Page 50 of 2204 Hunter Lane
“You don’t look so scary today, Dex.” I teased. I never did that, but hey, I was in the Christmas spirit.
“Well, when the fur’s catchin’ scraps of food, something’s gotta be done.”
Was he…did he just joke back with me?Wow, this really was a Christmas miracle.
I laughed in response and carried out my bag of gifts: one for Dex, one for Payton and lastly, one for Hunter.
Payton was relatively easy to shop for since her and I shared so many common interests. Every time I bought a new skin care product, she’d ask me to review it and tell her if it was worth the money. So over the last few weeks, I’d collected a total of four beauty products for her to try out and wrapped them all in a cute pink basket.
Dex was a little bit tricky, since I barely spoke with him unless it was for business. But with Payton’s help, I managed to figure out that he’d been itching to buy this electric four-blade razor that was exclusive to CleanMen’s brand in New York.
Conveniently for me, I was in touch with my brother again so I asked him to go over to the store and ship me the razor while I transferred him the money.
Hunter… well, the idea came to me pretty quickly. Almost too quickly, actually. I wasn’t sure where we stood but there was no way I was going to get his family gifts and not him. He didn’t strike me as someone who enjoyed receiving presents, but it was Christmas and what was Christmas without giving?
After a few hours of tedious Etsy shop surfing, I managed to find a seller who made custom paint brushes. I practically screamed when I saw a bundle of six smaller tipped brushes, perfect for his boat figurine hobby, and added it to my cart. It was certainly something small, and he would probably laugh in my face for even purchasing it, but I was happy and I hoped he would be too.
Dex took my presents and unlocked the front door, leading me to the kitchen where I was greeted by the scent of peppermint and vanilla.
Payton was sitting next to a lady with similar blonde hair, wearing an orange Charlie Brown sweater, holding a can of green beans.
When Payton stood up, I saw that she too, was wearing a Charlie Brown sweater, only hers was in red.
“Marley! Merry Christmas, deary.” She said, enveloping me in her arms.
“Hi,” I laughed, squeezing her like I hadn’t just seen her three days prior.
“Ah, Marley. Meet my sister Betty.” Payton nudged me towards the blonde woman holding green beans. “Betty, this is the girl I was tellin’ you about.”
Up close, I could really see the similarities in their faces. Betty looked a bit younger than Payton, with bright blue eyes and deep smile lines. Her front teeth held a little gap which made her grin more endearing as she set her beans down and grabbed hold of my hand.
“My, my, you pretty thing!” She gripped tighter and pulled me down to sit. “Payton told me ya helped her shop out a ton. Thank you for that, she needed the confidence on that one.”
“I’ll tackle ya, don’t think I won’t.” Payton retorted.
But Betty shrugged it off, praising me again before shovelling a tablespoon of green beans into her mouth.
I couldn’t contain the grin stapled to my face as I watched them interact like two little kids, unironically on Christmas morning.
“Why the matching sweaters?” I asked, looking down at my own basic white knit. “I feel so out of place.”
Betty piped up, pushing out of the booth and scurrying for the hallway. “I got an extra one for ya, Marley! Just wait here.”
What have I done?
A trickle of laughter carried from the main entrance as a huge man dressed in lumberjack clothing emerged, followed by…
“Hunter,” I let out before I could retain my words.
As if the breath caught in my lungs, I stilled completely. His ice blue eyes caught mine almost instantly, spiking my core with heated tension.
His muscles were confined in a black long sleeve and his blonde locks were swept back into a white baseball cap. He held a camel toned jacket in his hands as he stepped into the light of the kitchen, peering at me with intent.
“Ho-ho, what do we have here?”
My attention turned to the massive man in lumberjack clothing who grabbed Hunter’s shoulder blades and shook him vigorously.
“Get your hands off me, Uncle Glen.” Hunter laughed, swatting at him with force.
