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CHAPTER19
SIENNA
Christmas is in full swing, New York is twinkling, and now apparently, so is my apartment. Maddie has been busy turning the place into a bloody grotto, complete with a bright red ‘Scrooge’ sign tacked to my door.
I can’t lie though. The waft of cinnamon drifting through the room from the bubbling saucepan of mulled wine is delicious. The one thing I will never moan about over Christmas is the copious amounts of amazing food and drink.
Maddie takes Christmas incredibly seriously. The first couple of Christmases we spent together she was mortified at how ‘grinchy’, as she calls it, I am. Whilst she is Buddy the elf in woman form, practically swinging from the tinsel hung on the ceiling. She’s a bundle of excitement throughout the whole month of December.
I’d never experienced a Christmas like it. Growing up, my mom and dad tried to make it special despite having no money. That was until my dad left. From then on, you wouldn’t have even known it was Christmas. All the other kids excitedly ran into school to show off their new toys, bellies full. I would sit and watch from the back of the class, tears stinging the backs of my eyes as I had nothing to show, nothing to be excited about.
Then Maddie happened. The woman is relentless in her pursuit of happiness. It’s infectious. Now I can confidently say, I don’tmindChristmas. I do, however, draw the line at that stupid racket Slade song on repeat.
This year Maddie has gone even further to spread the Christmas cheer. I think she’s worried I might ditch her for Keller over the holidays, and the thought of going back to her parents, still unmarried and without a boyfriend, makes her skin crawl.
“Maddie,” I shout as I walk through the hallway
“In here!” Her voice is just about inaudible over the excessively loud Christmas playlist she has going on.
As I reach her, she’s busy slamming a rolling pin on top of a round pile of dough, white flour smothered over each counter and smeared across her face. She gives me a wild grin. “I’m making Christmas cookies!’’
“I gathered,” I chuckle, tossing my handbag down and darting into the kitchen to help before the place looks like a drug gang lives here.
“Are you okay, Mads? The place looks amazing. But this is extreme, even for Mrs. Claus here.” I bounce my hip against hers, gently trying to press her for more.
Wiping the small beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm, she lets out a deep sigh. “I just feel super lonely. I really thought I’d have someone to spend Christmas with this year.” She stares blankly at the beige ball of dough she’s excessively rolling, now near flat as a pancake. I wince at her words, feeling bad for not being around very much the last few weeks.
“Hey Mad’s, you know I’ll always spend Christmas with you. Hell, whenever you need me, I will always be there.”
I wrap her in a tight embrace. She always spends so much time making sure everyone around her is happy that she overlooks herself.
“I don’t mean you silly, I know you won’t go anywhere. You made a solid deal to have Christmas with me until we run out of Christmas. I mean, I just wish I’d find someone to love me. Like you’ve found with Keller.”
I wrap her tighter so she drops the death grip on the rolling pin. “I promise you, your time will come. The universe is just waiting to send you the perfect man at the perfect time so all your stars can align.”
Snapping her head up, she pushes from my embrace. “Ha! You just admitted you and Keller are in loooooooove,‘’ she teases, so I give her a dramatic eye roll.
“I did not say that. You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“Keller and Sienna sittin’ in a tree.”
“Stop it, Maddie,” I warn as I whack her arm, causing her to burst out into a fit of infectious laughter. So much so that I can’t help but join her.
Once all twelve oddly cut gingerbread men cookies are safely baking away in the oven, Maddie gives me clear instructions to remove them from their furnace in precisely 18 minutes. She’s gone off to get ready for Keller’s charity boxing match later this evening. “Oh Si, a package came for you earlier today,” she says, poking her head out of her room. “I stuck it on your bed. I checked the label and looks like it's from a legit company. Looks fancy as fuck, actually. Rather than some more burned crap from Jamie.” Going back into her room, she calls over her shoulder. “Don’t forget the cookies.”
“I’ll try,” I shout back. She has absolutely no faith in my domestic skills.
I haven’t ordered anything, so I am more than intrigued by what’s been delivered to me. I quickly dart to my room to see.
A large rectangular shiny black box rests on my bed. It’s finished off with a silky gold ribbon, tied in a perfect bow on the top. My shaky hands gently pull the lengths of the bow, then I lift the lid off and toss it on the bed, revealing layers of thick, black tissue paper. A gold envelope nestled on top catches my eye.
Grabbing the note, I rip the top open and pull out the card.
“An outfit fit for a goddess. You are my Goddess, Sienna. Wear this tonight so I can tear it off you later. All my love, Your Champ x x x ”
Tears threaten to fall as I pull apart the tissue to reveal a stunning gold sequin material. Pulling the dress out of the box, I hold it up and admire its beauty. Thin gold chain straps connect to a plunge line dress which trails down longer on one side. It would just about brush past my knee. I hang it on the back of my door; the sequins reflecting the light and sparkling around the room. A long rectangular black velvet box rests in the packaging. Surely not. This dress is glitzy enough as it is. And I don’t imagine Keller is the kind of guy to go jewelry shopping in his spare time away from the gym.
Inside the box rests a thin gold chain necklace with a dazzling princess-cut diamond. The way the light reflects and the clarity of the stone, there is absolutely no way this is zirconia. This right here is the real deal. Simply stunning and elegant, a perfect pairing with the dress. This must have cost more than my month’s wages. Shit, probably even more than that, knowing Keller. That man doesn’t hold back when it comes to buying fancy things.
