Page 18 of A Little Christmas Jericho
"What have you got there, pretty girl?" I asked as I crawled over to her to dig through the pile. That's when I saw it. A set of Santa Pajamas. I couldn't put them on when Colter fetched me, but I could definitely take it with me for later.
Feeling marginally better, I dug through the same pile and found a graphic t-shirt with a large cartoon ninja turtle on it.
That would work.
My phone chimed and I rushed over to see if it was from Colter, even if he wasn't due to fetch me yet.
Alas. No.
The name on the screen was not one I’d expected to see again.
Oscar: Missing you. I can help you get rid of the pests.
My throat went tight. For a second, all the warmth of the morning, and the stupid happiness at finding the right outfit drained right out of me.
I stared at the message, thumb hovering over the screen.
He'd called them pests again. And this time I didn't feel like I was overreacting. That textdidsound threatening.
I exhaled, long and shaky. Then I looked down at the message thread again.
Years of conversations scrolled past, and you'd think I'd feel sad looking at all those memories. Instead, I felt an enormous amount of satisfaction at hitting block on the contact card.
A soft chuff drew my attention. My naughty terrier wagged his tail at me, but he remained in his doggy bed, obviously just wanting to remind me of his presence. The little brat.
But his job was done. He'd gotten my thoughts away from the heavy territory that Oscar had dragged them into.
Checking the time on my phone, I realised I only had about half an hour before Colter would be there.
Time to get this show on the road!
Chapter 11
The knock on my front door had all my nerves going insane all over again. He was here! Did I invite him in? Or grab my bag and rush out?
I smoothed my shirt for the hundredth time, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Colter stood there, looking entirely too good for my fragile self control. A dark blue button-up, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the faintest hint of smile on his face. He had a small wrapped bouquet of greenery in one hand.
A chuckle slipped out when I noticed what it was.
Doctor Daddy bought me a bouquet of mistletoe!
"Hey, buddy," he said softly, his grin turning sheepish at my giggle. He held out the bunch to me. "I went back and got this from the party venue."
My face split into a grin so big that it hurt my cheeks as I took the mistletoe from him. "You shouldn't have!"
He shrugged in response. "I like your shirt. They're one of my favourites."
"Me too!" I exclaimed excitedly. "You look nice, too."
I sounded like a dork.
He looked nice?
What a freaking understatement. He didn't look nice. He looked downrightedible.
Colter's grin widened, his amusement coming through clearly. "Nice, huh?"
