Page 46 of A Class of Her Own

“Okay. I retract my cease and desist.”

He brushed at some snow on his sleeve. “You’re usually so delightful to talk to, but you seem to be upset tonight. What happened?”

I wanted to tell him not to worry about it, that he had more people in the neighborhood to check on, and that he had no reason to listen to me, but instead I met his dark-as-night eyes, and my shoulders sagged. I dove straight into the situation with Santa and how much I hated throwing parties for the school because it was a lot of people to make nice with but that when I said I’d do something, I did it. The entire time I talked he stood perfectly still. He didn’t shuffle his feet or try to add anything in. He didn’t tune me out. And when the words ran out, and my hands felt so tired that I almost dropped my lunchbox and laptop, he finally spoke.

“At least you’ve never tattooed the name of your ex on your body.”

“I . . .” My mouth opened and then shut. Then, oddly enough, I laughed. “That’s the best ‘hey, cheer up’ thought you had?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Yeah. Things are never really rock bottom until you’ve permanently put someone’s name on your backside and then they break up with you.”

“How do you know I don’t have a secret tattoo somewhere?”

“Let’s say I have a hunch.”

“I have to say, if you’ve chosen the butt as the location to place the name, then things were pretty doomed.”

“Exactly. So, you had a hard time finding a Santa, and you still don’t have a costume, and getting together with a bunch of strangers to eat cookies on a perfectly good Saturday night in December is a total waste of time and energy? Look on the bright side.”

“My bottom is pristine?”

Now he laughed, with shining eyes and full teeth showing as they caught the lights from my garage. A chill chased up my spine, and I shivered as warmth moved through me. I hadn’t seen him laugh often because I’d always been out to get him and bring him down. We’d both said rude things to each other, and we’d both dug in our heels, but now I stood there wondering if I really had any idea of who this man was at all.

“Thanks for the really unusual pep talk.” I paused, pulling a face. “And, I guess, for the ice melt too.”

He held up his little bag of ice melt as though raising a toast. “You bet. I’m off to fight ice on other porches. Have a good night.”

I went inside feeling oddly lighter, although, when I saw a voice message alert from Willow on my phone, some of the tension crept back in. Dad probably needed to be shoveled out again. I couldn’t consider addressing it until I’d had a cup of hot tea, so I got my kettle going, shrugged out of my coat, and sat down at my table before listening to the message.

“Hey, Mer, I’ve already been to Dad’s house tonight. He has dinner and clear pathways. Special thanks to Steve for helping me. I’m telling you, manifesting works. You’re off the hook tonight, but you’re it for the next big storm.” Her voice was cheery, and I heard a man laugh in the background. That must be the mysterious Steve.

I deleted the message and leaned my forehead against the cool wood surface, where I attempted to manifest broccoli cheese soup into my life.

It never arrived.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Santa and cookies night was a roaring success, and my friends deserved all the credit. The school cafeteria had been transformed into a North Pole wonderland. Walls were covered in black paper with stars and snowflakes covering them to look like a night sky. There were candy cane decorations hanging from the ceiling and a large Christmas tree next to a fake fireplace where a cozy recliner waited for Santa. Fake presents sat under the tree while a large velvet bag filled with candy canes sat nearby for Santa to hand out. The entire place smelled like cookies and hot cocoa and nothing at all like school lunch, which was a holiday miracle itself.

It had taken us all morning to pull it off, and I felt humbled and incredibly thankful for my friend group and the community parent volunteers. I’d kept things cheerful other than one measly little temper tantrum moment when Ruby informed me I’d be dressing up. My fellow committee members were dressed up festively, sure, but I’d made it pretty clear during planning that I’d wear regular clothing, thank you very much. My nod to the evening was a red sweater and black jeans. I’d even worn a green headband.

“Put this on,” Ruby said as she came to stand by me on the stage, where I was surveying everything.

I looked down and pulled a face. “I’m not dressing up. And if Iweredressing up, I wouldn’t be wearing a candy cane on my head.”

She pushed it against my stomach. “You are because you owe us big time for helping you pull this off.”

I looked around at my friends, down at the costume Ruby had handed me and then back to Ruby. “How come Hailey gets to be Mrs. Claus? She looks classy and cute in that red dress.”

“Because Haileyisclassy and cute and really nice and all the kids aren’t afraid of her,” Ruby replied. “You, however, could use a big dose of sweetness, thus the candy cane outfit.”

“Fine.” I yanked it out of her hand and frowned down at the horrid red-and-white-striped sweater. “Maybe you should have had me dress as The Grinch.”

“I’m dressing up as the Grinch,” Ruby grinned. “He’s the most interesting character in the holiday scene. Lizzie’s an elf, which is perfect for her, and Aryn is an adorable snowman.”

Of course my friends all had fun costumes. The PTA members were also dressed as elves or snowmen. “Why don’t I get to blend in with the other elves?” I asked.

She gave me a look. “You’re wearing that.”

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