Page 127 of The Twelve Months of Christmas
She threw off her blanket and sent Marlow jumping, then shuffled to the door, opened it and...eeek! “Reggie!” She slammed the door shut.
“Hey,” he said on the other side. “Open up.”
“Not looking like this,” she said.
“I don’t care what you look like.”
“Well, I do.”
“Come on, Molly. I got something for you.”
“I got something for you, too. Germs. You don’t want them.”
“I never get sick. Let me in. Come on, I came all this way.”
From downtown Bremerton, a big ten-minute trek.
“Please.”
“Okay, wait there.”
She left him on the front porch and hurried to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and her hair and put on her eye makeup and some lipstick. Yep, now she looked...like a vampire made up for the undead ball. When you were sick, it was hopeless. Nothing made you look good. Hopefully that old saying that love was blind was true. And if not blind, maybe at least it was nearsighted.
She went back and opened the door and he stepped in, bearing a large can of chicken soup in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. “I brought medicine.”
“Aww, Reggie, you are so sweet. I’ll save it for us both to drink when I’m well.”
“You might feel better later, after you eat my secret recipe chicken soup.”
She laughed. “I might at that. Thank you.”
“I think I should stay and heat it up for you.”
“No, you shouldn’t. I’ll make you sick.”
“You could never make me sick. Come on, don’t you want some company?”
Actually, she did, but she hated the idea of passing her germs on to him.
“You can’t be having fun all by yourself here.”
“You can’t have fun when you’re sick.”
“You can try,” he said.
“Okay, then, social distancing, and open the window so we get some fresh air in here.”
He obliged, then put the champagne in the fridge. He returned and joined her on the couch where she’d flopped once more.
“This is not social distancing,” she informed him.
“All you got is a cold. I’m not worried.” He put an arm around her. “Let’s watch a movie. What have you got on the menu?”
“A romantic comedy,” she said. Funny how she was in the mood for one now that Reggie was with her.
He nodded approval. “Good. I like a happy ending. Maybe I’ll pick up some romance tips.”
“You’re already a pro,” she assured him.
