Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
“Thank you. Is this something healthy disguised as cocoa?”
“No. I mean, I used almond milk and added an extra dash of protein powder, but the rest is pure chocolatey goodness. I know I can be overly regimented when it comes to food, but I’ve resolved to dial it back for the next couple of days. As I’ve said before, it’s perfectly okay to indulge sometimes, especially at Christmas.”
I followed him into the living room and murmured, “Wow, this is so festive.” He’d strung little white lights all around the room, hung three stockings on the mantel for us and Phil, and placed a tree-shaped plushie on the coffee table.
“Phil has always killed any actual trees and ornaments I’ve tried to put up, but he can’t do anything to our stuffed tree.” To illustrate his point, Ever pushed the tree over. It had a rounded, weighted base, so it sprung right back up again.
“Genius.”
The cat in question was sitting on the couch, looking as disgusted as ever. His T-shirt was printed to look like Santa’s suit, and there was a tiny felt Santa hat with a chin strap on his head. As I sat down beside Phil, I said, “I can’t believe he let you put that hat on him.”
“He doesn’t mind hats. He actually has a whole collection, but they’re packed away somewhere.”
There were two small gifts beside the tree, and I grinned and asked, “Did you actually wrap presents for Phil?”
“Of course. They’re hidden in my room, because I don’t want him to see them yet.”
“Then what are those?”
“They’re for you. I think you should open them tonight, since you’ll be working on Christmas morning.”
I shot him a look and reminded him, “We agreed not to buy each other anything.”
“I know, but I couldn’t help myself.”
I took a sip of cocoa before putting it on the coffee table and standing up. “Be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get your gift.”
“You bought me something, after we agreed not to?”
“Like you, I couldn’t help myself.”
While I was in my room, I changed into a clean T-shirt and sweats. Then I returned to the living room and handed him a large gift bag. “I suck at wrapping. Phil’s gift is in a bag, too, but I guess we’re waiting to give him his stuff.”
“You bought my cat a present?”
“Obviously.”
Ever flashed me a huge smile, kissed my cheek, and shook the gift bag. “Can I open this now?”
“Quit shaking it. And yes, go ahead. I hope you like it.”
He grabbed a fistful of red and green tissue paper and threw it over his shoulder. Then he peered into the bag and carefully removed the album it contained. It was a vintage copy of Cheap Trick’s Heaven Tonight, signed by all four founding members of the band. He murmured, “Oh my god,” as he ran his fingertips over the signatures. “This is my favorite band.”
“I know.”
He carefully placed the record on the coffee table, and then he grabbed me in a hug and whispered, “Thank you so much, Tracy.”
“You’re welcome.” He kept holding on to me. When he drew a shaky breath, I asked, “Are you crying?”
He sat back and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “No.”
“It’s fine if you are. I’m not going to judge you.”
“Okay, maybe I teared up a bit. That’s the most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me. It’s also the only present I’ve received in like, the last decade that wasn’t from colleagues, clients, or my employees. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for that stuff, but there’s a big difference between a gift from the heart and one from a person who feels obligated to give you something.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it,” he said. “I feel guilty though, because you must have spent a lot of money on this.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Okay, so it was more than I’d ever spent on a gift in my life, but I knew it would make Ever happy, so I had to buy it for him. “Can I open mine?”
“Sure, but they’re going to seem cheap compared to yours. Also, they both come with an explanation.”
He handed me the two small packages. They were perfectly wrapped in colorful paper printed with cats in Santa hats, and each gift was tied with a red satin bow. “They’re not going to seem cheap. Also, this is an impressive wrapping job.”
“I watched a YouTube video for tips.” Ever looked like he was proud of himself. He pointed to the smaller, heavier box and told me, “Open that one first.” I removed the wrapping and revealed a compact, beautifully bound book of poetry by Pablo Neruda. Its dark red canvas cover was decorated with vines and leaves outlined in gold.
“That must seem unbelievably cheesy,” he said. “But I know you love to read, so I tried to find a gift for you in an antiquarian bookshop. I remembered enjoying Neruda’s poetry when I was in school, so when I saw that with its pretty cover, I thought you might like it.”