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“I brought an old friend,” Cass said a couple of hours later, after the girls were tucked into bed.
“Oh?” I stifled a yawn. I’d spent the last half an hour drowsing on the couch beside him, very subtly letting my head droop until it rested on his shoulder. He hadn’t seemed to mind. At some point he’d even snaked an arm behind me and started stroking my hip. Noelle was curled on my other side, and I’d snaked an arm around her and started strokingherhip. “I hope it’s not Ms. Cummings.”
“It’s not.” He shifted as if to stand. “Sit up a minute.”
“I can’t. I’m injured.”
He snorted. “Come on.”
“But this moment is perfect.”
“I’m about to make it even more perfect.” He nudged my head off his shoulder and rose. When he returned, he was carrying a very scratched and battered Christmas chicken.
“Ruth,” I murmured. “I thought maybe she broke. On my head.”
“I rescued her in the aftermath. Speaking of, the word around town is that you ruined Christmas.”
“That seems like a harsh interpretation.”
“There were crying children.”
“Well, it’s important for them to learn that life isn’t all gingerbread and presents.”
“I don’t think you’ll be invited to be the Light Lighter again.”
“How awful. I don’t know how I’ll cope.”
Cass went to the tree and stood on his tiptoes, trying to reach the top. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” began to play. “Shit. I forgot about these stupid— Is there a way to turn this off?”
“You have to unplug the lights.”
“I don’t see an ou—”
“Behind the tree.”
“I hope your girls are sound sleepers.” He let the music play as he struggled with Ruth.
“Be careful,” I begged.
“Relax. It’s not like I’m climbing a twelve-foot ladder to put her on the town tree while—”
“Be careful,” I said in a much icier tone.
He laughed and finally managed to snag the top branch, bending it forward so he could shove it up Ruth’s cloaca. He released it, and Ruth wavered a bit before settling into her rightful position. Cass plugged her into one of the strings of lights, and she glowed a familiar amber.
“I’m glad she still works,” I said.
Cass fiddled with a Christmas ball on the tree. “I got your email.”
For a second I didn’t know what he meant. “What?”
“The grant. For the business loan.”
“Oh, yeah. Was it okay?”
Cass nodded, his expression tight for a second before he smiled. “It’s better than okay. It looks good, Fran. Really good. I would never have been able to come up with something as good as that.”
“No, you had all the info right there. I just put it together for you. It was nothing.”
