Page 7 of A Curvy Wonderland

Holly.

I didn't want to admit it, but that would be nice. “I'll hand the boxes down to you. Can you hold them?”

“I'm stronger than I look,” she returned. “You have to be to watch little girls.”

I wasn't sure what that meant. I hadn't spent much time around little kids except for at the Christmas tree farm, and even then it was at a distance, or while supervising Bob while he got petted. But I went ahead and grabbed the boxes. We worked together silently as I passed them down to her.

Once they were all downstairs, I folded the ladder up and brushed the dust off me as best I could.

“Where to next?” she asked, completely oblivious to the streak of dust over her cheek.

“You have a...” I said, gesturing at my cheek.

“Oh no.” She reached up and brushed the wrong cheek, getting more dirt from her fingertips on her cheek. “Did I get it?”

“You just made it worse.”

She giggled, and the sound was almost like Christmas bells. My lips twitched to smile along with her, not quite making it all the way. The expression was almost foreign.

“Help me,” she said.

“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked. “I already told you about it.”

She shook her head at me, walking back through the garage door and into the kitchen. “Come along.”

I followed her, watching her wet a paper towel. Then she handed it to me and turned her cheek, waiting for me.

I should have been focusing on helping, but I could smell her perfume. Peppermint. It scattered my brain.

“Help?” she asked.

“Of course.” I reached up, using the wipe to brush away the smudges of dust on her brown cheeks.

My fingers practically shook as I did.

Her eyes were bright as she asked, “Am I good?”

I had to take a step away to answer. “There's no dirt if that's what you mean.”

And this girl? She laughed. Like she wasn’t affected at all by what just happened—so unlike me. “How gentlemanly of you to say,” she teased.

I wasn’t sure how to respond. But I didn't have to as she walked back toward the garage. As she reached the threshold, she looked over her shoulder at me. “You coming?”

5

HOLLY

The older woman, Mrs. Banerjee, took to Tatum and Lucy like they were her own grandchildren. She fawned over their matching pigtail buns and pajamas, made sure that they had juice to drink, and even put a fresh batch of Nankhatai in the oven for us. She said they were a popular cookie in India, and I couldn’t wait to try them.

While Eldan began sorting through boxes of ornaments and decorations, she talked with the little girls about anything and everything.

Pretty soon, Tatum was telling Mrs. B that her favorite subject in school was English, and that her favorite teacher was Ms. Penny. Lucy was going on and on about her hairdo from the night before and saying that her wish was for a pony to ride.

And eventually, it came out that their dad was in the military, and that he wouldn't be home in time for Christmas this year.

I swore I saw Eldan pause while he was fluffing up synthetic cotton fluff for the nativity set that would go on top of her TV stand, but as he noticed me watching him, I hurriedly got back to work.

We finished all the decorating around the house, leaving the Christmas tree for last. It sat bare in the front window, Emerald Acres having delivered it for her.

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