Page 60 of Grinchland
Abbie tossed her arms into the air before she let them fall to her sides. “Then what do you want to do?”
I snuggled deeper into the couch. “Sit here in my pajamas and veg.”
Abbie glared at me before she swept her gaze over my body. “Those aren’t even Christmas pajamas.” She stepped up next to me and pressed her hand to my forehead.
I wiggled underneath her touch. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing if you’re sick.”
I stilled to appease her, and a few seconds later, she pulled her hand away.
“I’m writing that mayor a letter.”
At the mention of Silas, my ears perked up. “What? Why?”
Abbie pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “I wanted you to detox a bit from your Christmas craziness, but he broke you. He needs to know that I’m not happy.” She slid her finger on her screen like she was searching for something.
“Abbie, no,” I said as I tried to find the opening to my blankets so I could reach for her. “I just don’t want to do anything today. There’s no cause for alarm.”
“Ha!” Abbie glanced over at me with her eyes wide. “And you don’t see how that’s not a problem?” She shook her head. “I’m leaving a review on Grinchland, and it is not going to be a positive one.”
I gave up trying to unearth myself from the blankets and pillows and flopped back on the couch. I blew out my breath, knowing that when Abbie landed on a decision, there was nothing I could do to stop her.
She was fervently typing on her phone screen when there was a knock on the door. My stomach growled when I realized who it was.
“My Chinese,” I said as I attempted to emerge from the layers of blankets. But when it became apparent that would be impossible, I glanced over to Abbie. “Be a dear and grab it for me?” I batted my eyelashes a few times in the hopes that would convince her.
Abbie narrowed her eyes before she turned and headed toward the front door. I waited until I heard the familiar squeak of the hinges and settled back in my lair.
“Can I help you?”
That seemed like a strange greeting to give a food delivery driver. I tipped my head to the side so my ear had full access to the conversation that was taking place twenty feet away.
“Is, um…” A man with a deep voice cleared his throat. “Is Clara here?”
My entire body both froze and flushed with heat at the same time. I blinked as I attempted to process whose voice I was hearing. It sounded like Silas, but that wasn’t possible. He loved Grinchland and the tyranny he enacted there; he’d never leave.
“Is Clara here? Is Clara here?” she asked, her voice getting progressively louder as if she were trying to signal something to me. Whoever was at the door, Abbie felt I needed to be warned.
Could it really be Silas?
He must have been confused by Abbie’s outburst because it took a moment for him to respond.
“Well, is she?”
I didn’t want to leave my best friend in the lurch. I forced myself to roll off the couch and then wiggled out of the blanket cocoon. I stood, wiped the bottom of my eyes to try to look more alive, and then headed toward the front door.
“It’s not Silas,” I whispered to myself. I had imagined his voice, that was all.
Just as I rounded the corner, I straightened my shoulders and put on a smile to greet the delivery driver, but when my gaze landed on the figures standing there, my body went numb.
Isabelle and Silas were standing at my front door. Isabelle’s eyes were wide as she looked all over my entryway. Silas looked irritated at Abbie as he waited for her to respond.
“Isabelle?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Isabelle’s gaze landed on me, and before I could think, she sprinted over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and squeezing hard. “Ms. Snow,” she said, her voice muffled by my pajama top.
I instantly hugged her back, my heart aching for all the pain this little girl had gone through, including the pain I feared I’d inflicted on her by forcing Christmas on the town. “You’re okay,” I whispered as I crouched down so I could give her a once-over.
