Page 38 of Sliding into Love
After gathering those in my arms, we head towards the home goods section.
It's our go-to gift for Mom because she doesn't really have a preference on items unless they're either for the house to keep things cozy or they're handmade. Since none of us have made anything handmade since high school, it’s pretty much blankets, throw pillows, and any other type of decor that would fit her style.
Considering our mother is in full grandma mode, soft blankets are high on the list.
You'd be amazed how many blankets the woman can have and not get bored or upset by the gift.
I firmly believe that we're at like twenty-five now, maybe twenty-six. I've stopped counting.
Okay, so that's a lie. I will have to count next time I'm at the house because it's gonna bother me now that I think about it.
Once we have a gift for Mom and a small one for Dad, we go to the checkout. When we're done with that store and Carmen's arms are loaded down with the bags, she turns to me.
“Okay, so for Finn… you ready?”
I nod, standing at attention like I'm a soldier reporting for duty.
“First of all, given the situation between our brother and his husband, we know that his little side is probably going to be prominent on Christmas, right?”
“Right,” I agree quickly.
“Then you should know that most of the things Finn asked for were little related. Pajamas, stuffed animals, some toys, crayons, all of that type of stuff.”
“That's stuff I probably could have figured out on my own if I'd really thought about it.”
Carmen taps her nose.
“Yes, probably so, but you weren't thinking because your brain is clearly latched onto whatever else that you will tell me about when we stop to get lunch. For now, I will accept the fact that you have secrets, dear sibling.”
It's my turn to roll my eyes.
“Can't I just have a secret to myself for once?”
Carmen gives me an evil grin. “I mean, you could, but you won't. As the second oldest sibling in this family, I have to say?—"
I hold up a hand. “But you're not the second oldest sibling.”
She scoffs. “I don't want to think about math right now. My point is, you're going to tell me what I want to know. And that's that.”
She spins on her heels and starts moving towards one of the fancier boutiques in the mall. I sigh, then follow her. If my sister wants details, she will stop at nothing to get them. Even going so far as to blackmail me in some way.
I can't think of anything she would know that would be worthy of blackmail. But again, she's a sneaky little thing, especially now that she’s got those mom senses.
It's a lost cause for all of us.
Our trip to the store doesn't take us long. We manage to locate the few items that she had Finn point out. She even had him pose with the items with pictures so she could verify them for later.
I grab the bags from the cashier after thanking her and then we're off to the main section of the mall again.
As we walk around, Carmen talks about other things she might want to pick up while we're there, and oohing and ahhhing at the window displays.
When we pass one with a sports theme, I freeze. The sight of a stuffed baseball mitt calls to me.
Not because I want it for myself, but because I think Kenneth might like it.
I can't say why I think he might like it.
Maybe it's because I'm still thinking about Finn or maybe because a part of me wants him to be submissive like I suspect he might be.
