Page 333 of Screwged for Christmas

“If it came down to it, I’d go all Paul Bunyan but there’s no real secret. Joe always puts one or two away for me for the orphanage every year up at the farm.”

“Oh duh, how could I have… Gah. I feel so stupid. Of course. The farm.” She smacked a hand to her forehead.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s been a couple of hard days for you. I have one in the back of the truck for delivery to the orphanage tomorrow morning. I’ll just swing by and get another one before I head out that way.” He smiled.

She blew out a breath and contemplated falling to his feet and kissing his boots but promptly shooed that idea away. Wouldn’t want the man’s ego to explode.

“Are you sure?” She felt guilty simply thinking about taking the tree, but if he had another that would solve at least one of her problems.

“Of course.”

“I’ll pay you back.”

“That I am certain of. Already thinking of the ways. So far I’ve tallied up about four points in my favor.” He looped an arm around her waist and helped her off the gazebo stairs with a swoop. Fresh snow crunched beneath their boots and the only response she had to his calculations wouldn’t save her from what he predicted so she kept her lips sealed and accepted the quiet that settled over them.

What was it about his smile, the way he was always there to help and offer comfort that spoke to her? Whatever it was proved dangerous to her heart and she needed to be careful. Very careful. Where was the yellow caution tape when a girl needed it most?

Just as a new wave of snow descended on her little town, they made the quick walk back to the house and joined the group of guests and a couple of new arrivals.

“Ms. Lucille!” Ivy kicked off her snow-caked boots she had borrowed from the back door and strode across the expanse of the kitchen and living room past a group of kids that couldn’t be the same kids that she knew from this afternoon, the soft padding of her socks silent against the hardwood. Who were these kids? So quiet and attentive.

“I see you still have the touch.”

Ms. Lucille sat nearest to the fire in a plush rocker, with one of her favorite reads cracked open.

Ivy bent down and kissed the aging woman’s soft cheek. “It’s good to see you. Everything all right?” Charlie spoke up for both of them with a loud bark and offered a paw while he was at it, Max beside him snoozing with the Howards’ pup curled into his side. Instant friends and without a care in the world. Lucky dogs.

Aspen leaned down and took Max’s paw as he rewarded the loyal friend with a good ear scratch.

“Charlie was getting a little lonely and needed some time away from the pups. I promised him a visit with Max. Plus, your gran said you would need this.”

“Ahha!” Her whoop came out louder than she intended. Oops. But she didn’t care at the moment. “So she is getting my messages. I should have suspected.”

“She left a message on Facebook, dear. One for you too according to her. She said you couldn’t’ go to the festivities in your birthday suit, losing your luggage and all so she asked if I could drop off the sweater no one wanted at our last knitting sale.”

She made a quick mental note to check her messages when she found a quiet moment.

Ivy joined the group of guests and took a spare place on the stone hearth that hugged the fireplace and placed a gentle hand on her teacher’s arm. “I’m glad you came.”

In a quick cringe Ivy feared the answer to what she needed to ask next. “Tell me true, just how bad is the sweater?”

Ms. Lucille passed over a medium-sized sweater without saying a word. She didn’t need to.

All her teenage fears of looking the dorkiest swamped her all at once. “Oh God, no.” If the coloring wasn’t bad enough they addedthat, too? A wave of laughter broke out from the kids and she quickly tucked it under her arm.

Snow white highlighted a naked Santa with a long stocking covering an obvious erection.

Holy heavens she could not wear this in public.

“You really shouldn’t have. I couldn’t possibly.” She leaned closer. “Is there something I did? Is Gran mad at me for something?”

“We want more pie and story!” All the kids piped up when they took too long to get back to story time.

Ms. Lucille didn’t offer her an answer, only winked and continued readingThe Night Before Christmasto a very happy group of kids as Aspen passed around another round of pumpkin pie.

She was tempted to throw the thing in the fire or let Max carry it off and bury it with the rest of his toy collection. The only thing that stopped her was the witnesses.

Ivy zigzagged her way through the crowd, tossing the offensive sweater over the back of a couch and joined Aspen in refilling mugs with hot cocoa and coffee to the adults.

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