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Getting that grant was my one hope and it didn’t come through. The city of Snowy Valley decided a flower garden in the center of town was more valuable then feeding the hungry.
“I’ll call Foodsellers on Monday, Jody. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Of course. And great news, we got a donation today. A check for fifty dollars from Asher Martin. So sweet, isn’t it?”
“Right, so sweet.”
I hang up with a bitter taste in my mouth. Asher is a lawyer in town who took over his father’s booming practice and makes plenty of money. Sure, fifty bucks is better than nothing, but part of me wonders why the check didn’t have an extra zero on it, especially this time of year.
Still, I know my passion for taking care of people isn’t everyone’s and I shouldn’t judge Asher for it even if he is a big fat jerk who finally showed his true colors. I’m grateful for the check, even though it won’t cover the costs of even one morning at the kitchen.
Restless, I head to my own kitchen and begin putting together a batch of gingerbread. Mixing the cloves and ginger, and the house begins to smell like Christmas. I turn on Christmas music and try to get into the holiday spirit. Granny would have hated me being so sad on December 2. Christmas is only a few weeks away.
Granny was able to push her worries aside and didn’t let them weigh her down. I can’t do that anymore. My years of playing make-believe are over. There is no knight in shining armor coming to rescue me from this mess.
Right now, it’s on me to try to come out of this year in one piece.
There’s a knock on my door, and I wipe my hands on my apron, then wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.
I pull open the door and see Filson standing there.
Filson.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. His voice gruff and harsh, like always.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Like hell you are. Why aren’t you on your date?”
“Why are you here? You said you were coming in the morning.”
“I figured I’d get to work on the Christmas lights. I know where the key is hidden for the garage. Thought I’d surprise you when you got back from twirling around a rink with that piece of work.”
“I didn’t go out with him.”
“Why not?”
“I couldn’t. Not after… the kiss.”
Filson wastes no time. He steps inside the house he knows so well and closes the door. Locks it. Pulls me into his arms.
“I know I’m wrong for you in so many ways. But Maple St. Claire, kissing you feels so damn right.”FilsonWith the door closed, I refuse to let Maple out of my sight, not for a second. For so long I’ve dreamt of this moment; the one happening right now. Maple in my arms. The two of us alone. Everyone else in Snowy Valley a distant memory.
“Oh, Filson,” Maple whimpers as I pull her to me.
“Oh, Filson, stop, or oh, Filson, yes?”
She smiles as I cradle her face with my hands. She’s so small against me and my sheer size seems overwhelming in this home of hers. She licks her lips. “Oh, Filson, yes.”
I don’t wait for her to say any more. There is no need. Whatever is happening right now is timed just right. She came to me needing my help and by God, I need hers.
“I’m taking you to bed,” I tell her. “Understood?”
She nods and I pick her up, her legs wrap around my waist as I kiss her hard, her hands running through my hair as our lips collide with perfect pressure.
Upstairs we go; my hands on her ass, her fingers running over my winter coat.
“Same room?” I ask, not having been upstairs in this house since I was in elementary school but somehow still knowing which floorboards creak and which glass doorknob is hers.
She nods. “I’m a virgin,” she whispers as I push open her bedroom door.
“Maple, so am I.”
I figured she realized that when I admitted our kiss earlier as the first of my life, but now, when I tell her this truth — one that I wear as an honor — she blinks back tears.
“I always thought you hated me,” she says as I set her feet on the floor, shrugging off my coat and kicking away my boots. I’m a grown-ass man and I’m about to have the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen — Maple — and it’s about damn time.
“How could I hate you?” I ask her, running my hands over the curve of her back, untying her apron, letting it fall to the floor. “I worship you.”
"But you told me no… back in —"
I cut her off. “You can’t hold that against me. I had my reasons.”
“What were they?”
“You want to do this now?” My hand is on the hem of her tee-shirt. I want to tear it off, see her tits, pull them to my mouth and finally take her the way I’ve dreamt for so long.
