Page 10 of Ten Christmases Without You
She had the first pick, which meant every other person could steal from her. She’d most certainly end up with mop slippers or a bottle opener that played Christmas tunes. But that was the point, right? Maybe the game would lighten her mood.
“Who’s first?” her father asked.
Emmy raised her hand, and her dad waved an arm across the array of wrapped gifts.
One immediately caught her eye: wrapped in green paper with illustrated snowcapped Christmas trees, it was shaped like a wine bottle. Emmy grabbed it by the neck. Aunt Charlotte straightened up in her chair and eyed everyone excitedly.
Emmy ripped off the paper, and sure enough, it was a bottle of white wine.
“It’s normally twenty dollars, but I had a store coupon, and the checkout lady let me use it, even though they aren’t supposed to apply coupons on alcohol,” Aunt Charlotte said, her chest puffing up proudly.
“Who has number two?” Aunt Elsie asked.
Uncle Stephen raised his hand. He chose a gift from the table, unwrapping a mini hot sauce collection that he hugged to his chest. It wasn’t long before her father stole it, leaving Stephen with a second gift, which turned out to be a bacon-scented air freshener. He seemed just as pleased.
Emmy made it four rounds before Aunt Elsie stole her wine. Her aunt offered her a gift box of a promising shape—maybe a necklace or a bracelet. She tore the paper from one end and slipped the box from under the fold.
“What is it?” Madison asked, leaning forward to see.
Emmy held it up. “A travel-sized stapler.”
“You’ll thank me later,” Uncle Stephen said.
Given his encouraging nod, maybe it would prove to be useful, and Emmy was willing to bet that no one would steal it.
The wine bottle was handed off a few times before landing in Madison’s hands, and with only a couple of goes left, she was sure to keep it. Maybe she and Emmy could drink it tonight.
Just before Charlie’s turn, he leaned into her ear and whispered, “Which one did you bring?” sending goosebumps down her arm.
Subtly, she pointed to the shiny red bag with a paper Santa belt wrapped around its middle. The White Elephant gift, alongwith a pack of green tissue paper, had been a rushed buy in the airport on her way out. She’d been up to her eyeballs with ideas for the Parody Music line, a small account she was hoping to get a chance to work on. With the crazy holiday work schedule, Vivienne hadn’t given her enough time to shop, so she’d been in a rush.
Aunt Elsie called Charlie’s number. He reached over and took Emmy’s bag from the table.
Just as he began to pull the tissue paper out, she remembered what he’d said about hot beverages. It was too late to stop him. He’d already pulled the coffee mug from the bag.
“What does it say?” Aunt Elsie squinted at the mug.
Charlie twisted it around. “I Love New York.”
“Have you ever been to New York?” Elsie asked.
“Actually, I haven’t.” Charlie set the mug in his lap.
“Well,” Aunt Elsie said, eyeing the family circle. “Anyone can steal it! Who’s been to New York?”
Only Madison and Emmy’s father raised their hands, and with the wine and the hot sauce, they definitely weren’t trading.
Emmy sighed. Typical of her to have brought the most impractical gift of all of them.
Uncle Brian was the last to choose, and he opted for the final present on the table: a deck of trivia cards. He shuffled them while everyone else started moving chairs back into the kitchen after Aunt Charlotte offered to cut everyone a slice of Christmas cake.
Emmy was still processing the night. She’d allowed Charlie to choose a gift she’d put absolutely no thought into at all. And, given that he didn’t drink coffee, he might have been better off with the stapler. If only she’d known who she was buying for. She would’ve put more effort into finding something great. The night could only go up from here... Right?
CHAPTER FOUR
Charlie stood up with the others. “I’m going in.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Want anything?”
“I’ll take another glass of the holiday punch,” Emmy said.
