Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Are there any blood relatives that your character is particularly close with, besides the immediate ones? Cousins, Uncles, Grandfathers, Aunts, et cetera. Are there any others that your character practically considers a blood relative?
O-o-O
They had this argument every year around Christmas.
“What has he ever done for us? Do you remember last year? He got drunk and hit on Isabela the whole night!” Carver argued as they sat at the kitchen table devouring the cinnamon rolls he brought every Saturday morning.
She groaned and dropped her forehead on her arm. She just wanted to sit here and savor the delicious treat he had brought her. She didn’t want to think about her uncle getting drunk and turning his attentions on one of her good friends. She had no fear that Bela could handle the man but she still felt bad.
Cinnamon rolls. Happy thoughts. Cinnamon rolls. Happy tho—
“Well?” Carver prodded her with his fork.
She lifted her head so she could look at him. His blue eyes were intent on her face. “He’s the only family we have, Carver. It seems wrong to not extend an invitation at the very least. Maybe he won’t accept.” There was no hope for that. Their uncle had never refused an invite to any meal where he was not required to do anything but show up.
“That’ll be the day,” Carver said, rolling his eyes.
“What will be the day?”
Nathaniel had come in the side door. Every time he appeared in her kitchen after one of his shifts a knot of tension inside her eased. If someone had asked her if she was worried she would have said no, but she would have been lying. She was the same way with Carver. There had been a time when he would have been more than irritated that she asked him to call her after every shift ended but now it was habit. When he left the station he dialed her number. It didn’t matter what time it was.
“When our uncle refuses an invite to dinner,” she said.
He tossed his duffel bag down and accepted a bite of cinnamon roll from Niamh. “Is this the infamous Gamlen I’ve yet to meet?”
“The one and only.”
“You’re really insisting we do this? We’re not close and he’s hardly a charmer.”
Niamh had no doubt that this Christmas dinner would be just as disastrous as last year’s and the year before that. Despite it all he was family and while Carver and Niamh had each other Gamlen had no one. “We’re all he has, Carver. In the spirit of the holiday I think we should.”
He groaned and finished his treat. “Fine, fine, pull the ‘we’re all he’s got’ card. I’ll play along but you owe me.”
She took his plate and gave him a peck on the cheek as he headed for the door. “I won’t make you call him, how does that sound?”
He didn’t have to chew on that for very long, “Deal.” He gave her a bone-crushing hug, nodded at Nathaniel and headed out the door. “See you tomorrow.”
Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her waist as they watched Carver motor off. “Him not having to call your uncle is you owing him?”
She smiled up at him over her shoulder. “Works every time.”
