoulder before pulling back. "I didn't want to spend a Christmas without them. Knox is back home for Christmas for the first time in years and I knew he needed this just as much as I did."

"You know," I gently wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. "I think we both needed each other this Christmas. My dad passed away the day after Christmas last year and I couldn't begin to fathom coming home this year. But having you and your brother with me has already made this Christmas more bearable."

"I'm glad you put up that ad for a fake boyfriend." Olivia's lips turned into a smile that instantly brought one to my face as well.

"I am too." 

I'm not crying you are! This chapter...ugh this chapter got me. Now you know why Knox and Olivia were okay to come with Aubrey for Christmas. And another reason as to why Knox is the way he is. It's also one of the reasons Aubrey and Knox seem to have an instant connection. Love you guys so much!!  See you tomorrow!! <3 <3 <3