Page 40 of Just Say Christmas
“Oh.” He looked dubious. “OK.”
“Hang on,” Rhys decided. He’d meant this to be for Christmas, but what the hell. They were going tree shopping. They were celebrating. He’d find something else for Christmas. He said, “Wait here,” ran upstairs, found the bag at the back of the closet—Zora probably knew it was there, but hopefully she hadn’t peeked—and ran back down again. He pulled out the two white boxes and handed them over. “In honor of our first family Christmas.”
“You first, Casey,” Zora said. She didn’t tell him he shouldn’t have. She knew he had to.
Casey opened her box, then the black velvet one inside, and said, “Oh.” Not in disappointment. In delight. “It’s a heart.”
It was. A small solid-gold heart on a simple gold chain, the shortest they’d had, so it would work for a seven-year-old.
“Is it real gold?” Casey asked.
“No,” Isaiah said. “Real gold is very expensive. People don’t give kids real gold.”
“It’s real gold,” Rhys said. “It’s a special gift, because you’re a special girl.”
“Oh,” Casey said again, and he had to rest a hand on top of her head.
“Climb up on your stool again,” he told her, “and I’ll put it on.” He took it out of its case, unfastened it—geez, these things were fiddly—and fastened it around her neck. The heart lay there over the top of her poinsettia sundress, her neatly arranged hair shone under the bathroom lights, and her little face smiled happily at him in the mirror. “There you go,” he said. “Now you’re finished.”
“It’s a heart,” she said, “because you love me.”
He had to clear his throat. “Yeh. It is. That’s exactly what it is.”
“Open yours, Auntie Zora,” Casey said. “Is yours a heart, too?”
“I don’t know,” Zora said. “Let’s see.”
“Oh,” she said when she opened it. This time, it was a sigh. “What is it?”
“Carnelian in the circle,” Rhys said. The stone of the delicate round pendant, encased in rose gold, glowed a rich brownish red. “And a diamond in the middle.” The circle, only the size of his fingernail, had a wedge cut out at the top, which somehow made it even prettier. The whole dainty piece hung from a rose-gold chain, and when he lifted it from its box and settled it around her neck, it rested between her collarbones like it was meant to be. He fastened the clasp, kissed the top of her head, and held her shoulders in his two hands while she smiled at him in the mirror. Right next to Casey. His girls. “Carnelian,” he said, in a voice that was roughened with emotion, “is for courage and creativity. I found that out later. The diamond is for . . . that I wanted to give you a diamond, I guess. The whole thing looked like you, that was all, and I thought . . . something you could wear any day.”
Her hand had come up to hold his, and now, she squeezed it. “Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s beautiful. You make my life beautiful.”
“You didn’t give Isaiah a present, though,” Casey objected.
Rhys met Isaiah’s eyes in the mirror. “Want a gold necklace, mate?”
“No, thanks,” Isaiah said. “It’s kind of silly. Jewelry costs a lot, and it doesn’t do anything.”
“It does so,” Casey said. “It looks pretty, and itremindsyou.”
“It does,” Zora said, then took a breath. “So. Before I get too emotional and weep and ruin my makeup . . . let’s go out to breakfast, and buy a Christmas tree, and see a ballet. Now I feel evenmorelike celebrating. Besides, Casey and I want to show off our necklaces.”
* * *
So that was all verynice, although he now had about ten days to come up with new Christmas presents. Good thing it was the offseason. He didn’t think Isaiah would be too disappointed, in the end. He’d got him a LEGO Mindstorms set for Christmas, going full-on with the programming and mechanics, since Isaiah had mastered the lower-level LEGO Boost already. He’d also got him a few books the fella at the bookstore had recommended. Science fiction. If they were going to see anything of Isaiah after all that, Rhys would have to learn the LEGO thing along with him, and that would be good, too. Isaiah tended to be surprised when anybody shared his interests. He shouldn’t have to be so surprised.
Rhys even knew where to go today, because he’d researched. They’d had their special breakfast out, during which Casey had eaten eggsanda jam doughnut, and were now at the Christmas Store in Newmarket, everything going to plan, shopping for a Christmas tree and some things to put on it, when he hit a snag.
He said, “This one looks about right.” The artificial tree had lights on it already, which was convenient. It was three hundred dollars, which was more than he’d expected to spend, but oh, well. It was important to Casey, and maybe to all of them, so—what the hell. He’d never had a Christmas tree before. Catching up all at once, maybe.
“I guess it’s nice,” Casey said, in the sort of dubious tone that said,It’s not.
“Why?” Rhys asked. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s sort of short,” Casey said. “And it’s notbeautiful,like this one.” She was standing, of course, beside a monstrosity of a tree that should probably be in somebody’s town hall, decorated to the nines and practically exploding with gilt.
Isaiah said, “That one’s eight hundred fifty dollars, though, Casey. That’s very expensive. That’s two van payments, if Mum had bought her van with payments.”
