Setting Up

"And that's how you do it!" Mom clapped her hands together and smiled proudly up at me as I stared down at the counter in front of me. It hadn't been as difficult as I thought to complete the item we had been working on for about an hour. No the difficult part was standing there in the kitchen with my mom, doing everything she told me to do and have to listen to Travis' comments as he sat at the table with Shelly and watched me.

"Fuck you!" I snapped at him once but my mom didn't like that too much, she slapped me across the back of the head with her dishtowel.

"I can still wash your mouth out with soap!" She told me.

"Did you hear what he said?" I asked her as I rubbed the back of my head. Travis had made the comment of how mom always wanted a daughter and how pretty-ish I would look in pink frills.

"I heard what he said," mom had told me but she didn't say anything to him about it! I couldn't believe it, it ticked me off that he could get away with something like that. Fucker!

Once I finished cleaning up, I headed over to the table as mom sat down with the scissors and tape that I requested moments before.

"You got her a present too?" Shelly seemed a little surprised when I started to pull from the bag on the table - the first thing was birthday wrapping paper. "And you are actually going to wrap it?" She turned to Travis, "Why can't you be more like Tanner?" She asked before telling me that Travis' idea of wrapping gifts was to wrap the bag that he carried the present home from the store it, around it and then hand it to her. "He would never do what you are doing for Sara."

"Now Shelly that's not right," mom jumped in. "You knew how romantically inept Travis was when you married him, there's no point in complaining or comparing him to Tanner."

"Yeah!" Travis grinned and slapped his hand down against the table. "Thank you mom."

Mom nodded, "But it wouldn't hurt you to show a little love either Travis, Shelly is your wife, don't you think she deserves to be loved?"

Shelly turned to him. "Yeah!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face. "I deserve some lovin'!"

Travis raised a brow, he glanced at me, then mom and finally he looked at Shelly again. "I'll show you lovin' woman!" He grabbed her around the waist as he leaned in and buried his face against her neck.

I did my best to ignore them, it was difficult to watch them together when everything Travis got to do - every touch, every kiss - made me ache for the moment Sara finally lets me touch her. I was hoping it was soon - my wrist has been very sore lately!

Soon I had Sara's present wrapped - it looked like my nephews wrapped it but hey! at least it was real wrapping paper not the bag I carried it home in - and I headed upstairs to lie down for a while before showering and getting ready for work.

Ten twenty I had returned to the kitchen, Travis and Shelly had long since taken the boys home, mom just happened to be in there getting something to drink. "Are you sure you don't mind helping me out with this?" I asked her for probably the millionth time since the day before when I told her about my plans.

"Of course not," she replied. "I told you I wanted to help, I think it's really sweet the trouble you are going through to make this birthday a special one for Sara, she'll love it."

"I sure hope so," I gave mom a hug. "Thank you so much."

On my way to work Sunday night, I stopped into Tim Horton's to pick up hot chocolate and doughnuts for Sara, Billy and I. It wasn't for her birthday, it was a 'tradition' of sorts for the two of them, whenever it started to get cold, they would take turns buying hot chocolate and doughnuts to have at work. I've been lucky enough to be included in their 'traditions', it was my turn to buy. Plus it was -21 outside, I needed something to warm me up until I saw Sara.

Normally when I get to work, I head straight to the staffroom but Sunday night I waited at the front for them to come in. Sara was the first to come in, she was in her 'going places' stride mode, she almost walked right pass me without stopping.

"Hey," she gave me a confused look as she walked over to where I sat down to drink some hot chocolate and eat my doughnut while I waited. "What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for you and Billy," I told her. "Hot chocolate?"

She nodded eagerly as she removed her gloves from her hands. "Yes! I'm freezing! It's way too cold out there night!" She reached for the paper cup but I pulled it back. "Hey!"

"Hey what?" I stood before her, took her hands in mine and tried to tug her to me. "You said you were freezing, I can warm you up quicker than a cup of hot chocolate." She let me pull her into my arms which surprised me, she had been avoiding any touching at work. "Feeling any warmer?"

"Hmm," she pulled back a little, her hand slipped up over the front of my jacket until her fingers closed around the zipper pull. "I will in a minute," she told me as she unzipped the zipper. She let out a contented sigh as she settled her cheek against my tshirt covered chest. "It's really warm here."

Any thought I had disappeared the moment she started to unzip my jacket. With her face planted against my chest, her ear able to hear the thumping of my heart, I wished I could take her home. "We don't need to work tonight, do we?" I asked hopefully.

Sara softly laughed as she gazed up at me. "I wish we didn't have too."

"Oh really?" I raised a brow. "What would you rather be doing tonight?"

She gave me a naughty grin, "Well I -"

"Oh thank God!" Billy came over to us, his gaze focused on the beverage tray on the counter beside us and the lone cup sitting there. "I worried that you forgot but you didn't!" He grabbed the cup and held it in his gloved hands, "It's so damn cold -" his voice trailed off as he turned to see Sara locked in my arms. "Oh!" He turned away again, "I could take this to the back," he said. "Yeah, I'll just go..."

"We were just going back too," Sara pulled away from me causing my to groan my displeasure. "We have to clock in and start Tanner."

"I don't wanna," I reached for her again but she moved too quickly for me.

"Too bad," she told me with a grin. "You have too."

"Your timing really sucks Billy!" I yelled after him as he walked away.

"Sorry!" He yelled back but he didn't sound all that sorry. I went to tell Sara that I didn't think he actually was but she slipped her hand in mine and I forgot what I was going to say.

As we walked towards the back hand in hand, I kept glancing at her - I couldn't believe it was really happening, we were actually making progress. Ok, so it may not sound like a big deal but it was, like I said, she never touched me at work since that night, I don't think she wanted anyone to know that there was something between us. Not that everyone didn't already know, there was talk, I heard it. People knew and they weren't sure about us because they weren't sure I was good enough for her. Bastards! Like I care what they think!

The first part of the night passed by rather quickly. In fact I was a little surprised when Judy - our manager - paged me to go to the front office, which was my signal to head to the back.

Normally when I headed to the back, I walked right by Infants where Sara was working but on Sunday, I took a detour, I headed back through Furniture and from there I made my way to the training room where Judy was standing, waiting for me.

"So do I get to see?" She asked as the door to the training room started to open.

Peeking through the small opening, my mom grinned when she saw me. "It's all set up Tanner," she said as she swing the door opened to reveal the room she had spent the last half hour getting ready for me. "Sara is going to love it!"

"Oh my!" Judy gasped before turning to tell me that her birthday was in March. "I won't complain if you want to do something like this for me."

"Aha," I chuckled uncomfortably before telling her I couldn't say because that would ruin the surprise for her. Turning to my mom, I gave her a hug. "Thank you so much for doing this. It's looks great!"

"I only did what you asked Tanner," mom gave the room a quick glance before saying she'll leave me to do the rest. "I'll clean everything up once you are gone back to work."

"Mom you don't have to do that, I can clean it up. You should go home and get some rest."

"Nonsense," mom waved my concern off. "I'm happy to help." She smiled, "Besides, I want to know what Sara's reaction is, I can't stand to wait until you get home to find out!" Mom told me Judy had asked her to keep her company during lunch so she wouldn't be bored. "Have a good time," she told me. "Just keep it PG, you are at work you know."

I promised mom I would be good - well as good as I could be and still be alone with Sara. Judy called lunch as mom and her headed off in the direction I came.

The time between the moment Judy called break and the moment Sara turned the corner with Billy to clock out for lunch had to be the longest time period the whole night.

"Hey," Sara shot me a questioning look when she saw me. "What are you doing back here? I thought you were called to the office?"

"I was," I told her.

"Oh? Was everything ok?"

I hesitated, it was all part of the plan to get Sara to go down the hall towards the training room without thinking something birthday related was up. "Can I..." I glanced down the hall and then back at her. "Can I talk to you down there?"

"Sure," she looked worried. Part of me felt like an ass for worrying her but the other part of me was enjoying it because soon she would see that there is nothing to worry about. "I just..." she turned to Billy, who was standing off to the side waiting for us to move towards the staffroom. "We'll be right in Billy," she told him. He studied us for a moment before turning towards the lunchroom.

I took Sara's hand and lead her towards the training room. "So what's going on Tanner?" She asked as we walked.

"I just needed..." my words paused as I stopped in front of the training room, the door was wide open. I could see the flickering light from the candles mom had lit, I waited for her to notice.

"You needed what?" She glanced towards the training room briefly before turning her attention back to me. "What did Judy want?" She asked and then added as she pointed towards the room. "Am I seeing things or are there candles burning in there?" She didn't wait for me to answer, she took a step towards the door and froze.