don’t want her to be there and disappear before I get the chance to see her. “We can wrap when she hits the hay.”
“That’ll be past my bedtime, probably.”
“Thought you were a rebel.”
“And you’ll drive me home on Christmas Eve?”
“Unless you want to stay.” The invite is out there before I can stop it, and I know I should probably take it back, but I don’t want to. “Yeah. You should stay. Spend the night and have Christmas morning with us, too.”
She furrows her brow, her eyes searching mine, looking for my reasoning. She won’t be able to find it, because I don’t even know what the hell I’m thinking. All I know is no one should spend Christmas alone, and she talks of being lonely, of not having friends, and hating who she is, and I don’t like that. The more I get to know her, the more I like who she is already.
“I’m… I’m not great with kids,” she says, her voice quiet and apologetic. “You know that already.”
“Demi will be fine.”
“And Maddie?” She nibbles on the inside of her lip, and I want to reach up and stop her. “She’ll be okay with it?”
“Hundred percent.” Now I got two things to break to her, but my sister is an understanding person. One of the good ones.
She mulls it over, her teeth pulling at that lip, her corner freckle twitching relentlessly. “And you… You’re okay with me seeing your place?”
Not really. “Yeah.” A rock sinks in my stomach. I just realized I have no idea where she’ll sleep. Demi will most likely room with Maddie in her cushy queen-size. I’ve got a full, and I know Candace won’t share and I’d never ask. I could crash on the couch; let her take my bed.
“This is more for me than you,” I lie, trying to lighten the sudden buzz in the air that arrived the moment I blurted out the invite. “I can’t wrap for shit, and I’ve got no idea how to bake. And I know you’ve got a knack for that, too. I have dreams about that apple pie.”
That gets a laugh out of her, and she finally stops attacking her lip. “Completely hopeless.” She shakes her head, but there is a light on in her dazzling brown eyes, and I have to blink myself out of the haze she covers me in.
“Is that a yes?” I nudge. I equally hope it is and isn’t.
“I guess,” she says on a sigh, like I’ve put her out, but with the smile on her face I know she’s far from put out.
A few beats pass us by, and then she slides into the couch more fully, and her head hits my shoulder. The buzz in the room is back, but it’s got a completely different tune. Every thorn burrowed into my heart retracts as it pumps double time.
“I want a cover for Gertrude,” I blurt.
“Uh, what?” Her candied apple scent grows stronger.
“For Christmas. I mean, if you’re bringing a gift…”
She chuckles at the tease in my voice. “Have you been a good boy?”
“No.”
“Then you get nothing!” She lifts her head, and I immediately regret teasing her so quickly after she rested there. She gives my shoulder a good poke before pushing up from the couch. “Better get going. Got art class.”
“Gonna sit through the penis?”
“Like always.” She grins. “I’m a pro now.”
“And that’s why you just lost all color in your face.”
She makes a face at me, then gives me a wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” We’re working the bungee and mini golf together.
“No requests for presents for you?” I prod, hoping she gives me some idea.
“You just gave me what I wanted.” A sparkle rests in her eyes. “Now I don’t have to spend Christmas with a spider corpse.”
I shake my head, but there’s a victorious shout deep inside of me. She’s replaced every bit of frustration, sorrow, and resentment taking up residence in me, and if she can do that in a single conversation, I can’t wait to see what happens when she’s in more of my life.
Candace
“In a quarter mile, take the next right on Haste Boulevard.”
I check my mirrors, turning my blinker on to get into the right lane. The small town Indiana streets are bustling this Christmas Eve, most likely people getting to the various parties they’ve been invited to. The only parties I remember growing up were family ones. My parents aren’t into the fancy stuff, preferring holidays to be spent more intimately.