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He glanced around more than a little frantically and leaped upon the first thing he saw. It just happened to be thebestthing for his best friend.
He grabbed the box and brandished it over his head. “Jazz, check it. The perfect gift for Simon.”
She leaped up and snatched the game out of his hands, then blinked. And blinked again. “Seriously?”
“C’mon, it’s hilarious. He’ll die laughing. Everyone will laugh. It’s awesome.” He took the box back from her and shook it. “The game Simon for Simon. Tell me that’s not a killer idea.”
“You actually get laid? Wonders never cease.” Shaking her head, Jazz disappeared down a craft aisle.
He stared down at the box. It was a great idea, wasn’t it? Sure, it wasn’t a Lamborghini or something Simon’s newly posh ass would appreciate, but this was from their childhood. Or not even their childhood, but children before them.
And shit, look at that. A vintage Atari game console, pristine in the box. He snatched it up and looked around. He half expected some kid to come flying at him on a skateboard and steal it out of his grip. Kids on skateboards were about all that was missing from this place.
Fuck everyone else. The game system was for him.
“What do you have there?” Jazz wheeled a cart full of knitting crap in his direction. She’d been crafting up a storm. He wouldn’t be surprised if she bought a loom one day and set it up in the living room next to the perpetual diapering station.
“Stuff.” He turned away before she could criticize his latest acquisition. What he needed was his own cart. Or else he’d hide his packages under her piles of girly things.
“Is it dirty?” Jazz asked suspiciously. “Some kind of naked woman boxed calendar?”
“They have those here?”
She shook her head. “You’re hopeless. C’mon, there’s more at the front of the store, since you’re insistent on getting junk no one will use.”
“Excuse me, but this game will provide hours of entertainment.” He didn’t show her the Atari. He didn’t know if any of the other guys—or girls for that matter—would be interested, but frankly, it didn’t matter. If he ended up spending his Christmas Eve alone with a six pack and Space Invaders, well, there were worse things.
“Whatever you say. Super Slut is more on your wavelength than I am, that’s for sure.”
“That’s reformed Super Slut.”
“Yes, yes, I know, he’s found monogamy and the heavens rejoiced.” Jazz grinned and barreled up the aisle, causing shoppers to part like the veritable Red Sea. “You could get Harper kitchen stuff. Nothing too high grade, because she’s fussy, but she likes the gadgets too. The cheap gadgets,” she added, sensing his attention had already begun to wander.
“So I’m frugal. Is that a crime?”
“No, but it’s Christmas. Spreading love and cash is the American way. C’mon, I see juicers.”
Dutifully, he followed Jazz to the kitchen section. He’d requested her assistance, so he’d let her do her thing.
By the time they’d done a lap through the mall, he had enough crap to fill a warehouse. Some of his gifts were downright epic. Jazz didn’t seem to think so, but he had to assume that was because she didn’t want him to show her up at tonight’s gift giving deal. She probably hadn’t gotten anything half as cool as some of the stuff he’d snagged.
He only had one person left.
Outside the jewelry store, he stopped. There was a mannequin draped in a scarf and a long black pearl necklace. It looped down her back several times and seemed to glow under the lights. Damn, that would look incredible on Lila. Against her creamy skin, the dark pearls would gleam. And it was long enough to loop around her wrists…
Nick detoured into the store without warning Jazz, who scampered behind him. “Now this is a different sort of store for you. No magnetic chess sets in here—oh. Oh.” Jazz pressed as close to the counter as she could, though she was laden down with a few of his bags. He’d insisted he could carry them all, but she’d grabbed a couple and taken off. “Look at that gorgeousness.”
While she was distracted with sparkles, he eased one of the bags out of her hand. “Whatcha looking at?”
“Diamonds. What else?”
“Me, I’m looking at pearls.”
And already imagining what Lila would look like in that necklace.Onlythat necklace.
Nick nodded at the nearest sales associate, who was eyeing the pair of them as if they were planning a holiday heist. The dude was about to get the surprise of his life. “Hello, sir. We’d like some help.”
“Yeah, I need me some bling.” Jazz popped up on her Converse sneakers to peer at the far end of the case. “Like that banging bracelet. Can you see me in that?”
