Katlyn Duncan - Wrapped Up for Christmas

‘Have you thought about what you’re going to do moving forward?’ Reese asked.

‘I sent a bunch of resumes before I left California. It’s a good thing since the Wi-Fi is spotty at home.’

‘You can always come over to my place to do that stuff. You know Jeremy and his gaming. We have the highest tier of internet we can afford. Which still seems not enough for him.’ She made no effort to hide an eye roll.

‘Thanks,’ Angie said, unsure of why she didn’t think of that before. ‘Hopefully I’ll hear back soon.’

‘Are you considering staying local?’ Reese asked.

Angie remembered what Jeremy told her the other day about Reese missing her. She missed her best friend too, but soon a baby would distract her. Though, Angie wouldn’t mind being closer to home for visits. Anything to be as far from Brett and his fiancée as possible.

‘I’ll take anything I can right now but most of the bigger jobs are in cities, and I feel like I can’t stay at home with everyone there. Mom is already driving me crazy and I’ve only been back for two days!’

‘How so?’

Angie rarely complained about her mother around Reese since her friend’s parents had died in a car accident not long after their high school graduation. ‘It’s just a lot. I went from being on my own to a house full of relatives. Nonna and Nonno are at each other’s throats most of the time. It’s all innocent, but loud. Since they came to stay with us, Mom is working less, so I think things are a little hectic for everyone.’

‘Well, you know my house is always open to a little company. We have a sweet couch bed. Jeremy says it’s comfortable.’

‘Do you really make him sleep out there?’

She shook her head. ‘He chooses to. I can’t get comfortable lately, and this prevents him from shuffling around like a zombie at work after I toss and turn all night.’

Angie wished there was someone in the world who was that selfless for her. With the ghost of Brett looming over her, she doubted that would ever be the case. She didn’t deserve that kind of love if she couldn’t tell that someone wasn’t single while she dated them.

Angie followed Reese around, while her thoughts drifted. They were different shoppers. Angie liked to browse while Reese always went straight to where she needed to be. Within an hour, she already had all but one gift.

Angie wished there were carts in the store. The box holding a large decorative bowl for Jeremy’s mother-in-law dug into her side, and she started to regret the offer to hold everything for Reese.

‘I’m done here,’ Reese said, topping the pile with several shirts for her niece and nephew.

Angie adjusted her grip. ‘We’re going to your car after this.’

‘Can you go? I need to put my feet up. Then, we can shop for Jer.’

At the checkout, a bright red sign with NOW HIRING in bold letters stood out to her. Angie loved Christmas season at the mall. There were always interesting people shopping for their loved ones. As a teen, she worked at numerous places around the mall. When she worked at the information booth her senior of high school, she had been a big people-watcher. During Christmas, there were even more crowds, and it had entertained her to no end. It distracted her from the long hours during the holiday season.

Reese noticed the sign too, tapping the top with her finger. ‘Why don’t you work temporarily over your break? There are always places hiring here in December.’

‘At the mall? No way.’

The older woman behind the desk eyed her.

Angie avoided looking at the woman. She didn’t mean to offend her but working at the mall had been a high school job, not a career choice for her.

‘Well, it might get you out of the house,’ Reese said. ‘Isn’t that what you wanted?’

‘Not at all,’ Angie said under her breath as Reese paid. ‘Besides, I don’t want to start something new for just a few weeks. When someone calls me back for a job, I’ll have to quit. In any case, what is it going to look like on my resume?’

Reese took the receipt from the woman and slipped it into the bag on Angie’s shoulder. ‘I’m sure they need supervisors or something. That never looks bad on a job application.’

‘I guess. But I’m hoping one of these offers comes through first.’

‘Do you want me to look over your resume?’

Reese was top of their English class and always used to correct people’s grammar, which thoroughly annoyed everyone. It took years to break her of that habit.

‘I would love that,’ Angie said, slightly regretting that she had already sent it to prospective job opportunities already. But there was always room for improvement.

‘Email it to me, and I’ll review it,’ Reese said.

‘Thank you.’

Reese looped her arm in Angie’s. ‘After you get back from the car, we need to get a snack.’

‘We just ate,’ Angie said.

Reese rolled her eyes. ‘Do you even know me at all?’ She made a show of thinking about her food choices. ‘How about we share a pretzel?’

‘As long as you’re paying,’ Angie said.

‘Deal.’

Nick pulled onto the gravel driveway toward David’s house. It wasn’t even six, and the sun was already across the horizon. A brightly lit Christmas tree glistened through the front windows. It seemed as if everyone was ready for the holidays except for him. He had no idea where to start, or if he wanted to bother this year. It wasn’t as if anyone was coming over his place to celebrate.

Charlie started whining from the backseat, and her tail swished against Nick’s face as she paced between the two windows. Nick was lucky to have the type of dog who didn’t need to be on a leash. City ordinances required it for their runs, but she liked coming to David’s house as much as he did. The three acres of land away from the road allowed her to roam without restriction.

Nick parked next to the shared family silver SUV as David appeared from around the corner of the house.

Charlie’s whines escalated until Nick opened her door. She bounded onto the front seat and hopped onto the ground. She sniffed around David’s feet before taking off toward the back of the house.

‘You’re late,’ David said, tucking his hand into the pocket of his jeans. With his flannel shirt, he looked more like a cowboy than an ex-corporate type.

Nick was late by almost an hour. He couldn’t help but wonder if his dad had seen his meeting with David in his calendar and added more to his workload on purpose. The truth was, Nick wasn’t on anyone’s side. He loved them both and couldn’t imagine choosing between his brother and father. Nick wished his dad would stop being so stubborn.

‘Might want to put a jacket on.’ Nick shivered at the chilly night air.

‘I’m hot-blooded, remember?’ David said, clapping a hand on Nick’s back.

Nick tugged the collar of his pea coat tighter around his neck.

‘You’ve spent too much time in a heated office,’ David said, inspecting Nick’s suit. ‘You need to get outside more often. You’re pale as hell.’

‘Look who’s talking,’ Nick said, shoving away David’s hand. David pushed away a chunk of light brown hair from his face. It was much longer and freer than it had been when he worked for their father.

David chuckled and turned around. ‘I’m almost done in the workshop. Come back with me for a minute.’

As they walked over, Charlie galloped across the lawn, sniffing everything along the trail toward the doggy door at the back of the house, leading into the kitchen. David had made it for her before she had turned one. They didn’t have a pet, but David’s handiwork gave his sons, Evan and James, enough of an excuse to ask their parents for a dog around any major holiday. Nick suspected it was part of the reason David allowed Charlie to visit since it allowed the kids to play with a dog without long-term commitments.