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“It’s like a specialty thing. Gourmet.”
“Gourmet?” Her eyes were bright with amusement. “Okay. So, we can’t string popcorn to make a garland for the tree… do you have paper? Markers?”
She was something else and he couldn’t help the smile pulling at his lips. “You’ll be wanting the arts and crafts store, I think.” He pulled out his phone. “They’ll still be open, we could run into town—” Most weeks, he tried to go to town not at all. Once at most. Somehow she had him willing to go twice in one day.
“No… I know! Paper and scissors?”
“Those I do have.”
“Perfect!” She beamed a smile at him. “You know how to make paper snowflakes?”
“Yeah, nah. Can’t say I do.”
“What do they teach you in school on this continent?” She laughed. “Doesn’t matter. I have a better idea for you.” She went to the coffee table and turned off the silly Christmas music she’d been playing since he’d come home with the tree. “What’s your favourite Christmas movie? Wait— don’t tell me. It’sThe Grinch, isn’t it?”
He let out a laugh. “If I have to pick, I guess it’d be that. The animated one, not the live action one.”
“Okay. You bring me paper and scissors and I’ll get to work while you find a way to stream it.” With that, she plunked herself down right in the middle of the couch.
* * *
He was in the kitchen,digging around in the fridge for something that might pass as dinner when Lena let out a high-pitched shriek, sending a bolt of fear straight up his spine.
She was supposed to be hanging the tree with the intricately cut snowflakes she’d made while they’d watched the movie—her from the couch, him from the armchair, because Copper was curled in the spot where he wanted to be.
She let out another shrill shriek. “Ew ew ew! Oh my God!”
In the space of a heartbeat, he went from being irritated with himself for not having been brave enough to sit on the couch next to Lena to exploding into battle-readiness, his every nerve primed for action, his heart doing its best to fight its way out of his chest. Adrenaline or panic attack? He was never sure until it was too late.
“Lena! What is it?” She didn’t answer. His ribs ratcheted themselves tighter, a constricting cage. “What’s wrong?
She shrieked again and he bolted for her. She was flailing her arms wildly. “They’re on me!”
He was at her side in an instant, grabbing for one of her hands, while Copper barked, a sharp, warning type bark, over and over. “What’s on you?”
“Spiders!”
He took a firmer grip on her, just to hold her still enough he could look closer. She had dozens—no, more—of baby spiders crawling all over her arms.
“Oh my God! Get them off!” She yanked her hand from his and shook it violently, as if she might fling the spiders off. Except they were spiders. They had grip.
“Outside. Now.”
He hustled her towards the door and threw it open, before dashing back for the tree itself, only remembering to unplug the lights at the last second. Swearing the whole time, he carried the tree down the porch steps, nearly tripping over Copper who was still barking. He dropped the tree to the ground and whirled to help Lena, who was beside herself, blowing sharp puffs of air to get the spiders off and simultaneously brushing her hands down her arms and shuddering.
That was when he felt a tickling on his arm.Bloody hell!They were on him too. Of course. He’d carried the spider-infested Christmas tree outside. As calmly and quietly as possible, he did the same thing Lena was, blowing and brushing, blowing and brushing.
“I think they’re in my hair!” Lena wailed.
He hated to mention the other distinct possibility, when his goal was getting her calm again, but he felt he had to. “They’re probably under your shirt too.”
Before he even had a chance to tell her he’d turn his back so she could take her clothes off outside and then run for the shower, she’d whipped her shirt off.
11
ALL IS CALM
Lena was shirtless and covered in spiders.
