Page 9 of Magically Generated
In an attempt to rid herself of that urge, she dove into her hot chocolate.Some hot chocolate was more sugary than chocolatey, but this stuff didn’t have that problem.No, it was very, very good.Rich and luxurious.
“Does it meet your approval?”he asked.
“It does, and you know I have very fine tastes.Your palate just isn’t sophisticated enough for black gumdrops.”
Though privately, she agreed with him: licorice-flavored gumdrops were disgusting.But the purpose of her comment had been to make him smile, and it worked.Though why she cared about that, she wasn’t sure.
She had another sip of her drink.The hot chocolate warmed her from the inside.She had a good winter jacket, but she still got cold when she spent an hour or more outside in the winter.
Yes, this hit the spot.
“I know it’s not your favorite time of year,” Everett said, “but do you have any plans for Christmas?”
She shook her head.“Not on the twenty-fifth—or anytime around then.I’m celebrating on Saturday with my sister and her family.”
“What does that entail?”
“Going to her house in Mississauga, opening gifts with my niece and nephew, and eating ham.”
Their mother had always preferred doing a ham over a turkey.Easier, she said.It was a tradition they’d continued without her.
“They’re going away later in the month,” she explained, “so I can’t see them then.What about you?”
“I usually visit my family out west,” he said, “but I’m not going this year.”
“Yeah, that’s a long way, and it must be a pain to fly during the holidays.”
Flying wasn’t her idea of a good time in general, but in December, when there was a chance that a snowstorm could derail your plans?That definitely didn’t sound fun.If she had to spend twenty-four hours in an airport at Christmas, she’d probably end up stabbing someone with an icicle decoration, or hitting them over the head with an overpriced sandwich.She’d nearly done something similar at her retail job last December—she’d needed to work two holiday seasons to earn back the money she’d given to Samuel.Although she tried not to worry too much about the security of her full-time job, she did her best to maintain a healthy savings account.
“But I’m sorry you can’t see your family,” she added.
Or maybe Everett wasn’t going to see his family because they had a strained relationship.She shouldn’t assume that he’d want to see them.
“It’s fine,” he said.“I’m going for Lunar New Year instead.”
In the silence that followed, Nora was veryaware.Aware that they were both single—or, at least, unmarried—people who were not seeing their families for the holidays.It was a ridiculous thought, but she felt like she should offer to celebrate with him, just in case he didn’t have any plans for December 25.
She was also very aware that this was quite a small table.She shifted in her chair, her knee bumping against his.A little hot chocolate spilled over the rim of her cup, and she nearly wept.It seemed a crime to waste any of it.She wiped the table with a napkin.
Once she finished her drink, she stood up, and Everett followed her.They disposed of their garbage and headed back into the cold.
After saying goodbye to Everett and stepping into her apartment, Nora changed into some more comfortable clothes.She made herself a cup of tea as she texted pictures of the snow sculptures to her sister.There was a pleasant warmth in her chest, a warmth that didn’t come from drinking hot beverages on cold days but something different.
She wouldn’t examine that too closely.
But hanging out with Everett had been easy.More comfortable than it should have been.Not once had she gotten the sense that he wanted anything out of her.It didn’t seem like he was trying to con her or charm her or sleep with her.
That shouldn’t feel like a novelty, but it was, and it had been just what she needed after the possible scam attempt earlier.If she hadn’t run into him, she might have spent more time obsessing over it.
She didn’t mention Everett in her texts to her sister.Brianna would have taken it the wrong way—assumed it had been a date—so it was better not to say anything at all.Her sister didn’t reply right away, but that was okay.She was probably trying to wrangle two small children into bed.
Too lazy to move from the couch, Nora scrolled through social media as she drank her tea.She came across two headlines that she assumed were satire but turned out to be real, someone recommending fresh air to cure depression and cancer, and a bunch of men absolutely losing it on a woman who said she wouldn’t marry anyone who refused to eat leftovers.Then she saw some disturbingly incorrect information about vaccines.
Hm.Maybe she shouldn’t spend her free time online.
She also came across a recipe for gumdrop cake, which she wanted to send to Everett, except she didn’t know his number.
Ah well.
