“Oh, my gosh, I just realized something,” Arianna said. “I’m not sitting around hating on Wyatt. And there’s a fire burning in the fireplace and no smoke,” she added with a giggle and a hiccup.
“You’ve come a long way, daughter,” Mia said, smiling at her.
“I’ll drink to that,” Alden said, raising his near-empty glass. “To getting past the bad stuff.”
“To getting past the bad stuff,” Arianna agreed.
There was more bad to come but at least her Wyatt misery was behind her. The rest she’d face when the time came.
Meanwhile, “On the first day of Christmas,” she sang, beginning their song all over again. Ho, ho, ho...hic!
CHRISTMAS
IN DECEMBER
30
Molly had added another bobblehead to her collection and had mini candy canes on hand to give to all good little postal customers. Even the naughty ones.
“It’s the season to be jolly,” she told Mrs. Mason, who rubbed her hip and frowned.
Molly frowned back. “Have you stopped getting your massages?”
Mrs. Mason shrugged. “They get a little expensive.”
Molly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down her address. “You come over to my house tonight. I’ll have someone there who can help you.”
Mrs. Mason looked at her in surprise. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Oh, Molly, bless you,” said the woman.
“I have been blessed,” Molly said, thinking of Reggie.
On her lunch break she called her friend Rachel, the massage genius. “Can you do a house call tonight?”
“For you, I can do some juggling,” said Rachel. “How does seven work?”
“Great.”
“Your hip bothering you?”
“Not mine, one of my customers.”
“You’re paying for your customer to have a massage?”
Postal regulations were strict regarding what kind of gifts postal workers could receive from customers, but as far as Molly knew, there was nothing that said she couldn’t do a kindness for a friend. Still... “You don’t need to go blabbing this all over town.”
“And you don’t need to be paying me. I’ll do it for free. After all, it is the season of giving.”
“Yes, it is,” Molly said, and thanked her.
She returned to her window, full of Christmas spirit.
Until she saw the long line that had grown. Helen was doing her best to keep up, but...’twas the season.
Molly took down the closed sign and smiled at the next customer in line, a woman with a bag full of packages to go out.
