Page 37 of Secret Santa

“Remember, we’re not calling him that anymore, Harlow.”

Harlow waved her sister’s comment off with an impatient huff and turned to me.

“Oh my god. I have the perfect idea! We’re going to get her to talk to you, and we’re going to do it right now. Get your coat!”

She was off and running before any of us could even ask her what the hell was going on.

* * *

“This is ridiculous.”

I was cold. Worse than cold. My bones felt like they were shivering. Fuck Chicago. I wanted to be back in Texas where cold was like forty-five degrees.

“Oh contraire little lovesick brother-in-law, this is literally the best idea I have ever had.” Harlow continued to futz with some settings on her iPhone.

“Brother-in-law?” Harris asked, poking at Cash’s ribs.

“Details,” he replied, kicking a pile of snow at him. The pair devolved into a childish display of who could drench the other with more snow.

“Here hold this.” Harlow said, ignoring the bedlam behind her.

She put a blue tooth speaker in my hand that was shaped like a pill I wish I could swallow and be transported back to my house in Texas.

“Higher,” she said. “Above your head.”

I felt like an idiot.

“What’s her favorite song?” she asked.

We’d never gotten to random little details like that one. I knew what my favorite song was since meeting her though. It played on never ending repeat in my head every time I thought of her.

“’Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley.”

“Sweet little Christmas baby Jesus this is going to be perfect.” She hooted, calling the song up on her iPhone and dialing the volume up to full blast.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I asked.

“You stand there and wait.”

That’s what we all did. We stood in the cold, snow wetting the bottom of my pants and wracking me with shivers. We stood through an entire four minutes’ worth of the song until it ended.

“Well, that wasn’t the expected outcome. Maybe one more time. Just in case, you know because of insulation she couldn’t hear it.”

“You and your eighties movie references,” Cash came up behind her and wrapped her in a hug, kissing her just below her ear.

“Can the two of you not make out for like four seconds. Seriously. I’m cold enough already without adding nauseous to the mix.” Lennox gently kicked some snow in their direction with a roll of her eyes. “I swear it’s like the two of you are in some kind of mating heat.”

Cash caught my eye and winked at me. Not him too. The song played a second time.

“Is Priscilla even old enough to understand this movie reference?” Cash asked. “Surely Lennox and I are the only ones here old enough to have seen this movie on free television, not even in the movie theaters.”

“Doesn’t everyone know the infamousSay Anythingscene?” Harlow asked, trying to get the music to play louder.

“No.” Both Harris and I answered her at the same time.

“Well that’s because you’re men. And most men were watching I don’t knowRamboinstead of swooning over John Cusack’s Lloyd falling in love with Ione Skye’s Diane.” Harlow snorted, collapsing into giggles when Cash whispered something in her ear. “Oh! I see her! Priscilla! We see you! Yes, you! Come out here!”

Harlow waved her gloved hand, taking the Bluetooth speaker from me and holding it up like a beacon. I heard the door open, and Priscilla emerged on the patio, wrapped in a sweater. My feet began moving before I heard the faint “Presley?” come from where she stood.

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