Page 57 of Holiday Surprise

“I don’t have the key,” I confessed.

“What?” he asked.

“I lost it years ago and never replaced it because I never felt the need to lock my house.”

“You really have no key?” he asked.

I nodded. “It’s okay, the backdoor’s unlocked too.”

“Uh, no it’s not.”

“What? You went around and locked all the doors?”

“Well, yes. That’s what normal people do when they leave.”

“Oh, Luke,” I said trying not to laugh or get too angry with him.

“Did Thomas ever have a key to your place?”

I shrugged. “I can’t remember. Maybe, but probably not.”

“Because you never lock your doors,” Luke said getting frustrated.

“Maybe there’s a window open,” I suggested.

We walked around the entire house checking each window. Of course, it was the tiny bathroom window that was open.

“I can’t fit through there,” I said.

“Of course, you can,” he tried to assure me.

“No, I can’t.”

“Can we please stop arguing and just try?”

“Fine.” I huffed.

Luke lifted me easily into the air. I raised the window as far as it would go. I still didn’t believe I was fitting through that hole, but I grabbed hold of the bottom of the window sill and hoisted myself up. My arms burned and I decided maybe it was finally time to start hitting the gym. Luke grabbed my feet and set them on his shoulders. That helped steady me a ton.

I went in head first. Halfway through and staring down into my bathtub, I was contemplating what an idiot I was for agreeing to this. Luke gave me a little push and I was in up to my hips. I was just dangling there with nothing to grab hold of. I was going to fall head first into a bathtub and I couldn’t stop it.

I tried to reach for the shower head, the curtain rod, anything to help slow my impending doom, and then I heard a throat clearing behind me.

“Don’t rush me Luke, I’m trying not to die here,” I said only joking a little.

“Syd is that you?” I heard a male voice that wasn’t Luke’s.

“James?” I asked.

“Um, yeah,” he confirmed.

“What are you doing here?”

Someone was out for a run and called in to report that your house was being robbed.

“No one is robbing my house,” I argued. The window sill was starting to cut into my hips.

“Do you need some help?” he asked.

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