Page 51 of Must Love Christmas

Simon blushed, which Garen found adorable. “Just one problem: I can’t go backwards yet. So if you could shift the wheelchair up a tiny bit…”

“Of course.” Garen went over and did as he asked. “Do you need help sitting down?”

“No.” With a slow, controlled movement, Simon eased himself back into the wheelchair. “It’s not exactly running a marathon, but it’s a start.”

“And without starts, we can never finish.”

“You sound like a fortune cookie.” Simon backed up his chair a few feet, turning it to face the door. “Let’s have a stroll.”

They left his room and went down the rehab unit’s hallway, which was quiet this time of day. Near the nursing station, several of the staff were sorting Christmas decorations.

They passed a pair of nursing assistants unfolding a long string of artificial pine garland. “I’m surprised you’re not volunteering to help decorate,” Simon said.

“They already turned down my offer on the way in.”

Simon laughed, a sound that flipped Garen’s heart. “Are you still waiting for me to get back to the flat next week to put up decorations?”

“Mostly,” Garen said, hoping his smile didn’t reveal he was hiding a surprise.

“So what will you do at the weekend if not decking the halls?”

“Friday night is league night, then there’s another try-curling event at the rink Saturday I’m volunteering for. Sunday evening after work I need to catch up on Hallmark Christmas films.”

“Seriously?”

“Aye, my mum and I watch the same ones, then compare notes.”

“Oh,” Simon said softly, no doubt having been on the verge of teasing. “That’s cool.”

“We started the tradition after she moved to Germany. It’s a wee thing to keep us connected.”

“How many of these films have you seen?”

“Twenty-seven,” Garen said.

“Twenty-seven?Aren’t they all the same?”

“No, though there are common elements.”

“Like what?”

“There’s always snow, even if the film takes place in the American South.” Garen waved to Mrs. Kilpatrick, who was standing in the doorway of room 507 using the frame to perform a set of pectoral stretches. “There’s rarely any kissing until just before closing credits, when lips are required to lock, without tongue, preferably under mistletoe. And there’s a suspicious preponderance of Folgers Coffee.”

“I see.”

“Oh, and buying a gift voucher is a sign of moral bankruptcy.”

Simon stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Let’s go back to my room.”

“You all right?”

“Fine, but I can tell I’ve reached my energy level’s half-life.” He reversed his chair using a three-point turn. “If I went any farther, you’d have to push me the rest of the way.”

“I don’t mind pushing you.”

“I mind it.”

Garen flinched at Simon’s harsh tone. “Because it’s me?”

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