Page 25 of Oh No, My Best Friend Hates Christmas!

“It has come to my attention that I have wronged you gravely–”

“You mean when you cut the electricity to my house in thedead of winter, forcing me to sleep in negative degrees?” I interrupt.

His mouth snaps shut, jaw working, then reopens.

“I think we both know you did not sleep cold last night,” he says, smugness layering his accent like icing on a snowman sugar cookie. My eyes narrow.

“Weren’t you apologizing, blockhead?” I ask.

He bares his teeth at me, then stops when his head shoots forward, courtesy of Baz’s hand smacking the back of it. Archie’s hand reaches up to rub the spot.

“All right! Calm down!” he grumbles, slithering out of Baz’s reach. He eyes the larger man cautiously but addresses his next words to me. “I’m very sorry for the inconvenience and discomfort I have caused you. It was not my intention, as you well know, to cause lasting trouble in your life. I seek only to help. I merely thought that if I–”

“I forgive you!” I yell before he can give Basil any hint of his ploy to solve my desperate pining and unrequited love. No need for Bazzy to know about all that, I say.

Cheeks as red as Rudolph’s nose, I jump off the couch. It swings behind me, chains complaining at the sudden force.

“Let’s get you to that breaker box, yeah? You can replace it lickity split and we’ll be all good!” I reach him and grab his shoulders, pointing him toward the door to outside and pushing. “You did go get the new one, didn’t you?” I ask as we reach the door. I open it, then try to push him through. I meet resistance.

“First of all, dear Heidi,” he says, “the box is inside the house, not outside.”

I look at his face, then the door I’m trying to shove him through.

Oh. Right. Okay then.

I close the door and twist him toward the kitchen instead. He allows this, but doesn’t let me move him any further.

Stupid,stupidArchie.

I scowl at his idiot face.

“Secondly,” he says, putting one finger on my forehead and using it to push me away. I huff, offended and annoyed that it works. Since when did his index finger get so strong?

“I have not been out to get what I need yet, no,” he continues. “I thought you might like to go with me. You have gift shopping to do still, yes?”

I stop struggling against his finger.

Idohave gift shopping to do…

“Give me five,” I say, rushing past him and a crinkle-eyed Basil to get to my room.

I dress at top speed, motivated as much by the prospect of Christmas shopping as I am by the cold on my bare legs now that I’m away from the fire.

Once I’m all layered up in jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and my favorite pink sweater, I head downstairs. I pull out my purple snow boots and a yellow winter coat and slide them on. I feel like a bag of colorful marshmallows. Hmm… I should get some of those. Yummy.

Adding them to my mental to-buy list, I make my way through the house to find the guys still in the sunroom.

Archie is spread out on his back on the couch, one arm pillowed under his head while the other holds my book, open, in front of his face. Baz is at the fireplace, bent over examining the sheep family. He adjusts the mother sheep, then lifts her, depositing her next to the father. Not satisfied, he nudges her closer until their sides are touching, then gives a barely perceptible head nod. I smile. What a cutie.

“Heidi, this book is absolutelyscandalous. Did you know? Why, this throne scene is nearly indecent! Ghost pepper levels of spice in this thing!”

Baz straightens at the sound of Archie’s voice, and I wonderif it grates on his ears the way it does mine.

I guess not, since all he does is turn and raise an eyebrow at the lounging man.

I march to the couch, snatching my book out of his grubby paws.

“This book is clean and sweet, I’ll have you know. Doors firmly closed. Whateverscandalyou think you’ve seen, think again.”

---