Page 94 of Red Hot Roaster

“Okay, okay, I give up. Rafe and I have been texting for the past two weeks. More recently, talking.” As one, they started smiling and nodding.

“We knew you two couldn’t stay away from each other,” Liliana declared.

I held one hand up. “Hold on. We’re just talking at this point, keeping the channels open. Nothing about him coming back here. I haven’t even asked him yet.”

They frowned a little at that. It hit me, and I sat up straight in my chair.

“I need your help,” I said.

“Anything!” they cried in unison.

“I want to send Rafe some gifts and some photos and…some messages about how much I miss him. Maybe how much weallmiss him.”

They nodded again, and Liliana said, “Oh, like a care package. I used to mail those to Mateo when he was deployed overseas. Helovedgetting them.”

“Yeah, he’s even mentioned them to me a time or three,” said Katt, blushing a bright pink.Hmm…what is that all about?“I bet Rafe’d love getting one again.”

“I don’t think he ever received care packages back then,” I commented. “No family, you know.”

“Oh, Rose,” Liliana said sadly.

I clapped my hands. “Okay. We’re going to change all that. First, let’s make a list of things to send him.”

Liliana pulled her notepad in front of her, flipped to a new page and picked up her pen.

“Oh, fido.” I reached over to her. “Here, please give me those. Letmetake notes while you both eat.”

She patted my arm. “Rosita, I can eat, talk and write all at the same time. We moms are good at multitasking, right?”

We jumped into brainstorming goodies for the care package—now grown into a carebox—until only smears of pesto from the salad were left on their plates.

I turned to Katt. “Could you possibly come over to my house tomorrow evening to take some photos? And make prints by Saturday morning? I know it’s a quick turnaround.”

She nodded and added, “I’ll make prints of other photos Rafe’s in too.”

“I want to drop off the care box at the post office by Saturday noon. I imagine I’ll pay a bundle to get it to him by Christmas Eve day. But it’ll be worth every penny…”

“You’re cutting it close, girl,” Katt warned.

“I know, I know,” I agreed, worry creeping in. “Maybe I need to check with Pete to see if he has any recommendations for shipping companies. And any other ideas to go into the care…boxcar.”

They laughed at me, and I didn’t blame them one bit. Ihadgone a little overboard.

“Rosie, you don’t have to say who you are. I’d recognize your voice anywhere.”

“Oh, Pete, you’re a sweetheart! Are you getting excited for your grandkids to come visit?”

“You’d better believe it! They and their folks are driving down this Saturday and staying for the week. We’ll see you Monday night—sure looking forward to karaoke caroling at your place!”

“You may see me before then—I need your help. Can you keep a secret?”

Chapter 47

Rose

Finn positioned our old punched-tin star on top of the tree and climbed down the ladder. He folded it up and leaned it against a wall while Lauren went around turning off all the lamps.

They joined me in the middle of the living room, linking my arms on either side. We lifted our faces to bask in the glow of hundreds of tiny white lights. The strings were tucked back into the branches of the mammoth Douglas fir sitting in front of the windows.

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