Page 18 of Everything Christmas

Chapter Six

She didn’t see Reeseat all the following week and started to doubt the caring man who’d held her while she cried then later while she slept, ever existed. He was gone when she woke the next morning, but she’d found a note in her mailbox with a card for a local trauma counselor. She’d also received a few texts asking how she was doing and reminding her he was available if she needed to talk.

That confused her. If he really cared, wouldn’t he have wanted to check on her in person?

He’d called her elf and honey, but southerners often used endearments with acquaintances, even strangers that didn’t really mean anything. Countless times in her head, she’d replayed his words, especially something a bit more, for a deeper meaning. Initially, she believed he was alluding to some sort of deeper relationship. Or maybe he acted that way with all women? Then there was the kiss.

She scolded herself for making so much of it. Closemouthed and brief, it was more like a friendly peck, nothing like the passionate lip-lock he’d shared with the tall, stick-thin model on his doorstep.

By the end of the week, she’d convinced herself he was just being friendly. But a question gnawed at her like a persistent itch. What kind of friend threatened to take you over his knee?

Damn him and his mixed messages.

Mentally kicking herself for becoming infatuated with the enigmatic policeman, she looked for a distraction. So, she took the weekend to finish her unpacking. It sounded like an excellent plan, but she got off-track when she found her Christmas decorations and a big jumble of outdoor lights in the first two boxes. Decorating was what she needed to brighten up both her place and her mood for the holidays. First came the arduous task of unraveling the strands of tangled lights.

Two hours later, she found herself six rungs up on a two-story ladder, straining to affix the strands of icicle lights to the eaves of her condo. The low rumble of a motorcycle coming down the street instantly grabbed her attention.

Don’t look. Give him as much attention as he’s given you for the past seven days.

She heeded her own advice and finished the lights in another section without sparing Reese a single glance.

“What the hell, Merry? Are you trying to break your neck?” his deep voice barked from below.

She hadn’t heard his approached, but his sudden appearance didn’t startle her. In a way, she’d been expecting it. Sergeant Surly always seemed to have a comment, mostly a criticism, about his new neighbor.

“I would think it’s obvious, but if you can’t figure it out...I’m hanging Christmas lights.”

“I can see that. I meant, what are you doing up on that ladder? It looks like it’s late for an appointment with a wood chipper.”

“Oh.” She looked down at the rung in front of her. It looked like it had seen better days, now that he mentioned it. “I found it in the garage. The previous owners must have left it.”

“That’s because it’s a piece of crap. Get down before you fall and hurt yourself.”

First, he ignored her. Now, he popped up out of nowhere acting like he had the right to boss her around. Annoyed and on a direct course to pissed off, she twisted and glared down at him. “Excuse me, Sergeant. Am I breaking another law?”

“No, but you are violating a condo rule. Decorations have to be approved by the board. It’s another $250 fine.”

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