A Father's Love

Chapter 58

Around late morning, the Monday before Thanksgiving, Luke got a phone call while he was in the back, taking inventory. One of his employees answered the phone, coming back there to let him know, stating it was Rebecca.

"This is Luke," he said when Luke held the phone to his ear.

"Luke, it's Rebecca. How are you?"

"Uh, I'm good. How are you?" Luke was a little confused and surprised from the phone call. Though he was glad she was keeping in touch. Rebecca had called before while Shelby was home, to check in and see how she was doing. Not being used to her aunt yet, the conversation was one-sided. However, Rebecca knew the school hours, having siblings who had gone to that school, and her kids briefly went to Stars Hollow Elementary before they moved to Rhode Island to be closer to her parents.

Rebecca let out a tired sigh. "Busy. Lots to do, you know?"

"Uh, yeah. Plenty busy." He wasn't great at small talk, so this was stressing him out. "So, uh, Shelby's at school if you're wanting to talk to her."

"Oh, no. I wasn't calling for Shelby this time. At least, not yet. First, I wanted to swing something passed you."

"Shoot," he gave her the okay.

"It's regarding Thanksgiving," she started. Before he could say anything about her taking Shelby for Thanksgiving, especially regarding being around Rebecca's father, she continued. "Now, I know Shelby's not comfortable around my father. I know all about that. But since last year, we all met for Thanksgiving, this year it's gonna be swapped for Christmas. So, my parents are spending it with my father's brother and his wife, and it'll just be our small family. Nobody else. Now, I know you had us have lunch there at the diner when we visited, but we were hoping if Shelby can come spend the holiday with us. If that's okay. And if you don't feel comfortable sending her on her own, you and your nephew are welcome. As long as we can spend time with Shelby, we'll take the whole package. Besides, we tend to make a lot of food on Thanksgiving anyway, so the more, the merrier. So, what do you think?"

"I appreciate the offer, but we actually have plans for Thanksgiving," he told her. "I keep the diner open, serving Thanksgiving dinner all day to friends and people passing through town. My cook and most of my crew have already requested time off, so we'll be short staffed as it is. Sorry."

"So, I take it, I can't come pick Shelby up the day before or the morning of?" Rebecca took a guess. "I mean, that doesn't exactly sound like that affects her."

"Look, Thanksgiving is about family and I'd really like to have Shelby there to spend it with, especially since last year, Shelby wasn't exactly talking to me," Luke explained. It was hard remembering what had happened last year around this time and having snapped at and terrified Shelby. It still haunted him and never wanted something like that to ever happen again.

"That's understandable, I guess. Just thought I'd ask, anyway." Even though Rebecca wasn't fighting him on it, she sounded disappointed.

Being the nice guy he was, Luke took a deep breath before he said, "I mean, you're welcome to come by. I usually make a ton of food, too."

"I'll have to talk it over with Mike, but yeah. That sounds reasonable. Thanks, Luke."

"No problem," he shrugged off, modestly.

"You going Black Friday shopping?" Of course, that was a big mistake bringing up Black Friday, producing one of Luke's rants about people going shopping during the late hours of the evening or early morning, after eating a big meal just to buy things that could risk one's life they really did not need. Finally, Rebecca was able to interrupt, apologizing for even bringing it up. "You know, I distinctly remember a fourteen-year-old kid coming into the store I worked at during college and purchasing a Star Trek shirt on Black Friday," she said, chuckling.