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Oliver took out a beautifully wrapped box with a red and white ribbon and crisp folds in the wrapping paper. “This is yours.” Her name was written in neat cursive letters across the box.
“Thanks.” Andrea set the box aside. She already knew what was in it. Clary had told her she was getting her Gelish stick-on nails. Andrea was excited to see the designs, but she was more interested in the bauble with her name on it.
“What are you doing?” Oliver asked when she took the bauble off the tree.
“You can open these, the ones with our names.” Andrea opened hers and grinned. “Clary wrote a prayer for each of us and put it inside. It’s a tradition she has with her Grandma Moretti.” She took out the paper inside. “Clary has a whole jar full of these back home.”
Andrea unfolded the paper while Oliver set aside his VR game set.
“She wrote those for us too?” Oliver strode over to the tree and took off the white bauble with his name. He opened it and looked over at Seth and Zane. “She wrote one for me too.” He grinned and unfolded his paper.
May Your word be lamp unto Andrea’s feet and light on her path, helping her find something that she would love to do. May she soar in the freedom of Your love and guidance no matter where she is. Andrea folded her paper back up and looked at Oliver. “What does yours say?”
Oliver folded his paper back up and moved his hand away. “It’s for me.” He eyed the paper in her hand. “What does your say?”
Andrea shrugged. She grabbed her present. “I’m going to play with my new nails.”
Oliver frowned. “Have fun?”
“You have fun too.” Andrea jerked her chin at the wires on the floor. “Don’t trip.”
When she got back to her room, she took out her phone and snapped a photo of the beautifully written note. Then she sent Clary a text to thank her for the prayer and the present. She waited for a moment, but there was no reply.
Clary should be awake, right? Oliver had looked around as if Clary was supposed to be in the living room. Had she gone back to sleep?
Maybe she and Seth snuck out for a date.
Wait. Seth was in the living room too.
Andrea grabbed her phone, then put it back down and shook her head. Clary was probably just sleeping, and her boss deserved to get some rest.
* * *
Oliver put the note into the pocket of his sweatpants. “Aren’t you guys going to see what she wrote for you?” he asked Zane and Seth.
Only when they didn’t reply did he take in the tension.
“Did something happen?” Oliver had been playing his game since opening his present. It’d taken him less than fifteen minutes to move the TV downstairs and set it up. Then he’d left reality behind and entered the zombie-infested virtual reality world.
Seth and Zane continued to stare ahead, neither saying a word.
“What did you two do?” Oliver looked around again. “Where’s Clary?”
Seth got up. “I’ll go check in on her.”
Oliver took Seth’s bauble off the tree. “You should see what she wrote for you first.” He handed Seth the bauble, then took Zane’s and threw it over to his brother. He peered over Seth’s shoulder to read his brother’s note.
May every day of your life be filled with happiness. May you realize how amazingly wonderful, interesting, and brilliant you are. I hope I make you happy, and I really hope I’ll be able to annoy you for the rest of eternity.
Seth peered over his shoulder when Oliver laughed. “What did she write for you?”
Oliver shrugged.
Seth arched a brow.
“It’s for me.”
Seth rolled his eyes and turned to Zane, just in time to see his brother wince guiltily. Good. “You could’ve just talked to me instead of questioning her.”
