Page 66 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
When she passed in front of the card shop, she slowed down. The Christmas tree in the window with its white lights and multitude of colorful ornaments on its branches called to her. The next thing she knew she’d moved to the front door. Her hand wrapped around the brass door handle, and she pulled it open.
She stepped inside the cozy shop. There was the pleasant scent of cinnamon, citrus, and cloves in the air. It drew her farther into the shop. There were so many shelves and stands with things for her to check out.
She thought of getting Parker a Christmas card, but she had no idea what tone it should take. A romantic card might be putting the cart before the horse. A friendship card just didn’t seem like enough after what they’d shared. And then there were funny ones, but those didn’t feel right either.
The next thing she knew she was in the aisle with all of the beautiful ornaments. She stood there, taking them all in—reminded of the heirloom ornaments that had been destroyed during the break-in. Those ornaments had meant the world to her, and she missed having them on her tree.
She stepped farther down the aisle. She saw an ornament that reminded her of Odie. She picked it up and took a closer look. It was as though this ornament was telling her to buy it for Parker. Even if after this dinner they went their separate ways, he would have this ornament to remind him of the Christmas he rescued her furbaby. Yes, this was the right gift. It was simple and yet meaningful.
With the perfect gift in hand, she rushed home. Odie met her at the door. When she picked him up, he gave her a great big sloppy kiss. And her heart was full of love.
Belle rushed to the kitchen. She started by making a pecan pie for dessert. And then because she didn’t know if he liked nuts, she decided to make something else. But what? She flip-flopped a half-dozen times before settling on a chocolate cake. It would have to cool before she could frost it.
She roasted a turkey breast seasoned with herbed butter and plenty of rosemary. And then she’d pulled out her mother’s recipe for stuffing. Because this was last minute, she’d had to tear the bread up, put it on a baking sheet, and dry it in the oven. Not ideal but it would have to do. She prepared potatoes until they were creamy and light. There was homemade gravy from the drippings from the turkey. And roasted carrots.
She checked the time. It was late in the afternoon. Parker was supposed to be there after his shift ended at five. She rushed upstairs to do her hair and makeup. Then the hard part was figuring out what to wear.
Should she dress up? After all, it was Christmas Eve. Or should she play it casual with jeans and a sweater? And if she dressed up, should it be a dress? Or slacks? There were so many choices.
She tried on a few outfits and promptly discarded them on her bed. She dug to the back of her closet and stumbled over a deep-red sweater dress. She studied it a moment. She’d had it for a few years, but she’d only worn it once. It still looked new.
She pulled it out of the closet. She didn’t know why she hadn’t worn it more. It was very comfortable, and yet it looked nice. She wondered if it would still fit her.
She took it off the hanger and tried it on. Then she stepped in front of the mirror. She gave her image a once-over. It fit. And it looked good on her. It was the winner.
A timer went off in the kitchen. She glanced at the mess of clothes on her bed. She would deal with it later. Right now, she had a cake to frost. Parker should be there any minute.
She rushed downstairs and glanced around. It was only then she realized she needed to plug in the Christmas tree and turn on the flameless candles in the windows. In the kitchen, she lit a bayberry candle that was on the island.
She whipped up some chocolate frosting and just finished frosting the cake when she heard a knock at the door.Oh, no. He’s here.
“Arf! Arf! Arf!”Odie raced to the front door, barking the whole way.
She placed the empty bowl in the sink and quickly inspected the cake. On her way out of the kitchen, she caught her reflection on the door of the microwave. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
She rushed to the door and paused. She straightened her dress before picking up Odie, who was still barking. “Odie, hush.”
Odie didn’t pay her the least bit of attention as he continued to sound off. And then, hoping she didn’t have any frosting on her face or in her hair, she opened the door.
Her stomach fluttered with nerves. A big smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Merry Christmas.”
Odie stopped barking when he saw Parker. Instead, he started whacking her with his tail, which rapidly swished back and forth. It moved with such force his whole body was moving with it.
Parker smiled back at her, raising her pulse. “Merry Christmas to you too.” And then his attention moved to Odie. He reached out to pet him. “Hello, little buddy.” When Parker’s gaze rose to meet hers, he asked, “Can I come in?”
“Oh.” Heat from her chest set her cheeks aflame. She backed up, pulling the door wide open. “Come on in.”
She noticed he had a big box wrapped in silver wrapping paper decorated with the images of multi-colored ornaments. She grew worried that perhaps her ornament wasn’t enough. Maybe she should have gone back and gotten that royal blue sweater she’d noticed in the men’s store.
After he took off his coat and boots, he walked to the living room. He placed the package beneath the tree next to the gift she’d gotten for him. His present dwarfed hers. Did size really matter?
He turned to Odie, who was seated beside him. Parker bent down and picked up her puppy. Just like they were old friends, Odie lathered Parker with kisses. She was a little surprised to see the big welcome Odie gave Parker. Apparently, she had good taste in men, and her pup agreed.
When Parker turned his attention to her, he said, “This place smells amazing.”
“Thanks. I made a little something for dinner.” No way was she admitting that she’d spent most of the day working on it.
“Just point me in the right direction.” He placed Odie on the floor. “I’m starved.”
