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Tessa didn’t have a chance to reply before the bus pulled up along the rear of the cargo plane. The front door slid open, and Jarik stepped down wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater she’d ever seen and a Santa hat.
Walking toward the bus, Maria stared at him. “What on earth are you wearing? Do you have any idea how late you are? Why on earth are you in a city bus? Weren’t there cargo trucks available?” Looking inside, she spotted the driver, who was wearing an equally outlandish Christmas sweater and an elf hat. Slapping her hand over her mouth, she covered her laugh. “Is that the same driver from the day we met?”
Walking toward her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Take a breath, Maria.”
Hands on her hips, she demanded, “What’s going on?”
Kissing her forehead, Jarik began to answer her questions one by one. “I’m wearing a Christmas sweater, obviously. Yes, I know what time it is. I have my reasons for choosing the city bus. Yes, there were cargo trucks available. And yes, that’s the same driver—though I’ll admit, I had difficulty tracking down. You should be proud of my detective skills.”
Leaning around Jarik to look at the driver, she whispered, “He doesn’t look happy.”
Looking over his shoulder, Jarik grinned and whispered back. “No. He doesn’t. I have to admit, best money spent so far.”
Maria couldn’t stop the giggle, as she nodded her head. While the two of them still often argued about the occasionally frivolous ways Jarik spent his money, she did get a certain enjoyment out of the driver’s scowl making him look more like Scrooge than a happy elf.
Looking back at Jarik, she attempted to glare. “You’re late.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her soundly. “And you’re not wearing your hat. Tessa, did you tell her she had one too?”
“I did, but she refused to put it on,” Tessa called out from the plane.
Jarik made a tut-tut noise, “Habibti, how can we possibly play Santa Claus if we aren’t dressed for the part? Tessa, go get her hat, would you please? I almost bought you a matching sweater, but really, only one of us can look this good,” he told her as he took the hat from Tessa who excused herself to monitor the loading of the boxes.
Taking the hat, Jarik took considerable time placing the hat on her head. “There. Now you look the part.” Clapping his hands, “Okay, come on, these boxes won’t load themselves.”
As soon as he said that, people began stepping off the bus carrying large boxes. Each one was wearing a Christmas hat and some had on some sort of Christmas-themed top. Maria stared in bemusement at the steady train of Christmas helpers who unloaded boxes in an assembly line as Tessa scanned the barcodes before placing them on the plane.
Maria watched her boyfriend direct the crew, talking and laughing with them as they worked. Boyfriend. It had only been a year since they met on this very tarmac and here they were back again. Except that thanks to Jarik, Christmas Crates was bigger than ever. She had no idea that he had such a strong head for business or that he could so effectively negotiate with her longtime donors, as well as bringing in lots of new ones who she could never come close to meeting without his family’s connections.
It had taken her a while and she suspected they would always fight about money in some capacity, but she was slowly coming to respect his ability to use money as a tool for good rather than a weapon. They’d managed to get enough donations this year that they could hire additional pilots and planes to deliver to several refugee camps. In fact, they were discussing taking the charity full-time so they could continue to help those in need in other parts of the world on a wider range of holidays.
Which meant that she could still fly.
She loved flying more than ever, especially when Jarik was her co-pilot. She was having a hard time remembering what life was like before she met him. Even on her worst day, he brought a smile to her face.
As part of the conditions associated with Sebastian’s release from rehab, he could no longer have access to any of the charity’s money. While Maria had wanted to include him back in the charity, he had declined. He had decided to go back to school to work on his master’s in substance abuse counseling.
Tessa had been heartbroken when she found out that he was dating one of the counselors at the clinic, but she had put on a brave face and congratulated him on his success. Only time would tell if he stayed away from gambling in the future.
She grinned at her friend who stepped to the ramp to await the next set of boxes. “I keep telling you, those shorts won’t keep you warm in this weather,” Maria called out as Tessa stomped her feet to warm up her legs.
“That may be so, but I look damn good in them, especially with this hat on to complete the look.”
Laughing, Maria agreed. She looked up when Jarik called out. “Hey, look who’s not helping. Grab the last package so we can get going. We’re on a timeline, remember?”
Maria continued to chuckle, as she walked over to the bus to grab the last item. Stepping onto the bus, she smiled at the bus driver, who continued to glower at her. She looked around, but other than the driver, the bus was empty. “Jarik, I thought you said there was more here. I don’t see anything.”
“It’s there,” Jarik called back, seemingly engrossed in what he was doing.
Looking around, Maria still didn’t see anything. She checked the seats as she worked her way toward the back of the bus.
Lying underneath a bench near the back was a wrapped box. “Found it,” she called out as she reached for the package. Tucking it under her arm, she exited the bus and started to walk toward the plane. Turning the package over, she was surprised to see that the tag had her name on it.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Jarik asked huskily, steps away from her. Looking up in surprise, she nodded.
Pulling the ribbon loose, she tucked it under her arm while she unwrapped the present. Inside was a nondescript box. Looking up at Jarik expectantly, she faltered when she saw the look in his eyes. “Open it, habibti.”
Taking the used ribbon and wrapping paper out of her numb hands, he tossed it in the bus while she stared at him. “Jarik, what have you done?” she asked quietly, unsure if he even heard her. But then he smiled.
