Cassie sends a GIF of the little girl fromLook Who’s Talking Now, with her angry little face, flinging a hairbrush.
Penny
So you gonna let him find out?
I don’t know what I’m doing.
Penny
I give it a week. Also I think Cass is ignoring us.
Cassie
oh I’m here, just trying to bleach my eyeballs.
but if I’m forced to take part in this discussion, my money is on less than a week. Get to it, Josie.
Christmas Eve has arrived, and all day I’ve baked up a storm, prepping for the dinner my kids and I have each year. My cabinets are full, brimming over with groceries due to the ice and snow that’s predicted to roll in tonight. North Alabama only gets one big snow a year, if that, but when it happens Singing River and the surrounding towns collectively shut down. Without proper equipment to deal with icy roads, everything closes and people stay home.
I awoke to a phone call from Tyler asking if he could stop by later today. We made small talk back and forth about the winter snow and before we ended our call, I threw in an invite to join the kids and me for Christmas Eve dinner. While Penny, Austin, and Cassie headed to Texas for the holidays, Tyler made sure I knew he was staying put right here in Singing River. I can’t stomach the thought of him alone in that apartment when there’s no doubt he’s staying to be near the kids and me.
This means I’ve spent the day with thoughts of him invading my mind, causing my snickerdoodle cookies to come dangerously close to being ruined. Mind still reeling from his comment the other night, I grab baking soda rather than baking powder, only realizing a second before pouring it into the mixing bowl.Daydreams of his mouth on mine play on a loop in my head. I’m physically sweating, so worked up from these daydreams. Despite the freezing cold outside, I have to pause baking to change into a tank top. I try telling myself it’s the heat from my stove, but I can spot a lie a mile away.
A knock sounds at my door, yanking me out of my daydreams, and Smudge takes off, barking like a tiny guard dog. Looking forward to seeing Tyler on the other side, I swing the door wide, both of us standing there saying nothing for a few seconds.
Tyler gives me a full once over, eyes sweeping up and down my person, causing my skin to heat all over again. Yeah, there’s a good chance Cassie might be right.
Only then do I realize he’s holding at least six or seven gifts. I’m hit with a pang of guilt because I only have one for him, though I know he’ll love it. Because of the nature of the gift, I’ll have to wait until it’s just the two of us, but I can’t wait to see his reaction.
Tyler’s eyes crinkle at the corners when a smile lifts across his face. “I have gifts for the kids.”
“Well, come in out of the cold.” I open the screen door and wave him inside.
“Abby, Jay!” I call down the hallway. “Come to the living room.”
Moments later, footsteps thunder down the hall. Jay enters first, followed by Abby a second later.
When Jay sees the armload of gifts, he bounces on his toes, looking back and forth between Tyler and me.
“Who are those for?”
“Some are for you and some are for Abby.” Tyler looks over at Abby and smiles. “And this one here is for Smudge.” He holds up a gift bag covered in a paw print design.
Tyler hands Smudge’s bag to Jay, who pulls out a new Lamb Chop squeaky toy and a bag of bully sticks. Jay offers a bully stick to Smudge and then turns back to Tyler.
“Can we open our gifts?”
“That’s up to your mom,” Tyler replies.
“Get to it,” I say with a flick of my hand.
Abby and Jay sprawl on the floor, while I take a seat on the couch to watch. Tyler remains standing, shifting his weight from one foot then the other, brows furrowed, clearly nervous about giving these gifts to the kids.
Abby lines hers up neatly in front of her, meanwhile Jay starts ripping open his first gift, tossing the paper and bow to the side. It’s a headset for his video game console. He immediately puts it on, and begins tearing paper on the second gift.
“Jay.” Clearing my throat, I give a quick jerk of my head in Tyler’s direction, sending a silent message to Jay with my eyes.
Jay catches my meaning, slapping a palm to his forehead. “Sorry. Thanks, Tyler. Maybe with these we’ll actually win more.”
