Christmas Tales - Brandon Witt Page 0,43

been to the bathhouse a few times, and one night when I showed up, the owner was there and said one of his employees was a no-show. Asked me if I wanted a job. It was just luck of timing, I suppose.”

“You like it?”

I shrugged. “I guess. It’s just a job. It’s pretty easy. You get to see some… interesting… things, and the owner pays pretty well, considering. I’m not a job kind of person; I don’t have big career goals or anything. I just want to live my life, you know?”

James nodded slowly, but I could see he didn’t feel the same way. “That’s probably nice. I started my own investment firm. Which financially has been great. Up until a few years ago, though, it was all-consuming. It’s finally in a place where I’m able to just supervise and manage the bigger picture.”

Maybe I felt the need to compensate. Not look like a complete goalless nobody. “I’ve thought about opening my own toy store one day.”

“I can see that. I bet you’d be great at it.” He breathed out a laugh. “I can just picture you arranging tubes all around the store for your hamsters to run through.”

I’d never thought of that. The idea made the store more appealing than it actually was. “That’s a good idea. I doubt I’ll ever do it, though. I think the stress of the whole thing would end up making me not enjoy toys and games anymore.” Just another excuse, like I made with everything. My father’s voice ran in my memory. “Sorry, that probably sounds pretty pathetic. Like I’m not passionate about something or that I’m just lazy.”

James reached across the table and gripped my forearm. “Okay, we’ve got to stop that. You keep beating yourself up all the time. At least it seems like that to me. You don’t have to try to impress me. I’m not worried about your career choice. Jobs were just a topic of conversation, not an interview question. You seem like you’re doing just fine to me, and maybe you’re not overly passionate about your job, but you are about other things. I watched about ten episodes of Buffy and Her Vampire Teddy Bear Lovers. Remember? You’re living your life how you want, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, then. Good enough.”

It might have been the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. It was years since I’d been on a date, but before, if my weight wasn’t a problem, then my lack of ambition was. Dates just ended up becoming extensions of conversations with my father.

The server brought our first course, two large individual crocks of french onion soup, the top boiling over with bubbling cheese. I couldn’t hold back a sigh of appreciation at the sight.

James thanked the server, then looked back at me. “I take it you approve of my suggestion?”

I grinned over at him, more comfortable than I’d been before. “There’s cheese everywhere. What’s not to approve of?”

“That’s my man!” He laughed and plunged his spoon through the casing of cheese.

I knew he hadn’t meant the words the way I took them. Or at least the way I was tempted to take them. But they still made me flinch.

“You okay, Brian?”

“Oh. Yeah. It’s just…. Uhm, the soup is really hot.”

I’d obviously not even attempted my first bite, but he nodded in agreement.

His man.

What would it be like to be James Olsen’s man? Belong to a man who was happy with how I looked and respected my life goals? The thought made me realize I suddenly had more ambition than I realized.

We ate in silence for several minutes before it occurred to me I needed to play the dating game too. “There’s only four more days till Christmas. You didn’t need to be with your daughter tonight, or ex-wife or something?”

James swallowed the bite he’d just put in his mouth before answering. “No. My daughter’s husband is originally from here as well, so they went to see his family. Tonight is my last free night till Christmas. I have my work party tomorrow night, and the next two nights are full of Christmas stuff with the family. Luckily we all get along, so it’s actually pretty wonderful.”

“Even you and your ex-wife get along?”

“Yep. She’s great. And she ended up marrying my best friend after our divorce, so her husband is pretty great too.”

“Wow.” A sudden vision flashed through my mind. Me surrounded by all of these people. Daughters and sons-in-law and grandkids. Ex-wives with best-friend husbands.