Chapter 3
The new routine slipped into their lives so smoothly that Olivia hadn’t even realized when a good portion of December passed them by.
Casey moved freely between Olivia’s place and her own, depending on Noah’s needs. He took the change in caretakers so well that Olivia was suspicious that Casey might be bribing him somehow, but overall it was much nicer than she thought it was going to be. They’d catch up everyday; recounts of the toddler’s activities were beginning to evolve into longer and genuine conversation that let Olivia decompress from work in a way she didn’t even know she needed.
The redhead had developed a very particular smile that Olivia had been receiving lately. She thought it might have been an amused tolerance to all of Olivia’s admittedly overprotective-parent tendencies. She hadn’t ever thought of herself succumbing to the same issues that many first time mothers go through, but she very much had.
Somehow though, she’s not sure how she didn't notice. Between the check-in calls, texts, and the pictures that Casey emailed from her phone, Olivia hadn’t anticipated the Christmas cheer that crept into their lives. There was the occasional classic Christmas carol playing softly in the background when she'd pick up Noah at Casey’s. One Saturday morning the woman had the black and white version of It's a Wonderful Life on tv. She'd even tried to make Noah cookies, but he was too anxious to eat them and they didn't last long enough to be frosted.
But still, the large Christmas tree in Casey’s apartment took her by surprise when she came to pick up her son after babysitting.
She looked at it and sighed. At least it was tucked away in the corner and it looked like Casey had put anything delicate near the top of the tree, but her son was completely mesmerized by the blinking pattern of the tree lights.
-
“Hi.”
“Hi,” she said. “We were going to head back over to your place, but he wanted to see the tree again, and then he fell asleep on the couch for nap time.” She smiled. “He just woke up.”
Olivia smiled. “How was your day?”
“We went to story time, and then we made ornaments.” She showed her. “These are for you.”
There were little handprints that were turned into reindeer, crayon scribblings cut into shapes and a little star with his name and the date on the back.
“You are just filled with the Christmas spirit, aren’t you? Who knew you were this crafty.”
“My sisters are a little nuts about this stuff. I did these with my nieces and nephews last year.” She shrugged. “Just enjoying the season.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows in amusement.
“Okay, I might be trying a little too hard.”
Olivia laughed a little in her amusement. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t go 100%.”
Casey smiled in reflex. “Last year was so messed up. I screwed up everything with work and realized that I had been neglecting the rest my life as well.” She shrugged. “I was a little depressed for a while. And it… lingered.”
“So, what changed?”
“I had been calling the people with the news, telling the tale of my suspension and my failings again and again in a morbid sort of self-flagellation. My sister slapped some sense into me. Tried to get me moving forward and stop working against myself.”
“Sounds like good advice.”
“Control issues may or may not be a common thread in my family,” she smirked. “Basically she told me to get a grip, any grip. Get myself busy. So, I started up with some the things that I used to like to do, made lists and schedules, got a job, and tried to get some focus. It’s something that worked in the past.”
“Hence the obsessive running in the mornings?”
Casey smiled. “Runners high is a real thing,” she said. “And it’s not obsessive, it’s disciplined.”
“Tomayto tomahto…”
Casey lightly smacked her on the arm.
“Well, you seem to have gotten your groove back pretty well. I know you like your new place. You seem to like your new job.”
“Jobs, plural,” she winked. “But I don’t know if it’s control of my life that I was missing as much as just a sense of myself. So, here I am, trying to not let everything just slide by.”
“So- the decking of your halls?”
“Oh come on, it’s just a Christmas tree.”
“A large and beautiful tree.”
“When’s the last time you had one?”
“Maybe once or twice since I lived with my mother.”
“It’s not going to infect you with it’s tinsel.” She smiled in earnest. “I am just trying to enjoy the little things that I had been missing out on. And I wouldn’t want you or him to miss the little things either.”
“Like homemade ornaments.”
Casey shrugged one shoulder, but her cheeks flushed slightly. “I swear I’m not trying to shove the Christmas spirit down your throat. I know not everybody loves Christmas, but everybody does have these little hand made ornaments. I didn’t want you to miss them someday.”
Olivia tried to remain annoyed, but Casey’s dimples and the earnestness on her face broke her resolve. “This holiday has never been my favorite, so I guess I need the nudge. But don’t think I’ll be chopping down my own tree anytime soon.” She smiled down at the small ornaments, all created by her son. “These are pretty cute though. I guess I will be collecting things like this.”
“That’s a good bet,” Casey said, with that particular small smile again.