Page 10 of Christmas Craving
“I guess I know what we’re watching tonight.”
“I don’t like Christmas shows,” I reminded her.
“You can’t say that when you haven’t seen the good ones,” she pointed out.
Despite my years of litigation experience I couldn’t argue with her logic. “
Besides, you either have to listen to carols or watch Christmas shows while you decorate the tree. It’s a rule.”
“Well, if it’s a rule, I guess I have to,” I laughed.
The sound almost surprised me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed like this with anyone. There was something about Lanie that brought out a different side of me, a lighter side that I didn’t even know existed. I kind of liked it.
But when this was all over, I was going to be in such big trouble, because somehow I was falling in love with this woman. And I had no idea how to stop it.
Lanie
Iwas surprised how much fun I was having with Celia. Once you got her out of her comfort zone, she was much more relaxed. I’d watched the stiffness melt away from her spine a little more every time Arthur came bounding over with his ball, wanting her to throw it. She didn’t bat an eyelash when the pup splashed us with mud. And she seemed… dare I say excited about her tree.
“You’re going to need some ornaments and lights,” I said as we walked back to her building with the tree and the dog.
“Oh yeah, where do I get those?” she asked.
“Any major store, but they’ll definitely be picked over this late in the season,” I said. “I have a bunch though if you want to borrowsome. I didn’t put up my tree this year because I was going to spend the holiday with Amy and John.”
I shoved down the twinge of sadness that I wouldn’t be spending the holiday with my bestie.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. You can babysit Arthur while I go to my place and pick them up.”
She stopped dead on the sidewalk. “What?”
“I can’t bring a dog to my apartment, my landlady lives in the building and she’s nosy as shit. I swear she spends her entire day staring out the window spying on people.”
“I don’t really know how to take care of a dog,” she said. Her eyes darted to the side like she was looking for an escape.
“Okay, how about we go to my apartment together and then you and Arthur can wait in the car while I run inside?” I suggested. “It won’t take me long, I know exactly where the ornaments are.”
“That sounds better.”
When it was time to go, Celia took one look at my battered old Toyota Carolla and insisted on taking me in her car even if it meant getting dog hair in the back seat. She drove a fancy late model Lexus that probably cost more than I made in a year, butI had to admit it drove like a dream. I could scarcely feel the road as we made our way to the working class side of town. It was funny how different things were when you drove a few miles away from the high-end neighborhoods.
When we pulled up in front of my apartment, Celia put the car in park and turned to me with an expression that could only be described as horror.
“You live here?” she said. “It doesn’t look safe.”
“It’s not bad,” I shrugged. “The rent is cheap – well cheaper – in this neighborhood than the close-in neighborhoods, and there’s a bus stop on the next block that takes me right to work.”
I could see her struggling to keep her opinion to herself. I tried to see my neighborhood from her perspective. It was definitely run down, but also not the worse part of the city. It wasn’t like there was trash laying around or gang members hanging out on the corner.
“I’ll be back in five,” I assured her, getting out of the car.
As I walked up to my apartment I saw my landlady watching me out of her window. Giving her a little wave, I climbed the stairs headed inside. I made quick work of grabbing a box of ornaments out of the closet along with a shopping bag filled with lights. When I returned to the car, Arthur was pressing his nose against the window, leaving a trail of drool on the glass while he and Celia watched me approach.
“You guys okay?” I asked Celia as I got back in the car after stowing the ornaments in the trunk.
“He was whining,” she said. “I don’t know why.”
