Year’s resolutions were made for a reason, right?
“Thanks, and Merry Christmas, Cruz!”
“Merry Christmas, Clio. Nice PJs.” He raised a sardonic brow.
Staring down at my ensemble I couldn’t help but smirk. Isla and Micah had gifted us all kitschy Christmas-themed gifts. My pajamas were festooned with grinning red-nosed reindeers and merry mistletoe; the material was so vividly red they were blink-inducing. Let’s just say you wouldn’t have missed me even if you were in the next town over. My dressing gown covered most of the garishness but not quite enough apparently.
“Right?” I laughed.
A moment later, in walked Amory, wearing her gift from Isla and Micah. Flashing candy-cane earrings and a matching headband.
“Aww you look so… Christmassy.” I grinned. I hadn’t seen Amory embrace the holidays with quite so much flamboyance so early in the morning before.
“Coffee.”
We laughed at Amory’s usual one-word dawn greeting, her Grinch-like tone a total opposite to her flashing festive accessories. Even on Christmas morning she was unable to communicate until caffeine was pumping through her veins. I poured her a gingerbread coffee and she gulped it down, then held the cup out for another, which she sipped a little more gingerly.
I gave her the prerequisite three minutes to let it work its magic before saying: “Did you hear the sleigh bells last night?”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Is that some kind of euphemism? Because if you want to know about my sex life all you need to do is ask.”
A shocked giggle escaped me. “Amory!” Cruz turned away and did his best to appear busy, though I could see his shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“What? Isn’t that what you meant?” she grinned, evil minx that she was.
“No, it isn’t! I meant actual sleigh bells! I think someone in town must have been marching around as Santa last night. Maybe we missed a Christmas parade or something.”
“Oh, my bad.” Her face was the picture of innocence but it was hard to concentrate when she had all manner of kitschy Christmas jewelry flashing from her head. “Of course something like that would be happening in a town like Evergreen, darling! There seems to be a festival for everything here.”
I smiled as I took a sip of coffee. Amory was right, Evergreen prided itself on having an event for every season. I’d missed the autumn food festival, but the switching on of the town lights and the ginormous Christmas tree had been truly spectacular. And before long, the spring flower festival would be here.
“And I see you’re wearing your gift,” Amory said, motioning to Cruz.
On top of Cruz’s head was a novelty chef’s hat announcing, No soggy bottoms this Christmas!
He grimaced. “Well, I figure I have three hundred and sixty-four days that I don’t have to wear it. And I only whipped it on when I heard footsteps and thought it might be Isla checking up on me.” With a grin, he pulled it off and threw it on the bench.
“Oh no, here comes Isla now!” Amory hissed. I darted a glance over my shoulder, sure Isla and Micah were elsewhere. They’d left in the early hours of this morning, after our Christmas Eve celebrations finally came to a close, in order to make it to Micah’s family for Christmas.
Cruz’s eyes widened and he fumbled and cursed as he stuffed it back on.
“Just joking! Isla and Micah aren’t coming for breakfast today.”
He narrowed his eyes and clutched at his heart. “You’re evil. Pure evil.”
Amory laughed. “But you make it so easy!”
Cruz was the epitome of politeness and it was almost impossible for us not to play practical jokes or tease him mercilessly. He took it in good humor, and it made the busy days a little more fun.
“And,” I said, “Isla has spies. She’ll know if you’re not wearing your hat.”
Shaking his head, he donned the offending item, and said with a smile, “It’s a lovely hat. The best.”
“You’re a lucky man.” Amory stood to kiss him, and I felt a moment of pure joy for my friends.
“You should see what Isla got for Micah’s parents. Bright-Kermit-green Christmas onesies. With matching slippers. They’ll certainly be warm, if nothing else.” Amory giggled.
I blamed Henrietta from the giftshop in town for encouraging Isla; still, when we’d given out presents the night before, our laughter had turned into a full-fledged cackle-fest as the gifts got sillier by the moment. When she produced a talking elf you could teach to speak, the night had disintegrated into chaos with everyone wanting to take a turn, teaching the innocent elf some not-so-innocent phrases.
It had been an endless evening of laughter until Micah had presented Isla with her very own real-life constellation that he’d named after her; we’d let out a collective aww, and the night had ended on a sweet note with everyone loved up, and me dreaming of being loved up…
Speaking of loved up. “Where’s Kai?” I knew full well that man did not sleep in, rain, hail, shine or snow.
“Trudging up the mountain,” Cruz said as he flipped pancakes. “He invited me but, tempting as it was, I couldn’t let you girls wake up Christmas morning without a decent breakfast and gingerbread coffee now, could I?”
“Riiiiight,” I said. “Sure, you couldn’t.”
He ducked his head and laughed. “I’m all for exercise but not in a blizzard. Still, he should be back soon, he left ages ago.”
I tutted, glancing out the window at the snowflakes seesawing down. The scene was Christmas-card perfect when you were warm beside a fire inside. Battling the elements outside was another thing entirely.
“I’ll stoke the potbelly stove so he can defrost when he gets back, crazy fool that he is.” I’d never known anyone like Kai. There was something in nature that pulled at him, like he needed time each day to be alone, somewhere he could hear himself think. I couldn’t believe he’d soon be heading back to San Fran. Cedarwood didn’t feel quite right when he was gone.
Fairy lights blinked intermittently from window frames, brightening the somber skies. Cruz busied himself folding fresh berries into sheets of puff pastry, and Amory drank gingerbread coffee like her life depended on it.
In the silence I thought of my mom, and how she’d react when she found out Isla had discovered the maze last night. In my heart of hearts, I knew I couldn’t bring it up today. She would shut down and it had the potential to ruin Christmas. Mom was a sensitive soul at the best of times and the idea of telling her made my stomach somersault. How would she react? I had no idea how to broach it with her.
“What are you making?” I asked as a pan sizzled, glad for the distraction. Cruz didn’t just cook for the sake of cooking, he went all out, even though it was just the four of us eating Christmas breakfast. All good practice, he claimed, because he was rusty after
