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“Archer! I got you a Christmas sweater!” By the squeal in her voice, I can tell she’s already tipsy. “You gotta wear it.”
Boxes upon boxes of decorations are stacked on the floor along with a massive tree. Sassy comes trotting into the living room, and I notice she’s wearing a jingle bell collar and reindeer antlers. Then I realize her sweater matches Everleigh’s.
“Oh, you poor thing,” I say, petting her head.
Everleigh playfully swats at me when I meet her eyes.
“So, putting this on is a requirement, I assume?”
“Bet your ass it is.”
“Okay, okay. Whatever makes you happy.” I shrug, aware that it’s gonna look ridiculous on me.
She chugs the rest of her wine. “It’ll make me the jolliest person on the planet, other than, you know, Old Saint Nick.”
Laughter escapes me as I go to my room and change. I shake my head when I see myself in the mirror, but I also like that she wants me to be a part of something she loves so much.
Meeting her back in the living room, she hands me a glass that’s full and big enough to hold an entire bottle of wine. “Thanks. Oh, Tyler said they’ll be here within the hour.”
“Did he mention putting on his sweater too?”
“Um. Actually, no.”
She cocks a brow. “He better not forget.”
“I doubt Gemma will let him.”
“Very true! Gemma always has my back.”
“How long have you two been friends?”
Everleigh grins over the rim of her glass. “We’ve known each other for forever. But I think we became best friends in middle school.”
“That’s awesome. You guys are lucky to have each other,” I say. My high school friends forgot I existed as soon as I went to prison.
I take a sip, and it’s so sweet, there’s no way I’ll be able to finish it.
“We definitely are.” She smiles, then taps her finger across her ruby red lips. “What to do first? Want to help hang some mistletoe?”
“Sure. Where’s it goin’?”
“Above my bedroom door.” She hands it to me and points toward her room. I see a hook in place, and I assume she's hung it there for as long as she’s lived here. It dangles above the doorway, and Everleigh stands next to me, then our eyes meet. The only thing that breaks our trance is Sassy whining at our feet.
“I’ll take her out,” I offer. “You’ve got to prepare for your guests.”
“Ha! Thanks. A true gentleman,” she says, with rosy cheeks.
“Come on, girl.” I lead Sassy out the back. She runs around, then does her business. When I return, I find garland spread out on the floor, different ornaments on her coffee table, and random fake branches scattered on the couch. It’s amazing how much she pulled out in just a few minutes. Add on the ribbons, lights, and boxes full of God knows what and it’s proof Tyler wasn’t lying about this.
“Where're ya putting the tree?” I ask.
“In front of the window so everyone in the neighborhood can see it!” she exclaims, and I love how giddy she is. “One day, I’m gonna have one of those houses that you pull up to, turn to a specific radio station, and watch the lights flash to the music. I absolutely love those.”
“Or at the boutique, so you can get more exposure for your business. Have signs out front with a hashtag for when they take pictures and share on social media.”
“That’s genius, Archer! What an amazing marketing opportunity that could be. Next year!” Her voice grows louder. “You’re so helping me with it!”
I grin, but I also have no idea what I’ll be doing a year from now or where I’ll be living. Though I like the thought of still being here with Everleigh.
I move next to her on the floor with my wine in tow. She hands me a ball of tangled lights as she works on another. “I probably shouldn’t have thrown these in the box like this, but New Year's Day was rough.”
“Do I even wanna know?”
“Trust me, you don’t,” she admits. “I always try to clean up. The whole, new year, new me vibes, but I think I was still so drunk from the night before. Not sure if you noticed or not, but drunk Everleigh doesn’t give a shit about anything. She’s irresponsible.”
A roaring laugh escapes me. “I believe that.”
“It’s the truth.” She raises her glass and drinks. “Oh, I love this song!”
She wiggles her body, singing along to "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree." A knock lightly taps on the door when the song ends, causing her eyes to brighten with excitement.
She adjusts her sweater and opens it. Chatter fills the room as Gemma enters with Scarlett in her arms.
Everleigh lets out a tiny squeal and takes her niece, placing kisses on her cheek. “My favorite little angel, and look, you all wore the sweaters I sent.”
