Page 154 of Season of Gifts

Alice twitched her whole face like she’d smelled rotten milk.

“Yeah, okay.”He laughed at himself.With a little distance, it was funny-sad how much he’d not noticed or made excuses for.Bet Alice knew that kind of funny-sad too.“I feel—my body feels—less in danger here.”And wasn’t that a shitty thing to say about his childhood home.“I mean—”

“Me too.”Sighing, Alice shifted her legs but held him tight when he tried to move.“Stay.You’re not cutting off my circulation.I like you just where you are, sweetheart.Where I can have my hands on you and neither of us is jumping out of our skin waiting for shouting any minute.”

“I like that too.”Almost made him drowsy, her relaxation fueling his relaxation in one of those virtuous feedback loops Henry had described to him over and over again back when they breathed together through the aftermath of Jay’s nightmares.“I kinda told Becky yesterday…”

An overstep, maybe, because he’d blurted it into their text string without asking Henry or Alice.But if his niece needed to call in the favor, they’d understand.

Alice twined her fingers in his henley, lightly scratching his chest.“Told her what?”

“Said if she needed anything—if any of the kids needed anything—that I’m still their uncle, and they can still count on me.”Not that he figured on Peggy kicking out any of her kids.But she might, if any of them turned out anything like him.“If they need a place to go, you know?”

Alice curled herself in half hugging him.Put her breasts against his cheeks, which felt plenty soft and warm, and he sneaked a few kisses against her shirt.That made her laugh, and things started jiggling as an added bonus.

“I love you.”She whispered right in his ear, her lips brushing his skin.“All the wonderful ways that you are you.There’s just one Jay in the entire world, and Henry and I get to keep him for the rest of his life, as long as he wants us to.”

“For always, then.”Tipping his head sideways, he sought out her mouth and dotted her with kisses, nudging for the real deal.They should take this upstairs if things were going any farther.No telling when Henry’s mom would be back with him.

Alice took his offer and sealed their lips.She swiped his tongue with hers, daring him to chase her.Her hands knotted, one in his shirt and the other in his hair.Good as a jump start, jolting him with energy.That kind of fun could be relaxing too.She purred at him, rumbly and inviting.“What say we—”

A bicycle bell chimed twice.

“Uhh…” Alice palmed his chest and pushed herself upright.Even her eyes were laughing.“Do you have a bike in your pocket?”

“Kinda.”Snorting, he fished for his phone as it chimed again.“That’s Carrie.Must be something going on at dispatch.She wouldn’t call if she could handle it herself.”His finger hovered over the green button.

Alice waggled her eyebrows at him.“Take it, stud.”

So he was full-on laughing as he picked up.“Hey, Carrie, what’s going on?You have a good holiday?”

The whole staff had the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth off, but they’d have been back at it this morning.

“I did, yeah.Had a call come in for a new contract just now, though, and I…” She clicked her tongue.“I want to run it by you first.”

Carrie could handle any standard contract herself, with nothing but his eventual signature.“Is it bigger than we can manage?Outside the regular delivery area?”

“No, neither of those.It’s just—” Carrie sighed, and her voice softened.“It’s for Tuesday mornings.For you, specifically.”

Mrs.Eickhoff’s slot.No reason he couldn’t fill it, except he wasn’t ready to.Not that wallowing would help him get past the loss.Or that he should call regular grievingwallowing.Danny would ask whose voice that was telling him to get over it.Jay wormed his fingers under Alice’s shirt and touched real skin, the softness just above her hip, at the edge of her underwear.Slow and steady breathing.“What’s the job?”

“Same address—there’s a Mrs.Murray in the building?”

“I know her.”She had the seat across from Mrs.Eickhoff every Tuesday for gin rummy.And she’d let him stay to make his final delivery when the building manager would’ve kept him out.“Another health contract?Did she hurt herself?”

“Don’t think so—she wants the same service her neighbor had, only she’s calling herself the CEO of a consortium of four ladies.She insisted it had to be Tuesday mornings, all together, except they can only afford the cost for one weekly contract, and that’s just—”

“Tell her we’ll take it.”His feet flexed, toes alternating.“No more than three store stops per week before delivery, but they don’t always have to be the same three.And I bring everything to her apartment.”

That rule would last about five minutes, right up until one of the gals asked him if he wouldn’t mind carrying just one bag over to her place.

“If you’re sure.”Doubt sounded an awful lot like a cheer.“Starting next week?”

“Yeah.Put it on my schedule.”He must’ve been grinning like a fool, because Alice had mystery-solving eyes and a broad smile.“Thanks, Carrie.”

“Merry Christmas, boss.”

“Merry Christmas.”He ended the call and tossed the phone on the rug.“Where were we?Going upstairs?”

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