Egg the Halls by Jessica Payseur

Author:Jessica Payseur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay
Publisher: JMS Books LLC [email protected]

Chapter 12

The photo shoot went well. Katie covered the early morning so that Kiko only had to drop Mother by and then take off into Madison. Chad, constantly scrounging for hours now, was only too happy to get away from his mother and come in later in the morning. Kiko felt calm enough to really relax and enjoy himself. Yolks on You was in good hands.

As he drove back he thought again about another full time position. Really that would have been more ideal from the start; apart from Chad’s nervous need to put hours in over the winter break, the teen hadn’t normally gone over ten in a week. Kiko didn’t even want to count the hours he was normally at the store. Still, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to hire another person and completely boot Chad out at the moment. He’d have to look at the numbers, too. Deciding to put that off until after Christmas was a relief.

“Hi, Chad,” he said when he got back. The teen was carrying a ladder over to the tall tree, presumably to get an ornament for the customer currently stationed at the counter. Katie was reading stories by Mother’s pen. Everything looked in order. Kiko liked days like this, that just ran smoothly, ironed out their own wrinkles.

We’re going to get the tree today, Gaby had sent when he checked the text in the bathroom.

Great. Ask Dom to dig out the ornaments from the garage when he gets home.

He exited to find Chad ringing up the customer, making awkward chitchat, but the woman didn’t seem to mind. She had bought nearly a dozen ornaments, and Kiko watched as she turned away before Chad called her back, waving the goose stamp.

“Excuse me,” said the teen. “You have a Twelve Days card?”

Kiko could not help but feel just a little proud. When Chad started he could barely remember to punch in, and now he was making sure customers got everything they came for, regardless of whether they remembered it or not.

Everything was bound to change soon enough, though. Kiko couldn’t see Chad not deciding to move to Madison, especially if he and Roy stayed together. And it would make no sense to keep a part-time weekend job as far away as Mount Angus. Kiko had a feeling he’d be losing Chad as an employee before summer. It was bittersweet; he liked the idea that he’d helped the teen grow up.

“Hey, boss,” said Chad, coming around from behind the counter. “Is there like, more ornaments?”

“No, there aren’t,” said Kiko, deflating somewhat. He hoped Chad would pass his courses. As far as he knew the teen had made it through the first semester. “We’re not a box store.”

Chad scratched his neck.

“There’s a big empty tree spot now. You want me to rearrange it so it looks good and all?”

“Thanks,” said Kiko, moving behind the counter to wash the goose stamp. Chad still apparently had a ways to go. Well, he was still young. Kiko tidied up as Chad clambered onto the ladder.

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