Christmas Coda 64

 

Austin and Jeff from

  A VINTAGE AFFAIR

(Note there is an earlier Character Interview from 2013)

 

Nine Days Before Christmas

“Ernest?” Jeff repeated in disbelief. “You want to spend Christmas with Ernest?”

Ernest was Austin’s ten-year-old brother, so this was not as ominous a pronouncement as it could have been. Or at least, Austin wouldn’t have thought so. But Jeff did seem to be taking a dim view of the situation. Dimmer than expected.

“It wouldn’t have been my first choice—”

 “It’s our first Christmas together.”

Austin sighed. It was, and he too had been looking forward to all the sweet, silly, and sexy moments they’d been planning. Counting on, really. They didn’t have a lot of free time, let alone free time to spend together, and the first Christmas with someone special was…special.

As was the first Christmas without someone special.

“It’s Ernie’s first Christmas without Harrison. The girls are going on a cruise with the stepmoms, so he’d either have to stay on campus or come to us.”

The “girls” were Austin’s four sisters. The five stepmoms…well, it was complicated. Jeff knew exactly how complicated. It was disappointing and a little exasperating that he was taking this so, well, badly. Austin couldn’t help feeling like he was having to contend with the emotional needs of two ten-year-olds.

“Maybe he’d prefer to stay at school.”

“Come on, Jeff. No. He doesn’t prefer to stay at school.

“Ernest hates me,” Jeff said, and suddenly his attitude made a lot more sense.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Austin protested. Although, in fairness to Jeff, over the past nine months Ernest’s opinion of Jeff had seemed to steadily decline. “I think he’s just…”

“Jealous,” Jeff finished. “He sure as hell is.”

He sure as hell was, and that had a lot to do with the fact that Austin had instinctively tried to fill the void left by Harrison. A void he hadn’t even been sure needed filling—Ernest was always so emotionally contained, so self-sufficient—but yes, he did seem to expect, rely, on all the extra time and attention Austin spent on him. Which meant he’d also come to resent Jeff when Austin wasn’t available. Even when Jeff had nothing to do with it.

“Jeff, he’s a little kid and he’s been through a lot—”

“I realize that.”

“I love him and I’m not going to leave him to spend Christmas alone.”

“I know.” Jeff added grimly, “And so does Ernest.”

Austin stared. “Please don’t make me choose between my little brother and you.”

Jeff’s expression twisted. He pulled Austin over and kissed him. “I’m not asking you to choose, sweetheart. Just don’t let Ernest guilt you into going into outer space with him.”

 

 

Five Days Before Christmas

“Where the hell have you two been?” Austin backed out of the way as Jeff—mostly Jeff—and Ernest carried the eight-foot Fraser fir through the white portico of the elegant brick Colonial Revival house on Chatham Rd.

“Shopping for Christmas trees,” Jeff panted, wrestling the tree upright. “Wasn’t that the idea?” 

Austin barely managed to save the table lamp in time. “For three hours?”

The spicy scent of pine tree filled the large room, mingling with the scent of the fireplace and cinnamon apple candles.

“We went shooting,” Ernest informed Austin.

“You…”

Jeff protested, “Hey, I thought we were keeping that to ourselves.”

Ernest gave his ar-ar-ar laugh, sounding like a demented sea lion, but then he turned to Austin, eyes bright, cheeks pink and admitted, “It was great.”

Austin swallowed everything he’d been about to say, and managed a doubtful, “Was it?”

“Jeff says I show a lot of promise.”

He’d been to the range a couple of times with Jeff, so it wasn’t that he feared for Ernest’s safety. If he feared for anyone’s safety, it would be Jeff’s.

He glanced at Jeff, who drawled, “Then we went for a couple a beers. Since Ernest was buying.”

Ar-ar-ar barked Ernest.

Jeff winked at Austin.

 

Later, much later, after pizza for supper, after the tree-trimming, after the cocoa and popcorn viewing of Elf, and once Ernest was safely tucked up with his springer spaniel Buzz in the guest room, Austin climbed into bed beside Jeff, who was looking mighty pleased with himself as he studied the mid-century watercolor painting of Ballineen that hung over the fireplace.

“Thank you,” Austin said. “I mean it. You went way above and beyond.”

Jeff turned his head, his expression was wry. “Naw. No thanks necessary. I’m going to win that mini mad scientist over if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I think he had a really good day.”

“I think he had a great day,” Jeff said. “My day wasn’t so bad either. And my night—”

“Your night’s going to be fantastic,” Austin assured him.

He was joking, of course, but Jeff said seriously, “All my nights with you are fantastic.”

Of course that led to a kiss and then another. But Austin had to pause proceedings long enough to ask, “Does Ernest show promise on the firing range?”

Jeff met his eyes and started to laugh. He shook his head. “Worst shot I ever saw in my life. He’s terrible.”

Austin started to laugh too.

“I thought he was pulling my leg at first.” Jeff’s tone was almost awed. “I thought, nobody could be that bad. I know blind men that are sharp shooters compared to your brother!”

They were still laughing when they kissed, and Austin realized that those special Christmas moments  often happened at the least likely times.