Havoc for the Holidays (Home for the Holidays)

2. Ezechiel

Chapter two

Ezechiel

“ I 'm even more convinced than ever that this is a terrible idea.” I leaned closer to whisper the words to my mother as the bedlam continued around us. “There are so many children .”

“Yes, and they are delightful. You’ll do fine,” she murmured in response from her perch on the stool. “Go mingle. Get to know everyone.”

“Mingling requires cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, Mom.” I swept my hand over the mass of writhing bodies in front of us. “I see neither.”

“Oh, stop it. Go introduce yourself. You have to get to know everyone sooner or later.” With a shove to my lower back, she propelled me toward the center of the room.

I puffed out a short breath and neatened my tunic. There had to be at least forty people in the room. Maybe closer to sixty. I gave up trying to keep count. I knew my mother’s dance studio was a surprising success, but I hadn't expected quite this large a turnout. Not for this speck of a town. I missed my city streets and cramped studio apartment more and more each day.

Stumbling in surprise, I impulsively reached down to steady the small body that had crashed into my hip without warning. As I glanced down to investigate, a pair of mischievous green eyes peered back from beneath a mop of riotous red curls.

“Oop! Sorry Mr. Miss Judy’s Baby!”

I shuddered from head to toe. Really, Mom? Forcing a smile onto my face to replace the grimace, I gently patted her hair and sent the little girl on her way. I tracked the pat-pat-pat of her dance slippers in hopes I could find the man who’d caught my eye. With hair that color, she could only belong to one person and that was the young man with the equally vibrant tresses. Having caught the way he stared after tripping into the studio all blushes and stammers, I felt compelled to introduce myself properly. Who could fault me for wanting to have a bit of fun at his expense in this podunk town? It's not like there was much going on.

Bingo . As expected, the chaotic little girl scampered straight to the redhead where he loitered in the quietest corner. I deployed my best sashay as I minced through the crowd in his direction. The definition of a wallflower, he clocked my approach before I was halfway across the distance and immediately turned three different shades of red to complement his hair. How adorable. This was going to be fun.

“Ezechiel. Ezechiel Billings. And who might you be?” I dangled my hand before him with a hip cocked to the side. His green-grey doe eyes grew even larger as he stammered and stuttered while blinking rapidly.

“Uh, oh… um. O-Oliver. Branson. Oliver Branson, sir.” He took my hand with trepidation and awkwardly bobbed it up and down.

“Enchanted. And who is this little muppet?” I dipped my chin toward the little girl hanging on his hip.

“I-I… beg your pardon?” His eyes narrowed as a crease formed on his brow. “Did you just call my daughter a muppet?”

My gaze darted back to his face as I tilted my head to the side. “Yes. I did indeed.”

“Oh.” His cheeks plumped before he expelled a small breath. “Rebecca, say hello to Mr. Billings.”

“Oh, he says.” A taller man with fawn hair and pale blue eyes appeared beside the flustered Oliver with a laugh. “Ollie, you're hopeless.”

I glanced between the two of them as the newcomer rested one hand on Oliver’s shoulder while extending the other toward me. “Lincoln Townsend. We’re happy to have you here. Judy’s been an angel with our girls.”

We shook with much less awkwardness as Lincoln took over the conversation and Oliver melted into the background. Or at least he tried to. I couldn't help but steal glimpses of his face as the introductions continued.

“A pleasure, Mr. Townsend. I'm glad to be here to help Mom out for a while.” My smile felt as fake as my statement. Every inch of me hoped this was a temporary move. I loved my mother, of course. What I didn't love was the downfall of my career and her health—the entire reason for my being here.

“Call me Linc. This is Ollie. Becs and Laney here are our girls. They are pleased as pie to be a part of the showcase.” I followed his hand and noticed a blonde girl beside Rebecca or Becs or whatever her name was. Cute, as far as kids went.

“It’ll be unlike anything this town has ever seen,” I declared with a grin as I turned my attention back to the men. I couldn't quite figure out their dynamic yet, but the continual usage of the term “our girls” and the way my radar was pinging over them both had me assuming they were a couple of some sort.

Things got more confusing as a slightly older and much taller man appeared beside Lincoln, pressing a kiss to his cheek with a low, rumbly apology for being late. The old adage about assumptions echoed in my head as Lincoln leaned into the affectionate gesture with a broad smile. Surreptitiously, I glimpsed toward Ollie just in time to catch the wistful look in his eyes as he watched the two men who were very clearly a couple.

“Ezechiel, allow me to introduce my partner, Dr. Charles Donahugh. Everyone calls him Doc or Chip. His is the practice over at the other end of town.”

Giving my focus back to the introductions, I held out my hand and barely managed to conceal my squeak as the doctor nearly crushed my knuckles with the firmness of his grip. His stern face, steely mahogany brown eyes, and sophisticated salt-and-pepper swept back hair screamed quiet authority and effortless confidence. I found myself growing a bit flustered. I’d officially met three people and already I was in over my head.

“Delighted to meet you, Dr. I can't say I've seen your practice yet, but I just arrived a few days ago and have been busy with Mom and the studio.” I fluttered my fingers toward my mother where she sat surrounded by gushing children who wanted to climb all over her. I shuddered at the thought of them doing the same to me.

“Oh, you haven't seen the town yet?” Lincoln’s voice rose in a pitch that could only spell trouble. I cocked my head and arched a brow. “Ollie, you’ll have to give him a tour. You see, Ollie’s a born and bred local. He knows all the secrets.”

“What? Me? No. I… uh… mn.” Ollie’s panicked expression as Lincoln pulled him back into the circle of our conversation was pure gold. His cheeks puffed out again before he expelled a shaky sigh.

“A local tour guide sounds like exactly what I need.” I could barely contain the smirk on my face as Lincoln gave me a not-so-subtle wink.

“I… sure. Um.” Ollie pushed his curls from his face with a wobbly laugh. “Right. Um. Be right back.”

He disappeared so fast, he might as well have been a magician. The only thing missing was a puff of smoke for dramatic effect. I made a mental note to source a smoke machine for the showcase as I turned back to the couple in front of me.

“Is he always like… that ?” I flounced my hand in the direction of his disappearance, garnering laughter from Lincoln and a sneaky hint of a smile from the doctor.

“You have no idea, my friend. At any rate, don't let us steal any more of your time. It was great to meet you. I'm looking forward to what you have in store for the kids.” We all shook again before the couple turned their attention to another group of parents.

Despite myself, I searched the crowd for a certain redhead, but he was nowhere to be found which left me with only one option—mingling. Sans cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Begrudgingly, I evoked my best socialite act and went through the motions. Full transparency: I forgot every single name I was given. Hopefully, I would have better luck with the students once classes resumed.

Relief flooded my body as the crowd began to disperse almost an hour later. Concern bubbled up to replace it as I caught a glimpse of my mother from across the room. Today had been a rough day for her, but she was too stubborn to postpone this event. With a sigh, I crossed the studio and gently placed my hands on her shoulders.

“How's the head, Mom?”

“Fine. It's fine,” she lied through her tightly-clenched teeth. The white line around her lips, the tension around her eyes, and the pained expression on her face told a completely different story.

“Let’s get you home.” Her skin was clammy and cool beneath my lips as I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“You're too good to me, Ez. It's so good to have you home.” She took my arm to steady herself as she found her feet. The migraines were getting worse and more frequent. As much as I hated having to leave my life behind in the city, I kicked myself for not coming sooner. It was too easy for her to brush her condition aside and downplay the severity of it over the phone. Guilt gnawed at my gut as we closed up the studio and headed toward the car parked in front of it.

Reluctantly, I had to admit the late autumn breeze was far more refreshing than that of New York City. We were only a few hours north of the Big Apple, yet it felt like a completely different world hidden away on top of a mountain. The chill in the November air had the nearby ski resort hurrying to make artificial snow, which contrasted so oddly with the remnants of autumn leaves clinging to the trees that lined the quaint street.

Once we were on the road, I paid no attention at all to the passing sights. The extent of my exploration was the local grocery store and the pharmacy-slash-gift shop. I'd get around to the rest eventually. Maybe. I still wasn't sure if this move was a permanent one or not. A quick glance toward my mother in the passenger seat had me laughing at myself over the lies that swirled in my head. I didn't want this to be a permanent move, but it was becoming more evident every day that it most likely would be. Mom needed me. And if I were to be completely honest with myself, I needed her too. Maybe I'd take the redhead up on his reluctant offer of a tour after all.