Page 129 of Interference

“Ooh, that sounds way too cold.” Mom chafed her arms. “No, thank you.”

“Right?” Anthony made a face. “Every year I hope we’ll play up there in like October or April, but no, it’s always the middle of February or something.” He rolled his eyes.

“Aww.” I nudged him with my elbow. “And they make you spend the whole time outside and not in a swanky hotel, don’t they?”

“Hey.” He nudged me back. “We still have to walk from the bus!”

“Mmhmm, and this is the world’s smallest violin…”

Anthony laughed and elbowed me. “Shut up.”

We continued through gifts. I was relieved I’d been able to spare some of my VA money to buy some small things for my family. A new pair of gloves for Mom since hers had holes in them. A gift card for Dad to load up that ereader, since he apparently blew through a lot of books at his chemo appointments. The wallet Jon had been asking for to replace his before it fell apart.

There wasn’t much I could give Anthony, since God knew he had everything, but he’d left one of his favorite travel mugs on a bus recently. I’d found one that had a grumpy-looking gray cat with the words, Fine, here’s your coffee. Now feed us, human.

As soon as he read it, Anthony burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that is so Moose.” Then he’d kissed my cheek and murmured, “Thank you, baby.”

Jon reached under the tree, pulled out a box, and peered at the tag. Offering it to me, he said, “This is for Lily from Mom and Dad.”

“Aww.” I patted Lily. “Did you hear that? You get presents too.”

She wagged her tail, and when I pulled the box onto my lap, she sniffed it, nearly whapping my brother in the face with her tail.

Inside, there was a bag of treats, which must’ve been what she’d smelled, but also a couple of new plushie toys. I gave her one of the treats, then offered her the two toys. She grabbed the bear, and this time she did smack Jon with her tail.

“Ack! That thing is weapon!” He put up his hands. “I always knew Dobermans were dangerous, but I didn’t think their tails were this bad!”

“Good girl!” I patted Lily’s side. “What a good dog! Good girl!” Just as I’d hoped, she wagged her tail even more, doing it so hard her whole butt wiggled, and my brother squawked as she hit him in the face and shoulder.

My parents, Anthony, and I cackled.

Jon muttered something and just tried to shield his face. After Lily had sat back down, he reached under the tree, pulled out another box, and read the tag. “Wyatt, this one’s for you.”

I reached for it, and I was surprised to see that it was from Anthony. When I turned to him, he was grinning.

“You got me a gift?” I asked.

He shrugged, the grin still firmly in place. “It is Christmas.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

He nudged my foot with his. “Shut up and open it.”

I snorted. “You’re so romantic.”

“Uh-huh.” I rolled my eyes and started tearing off the paper. As soon as I saw what was on the box, though, my humor vanished. “Is this…” I turned to Anthony. “Is this actually what’s in the box?”

“Yes.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “It’s exactly what’s in the box.”

I stared at him. Then at the gift in my lap.

“What is it?” Dad asked from across the room.

Somehow I found my voice, and by some miracle, it didn’t break as I said, “It’s a laptop.”

“No shit?” Jon craned his neck to look at it. “What kind?”

“Jon!” Mom tutted. “Language.”

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