Page 28 of The Santa Rules
I don’t understand half of the shit that comes out of his mouth lately, but when I look over at the toilet, I see the water slowly rising and realize it’s clogged right as the doorbell rings.
Fuck my life.
“Come in!”
“Bella? We’re still meeting today, right?”
“Hardy! I forgot you were coming. Don’t come in here!”
His large body fills the doorframe, and I turn to look at him, plunger in my hand, ready to attack the beast.
“Holy shit, what is that smell?” he asks.
“It wasn’t me. I need you to know it wasn’t me. I mean, I know everyone poops and poop smells, but these odors didn’t come from my body. Actually, that’s not true. They came from the human that came from my body, so I guess in a roundabout way, they did come from my body.”
“I’m an EMT and a firefighter, Bella. Shit doesn’t scare me. A turd on fire wouldn’t scare me.”
He peeks over my shoulder and glimpses the shit monster, and his eyes go wide.
“Okay, that thing is fucking scary. That came out of Isaac?”
I nod, trying to hold my breath so I don’t have to inhale the fumes.
“Gimme that. I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you get set up with the Santa stuff?”
Blowing out the breath I was literally holding, I don’t give him a chance to change his mind as I thrust the plunger at him and head to the kitchen to wash my hands, proud of the fact that I let someone help me instead of insisting I could do everything myself. Even when I was married, hyper-independence was my go-to coping mechanism. It got me through the grief of losing my mom, and it was a hard habit to break.
After he washes his hands, we settle in at the kitchen table.
“I’ve come up with a detailed list of all the things we’ll need to do to collect the donations, inventory and price items, all the way down to when we can get into the gym to set everything up. Since Thanksgiving is next week, it doesn’t give us a lot of time to find volunteers to help with setup, take down, wrapping gifts, and running the shop. Once we get back from Thanksgiving, we’ll have about a week and a half to get everything done. But I think we can do it,” I say. I can feel the small line forming between my brows as the stress of all this overwhelms me. But I’m going to prove that I’m not the fuckup Amber thinks I am. She may not believe in me, but I do.
“The guys at the firehouse can help,” Hardy offers.
The look on his face is so earnest, so sincere that it takes my breath away as it hits me. For the first time in my life, I want someone’s help. And not just that, I wanthishelp. The way he’s been showing up for me and Isaac makes me believe that he is someone we can count on.
“That would be great!” I nod as I flip through the papers, making calculations in my head. “This could totally work.”
“What about the other thing?” he asks timidly.
“Are we still talking about you needing to see Righty? I can whip them both out now if you ask nicely.”
“Jesus.” He drops his head in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m not going to take advantage of that, but I was talking about the private coaching for the Santa stuff.”
“I know, but it’s more fun to fuck with you. I actually have a list planned out for that too, and it all starts with the tree. You’ve put one up already, right?”
His blank stare is almost comical.
“Hardy Williams. This is unacceptable. I’m going to need you to stay after class and receive your punishment.”
The way his eyebrows jump, nearly meeting his hairline, is almost better than the flush on the tips of his ears. I love getting a reaction out of this man. After hearing his heartbreaking confession the other night, I’m determined to bring him as much laughter as I can. Plus, it’s hilariously sexy watching this man try to hide the bulge in his pants. That trouser snake is not small, and I mentally pat myself on the back every time I see him adjust himself.
“Seriously, though, Hardy, you need a tree. Preferably a real one, and you better hurry because the good ones get snatched up before Thanksgiving.”
“I am not putting a live tree in my house. That’s a fire hazard.”
“That’s fair. What about a fake one? You can get one that’s pre-lit, so you don’t have to fool with all the lights.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We had one like that, but the lights burned out and it was too close to Christmas to get another one. It was another thing I ruined last year.”
