Page 36 of GAF Factor

“You ducked in time,” she said, her tone completely indifferent. “Call it an early life lesson.”

“It would have been an end-of-life lesson if I hadn’t ducked.”

“And then I wouldn’t have to be having this tedious argument with you right now,” she countered. “Are we going or do you want to continue to stand here and argue?”

I snapped my mouth shut and glared at her. Twenty minutes later, I was bundled up and sitting in a lukewarm car, praying whatever activity she had planned didn’t end up with me missing a finger.

I pursed my lips as I sat in the passenger seat, ignoring the way she gleefully sang along to the music without a care in the world. I slowly turned to her, my eyes filled with malice as she grinned at me.

“Grandpa’s woodshed.”

Her smile dropped and her nostrils flared. “You just had to ruin my good mood.”

“You set it on fire!”I argued.

“Only because you gave me matches to play with.”

“If I gave you a bridge, would you jump off it?” I asked as we walked into the center of town.

She snorted as snow lightly fell around us, barely coating the streets. It would be gone by the end of the day. “Okay, Mom. And just so you know, you can’t give me a bridge. It’s too big.”

I stuck out my tongue at her and continued walking, ignoring her childish behavior. Okay, I was being just as childish, but that’s the way we were together. “So, what are we doing here?”

“It’s the town Christmas market. You would have known about it when they announced it, but you were too busy being kidnapped and held in a shipping container.”

I smacked myself on the forehead. “What was I thinking?”

“Clearly, you weren’t. That’s why you have me looking out for you.”

The whole of Main Street was blocked off and vendors were situated on either side of the street, selling everything from ribbons to wreaths to handmade outdoor decorations. There had to be at least forty vendors lined up, which probably didn’t seem like much, but this was a small town.

Riley dragged me from one booth to the next, haggling with the vendors to get the best prices. She just couldn’t stop herself, even when they said it was the lowest they could go. Eventually, I wandered off, anything to escape the fight that was about to ensue.

“Apple cider?” a little girl asked.

She was running the drink stand about halfway down one side. I smiled at her, handing over the dollar they were asking for, then took the cup. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Her toothy grin was welcome on such a cold day. The temperature had just dropped again, reminding me of how lucky I was that I hadn’t been caught in that shipping container on a day like today. I would have frozen for sure.

“You’re that lady that was in the paper,” she said, cocking her head to the side curiously.

“Um…”

“Marla!” her mother scolded, hurrying over from where she stood just a few feet back. She smiled at me uncomfortably. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Kids,” I said uneasily.

“It’s nice you were able to come out today,” the woman continued. “I hope you’re able to contribute to the foundation. Every bit helps.”

“The what?” I asked in confusion.

“Oh, I assumed you knew. All the vendors here are donating a share of their profits to the Children’s Wing at the hospital for Christmas this year.”

She placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders and a sharp ache filled my chest as I looked closer at her. Pale face, big eyes accentuated by the lack of eyebrows…

I looked back at her mom and saw the pain in her eyes. Her daughter was sick. Maybe cancer. “I’m sure I’ll find something that I love. Christmas is the best time of year.”

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