Page 14 of Twelve Dates of Christmas

We pulled into an affluent neighborhood of McMansions, driving slowly as we each pointed out displays that caught our eyes. Every house seemed to be decked with thousands of lights, and it was very rare to pass one with only a single line trimming the roof. These people seemed to be bent on outdoing each other.

I loved it.

Rylan gave me an insulated mug of hot chocolate, letting me pick from the two cups, rather than just handing me one. As we both sipped, he drove to another subdivision with similar displays.

“How do you know about these places?” I asked.

“I helped build them.”

“Are you in construction then?” So he did have a job. Though maybe, it was seasonal.

He tilted his head back and forth. “Sort of.”

He didn’t elaborate what that meant, but I guessed he sort of worked then. It was more than I’d had before.

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