I got to work making it look, well, festive. With enough garland and that stringy old-fashioned tinsel stuff along with the big glass ornaments passed down from my grandmother, it actually looked pretty damn good if I said so myself. I added a few of the reindeer and little gingerbread dudes we’d bought together at various Cove shops and then swallowed hard as I realized Samantha needed an ornament.
Baby’s First Christmas.
Daddy’s First Every-Damn-Thing.
Gina still hadn’t come downstairs when I finished with the tree. All except the requisite popcorn ball stringing, which we’d do together while Sadie stole—
Sadie.
I marched toward the deck and let out a laugh at the sight of my dog practically Velcro-ed to the glass sliding doors, waiting to be let in. She let out a yip as I opened the door, launching herself at me with all ninety pounds of her wet, wriggling body.
Wait, wet?
“Where have you been, girl?” I rubbed her head as she stared up at me with her soulful eyes. “Did you dig out under that fence again?”
Her rump wiggled as she put her paws on my chest, her newest trick to get out of trouble.
It worked, just as it always did.
“I’ve gotta get John and his crew out here to fix that fence. Maybe it’s time to rebuild the whole thing. What do you say about that? Then you won’t be sneaking off to the O’Malley’s to steal their crabapples or to hassle their chickens. Never mind taking a dip in the lake.” I frowned. “It’ll be freezing up soon, so enjoy that water while it lasts, missy.”
She laid her head on my chest and gazed at me apologetically. Her expression was one of total love and acquiescence.
Until she heard Gina clomping down the stairs and left me in the dust like an old forgotten bone.
“Whoa there, girl, watch it. Those claws are something fierce. How long has it been since Daddy got you groomed? Too long, probably. Men. Can’t kill ‘em but you can lock them in the basement.”
I tucked my hands in my back pockets as she went into the living room with her faithful canine companion at her side. I smiled as I heard her gasp over the Christmas music still playing.
“What do you know? He has some skill with his hands, after all.”
Oh, if she even knew.
But our friendship was the best thing in my life. I didn’t want to take a chance on messing it up. Even if the events of the past week were screwing with my head and causing me to reevaluate a lot of things.
Rather than joining them in the living room, I went to the stove and took down a couple of the old-fashioned shake it up popcorn tins. She finally came looking for me when she heard the telltale popping.
Sadie trailed after her with one of Gina’s sneakers in her mouth. I wasn’t sure if Gina hadn’t noticed yet or was picking her battles. Or maybe this week of having a baby had given her a new perspective.
It sure had with me.
“Is this bribery?”
“For what?”
“For misappropriating my favorite pair of underwear.”
“You can have it back.”
“Thanks, I’ll pass.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “I have to be at work in a few hours.”
My fingers tightened on the handles of the popcorn, one for each hand. “Don’t you usually have Sundays off?”
“Most of the time, but with the holidays coming up, more people are asking for time off. Especially the ones with families. The single pringles like me usually offer to take up the slack.”
“But you have—” I fell silent before I revealed my hand.
It wasn’t as if I’d even thought of it consciously. Just my instinct was to say we were hers. That she was ours.
And no matter what kind of house we were playing temporarily, that just wasn’t true.
“Right. That’s nice of you.” I cleared my throat. “The baby is down for a nap?”
“Yeah. Full belly always knocks her right out. Well, not always. I’ve only known her since Tuesday.” She let out an awkward laugh then laughed for real when she realized Sadie had curled up on the mat in front of the sink to have private time with her shoe. “Give me that, brat.”
Sadie let her take back her sneaker then dropped her head to her crossed paws with a morose expression.
“Lord only knows where the other one is.” She shook her head as she dropped the sneaker on the floor. “I may be hotfooting it at the diner.”