Page 20 of The Loneliest Dragon at Christmas
“How do we start?” Avery pushed his copper hair behind his ears and leaned forward.
“Can we get two bases please?” Jack asked the pixie working at the stall.
She reached under the table and handed them two wreath bases, which had been made with string tightly wrapped around straw in a circular form.
“What do we do?” Avery asked, gaze darting between Jack and the pixie.
“You choose the pine and greenery you wish to use and wrap it around the base wreath with string and wire.” The pixie pointed at the different types of greenery. “Then you can choose what you want to embellish your wreath with. The items inbaskets with the red ribbon hold the cheaper embellishments.” She pointed at the little red bows on the baskets.
“It increases in price as you go along until you reach the baskets here with the white ribbon wrapped around the handle.” She pointed. “These are quite expensive.”
Jack could see why. The baskets with white ribbons held handmade glass ornaments, so exquisitely made that a master blower must have made them. They had been hand-painted afterwards.
“We charge at the end based on what ornaments you use.” She smiled, wings fluttering.
“Well, let’s get started.” Jack reached for some greenery.
Avery dived in, grabbing pine and wrapping it around the straw base, attaching it with string. He kept glancing at Jack’s wreath and then his own as if making sure he was doing it correctly.
“It looks good, Avery,” Jack encouraged with a laugh.
Avery’s smile stretched his cheeks, his face lighting up. Jack basked in the glow of his happiness. As they continued, their shoulders and arms brushed. Jack could feel the warmth radiating from Avery’s frame.
Finally, Avery held his up. A deep hum escaped him.
“And now you need to embellish it. Remember this side is cheaper.” Jack pointed at the dried berries, fruit, moss, and flowers. “Then they get more expensive up there.” He pointed to the expensive end.
Avery nodded. Jack reached for the cheaper embellishments. But Avery began pulling things from every basket, without seeming to have any concern for price. Whichever decoration caught his attention, Avery grabbed it with barely restrained glee.
Avery attached dried flowers and berries and then wove pieces of silk around the wreath. Then he attached several glass birds.
It looked lovely. But Jack’s insides squirmed with unease as he thought about the price. Growing up, he and his siblings had often made wreaths at the Christmas market stalls. They’d only ever been allowed to use the cheap dried embellishments. Money had always been tight in their family, even before his parents died.
For several years after their parents died, there’d been no money for wreaths, no matter how much his younger siblings had cried, begged, and pleaded. It had been painful to say no.
“I’m done.” Jack held up his wreath. He’d used the red and orange berries and flowers to decorate it.
“It’s beautiful,” Avery said.
Jack hesitated. “It matches your hair.” Jack held it up.
Avery’s eyes widened. His pale cheeks reddened.
Jack almost kissed him right there, Avery was so damn cute.
“I’m almost finished too.” Avery placed one more bird onto his and secured it. “What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful.” But Jack’s chest tightened. He couldn’t stop thinking of how much that would all cost.
Avery beamed. “It is, isn’t it?” His slender fingers caressed the wreath. Almost reverently, he touched the delicate glass fairy wrens, finches, and sparrows. “Mine,” he whispered.
“That’ll be nineteen divets and thirty-nine bells, sir,” the pixie told Avery the price.
Jack’s eyes widened, and his gut convulsed. He was about to tell Avery that he could take out some of the more expensive ornaments to bring the price down. His mother had made Jack do that once. But Avery didn’t bat an eye.
Absently, he reached into his pocket and found his coin-purse. “And I’ll pay for his too.” Avery gestured to Jack’s.
“You don’t have to do that,” Jack protested. He couldn’t afford Avery’s, but he could at least pay for his own.
