Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 47287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 236(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
"Okay, should we put it on the porch and just leave it so they find it in the morning, or ring the bell and hide to see them come get it?"
They looked at each other and smiled.
"Hide," they said in unison.
When River smiled, lines appeared around their eyes that Cassidy instantly wanted to see as often as he could.
River grabbed the tin printed with reindeer, ornaments, and stars, and they both snuck around the truck and into Adam’s front yard.
"Kinda hard to be sneaky in front of a spotlight," Cassidy muttered.
When they got to the front stoop, an image dropped into Cassidy’s head: the popcorn tin housed a jack-in-the-box that would sproing horribly into action when someone opened the lid. He snorted at the thought, which made River shush him, then begin to giggle themself.
"Okay, I’ll—"
The tin slid through River’s mittened hands and landed on the porch with a cartoonishly loud and ringing clang.
River swore and Cassidy clapped a hand over his mouth to avoid laughing.
They both bolted for the bushes next to the front stoop at the same time, which resulted in a tangled collision of limbs, both human and plant, when they landed.
"Ouch, shit," River said, then dissolved into giggles.
When the front door opened, a young girl that Cassidy remembered from Craftmas stepped out onto the porch.
"River?" Gus said. "What are you doing in the bushes? Did you put this here? What is it?"
River shushed Cassidy again, like Gus might simply cease to notice them if they were quiet.
"I can see you," Gus said matter-of-factly. "And the animal murderer. I mean, carnivore. What’s your name again? Sorry I called you a murderer. Daddy says murder is a specific thing only for humans and that human life is different than animal life. I don’t think it is. I think we just think so cuz we’re humans and we’re making the rules. Probably cows don’t think their lives are worth less than ours."
Cassidy was charmed by the kid. He stood up, brushing off his clothes where leaves and snow clung to him.
"I’m Cassidy Darling." He held out his hand and Gus shook it gravely. "Nice to officially meet you."
At officially, Gus glanced at the bushes where River still crouched, completely visible, Cassidy could see now, from the front door.
"Nice to meet you. Why are you in the bushes?" she asked River.
They stood, finally.
"Hey, Gus. No reason. Just … checking something. Oh, gosh, what’s that on your porch? It was there when we showed up."
Gus narrowed her eyes, picked up the tin and dropped it on the step, replicating the clang it had made before.
"Gus?" called a voice from inside.
Two men came to the door behind Gus. Adam, River’s brother, was slim and short, like River, but had blond hair and a sunny, open smile. His partner, who had also been at Craftmas, was tall, with short, dark hair and an intense mien.
"Can I help you?" Adam asked politely. "Oh, hello. You’re River’s …" He trailed off and caught sight of River. "Hey, Riv."
"Ugh, that was a total fail," River said, crossing to them. "Have some popcorn from Santa."
"Santa is not real," Gus said.
"Fine, it’s not from Santa. It’s from an anonymous admirer."
"What’s anon mouse?" Gus asked.
"It means you don’t know who the person is."
"But we do know. The person is River."
River opened their mouth, but before they could speak, Adam said, "please do not let the words ding dong ditch leave your mouth in front of my curious child."
"Wouldn’t dream of it. Okay, anyway, bye guys, love you!"
They started to retreat to the truck.
"That outfit looks way better than Daddy’s," Gus said. "You’re lucky I was there."
River’s cheeks flushed and they grabbed Cassidy’s wrist and pulled him away.
River looked mortified and Cassidy was utterly charmed.
Once he was behind the wheel, Cassidy elbowed River gently. "So you enlisted help in figuring out what to wear on our date, huh?"
"No, shut up."
"You wanted to make a good impression, huh?"
"Ugh, no. Well, I mean, of course; everyone wants to make a good impression."
You like me. You wanted to look good for our date because you like me.
"Of course," Cassidy allowed, smiling to himself.
He drove in silence for a few minutes. Finally, River sighed.
"Yes, fine. I asked for feedback on my outfit because you never know how you’re coming off to people and I wanted to feel in control and like I was portraying myself the way I feel."
"Please don’t be embarrassed. I’m just teasing. I love that you wanted to feel good." Then, weighing the pros and cons, he admitted, "My sister told me what to wear and I just did it."
River finally looked at him.
"What were you going to wear?"
"Oh, I hadn’t gotten that far. I was trying to decide if I should shave my beard."
River looked horrified.
"What? No! Why would you do that?"