Chloe
Some people hate Christmas shopping.They hate the crowds, and they hate trying to find the perfect gift.
They prefer shopping online and getting it all done with a click of the mouse.
Not me.
I love Christmas shopping. I love the sounds and the smells and the sights of the holiday season.
Online shopping can never beat that.
“Oh, this is cute,” I say to Kiera, picking up a onesie with a cartoon reindeer on the front. We’re currently looking for a present for her new niece.
“They’re all freaking cute.” She takes it from me and searches through the neat stacks for more. “Did I tell you, my sister bought tickets to a charity event for while I’m visiting her in Lake Tahoe?”
“What kind of charity event?”
“It’s some fancy masquerade ball she’s been helping organize. Which means I need to buy a dress for it.”
“You don’t sound too thrilled.”
She grabs a onesie with a smiling snowman on it. “I don’t know. I think I’d be happier just wearing PJs and hanging out with my niece. Getting a dress seems like too much effort.”
“You could always hope your fairy godmother pays you a visit and turns your ratty old pajamas into a beautiful ball gown.” I grin at her impishly.
She laughs. “I like that idea better.”
“But don’t they usually come with pumpkin coaches and kisses at midnight with a stranger?”
“Given there are no royal princes in Lake Tahoe at this time of year—or any time of the year—I don’t have to worry about that part of the fairy tale coming true.”
“I don’t know, being kissed by a good-looking stranger, royal or otherwise, sounds pretty wonderful to me,” I say on a dramatic sigh that has her laughing.
“You miss him, don’t you?”
Her out-of-the-blue question surprises me. “Miss who?”
“You know very well who I’m talking about.”
“Who, Landon?” At her nod, I continue, “In case you’ve forgotten, he hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s still substituting for Zoe’s class.”
Kiera doesn’t know the real reason Landon’s and my whirlwind romance came to an abrupt end. But she also doesn’t know the truth about my family, and why Mark, my stepfather, and my father disappeared from my life.
Nor has the news mentioned the discovery of their bodies. The FBI seems to be keeping it under wraps for now.
“Are you having second thoughts about spending Christmas with your sister and brother-in-law?” I ask, needing to change the subject.
She shakes her head, then shrugs. “Maybe. But I know I need to go. I’ve avoided visiting them there since…”She leaves the words hanging and shrugs again. Her husband died on a ski hill in Lake Tahoe. “It’s time I finally say good-bye to him.”
I smile softly at her. “I think you’re right.”
“Will you help me find a dress?”
“And get to be your fairy godmother? Absolutely.”
We continue with our Christmas shopping. One of the sad parts about not having a family to share the holidays with is that it means I don’t have many people to shop for. Which is another reason I love shopping with Kiera.
She does have a family.
