Yours for Christmas

A question with an implication he should have seen coming, he thought, pulling out onto the road.

“I do.”

“She says you’re not her boyfriend. That you’re just friends.”

“That’s true.”

“What’s the difference? Is it kissing? Because you don’t kiss my mom and Uncle Ford kisses Aunt Isabel all the time.”

“Some of it is the kissing,” he said, ignoring the memory of the incredible kiss he and Bailey had shared. She’d about brought him to his knees with a chaste kiss. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if things got hotter. Not that they would, because he wasn’t going there.

He tried a not-so-subtle distraction by asking which of the stores she wanted to go to first. Lucky for him, it worked.

They went to The Christmas Attic. He’d never been inside before and despite the name, he wasn’t expecting quite so much...Christmas. There were trees and ornaments, stuffed animals, decorations and Christmas music playing.

“I know what I want,” Chloe said as she took his hand.

“Good because this place scares me.”

She giggled. “It’s okay. You’re safe with me.”

The trees were all done with different colors and styles. He paused by one done in primary colors with Máa-zib tribal ornaments. Chloe made a beeline for one that was decorated in silver and red, and plucked a quirky ornament from one branch, an elephant on rockers.

“This one,” she told him.

He took it from her and they went to pay. The tall blonde at the cash register wrapped it in tissue.

“I wondered if you’d be back,” she said to Chloe. “You’ve been eyeing this one for a while.”

Chloe nodded. “You won’t tell her, will you?”

“Of course not.” The woman looked at him. “Hi. We met at the painting party. I’m Noelle.”

“I remember. Hi.”

Her brows rose. “Helping Chloe with her shopping?”

The question wasn’t a problem. It was the speculative tone that had him shifting his weight. “Uh, yeah.” He passed over a twenty.

“Nice.”

He held in a groan. There were parts of this shopping expedition he hadn’t thought through.

She handed him his change, gave the bag containing the ornament to Chloe and wished them a merry Christmas.

Their next stop was Isabel’s store. Fortunately she was too busy to speculate. She rang up the leather-glove purchase with only a harried smile. Kenny took that bag, then guided Chloe outside.

“What’s next?” he asked.

“Candy.” Chloe smiled. “You have to have candy in your stocking. There’s a store by Morgan’s Books that sells fudge. My friend Allison said they have Christmas candy in little bags. That would be nice.”

“Sounds good.” Kenny glanced at the other stores in the square. One in particular caught his eye. “Chloe, can I put something in your mom’s stocking?”

“Sure. What?”

He pointed to the sign that read Jenel’s Gems, and said, “Let’s find out.”

Like every other business in town, Jenel’s Gems was decorated for the holidays. There were twinkle lights and a Christmas tree in the corner. The inside of the glass display cases had shiny ornaments scattered around.

Jenel, a pretty blonde with an easy smile, approached. “Hello. How can I help you?”

“We’re buying something for my mom,” Chloe told her.

“How nice,” Jenel said. She turned to Kenny. “What kind of jewelry does your wife like?”

Kenny froze. “She’s, ah, not my wife. We’re friends. I was thinking of maybe a...” His gaze fell on one of the cases. “A necklace.”

“Of course.” Jenel moved behind the counter. “We have a large selection. Why don’t you look them over and tell me what appeals to you.”

Chloe joined him. Together they studied the circles and hearts. There was a silver snowflake, but Kenny didn’t think Bailey would wear that.

“I like that one,” Chloe said, pointing to a stylized heart that was hanging a little on its side.

Jenel pulled it out and put it on a velvet tray. “This is sterling silver. An eighteen-inch chain. It comes in different sizes, and different materials.”

He studied it. “I like it better than the hearts that are straight,” he said.

“Me, too,” Chloe told him. “It’s happier that way.”

“What else have you got like this?” he asked Jenel.

“Let me show you.”

She brought out similar hearts in yellow gold. One had a few little diamonds on one side. The last one she showed them was the same heart covered in pavé diamonds, on a platinum chain.

“Look!” Chloe said, pointing to the heart. “It’s sparkling in the light. That’s so pretty.”

“I agree.” He looked at Jenel. “We’ll take that one.”

“Of course. Would you like me to gift-wrap it?”

“Please.”

Chloe clapped her hands together. “My mom is going to love that. I can’t wait to see her open it.”

“You won’t say anything, though, right?”

She pressed her lips together and made an X on her chest. “I promise.”

“Good. Are there any presents under the tree?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ll go look.”