“Thank you. Seriously. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Hey, you were there for us when we were figuring our shit out. It’s the least we can do to return the favor,” Ethan said sincerely.
“Thanks, guys. I’ll drop off and let you two lovebirds continue catching up. Will I see you at Christmas?”
“If our flights are on time, we should be there for the Christmas Eve dinner,” Ethan said.
“Really? That’s amazing. Thank you.” God, my friends were seriously the best.
“For what it’s worth, Mickey, I’ve been hearing that you’re happier than you have been in a long time. And word on the street is that you told Amos about your cheese.”
“I did.” I cleared my throat. “It was on a burger special at Sparky’s.”
Andre’s and Ethan’s mouths fell open.
“Does Joe know?”
I shook my head. “I asked Dad to put it on a special, but he said we’ll revisit it next year.”
“But Amos made it happen?”
“Yeah.” My heart fluttered. “He did.”
Andre’s big smile told me all I needed to know about what he thought of Amos.
“Don’t give up, okay? Ride this out.” Ethan’s tone was serious.
“I promise. Thanks, guys.”
“Hey, before you sign off, what’s this thing about a Maple Street Prowler?” Andre asked.
I groaned.
MAPLEWOOD MATTERS BLOG
DECEMBER 18
If you haven’t been to Sparky’s recently, you need to try their new bleu cheeseburger special. But if you’re lactose intolerant and don’t want to be tempted, stay far away!
They’ve hard-launched a hot new local cheesemaker: Mystic Rind. Trust me, I’ve scoured the internet until my fingers bled, but I can’t find a trace of this delicious cheese being sold anywhere else. If you’re a fan of all things dairy, then you need to head to Sparky’s on an empty stomach. You’ll thank me.
If anyone has the scoop on Mystic Rind, let us know! We need to know how to get more without a B&E at Sparky’s. Though maybe the Maple Street Prowler was onto something…KIDDING Maplewood PD!
TWENTY-SEVEN
MICKEY
The tall pine at Maplewood City Park, wrapped in colorful twinkle lights, shone brightly in the dark morning like a beacon welcoming the day’s coming revelry. With Christmas one week away, the town was fully decked out for the holiday.
I turned onto Maple Street and smiled at the warm glow of off-white twinkle lights illuminating my path to work. There was something extra special about this time of year in town, especially with a dusting of snow on the ground. Enough to be pretty without being a pain in the ass.
Despite the early hour to cover the breakfast shift for a part-timer who was sick, I’d woken in a great mood after spending another amazing evening with Amos. I’d finished the book he’d gotten me and loved it. After bringing each other to orgasm, we’d cuddled and talked about everything and nothing until we fell asleep.
I parked on a side street and whistled as I approached Red’s. The lights were on, and Dad was surely halfway through prep for the early birds who would be here soon.
When I opened the back door, I heard Dad stomping around. Uh-oh. The old cooler was probably on the fritz again. We seriously needed to upgrade some things.
“Hey, Dad,” I called.
