Chapter 2531: 114
Chapter 114: An Essential Christmas Special
An Essential Christmas Special
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I woke to the sound of my phone vibrating, and into my pillow, I let out a long groan.
Seriously? It was Christmas. I was on vacation. I was supposed to be enjoying it and sleeping in. Who wanted me at…
I glanced at the clock.
10:03 in the morning? I'd slept even longer than I'd thought I would.
My hand slapped down onto my bedside table, and I grabbed my phone, thumbing open the lock screen with a practiced motion to find out who had texted me. Like I didn't already know.
Smug Bitch: Merry Christmas!
A moment later, my phone vibrated in my hand and I got another text, because apparently, Lisa had sent it as a group chat.
Panpan Wonderland: It's too early for this.
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Smug Bitch: It's 10 am. If you're not out of bed in the next five minutes, I'm coming in after you.
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Back and forth they went, sniping at each other via text when they lived in the same damn apartment. A sigh hissed out of my mouth, but I found myself smiling.
Queen of the Castle: Merry Christmas. I'll see you guys later today.
After getting an acknowledgement back from both of them — snarky from Lisa and grudging from Amy — I set my phone back down and let them do their own thing as I pulled myself out of bed.
Dad was already in the kitchen by the time I made it downstairs, standing in front of the oven with a mixing bowl and a tray of unbaked cookies set atop the stove. A covered plate sat in my usual spot on the table.
I took a sniff. "Is that…gingerbread?"
Dad smiled sheepishly.
"You do remember the Great Gingerbread Disaster of '06, don't you?"
"It won't be that bad," he protested.
One of my eyebrows lifted. The expression on my face must have conveyed my skepticism. "Uh-huh. You say that, but I'm not sure I believe it."
He shook his head, smiling, and gestured to the plate. "Anyway, I made you some breakfast. Should still be hot."
"Thanks."
French toast and a cinnamon glaze — fancy, for Dad's usual fare. Dad wasn't exactly a breakfast guru, though, so I took it in the spirit it was made and enjoyed every bite.
"Ready for the party later tonight?" Dad asked as I washed my dishes.
"Ready for something," I replied wryly. "If those two can keep their mouths to themselves, anyway."
Dad laughed. "Yeah, Lisa and Amy sure are something, aren't they? I don't have any idea how they live together."
"Me neither."
"Dennis is coming, too, right?"
I felt my cheeks warm a little, and the tips of my ears were probably bright red. "Yeah. He's back from college for the Christmas break."
Dad, mercifully, didn't tease me.
"And the others?"
"Melanie RSVP'd, and Carlos said he'd probably stop by, but Dean has one of his family's fancy hobnobbers and Missy is getting pulled into something with her family, so she doesn't think she'll make it."
"That's too bad," Dad said.
"Colin said he might stop by," I went on, "but he and Dragon are, uh, doing something personal tonight."
"He does know they can just call it a date, right?"
"We let them pretend we don't see it."
Dad laughed.
I left Dad and went to take my shower so I could start getting ready. Lisa had picked out a new dress for me to wear — again — so I could "knock Dennis's socks off."
That girl… Just how much money was she going to spend on me, anyway? It wasn't like we were broke or anything.
The rest of the morning and into the afternoon disappeared in a blur of preparations, with Dad baking and me trying to wrangle my hair and everything into cooperation, and before I knew it, we were heading out to the yearly Dockworkers Christmas party. It had been a few years since we attended the last one, but somehow, it seemed brighter and more lively than I remembered.
Maybe I had something to do with that? Easier to celebrate when the gangs weren't pressing on everyone's minds, I guess.
Kurt and Lacey met us near the entrance of the civic center, and their faces lit up with surprise when they saw us.
"Oh my god, Taylor!" Lacey gasped. "You look beautiful! Oh my — I thought I was looking at Annette for a minute, there!"
My cheeks warmed. "Thanks, Lacey."
"Dennis better be careful," Kurt said. "You're going to be turning a lot of heads, tonight." He turned to Dad. "Danny, you're looking good."
"Feeling good, Kurt," he said as they shook hands. After, Lacey pulled him into a brief hug and they exchanged kisses on each other's cheeks. "Lacey, as lovely as always."
"It's good to see you, Danny," said Lacey. "We've missed you at these the past few years, after…"
Dad smiled, a lopsided, not entirely happy thing. "Well, I finally managed to get my head screwed back on straight, so I thought it was time to get back out into the world and live life again."
The four of us made our way inside, and after a parting few words, Kurt and Lacey peeled off and went to mingle with the rest of the party. Dad looked to me and asked, "You going to be okay on your own?"
"Oh, I'm sure she can manage," Lisa said as she came upon us. "And if not, she has her other two musketeers to keep her company."
"Does that make you Athos, Porthos, or Aramis?" Amy asked from next to her.
"It's always so amazing when you're nerdy, Panpan."
Amy scowled.
"It's good to see you two," I said.
"Like you didn't just see us a day or two ago." Lisa laughed and spread her arms, and I rolled my eyes and let her pull me into a brief hug.
"That dress looks just as good on you as I expected it to," she said after she let go. Over her shoulder, she added, "Don't you think so, Panpan?"
Amy flushed a little and refused to meet my eyes. "Yeah. It looks good on you, Taylor."
"Well, you are the one who picked it out," I told her. Lisa grinned.
"I've got good taste, huh?"
"You've definitely got something."
"Ouch." She chuckled. "Well, money well spent, if you ask me."
"Perks of being a low key millionaire?" Amy drawled.
"Something like that."
Lisa glanced over my shoulder and smiled, then looped her arm around Amy's elbow. "I'm gonna take Panpan to go get some hors d'oeuvres. Be back in a minute, okay?"
"Grab something for me?"
"Maybe something minty," she teased.
And then she steered Amy away and into the crowd.
A moment later, a pair of hands settled on my shoulders, and into my ear, a familiar voice whispered, "Guess who."
Warmth filled up and spread through my chest, and I turned around to offer a smile and a kiss to a smartly dressed Dennis.
"Hey, you."
"Hey is for horses," he murmured.
Electric fire bloomed under my skin as the pad of his thumb brushed across my cheek.
"You're too young to be making dad jokes," I told him.
"Well, you know," he said sardonically, "I've just been so busy and all, I haven't had time to come up with better material."
"Too busy to come and visit your girlfriend?"
He chuckled. "Me, I'm nothing special. I want to go any further than a mile or two, I've gotta plan and have gas money and figure out how I'm getting there. My girlfriend, on the other hand, see, she's this really incredible girl. For her, no distance is too long, and if she wants to see me, she can get there before I'm finished putting my shoes on."
"I'm sure she'll come and visit more often, since she's so incredible," I said coyly.
He smiled. "I'd like that. For now, though, she doesn't have to go anywhere, because I'm still in town for another week or so, and I've got nothing pressing going on, so we can spend it however we like."
A shiver swept down my spine, and a curl of liquid fire settled in my belly. "I can think of a few ways I'd like to spend it."
His eyes widened a little and he opened his mouth — but I put a finger to his lips to forestall whatever he'd been about to say.
"Later," I promised.
"With how gorgeous you look right now?" he groaned softly. "I might just die of waiting, first."
A pleased flush stole across my face, and I made sure to put an extra bit of sway in my step as I walked away and led him along. I was too happy to think about whether or not it looked ridiculous.
We met back up with Amy and Lisa, and Melanie — Mouse Protector — was up on stage singing Christmas carols into a karaoke machine. Carlos managed to make it later on in the night, but he only stayed for maybe half an hour, long enough to mingle a little but not enjoy all the festivities to their fullest.
For a few hours, I forgot all of my worries, all of my plans and schemes, and I just enjoyed myself with my dad, my two friends, and my boyfriend.
Eventually, the night wound down and everyone begged off their goodbyes. Dennis and I shared one last kiss under the mistletoe, and then Dad and I left and made our way back home.
The smile on Dad's face made him look ten years younger.
Once we got back into the house, Dad set a hand on my shoulder and told me, "Wait here."
Then, he disappeared up the steps and came back down a minute later with a small, wrapped package.
"This is a very special Christmas present," he told me, and then handed it to me.
I looked at him for a second, then I tore off the wrapping paper to find a small, cardboard box, not much bigger than a pack of cards. Out of the cardboard came another box, a jewelry box, this time, with a golden lip and hinge on the back.
Mom had gotten me a few pieces of jewelry back when I was younger, some inexpensive bits and bobs to wear to formal parties and stuff, but Dad hadn't ever bought anything like that for me. For Mom, yeah, but not me.
The lid came up without a fight, and I gasped as I saw what was inside, hanging from a small, golden chain.
"Dad, this is…"
"Your mother's wedding ring," Dad said quietly.
My throat closed up. "Dad…"
"Not that I think you need to make use of it any time soon," he hurried to add. "In fact, try not to need it for at least another few years, okay? Like, say, ten or fifteen more? Actually, never is good, too."
I choked out a laugh.
"But when you're ready and it's time," he said, "I think she'd want you to have it. She… She can't be here in person, anymore, so…at least this way, she can…she can be there for your wedding day."
I gave him a watery smile and pulled him abruptly into a tight hug. After a moment, he hugged me back.
"Thanks, Dad."
"Merry Christmas, Little Owl."
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