Chapter 27
Boris
I made another venison stew and baked an apple pie, but today I don't rush over with it when Simon goes to fetch Ira. It's cookie day, so I'll be allowed to talk to them.
I wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Fuck, how much time do they need to pick up some cookies?
When I finally spot the car down the road, I grab the food and hurry out the door. Simon stares at me as he exits the car. I can't read his expression, but I don't care. I get to be near him.
"Boris!" Ira runs toward me, his backpack scraping on the ground since he only has his fingers curled around one of the straps.
"Ira." I grin at him. "Watch the bag."
He sighs but lifts it off the ground. "There are sooo many cookies." His eyes are huge, but he's grinning.
"Yeah? Maybe we won't have time to deliver everything today.
" I frown at the car. There are a lot of cookies, and I haven't told anyone we're coming.
Or Zahrah. She's been calling me every day to make sure I'm still alive, so I told her.
Mom too. I don't think Mom's ever been this worried about me.
Maybe because she knows what it's like to lose a mate.
"Let's head to Beantopia first. I bet some of them are there."
I more or less shove the food at Simon, then, since his hands are busy, I lean close and nuzzle him. "Thank you for this, love."
He shivers and avoids my gaze.
I hurry over to the car and open the trunk. There are three large cardboard boxes filled with smaller boxes of cookies. Damn.
"Okay, do we have a list?"
Simon disappears into the house only to come back a few seconds later without any food in his hands.
"I think there is a paper." He walks closer to me, close enough for me to feel the heat of him.
Then he lifts the lid of one of the boxes.
When he finds nothing, he opens the next one.
There is a sheet of paper. I move closer still, boxing him in against the car, and he glares at me over his shoulder.
I grin.
When he straightens, he brushes against me, and I put a hand on his hip.
"Boris." It's a warning, but I ignore it. Instead, I lean my chin on his shoulder and skim the list of names.
"Okay. I think we'll go to Beantopia. Conan will be there, and with some luck, we'll catch Oswald and a few others there too.
Then we can head to Mom's, stop by Zahrah's on the way back, and then we'll see who's left, and we can take them tomorrow or the day after.
" I tighten my grip on his hip, only a fraction, a small squeeze.
He shoots me another annoyed glare, but he doesn't step away. He could have, and the realization makes me hide a smile against his shoulder.
"I have bagels and juice in the car if you're ready to head out, Ira." I turn to find him watching us. "Maybe take a bathroom break before we get going."
He hurries up the stairs, and I nuzzle Simon one more time before stepping away and grabbing one of the boxes.
Simon doesn't speak, but grabs a box too and follows me across the street to my car. "I'll have him back in time for dinner."
"Okay."
"How does it work with payment?"
Simon sighs and grabs the paper. I run back for the last box while he reads. When I put it in the trunk, he motions at a number. "We're to transfer the total to this account."
"Great." I scan the sheet for the sum and whistle when I find it. "Expensive cookies."
"Mmm." Simon looks a little pale.
"Don't worry, I'll fix it."
"I guess we can wait to pay for the cookies until everyone has paid for the cookies, so we have the money, I mean."
I want to hug him. "Sure."
Ira runs toward us, and I hand him the paper. "You're in charge, bud."
He widens his eyes. "I am?"
"Sure." I catch Simon's hand before he can move away. "See you later."
He nods but doesn't meet my eyes.
"Booster seat." I look at Ira. "Go get it."
Shortly after, we're ready to go. Simon is hovering, and I can't help but smile. "Take a nap or something."
"What?" He stares at me.
"You'll have a few hours to yourself. Enjoy them."
"I...eh...I'll--"
I pull him close and whisper near his ear. "And think of me while you do."
He huffs and shoves at me, but there's a smile playing on his lips, and it's all I care about. I squeeze his fingers and climb into the car. "Ready?" I look at Ira, make sure he's strapped in properly.
"Yes."
"Off we go then."
When we've driven for a few minutes, I turn out on the shoulder of the road and flick on the hazard lights. Ira stares at me when I grab my phone.
"I have an idea."
"Okay."
I reach for the sheet of paper as I log into my bank. "I'll pay this." I gesture at the sum at the bottom of the sheet. "Then the money we get from the cookies we'll use to buy Christmas gifts for Simon."
Ira's eyes are wide as I tap in the number on the bank app.
"Can we do that?"
"Yes." I turn the screen so he can see. "Here, it says paid. So the cookie company has gotten its money, and now we can use the money we get for the cookies for other things." I show him the photo I took of Simon's letter to Santa. "See, I cheated."
Ira huffs, and I bite my tongue. What if I messed up his belief in Santa?
"We can't trust your teachers to get the address to Rovaniemi right."
He frowns. "To where?"
"To Rovaniemi, where Santa lives."
The look he gives me tells me he thinks I'm insane. "Santa lives on the North Pole."
"Nooo!" I shake my head dramatically. "See, luckily, I snuck a photo of his list. Santa doesn't live on the North Pole. Have you ever seen any houses at the North Pole?"
"Eh...No. I've never seen the North Pole."
"Right. But everyone knows Santa lives in Rovaniemi, so it doesn't matter."
He says nothing, but I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy. It's fine. "I'll show you. We'll watch YouTube later. Santa Claus Village is in Rovaniemi."
I put my phone away and switch off the hazard lights. Rutchester, here we come!
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