Page 37 of GAF Factor

“It’s my favorite time, too!” Marla exclaimed.

“Did you already see Santa?”

“No, it’s too early for that. But we’ll see him soon. I’m making my list now.”

“Well, I hope you’ve been good this year.”

She shrugged. “Mostly.”

I burst out laughing. That was the kind of answer Riley would give.

“Ugh!” Riley grunted, marching up to me with a wreath in her hand. “You would not believe what I had to pay for this from that old hag.”

“Riley—”

“Forty bucks. Can you believe it? I could have gone to Hobby Lobby and bought all the stuff myself.”

I bit my lip, wishing the ground would swallow me whole. “Riley!”

“She tried giving me some song and dance about how this was all for charity. Can you believe that? There would have been a sign or something, right?”

I slapped her arm, then pointed behind the woman and her daughter where the sign hung.Support the Children’s Wing of St. John’s Hospital this Christmas!

Riley cleared her throat uncomfortably, then noticed the girl and nearly passed out. She gripped my arm hard, her face going an unnatural shade of red. “Forty bucks was…so cheap. And…I could have gone to Hobby Lobby, but there’s no way I could have made anything as nice as this. I’m just…gonna go back and give that woman another forty dollars.”

“Make it fifty,” I countered.

She gave a tight smile, then turned on her heel and vanished into the crowd. When I turned back to the woman, she was grinning at me.

“That wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate it.”

“Call it payback. She dragged me out in the cold today.”

The mom chuckled at that. “Well, I’m glad it all worked out.”

I held up my cup. “Thanks for the cider.”

I wandered along to the next stall, checking out some wooden signs when Riley bumped into me. “Thanks a lot, Isles. You could have warned me before I opened my mouth.”

“I tried to, but you kept interrupting me.”

“That wasn’t a warning. You could have slapped a hand over my mouth or pointed to the gigantic sign. Hell, a big nudge to the ribs would have worked.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

I spotted a sign and laughed out loud, handing it over to Riley. “This is for you.”

“Most likely on the naughty list.” She shot me a sarcastic evil look. “Thanks. If anything, I should give this to Bowie.”

Yeah, I already knew he belonged on the naughty list. I had a front row seat to his dirty talk every single night. I was beginning to think I needed to find another place to live.

“Did you say Bowie?” A blonde asked, cocking her head at us.

“Um…yes,” Riley answered.

“Tall, brutish, sexy…”

“Definitely him,” Riley grinned.

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