Snow Follies (2 page)

*  *  *

The
day after Christmas, Shannon knew that in order to get anywhere, they were going to have to shovel the driveway. It was buried in two feet of the white, powdery stuff. Eric and the boys layered up and went out to tackle the beast. The driveway was not exactly level, so he had the boys working closer to the house and he was at the lower part. They had been out there for an hour when Shannon came out with hot chocolate. They took a fifteen-minute break and were soon shoveling again. Eric was in the rhythm of shovel and toss over his shoulder, when a voice asked how it was going, causing Eric to turn and slip on the ice. He could feel himself falling but there was nothing to grab onto. The last thought he had was,
This
is going to hurt.

When he opened his eyes, he was staring at a pair of hazel eyes that seemed familiar. The face came into focus, and he was looking at the concerned countenance of Sergeant Gallagher. He was leaning over Eric, and his hand was supporting the back of his head. “I’ve got you.”

Eric just groaned. Why did he have to fall in front of
him?

“You slipped on the ice and cracked your head pretty good on the ground. You’ve got quite a lump back here. Do you want to try and sit up?”

“How many people are watching?”

“No one but me and the boys.”

“That doesn’t seem too embarrassing,” Eric replied, tongue firmly in cheek.

“Sean, go inside and get your mom for me, would you?” Cameron and Eric were left alone. Cameron looked into Eric’s eyes and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? I can run you to the hospital if you want me to. Head wounds are tricky.”

“My head hurts but I’m not dizzy or anything. Just feeling like a fool.”

“Nothing to feel foolish about. Walking on ice is an art form. Just walk like a penguin.”

“A penguin.”

“Yeah, go watch them on the Internet. They are professional ice walkers.”

  “I’ll do that. I’ll try to stay out of trouble because this is the second time you’ve had to help me.”

“No problem. I enjoy meeting new people.”

“Probably not clumsy desert rats, though.”

“I don’t know about that, some of you can be pretty entertaining.”

“That’s what we’re here for… smiles and giggles.”

“If you can make sarcastic comebacks, I think you’re doing okay. Let’s get you inside to rest.”

“Thanks again, Cameron. I appreciate your help.”

“Oh my God! What happened?” Shannon asked as she slid down the driveway.

“He slipped on the ice and fell. Hit his head on the ground. Good thing I was walking by,” Cameron said.

She told them both to follow her into the house. Shannon was not someone you refused. She fussed over Eric, leading him to the couch, pointing at it and ordering him to lie down. She came back with an ice pack and an ironic remark about ice being the cause and the cure of the bump on the back of his head and then went back into the kitchen to make some coffee. Cameron sat down on the chair across from the couch. Cameron looked at Eric, leaned forward, and pushed a bit of hair back from his eye. “How’d you get this bruise on your cheek?”

“There was a small incident with a six year old and a Wii.”

“Seems like you’ve had a rough couple of days.”

“You know what? It’s worth it. Sean and Ian are great boys. I love being around them. I probably won’t have my own kids, so being an uncle is great.”

Cameron did not even pretend to not understand. “I know what you mean. When you’re gay you just assume that you probably won’t have any.”

They continued their conversation in a low tone. The fire was crackling in the background, and the boys were playing upstairs in their rooms. Shannon came in with coffee but backed out when she saw them together. They were leaning into each other and looked spellbound. Both of them. Hmmm… maybe her baby brother had found that certain someone. She liked Cameron, and he was an upstanding guy, just the kind of guy her brother needed.

Shannon was upstairs gathering laundry to put in the washer. She stopped in the boys’ room and began to put their clothes in the basket. Ian asked her a question. “Mommy, you know how you said that Uncle Eric likes boys and not girls?”

“Yes?”

“Are there other boys that like boys too?”

“Yes, there are. They're called gay. Why?”

“So that means that Uncle Eric will get married to a boy?”

“Maybe someday that will be possible. Right now two boys can’t get married in Arizona.”

“Even if they love each other?”

“Even then.”

“That’s dumb. Right, Sean?”

Sean just nodded as he always did when his brother asked him if he was right.

“Maybe the law will change and then your uncle can get married.”

“He needs a boyfriend first. Like Aunt Terry. She had a boyfriend and then she got married. We got to be in the wedding, remember, Mommy?” This past June, Randy’s sister Terry had gotten married, and the boys were the ring bearers. It was the highlight of their summer.

“Yes, I remember. Now get this room cleaned up, and then dinner will be in a little while.”

*  *  *

An hour
later, Shannon stuck her head in the living room and asked Cameron if he wanted to stay for dinner. He looked over at Eric and nodded his head. Dinner was a lively affair, with the boys keeping up a steady stream of conversation. Cameron and Eric found out they liked the same kind of movies but disagreed on how the state should take care of its deficit. Shannon watched the two of them. They seemed to be getting along very well.

Eric and Cameron cleared the dishes after dinner. Shannon shooed them out of the kitchen, telling them to go and play with the boys to tire them out. All four of them went to the family room and played bowling on the Wii. When Shannon came in an hour later, she found the twins asleep on the couch, and Eric and Cameron in an intense contest.

Cameron was on his last frame, and he needed a spare to beat Eric. He swung the controller back and then forward,  missing the spare by one pin. Eric jumped up and began to dance. It looked familiar to Cameron. He’d done the same dance in the snow after putting on his chains. Cameron smiled at Eric. He looked so cute doing that.

“Eric, you are such a dork! You would think you’d have a new victory dance by now. That’s the one you made up when we were little.” Shannon felt the need to embarrass her brother. Eric put his arms down and flushed a lovely shade of pink.

“I thought it was a great dance. It looked even better in the snow!” Cameron joined in on the teasing.

“Oh, look! The twins are asleep. I better take them upstairs to bed,” Eric said, changing the subject. He picked up Ian and motioned to Cameron to pick up Sean, and together they went upstairs, changed the boys into their pajamas, and tucked them in. They paused at the door after shutting off the light, and looked back at the sleeping angels. They both thought of things that might never be.

Cameron stood on the porch after saying good night to Shannon and thanking her for dinner, and asked Eric if he would like to go out for coffee sometime. Cameron knew the answer before Eric spoke because his face lit up and his smile was blinding. “I’d like that,” was the quiet reply. Cameron bid him good night and walked home.

*  *  *

 “
Are
you sure you want to do this? I mean, you hit your head a couple of days ago.”

“I am not twelve any more, Shannon. I’m fine. I don’t even have a headache and the goose egg is gone.”

“All right, then. Let’s go, boys. Time for sledding!” Sean and Ian yelled and ran to the garage to get in the truck. “Eric, I think I should drive. You’re new in town and I know where to go.”

“I need to learn and it will be fine. Besides, it’s my truck.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys. “Okay, so head out of town and the sled hill is on the left.”

“Everyone buckled up?”

“Yes. Uncle Eric? Is Mr. Cameron going to be your boyfriend?”

Eric almost drove off the road at that question. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because he looks at you like Daddy looks at Mommy.”

“He does?”

“Uh huh.”

“Eric,” Shannon tried to interrupt.

“Did he say anything, Ian?”

“Eric! You need to turn here.” Shannon tapped him on his arm.

“No, he didn’t to me. Sean, did Mr. Cameron talk about Uncle Eric?”

“Great, Eric. You missed the turn. I told you I should drive. Now make a U-turn here.” Shannon might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

Sean finally spoke up. “Mr. Cameron said something ’bout a damsel in a dress. What’s a damsel? Do they wear dresses?”

Shannon finally punched Eric in the arm. “Eric! You need to turn around. We are going to end up at the Grand Canyon at the rate you’re going.”

“Ouch. Okay, I turned around. Jeez. Tell me where this hill is again. And Sean, I think he said I was a damsel in distress. Great. He thinks I’m an idiot who can’t take care of himself.”

Shannon interrupted with “All right, we’re here. Time for sledding!”

The twins started to cheer, and they all tumbled out of Eric’s truck. The boys ran to the top of the hill and Eric followed with the sled. “Hurry up, Uncle Eric!” He chuckled and walked a little faster. At the top of the hill, Eric sat on the saucer and sat one boy on each thigh. Then he pushed off. They went flying down the hill, laughing, and fell off at the bottom. Shannon was busy taking pictures. The boys made Shannon and Eric take turns sledding with them. Two hours and a thousand trips up and down the hill later, the boys finally said they were cold. Shannon and Eric immediately loaded them up in the truck and started home.

One mile from home, there was a car pulled over to the side of the road. Eric parked behind it and got out to see what the problem was. He walked up to the car, and the woman inside rolled down her window. “My tire blew out. I was trying to call AAA, but I can’t get a signal.”

Eric took out his phone and looked at it. He didn’t have a signal either. That’s when the baby in the back seat started to cry. “Why don’t I change your tire for you?”

The woman was hesitant. She was alone and somewhat fearful of a stranger. Eric could tell she wanted the help but her instincts were yelling “stranger danger.” She was about to tell him okay when another man’s voice asked if there was a problem here. Eric whipped around to see who had snuck up on him and was stunned to see the frown of Sergeant Gallagher.

Eric began to stutter, “I… I… her tire blew out, and I offered to change it.” Why did he feel like he’d done something wrong and had the compulsion to explain? The frown was not leaving Cameron’s face.

“Ma’am? Are you all right?”

As Cameron finished asking his question, Shannon was at the woman’s door. “What’s going on?”

“I’m fine, Officer. I was going to take up this nice man’s offer,” the woman replied.

“Kathy? Hey, I didn’t recognize your car,” Shannon said as she walked up.

“Shannon. Thank goodness. This is a rental. Mine is in the shop.”

“This is my brother, Eric. He just moved up from Phoenix. Why don’t you bring the baby and come sit in the truck while the guys change your tire?”

Cameron finally smiled as he and Eric looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Women. “Let’s get going. It’s cold out here.”

“What’s with the frown?”

“That was just the cop face. Sometimes I forget I have it on.”

“You had me scared there for a minute. I felt like I was in the principal’s office.”

Cameron had quite a few comebacks for that one, like “I could be the principal and you can be the naughty student,” but he let it go because he didn’t know Eric that well yet. Great, now he was blushing. Thank goodness it was cold outside and his cheeks were always red in the cold. They worked well together and finished in ten minutes.

They walked back to the truck to tell Kathy they were done, and Shannon suggested everyone come back to the house for hot chocolate. Kathy agreed, but Cameron said he had to get back to work. Shannon insisted he could take a fifteen-minute break,  so he called dispatch and told them.

As soon as they arrived home, Shannon went into hostess mode. “Boys, take off your wet clothes and put them in the laundry room. Cameron, give me your coat. I’ll throw it in the dryer while you’re here and it will be toasty when you leave. Let me start the kettle, and hot chocolate will be ready in five minutes.”

The four adults stood in the kitchen, drank their hot chocolate, and made plans to get together on New Year’s Eve. Cameron had volunteered to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so unless there was an emergency, he had New Year’s Eve and Day off. They all agreed to go to the Pinecone Drop downtown together. Kathy said her husband would go too.

Cameron thanked Shannon for the hot chocolate and said he needed to get back, and the twins were sent to retrieve Cameron’s coat from the dryer. He thanked Shannon again and gave a long glance at Eric before he left.

Sean said, “See, Uncle Eric? Mr. Cameron just looked at you. I think he wants to be your boyfriend.”

Shannon and Kathy looked at each other and started to giggle. “Eric and Cameron sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”

“Shut up,” was all the comeback that Eric could think of.

*  *  *

Shannon
decided she'd had enough. It had been two days; two days of Eric moping around the house like a schoolgirl whose crush wouldn’t talk to her. It was driving her crazy. She had tried to explain that as a cop, Cameron’s schedule was not set and he worked all kinds of weird hours. She asked Eric if Cameron had his number, and he said no. How was he supposed to call?

Eric and the boys got in the truck and decided to go grocery shopping. Eric wanted to pay Shannon back for letting him live with her until he found his own place. She kept saying she wanted him there, that she liked having a man in the house while her husband was gone, and Eric was enjoying his time with his sister and his nephews. The closest store, Basha’s, was right down the hill from where they lived, and he pulled into the lot and parked. He helped the boys out, told them to find a cart, and in they went. Eric was going to make fajitas for dinner. They headed back to the meat department to pick up some beef and chicken.