Chapter 6
Chapter Six
brOOKS
UGLY SWEATER FEELINGS
T he sound of the front door opening has me leaning back from the counter. Paws echo on the hardwood floor as Charlie’s voice coos down at Comet.
“Hey,” I call out. “You’re home earlier than I expected.”
“Everyone had things under control at the bar, so I wasn’t needed.” He shrugs out of his black puffer coat and hangs it on the hook next to the front door before walking into the kitchen.
Snow sticks to Charlie’s hair and pink blossoms on his cheeks. His brown eyes are happy.
Why am I noticing these things about him?
Ever since we decorated the tree, it seems a switch has been flipped. When he touched my abs, it’s like a zap of electricity flooded my veins.
Charlie was playing around. I know that. But it addled my brain more than I care to admit.
Maybe it’s because I’m in a weird limbo right now. Living with my best friend while I try to get back on my feet. Trying to recover from the divorce.
That has to be it. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
“What’s for dinner?” Charlie asks, sidling up next to me.
“Rice bowls. I figure I can make cookies later before we make our sweaters.”
Charlie groans. “I love you, Brooks, but I cannot eat another cookie.”
“Hey!” I’m indignant. “What do you have against my cookies?”
“Nothing.” He smirks, rubbing his stomach. “But I cannot keep eating cookies every night.”
I wave him off, ignoring the way my eyes dart down to his stomach. Again, why am I noticing these things? “It’s the holidays. You should get to eat all the cookies you want.”
“I feel like that’s not something you’d hear a parent say.”
“Speaking of. My mom called today and asked when your parents would be in town for the holidays. They want to get together for dinner with us.”
Charlie grabs a sparkling water from the fridge and opens his drink, taking a long gulp. “They’re coming in the week before Christmas, I think. Maybe we can do something around then.”
I nod. “Sounds good. I’ll let her know. They still have no desire to come back to Maine?”
“No. My mom is done with the cold weather and wants the beach.”
I spoon two cups of rice into the bowls and start piling toppings onto each. “I don’t know if you could ever get me to leave Moose Falls.”
“There’s nowhere else you’d want to live?”
“Been there, done that.” Having gone to college in New York, I realized that the only place I want to live is Moose Falls. “I’m a lifer. Just like you. ”
“Worse places to be stuck,” Charlie tells me, accepting his dinner from me. “Not that I think I’m stuck.”
“Cheers to that.” I grab my water and clink my glass with his.
“How’s work going with Hunter?”
“Good.” I take a bite of dinner and chew. “Really good, actually.”
“Yeah?” Charlie asks.
I nod. “He needs more help than I thought, so it’s nice to feel needed.”
Charlie gives me a warm smile. I don’t need to ask what it’s about. For the first time since I moved in with Charlie and the divorce was finalized, I feel like things are looking up.
“If you can even get him a functioning website, it will be better than anything else he currently has. I know he wants to expand.”
I nod, taking another bite. “We’ve talked about ways he can expand using it as a platform. I’m excited about his ideas.”
“I’m glad you can help him.”
After eating the rest of our meals in a companionable silence, I grab our bowls—now empty—and drop them into the sink.
“Are you ready?”
Charlie rubs his hands together with a gleeful smile on his face. “I am. Are you?”
“You bet.”
Charlie hops off the stool at the island and walks over to the dining room table where tonight’s activity is all laid out.
“I can’t believe you found a dog sweater we can decorate for Comet,” I tell Charlie, holding up the soft, green material.
Charlie laughs. “Finding the right size was the hardest part.”
“It just means we can make it even more ridiculous.”
When I suggested this, I didn’t think he’d take it up with such zeal. But that’s my Charlie. He doesn’t do anything half-assed.
Puff balls and garlands and glitter glue sit on the table. He even has small jingle bells for us to choose from.
“Are you trying to put a bell on me?” I grab one of the small objects and listen to its melodic sound.
“Yes, so I always know where you are.” Charlie grabs it from my hand. “Maybe we should put some of these on Comet’s sweater.”
“Let’s work on his and then we can work on ours.”
“Yours is the green one to match Comet.”
“Aww. Like father, like son.”
Charlie shakes his head at me as we make quick work of decorating Comet’s before moving onto each of our own.
“What are you doing on yours?” I ask Charlie, peeking over his shoulder.
“No looking.” Charlie shifts so I can’t see what he’s putting on his sweater.
“It’s not a test. I’m not going to cheat.”
“I don’t want you copying my greatness.”
“If that’s what we’re calling these sweaters.” I laugh.
“You know…” Charlie reaches across me for the green puff glitter. “We’ll have to wear these on Friday.”
“What’s on Friday?” I ask.
“We’re having an Ugly Sweater Party."
I laugh, dabbing glue onto another puff ball and putting it next to a fake Christmas light. “Will there be a contest for best sweater?”
“Yes.”
“Then count me in.”
“I hate to say, but you’ll probably win.”
“Hey!” I smack him in the arm. “This is a thing of beauty.”
“Umm…okay. ”
I stare at the back of his head. “It’s not like you can see it.”
Charlie spins on his heel to take mine in. “Oh, Brooks.”
I peer over his shoulder and look at his. Of course it’s a masterpiece. All the garland is done up in a pattern with balls placed over the sweater to look like a tree.
“How can yours look so good?” I balk. “Seriously. It looks like something you’d buy at the store.”
Charlie reaches across the table and grabs one of the star patches. He dabs some glue on it before adding it right below the collar. “Because I’m amazing.”
“Show-off,” I mutter.
Charlie laughs before calling Comet over. “No one is going to look cuter than Comet.”
Charlie undoes the Velcro straps to put Comet’s sweater on over his back. He even bought a little Santa hat for him to wear.
His tongue is hanging out of his mouth as he sits in his sweater like we didn’t just put the most ridiculous thing on him.
“You’re right,” I confirm. “No one is going to look cuter than he does.”
“Which means he needs to stay at home for the party.”
“Not like you can allow dogs in the tavern anyway.” I laugh. “But we need a picture to show the guys how cute he is.”
I don’t waste another second and slide my green sweater on over my head. The minute Charlie looks at me, he bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God, Brooks. It’s even worse on you.”
“You mean it looks even better and I make Christmas sweaters sexy.”
Charlie tries not to laugh. “Whatever you say.”
Tiny, glittery puff balls in all sizes dot my sweater. A garland rests in ropes on the front with random patches pasted all over.
Charlie takes more care in putting his on as we both squat next to Comet. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I switch to selfie mode.
“Say ‘Brooks has the best Christmas sweater ever!’”
“Brooks has the ugliest sweater ever!” Charlie claps back as Comet lets out a bark when I take the picture.
Looking at the screen, it’s the two of us in a nutshell. A smile lights up my face as Charlie is caught mid-word, with Comet’s chin taking up most of the picture.
I’ll never delete this one, but I take a second one where we’re all looking.
“Better?” I hold my phone out to Charlie.
He studies the photo, a look washing over his face that I can’t quite read. Which is weird, because I can always read him. What’s he thinking right now?
Is he happy? Sad? Over this ridiculous thing?
It’s confusing that I can’t read him right now. Made even more confusing by these feelings I’m having. It’s like one of these tiny, glittery balls has dislodged itself and planted itself in my brain, the fuzzy parts making my own head feel the same way.
Clearing his throat, he looks at me before putting some space between us. “Comet looks great.”
“He does.”
A ball drops off my sweater.
Charlie grabs it and tries to press it back on. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t have put these on immediately.”
“Lesson learned. Next time we make ugly sweaters, we let them dry.”
“We’ll still beat the guys.”
“Bring it on, Charlie. Bring it on.”