You Belong to Me – 6

 

 

“Corey, someone dropped this off for you,” Mr. Zimmer, the manager of the shelter, said when Corey came in to work New Year’s Day. He handed Corey a small, gaily wrapped Christmas package with his name printed on the tag.

 

“A gift from your secret Santa?” Archie, one of the other men who worked at the shelter, asked with a grin. “Is she blonde and beautiful?”

 

Corey chuckled. “If she’s secret, how would I know?” He balanced it in his hands, wondering who had left it. And why here and not at my place?

 

“Well, are you going to open it?” Silas, a part-time employee, asked, watching Corey in anticipation.

 

Instead of replying, Corey asked Mr. Zimmer if he’d seen the person who left the package.

 

“No. It was on the front counter when I got here this morning. I figured I’d better put it somewhere safe until you showed up.”

 

“Very strange.” Corey hesitated, hoping whatever was inside was innocuous enough it wouldn’t give the men standing around any ideas. Biting the bullet, he tore off the wrappings to reveal a jeweler’s box. He opened it, and found it contained a simple, black-faced watch with gold hands and a gold-and-silver band.

 

“Nice,” Archie commented. “Very you. Who’s it from?”

 

“I have no clue,” Corey replied. Whoever it was, he knew they must have money to burn. The day after he’d returned from his Christmas vacation, he’d seen the same watch in one of the high-end jewelry stores at an upscale mall, and he’d immediately lusted after it. But at over a thousand dollars, he could never have afforded it. Now someone had fulfilled his wish. But who? Who knew I wanted this? I never told anyone. He quickly closed the box.

 

“Aren’t you going to wear it?” Mr. Zimmer asked in surprise.

 

“Maybe on a special occasion,” Corey said quickly. “Around here I’ll stick with my very utilitarian one.”

 

“Probably a wise idea,” Mr. Zimmer agreed. “No sense tempting anyone to ‘borrow’ it.”

 

‘Borrow’ was his euphemism for the occasional thefts that happened at the shelter.

 

Corey nodded, shoving the box into his jacket pocket. A few moments later he hung the jacket in his locker, snapped the padlock closed, and then got down to work. But he couldn’t stop wondering who had given him the watch, and why he—or she—hadn’t put their name on the gift card.

 

You Belong to Me - 5

 

 

A week after Christmas, Corey was back home, his visit with his family now only a happy memory. Despite the fact he'd grumbled to himself about it, he had enjoyed the time spent with his parents and brothers. Still, if asked, he’d have to admit he was glad it was just once a year. One-on-one is fine. The whole lot together can be too overpowering. Yeah, I’ll stick to it’s being just at Christmas.

 

Then he realized they’d all be together again in a month when he had to attend Phil’s wedding. “God help me,” he muttered as he unpacked from his trip. “I’m happy for him, but…damn.”

 

Now he was back to his real life, or would be in the morning. At the moment he had nothing more exciting planned than getting into comfortable clothes and going out to find something to eat.

 

As he put on a pair of old jeans and a fisherman’s sweater, he grinned. If Phil could see me now. I’m sure he thinks I’m always dressed in slacks and good shirts… and ties.

 

The only reason Corey had worn the tie on Christmas Eve was because the family was going to midnight Mass and he didn’t feel like returning to the motel to change clothes for that. Christmas Day he’d foregone the tie, but had to admit that otherwise he had still been overdressed compared to the rest of them. But that’s just me when I’m around them. It’s my defense so that they can’t see the real me.

 

“Not that there’s anything wrong with the real me, but somehow I don’t think they’d agree. At least Mom and Dad wouldn’t,” he told his image in the mirror as he combed his hair. “They may consider themselves fairly liberal, but when it comes to family, they expect us to be ‘normal’ in every sense of the word.”

 

That was the reason he had the reputation as the playboy of the family. He claimed he dated a variety of girls, never more than once or twice each. He’d describe the dates and what they did on them in his weekly e-mails to his mother. He had done that ever since going away to college. It kept his parents off his back and—he knew—amused his brothers.

 

The truth was, he had been in relationships. Twice. Once had been with a very nice man, one who had finally given up on Corey because he wouldn’t come out of the closet. Corey had learned his lesson from that and avoided any involvements for a while. Then he met a man who was as closeted as he was. They had hit it off and managed to make things work until they both realized the only reason they were together was because they weren’t ready to let the world know they were gay.

 

“Hardly the best basis for a relationship,” Mike said when they mutually decided to break up.

 

Corey agreed. Since then he’d stopped looking. He’d had offers, when he’d had time to go to a club or a bar. But none of the men really appealed to him on more than a transitory basis.

 

He shuddered as he put on his winter jacket, envisioning one of his brothers—or, God forbid, his parents—deciding to drop in for a surprise visit. Not that that had ever happened. He made it quite clear to all of them that the demands of his job meant he was rarely free on a moment’s notice to entertain them. So far they had honored that. The one time his folks had come to town, they had given him plenty of warning. Their time together had been fun. Still, Corey had kept looking over his shoulder, waiting for some man he’d met at a club to appear and say something that would blow everything out of the water.

 

“Yeah, the single life is for the best,” he said under his breath as he walked down the snowy street to a restaurant he favored.

 

You Belong to Me – 4

 

 

“You’ve been grumbling?” Phil said, dropping into the chair beside the sofa. “Never. You’re the definition of the bluebird of happiness.”

 

Corey rolled his eyes. “I suspect that would be you.”

 

“Yeah, now that I think about it, it would be. Let’s see, Kerry’s the eagle because he’s a hunter, and you”—Phil tapped his chin pensively—“you’re an owl?”

 

“Wise and logical?”

 

“Debatable on the wise, but yeah, you’ve always approached everything logically, and you’re a perfectionist.”

 

“Is that a bad thing?”

 

“Not at all, little brother. Not at all. That said, Mom told me to let you all know dinner is almost ready, so….”

 

“We should help her get it on the table,” Corey replied.

 

“Yep, and then feast to our heart’s content on barbecue.”

 

“One family tradition I really love,” Kerry said, getting up. “How much did Dad order this time?”

 

Phil laughed. “With my help, enough to feed an advancing army.”

 

“Oh boy, you’ll have to roll me home.”

 

“Nope,” Jena said, grinning, “I’ll make you walk home, pacing you with the car.”

 

“She would too,” Kerry grumbled. Pulling her to her feet, he hugged her, then with his hands on her shoulders, he steered her into the dining room.

 

Corey watched their interplay wistfully for a moment. Maybe, someday….

You Belong to Me - 3

 

 

By the time Christmas evening rolled around, Corey had had enough of family—at least all the family in one place at one time. He rested his head on the back of the sofa, eyes closed, listening to the babble of voices around him.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

Corey nodded, smiling slightly at Kerry when he sat down beside him. “Just feeling overwhelmed. Everyone talking at the same time.”

 

Kerry chuckled. “It’s always been like that, even when we were kids. Why’s it getting to you now?”

 

“I don’t know.” He looked around the room. Cathy and Jena were talking about Cathy’s upcoming wedding. Phil was explaining to Tom how the new electronic “toy” he’d given him for Christmas worked. Linda was bustling around, picking up stray bits of wrapping paper and empty cups and glasses, which she took to the kitchen. “I guess I was hoping to get away from constant noise and chatter for a couple of days. I should have known better, right?”

 

“With this family, you bet. Is what you do that bad?”

 

“Not really,” Corey admitted. “I love the job, and I think I’m pretty good at helping the men when they need it. But it can be stressful, especially with the teens. When I think of why they’re there…. Okay, I’m not going into that rant. I should consider myself lucky I have a family to spend the holidays with. I do, actually.”

 

“You two look awfully serious,” Jena said, settling down next to Kerry. “Discussing the fate of the world?”

 

Kerry snorted. “What’s to discuss? It’s doomed.”

 

“Cynic.”

 

“Realist.” He laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d have given up hope long ago.”

 

“Uh-huh.” She looked across him at Corey. “You have a pair of weird brothers. You know that, don’t you?”

 

Corey grinned. “The weirdest, but I still love them.”

 

“Well, you should, since you’re stuck with us,” Kerry told him.

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, despite my grumbling to the contrary.”

 

You Belong to Me - 2

 

 

Corey listened to Phil rattle on with a bit of amusement, tempered by relief that Kerry had stepped in when he did. I really didn’t intend to get upset, but sometimes Phil seems to know just the right button to push. Conquests, indeed.

 

It had always been that way with the brothers.

 

Phil was a free spirit who seemed to enjoy teasing his youngest, more uptight brother. And like an idiot, I react. Outgoing and gregarious, the life of any party, even a family one, Phil expected everyone to listen when he talked. Not in an “I’m the best, so…” sort of way. More like he figured whatever he was talking about would entertain everyone within earshot—and it usually did.

 

Phil and Cathy had started seeing each other after a private screening of one of his films, just over a year ago. She’d been sent as a reviewer, interviewing him in the process, and they both agreed it had been love at first sight. He’d brought her home to meet the family last Christmas. Then, to no one’s surprise, he’d proposed to her six months later.

 

Kerry tended to be the peacemaker and had decided to put that to good use by joining the police force. He’d met Jena soon after he’d made detective, and they’d been together ever since.

 

That makes me the odd man out. No— He smiled wryly to himself. —no girlfriend, no desire to have one. Hell, what with working practically 24-7, when would I have time for anything more than a casual hookup now and then?

 

Corey had majored in social work. Now he worked at a homeless shelter, supervising and assisting the men—teens and adults—who came looking for a meal and a place to sleep for the night. It really was a full-time and often stressful job. The last thing he needed, in his opinion, was to have to deal with someone who wanted to commandeer what free time he had.

 

“Supper is ready,” Linda announced as she and the younger women came into the dining room bearing bowls and plates laden with food. Tom opened a bottle of wine and filled everyone’s glasses, and then the Christmas Eve festivities were in full swing.