There isn’t much difference between them other than color. “Let’s get red for your mom and your sister, and green for you and the guys.” I hand him three red to include Eloise, and four green.
He gives me a long look, then grabs another red one and heads to the register.
“Wait. You can’t get me a stocking,” I insist. “I’m not a member of the family.”
He frowns in confusion. “But you got one for Grant’s girlfriend.”
“But she’s his actual girlfriend, and she’s been around long enough for everyone to know her.”
“And you’ve been around long enough for my entire family to love you,” he says with a laugh. “You’re more a member of my family than I am at this point. When we ‘break up’”—he uses air quotes with his free hand—“I suspect they’ll insist on keeping you.” When he sees my stricken face, he taps my nose. “Hey, don’t look so upset. I’m only partly teasing, and besides, aren’t Christmas stockings part of the whole Christmas package? I can’t go cheaping out on you now.”
“You’re not cheaping out on me,” I say. “I haven’t even been here twenty-four hours and this whole experience is even better than I dreamed of.”
His face softens and he studies me for several seconds. “I can’t believe you get so excited over this stuff.”
I start to take it as an insult, but I realize it’s not one. He truly doesn’t understand it.
“You lost your spirit of Christmas.”
Alex makes a face. “I’m not sure I ever had it to begin with. I just took this place for granted.” He stares at me for a few more seconds then takes the stockings up to the register. I feel terrible when I see the total. They cost too much. I should have looked for cheaper ones somewhere else. But he doesn’t bat an eye at the price, and when the clerk asks if he wants names embroidered on the cuffs, he shoots me a grin and says, “Well, of course.”
“It’s too late to get them embroidered today,” the woman says apologetically. “But if you don’t mind coming back, you can pick them up tomorrow any time after noon, but before we close at five.”
Alex glances over at me. “Are we okay with that?”
“Yeah, of course.” I lean closer, “But it’s too much.”
“They have to have names, and I refuse to use glue and glitter.” He shudders at the thought.
I lift a brow. “Bad experience with glitter?”
“Let’s just say Mallory was addicted to it at one point, and Grant convinced her to glue a bunch of glitter onto something while sitting on my bed.” He laughs, then tells the vendor how to spell our names.
I watch him, reveling in the moment. I feel guilty that he just spent nearly a couple hundred dollars on stockings, but he doesn’t seem to care. In fact, he seems lighter and happier than I’ve ever seen him. Like, maybe thinking of things to get his family agrees with him?
After the vendor hands him the receipt, we walk out of the stall and search the crowd for Mallory. She caught up with us not too long after my call with Barb, more subdued than she’d been before. When I asked her if she was okay, she said her reunion with her friend hadn’t been as cheerful as she’d hoped, but she was better after finding me.
I was worried we’d have a hard time getting the gifts with her around—I don’t want her to know we’re shopping for her and her family—but she keeps wandering off on her own, giving us plenty of opportunity to make our purchases.
A grin spreads across Alex’s face. “I think we need a Christmas market snack.”
My stomach rumbles at the mention of snacks. “I wouldn’t say no to food.”
He sees Mallory and beckons her over.
“Why do you two look like you’re up to no good?” She’s grinning and studying us as though she can figure it out.
“I wouldn’t call getting something to eat being up to no good,” Alex says.
She nods in approval. “I’m always on board for food. There’s a potato cake booth that way,” she says, pointing behind her.
“I have something else in mind,” he says, his eyes twinkling. “I think Fin will love it.”
“Should we see if Tyler wants to join us?” I ask.
Mallory makes a face. “He sent me a text about ten minutes ago that he left.”
“Figures,” Alex says with a grunt.
