Chapter 9 #2
She held her phone in one hand and waved through the window with the other.
“What are you doing here? Hunter said—” I asked, opening the door and stuffing the phone in my bra.
“Fuck Hunter. We’re not the kind of friends that get mad and stop talking to each other. I figured I’d just wait on the porch until one of us gave in and called the other.” She paused and eyed me up and down. “What on earth are you wearing?” She spun me around.
“What’s the matter, baby, don’t you like my babydoll?” I playfully shook my tits at her and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry I shoved you aside,” I said, holding her tight.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get you into something and out that door before your master’s minions sound the alarm.” She thumbed over her shoulder at Padme and Ernesto, then booted me up the stairs.
The whole town had been decked out for the season.
The Colonial district in particular looked like a scene from A Christmas Carol, with little white candles flickering in each window, garlands strung up the lamp posts and across the streets to neighboring businesses.
Brightly lit evergreens marked every corner, and wreaths hung at every door, all either lit with twinkling lights or decorated with bulbous ornaments and sashes.
It was the definition of holiday cheer in a seaside town.
And as we made our way to the ocean? It only intensified.
It was like an Edwardian Christmas market lined up all along the coast, with Linda’s restaurant as the last stop before heading over the brightly lit bridge to The Cove.
A festive Christmas tree pop-up shop was set up in the parking lot of Pier 84.
Fairy lights twinkled, wrapped around poles and pallets, creating a makeshift fence.
It was cute and probably looked even more magical at night.
Scout Troop 74 was running the stand, and two of Linda’s grandsons were standing front and center, greeting merry customers as they searched for the main attraction for their holiday parties.
Apparently, only Troop 74 was able to get trees from a local farm this year, and everyone else had to ship them in.
If I wanted to support the community, I’d get one from Jake and Nathan—at least that was the vibe I got from Linda when Hunter and I stopped in a month ago to let her know I was heading to Ohio for Friendsgiving with Annie.
She said the Christmas market was a community-hosted event all along this part of town.
Neighboring businesses would compete to provide their own version of holly and jolly to make the spirits bright.
The winner would take the coveted position of town sponsor and have their business plastered on every newspaper and every flyer the town dispersed throughout the year.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it… Katie was right.
Getting out of the house—even if it meant consuming so much Christmas spirit I could puke—was a breath of fresh air.
It gave me a chance to forget everything—tone down the paranoia surrounding the murders, the curse, Hunter, even Graham.
It was a moment to breathe, to be human and enjoy what all that meant.
“Maggie! Katie! Hi!” a familiar voice shouted from the next lot over.
It was Sol, decked out like one of Santa’s elves with jingling bells and tinsel in her coily hair, waving like a lunatic to get our attention. “Once you get your tree, come get some hot cider, and Mrs. Withcomb has some handmade pot holders over here with your name on them!”
“Okay, girl… be there in a bit!” Katie hollered back.
We headed into the labyrinth of trees waiting to be wrapped in red twine and secured onto the tops of the vehicles.
I stopped at a nearby display of Scandinavian Tomten.
If there was one thing I did like about this time of year, it was the folk tales.
The one I liked just happened to have a little extra stuffing in his flannel-covered forearms and looked extra broody and buff.
I snickered at the resemblance of a certain someone.
“Well, it’s about time you showed up.” Linda popped out from behind a tree and wrapped her arms around me.
“I haven’t seen hide nor hair of you in a few days…
almost a week. You scared me senseless the other day when I found that girl on my pier.
” She nodded toward the far side of the restaurant.
“It wasn’t good for business, that’s for sure. ”
Feeling someone care about me from outside my closest circle felt good. I didn’t have that back home. I only had Annie, which Linda actually reminded me of quite a bit.
“I really don’t want to focus on that right now. This is my first time out without a bodyguard… unless you count that one.” I cocked my head toward Katie, who was over with Linda’s grandsons showing them how to finger knit spiderwebs out of the bailing twine.
“She’s got your back.” Linda patted me on the shoulder.
“Oh, I know. I just wish I could somehow repay her.”
“Maggie, being a friend isn’t about repayment. It’s about showing up when the other needs you.”
“Well, by that logic, I’m not a very good friend.” I plucked a wreath from the display and tucked it under my arm.
“Sure, you are. It just hasn’t been your turn to show up yet. You’ll know when she needs you.”
“Pardon me for budging in.” A woman decked out in candy cane leggings, a big poofy red jacket, and Santa hat placed her hand on Linda’s shoulder. “But do you have any porch pots?”
“Yes, just a moment.” Linda pulled me into a hug. “Customers, you understand.”
I nodded.
“Help yourself to some pie, Maggie. I made it special for my boys. Oh, and if you should happen to see that Graham, tell him I’ve got something just for him in the fridge.”
“I will. Thanks, Linda.”
I made my way over to Katie and watched for a minute as Linda’s grandsons ogled her skills in awe. The older boy was probably thirteen or fourteen based on his height and acne. The younger couldn’t have been more than eight, but his height made him seem older.
“I hear you two have the biggest tree on the farm for me,” I said, startling the youngest one.
“Oh yeah!” the older one squeaked, making him blush. He cleared his throat. “You must be Maggie.”
“I am.”
“I’m Jake, and this is Nathan,” he said, keeping his voice calm so as not to let it crack again.
“Grandma Linda said to save it for you,” Nathan said, teetering on his heels before grabbing my hand and tugging me back into the maze of trees.
We wound round and round until the scent of fresh-cut evergreens filled my nose. Finally, we made it to the center.
“Here she is! Big Bertha.”
“Jesus Christ,” I whispered as my eyes trailed up the pine’s boughs. “Well, one way to make a party feel cozy is to shrink the size of the room—this tree’s definitely going to do that.”
“At least you’ll have lots of space underneath for presents,” Nathan chimed.
I gave a pleased smile. “Jake, do you think you and Nathan will be able to wrap it and get it on top of the Gremlin?”
“Sure thing. I’ll go get the guys.”
“Maggie, what’s a Gremlin?” Nathan asked.
“Technically, it’s a little monster you don’t get wet or feed after midnight.”
Jake snickered before prancing off to collect the other scouts.
“But in my case,” I said, “it’s my car.” I pointed over the lime green car by the wrapping station.
“Cool! Can I see it?”
I nodded and Nathan darted off through the maze. “Geez, Kates… how much do you think this tree is?”
“Probably close to $500,” she said like it was nothing, still finger knitting the twine.
It’s for a good cause… It’s for a good cause…
We watched the boy scouts and their leaders work with ease to get this monstrosity of a tree shaken and wrapped.
It was like watching an assembly line of caffeine-drunk squirrels turn a poofy Christmas tree essentially into a neatly bundled green telephone pole.
Nathan ran from station to station trying to find something to do, but by the time he got to the next one, the task had been completed.
“Where do you want this big one, ma’am?” the stocky scoutmaster called out just before the tree shaker started again.
“The lime green car, that’s mine!” I shouted back.
“There’s no way that car’s gonna handle that tree.” Graham’s deep voice shook me from behind. “I’ll bring it over after my shift.”
I spun around and everything slowed. He was in full uniform, leg holster, utility belt, vest—God, I’d never get tired of how good he looked.
I had to intentionally form a sentence in my mind before I spoke, or I’d look like an idiot with the jumble of words that I would most likely vomit out. “Pie! There’s pie!” I blurted.
Crisis not averted.
Graham blinked at me. “You okay there, cupcake?”
“Linda. She’s got pie.” I covered my face in embarrassment. “No. I mean…” I sighed. “She said there’s something for you in the fridge at the restaurant. I assumed it was a pie.”
“I love that you still get flustered when you see me.”
My cheeks flared.
He stepped close and leaned in so his lips were millimeters from my ear. “Just wait until the next time I make you come… pretty sure you won’t remember your own name.”
Heat flushed my entire body.
Oh, god.
Instantly wet.
Graham pecked my neck, smoothly moving past me to the scoutmaster.
I nearly passed out. Tingles danced on my skin, flashes of our night together flooded my vision. The air seemed unbearably thin. And if I didn’t have any restraint, I would have floated right over to him and fucked him on the tree shaker.
“Easy there, girl. You good?” Katie put her arm around me.
“Y-yeah…”
“Mm-hmm… pretty sure I need to get you a chair. Your knees are lookin’ a little weak there, girl.”
“Maybe.” I exhaled and fanned myself with the wreath in my hands.
When I looked back over to Graham, he was already staring at me, smiling.