Page 76 of The Jinglebell War
“Wow. You really do take Christmas seriously.”
“If you can’t take the holidays seriously, what will you take seriously?”
With those boggling last words, he heads out the door.
As soon as he’s gone, Barry jumps up onto the couch and snuggles against me. I pet her fluffy head and she lets out a sigh of contentment. “You aren’t supposed to be up here, are you?”
Barry looks at me with sorrowful eyes.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Garrick
It’s strange knowing there’s someone other than Barry waiting for me.
Coming home is typically a lonely experience. For someone who grew up in a full house, I thought I’d like to be alone, but it’s too quiet in my house, too hollow.
Inside, Blue’s on the couch with Barry’s head on her lap. She smiles at me when I step inside and shut the door. She looks genuinely happy to see me, and a pang of want hits me so hard it brings tears to my eyes. I want this. I want to have a home instead of a house, to share my life with someone.
And the only someone I can picture in that vague future with me is Blue.
“That smells fantastic,” she says, breaking the spell.
Right, she’s not smiling at me, she’s smiling for the food.
I set the bag on the coffee table, grab plates from the kitchen, and sit on the other side of Barry. She looks over at me, eyeslowered, because she knows she’s not supposed to be on the couch.
“Sorry, buddy, you can’t be up here while we’re eating.”
Barry hops down and goes to her doggy bed next to the kitchen.
“She listens well,” Blue says.
“She’s a good dog.”
I turn on Christmas music, and we eat in companionable silence. For the first time in as long as I can remember, this house feels like a real home. Blue’s presence has done more to accomplish that then buying out the Christmas decor section of Mrs. Claus’ Holiday Chalet did.
“This is so good,” Blue says as she finishes her pad Thai. “It’s as good as anything I’ve had in Vegas.”
“The food here is one of the major draws for visitors.”
She drops her fork onto her plate and turns to me, wide-eyed. “No. How do I not know that?”
“Probably because you haven’t spent a lot of time working with tourists. Of course, people come here for the Christmas cheer, but knowing they’re getting good food is definitely another reason to make the trip. Sugar Valley has decent restaurants, but the focus there is skiing. Here, food really matters.”
She nods as she chews. “That makes so much sense.”
“It’s one of those things you won’t see on a spreadsheet or a report.”
I take our empty plates to the sink. Blue carries the leftovers to the kitchen and helps me put everything away. We work well together, without needing words to understand what needs to be done.
“Okay.” I clap my hands together. “Time for the rest of the presents.”
She looks over at the pile of gifts next to the couch. “There are so many.”
“The advantage of having a big family. Don’t get too excited. The downside to a big family gift exchange is that there are a lot of presents to buy and it’s hard to come up with the right gift for everyone.”
