Page 101 of Booked for the Holidays
It’s a neutral and innocent timbre, unassuming to anyone besides me. I hear the secret affection behind the greeting, though. The same affectionate tone I heard when we were alone in his house last night. My head on his chest, his fingers tracing up my arm, talking about the constellation of stars on my shoulder.
“Hey, Collector,” I answer, smiling back.
“Why do you call him that?” Mac asks, looking up from her phone in the backseat.
“Have you seen his arms? They’re like an art gallery.”
“He has a lot,” she agrees. “It’s unfair. He told me I can’t get any until college.”
“Because I’m not sure your homeroom teacher would be fond of me if you showed up Monday with a sleeve,” Theo points out, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
“Oh, Ms. Martin is fond of you. She asks about you every day.”
I lean over the center console and elbow Theo’s side. “Are you starting fights at PTA meetings?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not scowling enough, apparently.”
“You really need to step it up,” I say. “Mac and Cheese, what kind of Christmas gifts are we looking for today?”
“Something for Dad,” she says. “Can you help me?”
“I’ll do my best. I have a feeling he’s nearly impossible to shop for,” I muse. “Maybe we’ll buy him a closet full of dress shirts. You’ll have to help me find something for my secret gift person, too.”
Mac giggles, returning her attention to her phone. “I’m glad you’re here, BB.”
Theo reaches over, fingers dancing over my palm in the quickest of gestures before returning to the steering wheel, smile firmly in place.
“Me too,” I say. I’m only staring at him.
* * *
“I’ll meetyou two back here in an hour. Bridget, you’ll text me if you need anything?” Theo asks.
“Of course.” I drape my arm over Mac’s shoulder and wave goodbye. “Come on, kid. Let’s go spend some of your dad’s money.”
“I also want to pick out a birthday outfit,” she says as we walk away.
“Your birthday is so soon! Are you doing anything fun? Turning thirteen is a big deal.”
“We’re having a family dinner on the 23rd. The party with my friends is on the 27th. Oh! Can you come to dinner?”
“Maybe. We can ask your dad. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Yeah, but it’s my birthday and I want you there. It wouldn’t be intruding! Grams likes you, and she keeps asking Dad when you’re coming back. He just grumbles under his breath and doesn’t answer.”
“Your father is nothing but predictable,” I laugh. “Hey, I have a question for you. Speaking of Theo, he’s my secret gift exchange person. He told me y’all used to have some fun Christmas traditions.”
“Yeah,” Mac says. “After the accident, things kind of changed. It was like Dad stopped living.”
“He said you’d get personalized mugs every year. I was thinking of buying him one. If you think it might be too hard for him to see, or bring up too many bad memories, tell me. I’ll pick something else.”
We walk in silence, stopping in front of a store. Mac looks at the mannequins in the window and inclines her head. “I think he’d really like that. The accident already happened. We can’t change the past, so we might as well do something that brings us joy. He would get so excited by those mugs, wondering what the colors were going to be. What the font was going to look like. And…” Her lip trembles and she wipes her eyes. “I miss seeing Dad happy.”
“Oh, sweetie.” I give her a hug, chin dropping to the top of her head. “He is happy. He’s happy when he’s with you.”
“He’s happy with you, too,” she answers. The words are significant coming from her, purposeful. I catch them with a net, not letting them fly away. “Do the mugs, Bridget. It would mean a lot.”
“I’m glad you said that. I already bought them.”
