Angel At Christmas Time (Days of Christmas – Season 2)

Chapter 1

Josh

“Idon’t suck in bed, Rach, you’re just a lame fish.” I growled at the phone, my eyes narrowing. “It’s really mature to dump someone over the phone, but I should have known better.” With that, I pushed the call button and took my glasses off, massaging both my eyes and my nose.

“Do I need to kick her ass?” Kelly asked me, stringing up the red and gold garland around the door frame to our three-bedroom house. I chuckled at the thought, because I knew she would.

Kelly has been my best friend since we were both in grade school and some butthead was picking on me because of my glasses. She liked them and then pushed him. She had gotten in trouble but when I defended her, the good student in class, the teacher let her go.

She and I had been stuck at the hip ever since, even with us being as different as night and day. Well, I was always more of the nerdy boy through high school, and even into adult hood, Kelly was always the bad ass, take no prisoners type. But together, we always worked.

“No,” I finally said, putting my glasses back on and dropping my phone on the table. “She's not worth it. And I can't bail you out of jail for it.”

She laughed as she got off the ladder and turned to look at me.

“She was a fool. And the one time I did meet her, I could tell she was just a dumb biddy.”

“Really now? Why don't you tell me how you really feel.”

I grabbed the few in-house directions we used for Christmas and started hanging them for her.

“I don't understand why you haven't found a woman who is good for you. Someone who actually cares about you and wants you as you are. And someone who certainly doesn't lie about you.”

I took out the strands of lights next and lifted a brow.

“Don't you think I'm trying. You know, I always thought that if I found someone, the only problem would be what they thought of you, that they would tell me we couldn't be friends. Not that they thought I was some kind of lousy lay.”

“Then I guess we are in the same boat given that most men think I suck too. Or that I'm very vanilla.”

I watched her shrug as if the words were nothing, but I understood all too well how they could hurt. Not a sucker punch kind of hurt, but one that seemed to make you question things. That pain was different.

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

“Why?”

“Kelly, I've known you for how long? I think men just aren't used to you or to having a woman who knows what they want. It's them just being stupid.”

And I fully believed that too.

Just like I knew that Rachel was a liar.

I knew how to treat women: both in the bedroom and out.

She just wanted to be dumb and I knew that. It seemed so did Kelly.

“I guess we both deal with stupid people,” she offered and I couldn’t disagree there.

“Those types of people make life fun,” I told her, which caused her to roll her eyes. “Change of subject because I don’t want to think about them. Are we doing the same game plan this year for Christmas?”

She paused in her task, which was sorting the lights, and looked up at me.

“What?” I asked, confused by her look.

“My brother got our parents tickets for a cruise, it leaves before Christmas, so they won’t be here.”

I sat down next to her, something feeling off in her voice.

“Okay, do you still want to go to my mom’s house on Christmas Eve?”

“Sure. But I think I’d like to just stay here for Christmas. Just us. Drink, open presents, just hang out. What do you think?”

I licked my lips as I thought that over, thinking that it sounded far more fun than anything we had done in the past. And it didn’t hurt for us to have some bonding time.

“I think that’s a great idea Kelly. We can order some Chinese or something and just spend the day in our jammies. I like your thinking. Were you scared to offer it or what?”

“Not scared. Just know you, Josh. You like traditions, and there’s nothing wrong with it, so I didn’t know how’d you feel. Especially given that your family does everything Christmas Eve.”

I wrapped my arm around her, giving her a side hug.

“You know me better than that, Kelly. We’ve been best friends far too long for you to question those types of things. Now, if you’re done second guessing yourself and our friendship here, can we finish decorating our house? We need our tree up so I can start putting presents under it.”

She rolled her eyes, but I could only laugh.

“I cannot believe you’re already done shopping.”

“Not done,” I told her, “just more than halfway there. I have a few things left I want to get.”

“Did you already get me something?”

She plugged in the string of lights, making sure they worked and then grabbed another.

“If I got you something, do you think I’d tell you?”

“Yes. Because I’m your best friend.”

“There is no denying that, however, the last time I told you that I did, my room was ransacked because you were trying to find it and couldn’t. I swore that day I’d never tell you if I ever got you something or not.”

“I would not do it again,” she muttered, setting the strands aside; one pile for the tree, the other to go outside. “Are we making the tree colored this year, or white again?”

“Let’s give it some color. We got all those new ornaments last year.”

“Oh, that’s right!” She jumped up, running over to the bin that held our stuff for the Christmas tree and pulled out the new package. “I still like these and think they will look beautiful.”

I leaned back on my hands, taking in her black leggings, and black tank top, the tattoos evident, as are the piercings.

She was as bad as they could come, and yet, her favorite holiday was Christmas.

She loved the feeling in the air and the giving spirit that everyone had.

It’s the one time, she claimed, that people actually cared.

“I think we should get some Italian tonight and watch whatever is on Hallmark, what do you think?” I asked.

She turned around so fast, a smile on her face, and I couldn’t help but think of the image she showed the world compared to what she showed me. Like that. She was a bad ass with a romantic heart who always swooned at the sick love and romance in those movies.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” she told me and I grinned, because I did.

But I wouldn’t trade it, not one bit. Because I really couldn’t think of anything better.

“Well, hurry up, so we can start now.”