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“I can feel the bed shift. It doesn’t feel too heavy so it’s not a bowling ball but not too light to be keys to a new car.”
Laughter burst out of me. “I had no idea you were so interested in bowling.” Gran had already warned me that she’d try to guess what I was giving her and would be terrible at it.
“I’ll have you know that I was part of the town bowling league when I was nine, and I was one of the highest scorers that year.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
I shook my head and grabbed the first present for her from under the tree. “Open your eyes.”
Hazel pursed her lips as her gaze met mine. I loved how her eyes sparkled with humor. I knew the second she noticed the computer because her eyes widened just before she screeched what sounded like her grandmother’s name.
“Ready to unwrap some presents, sweet girl?” Gran asked, her voice choked up.
“Yes!” Hazel’s excitement fed my own.
I heard paper crinkling on the other end of the computer.
“Jareth… ” Hazel let out a breathy sigh and met my gaze. “Thank you. I hate that I have nothing to give you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need anything. You are my Christmas gift.”
“Now, he’s a keeper,” Gran interrupted.
“He certainly is.” Hazel blew me a kiss. To my surprise and hers, I pretended to catch it and hold it against my heart.
I shifted to the other side of the screen and handed Hazel my first gift. A large flat present that she could barely fit her arms around. Gran grabbed a present of a similar size. I’d purchased presents for both of them and had Gran’s delivered to her yesterday.
“Okay, one, two, three. Unwrap,” Hazel cheered. She ripped off the paper and yelped. “Oh. My. Gosh. Is this… this is the painting I’ve been drooling over by Diana Molivani?” She flipped the canvas around to show Gran the lily pad-covered pond, weeping willows, and flowers down by the impressionist painter. Hazel never would have paid twenty thousand dollars for a painting.
“Oh, Jareth. This is stunning. Thank you.” Gran held the closeup version of lily pads floating on the water of Hazel’s painting.
“How did you know?” Hazel’s teary-eyed gaze swung to me.
“Lacey gave me a few ideas,” I admitted. “And I remembered you mentioning her a year or two ago when you were looking for artwork for your living room.” The living room that was close to being finished, I thought with a twinge of disappointment. I didn’t want to think about the day Hazel would be ready to move out of my place and back into her own.
Next, I handed her a small box with individual signed hardcover books by her favorite authors wrapped inside. With each one her gasps got louder. Once she’d finished, she reached out to grab my arm before I moved away to grab another present for her.
Her fingers dug into my cheeks as she kissed every available spot on my face before getting to my lips. “You sweet, sweet, thoughtful man.”
When she let me pull away, I was shocked to feel the slight burn of a blush. “You deserve this, Hazel. Especially after I screwed up the holidays for the two of you.”
“You have more than made up for it. You’ve made this a trip I’ll never forget.”
I smiled as I grabbed her the last gift—a small elongated box wrapped with shiny red paper and a sparkly silver bow. I had wanted to fill the room with presents, but Lacey’s advice prevailed when she said Hazel would be too overwhelmed with that many, and that a few well-thought-out gifts would mean more to her and Gran.
Once I handed it over to her, Hazel patted the spot on the bed beside her. She gave a happy little sigh as she rested her head on my shoulder and I slipped my arm around her.
Gran grabbed the box of the same size and held it in her hands. “So you two decided to leave tomorrow morning?”
“We did,” I answered. “Hazel and I can come back here another time. Perhaps, you’d like to join us then.” As much fun as we were having, I knew it weighed on Hazel being so far from her family and friends during the holidays. While we’d already missed Christmas with them yesterday, I wanted us to be back in plenty of time for her to have a belated celebration with everyone before the New Year.
Hazel toyed with the bow and slowly slid her finger under the wrapping paper. My eyes never left her as she unwrapped her gift and lifted the lid off the box. Her fingers carefully reached in and lifted the delicate gold chain with the medium-sized locket, a snowflake etched into the front. When she opened it to see the picture of her and Gran inside, she burst into tears.
“This is the most perfect gift ever,” she wailed. “I’ve always wanted a locket.”
“Jareth, I don’t know how to thank you for your generosity,” Gran whispered, her voice choked by her own tears. I’d given them the same necklace knowing how much they’d cherish it.
I wiped away Hazel’s tears and kissed her. My heart panged at how happy I’d made my girl and her grandmother. It had been so long since I’d done anything like this I’d forgotten how good it felt.
CHAPTER 25
