“Maggie!” Diane rushes over to us, not looking either way when she crosses the street. It’s a little worrisome.
I know it’s tiny Langley. Most nights you could lie down in the middle of any street and not get run over, but I don’t think John could survive if anything happened to her. Especially now that she’s pregnant.
I’ve never seen a man more ridiculously excited about having a baby, but in a stoic, classic John way. He smiles more and laughs more. He’s always watching her to make sure she’s okay.
Now that John’s happily married and starting a family, Gil has warmed up to him. He doesn’t even frown when John’s name comes up anymore. As if there was ever any real competition there.
Diane hugs me while John says hello to Gil. Clearly, Diane hasn’t spotted her big surprise behind us yet.
John and I wave at each other. He cocks his head in question and I jerk mine back to answer him.
“So what brings you to the island?” he asks innocently. Too innocently. He might as well be whistling in nonchalance.
Diane stares at him, clearly suspecting him of something. She studies me and then goes back to staring at him. “You two are acting odd. What are you up to?”
Beside me, Gil chuckles. I elbow him.
He rocks back on his heels. “I’ve never been to the Sip ’n Stroll, so I demanded some holiday cheer after turning in my final grades. Maggie agreed and suggested we spend Christmas on the beach this year.”
Diane nods, but her eyes still hold doubt.
“You are the worst surprisers in surprise history!”
Diane’s eyes widen at the voice shouting behind us.
“Surprise!” Quinn shoves me out of the way. “Look who’s here!”
I stumble, but Gil steadies me. After all this time, I should anticipate Q’s exuberance.
“Quinn!” Diane bounces up and down twice before she’s enveloped by our mutual friend. “What are you doing here? Is Ryan here?”
“We’re here.” Ryan walks around Gil, carrying Lizzy in his arms. The toddler’s bundled up like a pink Eskimo, complete with miniature shearling boots to her knees and faux fur trim on her parka. She twists in his arms, suddenly shy around strangers.
Ryan’s dressed in all black like a typical New Yorker. His hair is a little bit more salty at his temples under his hat. His dark eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles.
Quinn is dressed as a lumbersexual from Brooklyn. It’s kind of funny to see him standing next to John. Both men are wearing flannel, jeans and boots. John’s boots are scuffed from work while Quinn’s are perfectly polished. John wears a thick Carhartt coat. Quinn is in a navy cashmere peacoat. Even his knit cap sits at a jaunty angle, leaving his blond hair mostly exposed.
Lumbersailor? I’ll have to ask him if seamen is the new fashion trend. Or would that be lumberseamen? I laugh to myself. I’ll have to share that with Selah later. I’ll even give her permission to use it in one of her books.
“How long are you here?” Diane’s eyes well up with tears.
Oh, boy. This is only part of the surprise. I told Quinn and John that shocking a hormonal woman is never a good idea, but they didn’t listen. I hope she has tissues.
Ryan hands off Lizzy to Quinn. She reaches out her arms and says “Da-dee” as he takes her. Ryan gives Diane a big hug. “We’re here for a week. New York misses you.”
“Oh, I’ve missed you two so much. Happy Chanukah!”
Ryan beams at her. “Thanks for remembering us Jews. We’re multi-denominational when it comes to Christmas. Our house is definitely on Santa’s list, much to my mother’s displeasure.”
“Fine with the husband, but not Santa?” Gil chuckles.
“She’s all about the grandkids.”
Diane rubs her hand down Lizzy’s back. “Of course she loves Little Lizzy. Well, not so little anymore.”
“Speaking of not so little anymore.” Quinn points at Diane’s belly. “You’re huge.”
Only a gay man, well no, only Quinn, can get away with saying such things to a woman. Ever. He knows he can get away with it, too. Blunt is part of his charm.
“If you were blue, you could play Violet Beauregard in a production of Willy Wonka.” He laughs at his own joke.
“Stop. I’m not that huge.” Diane giggles.
“You polished off a triple scoop of ice cream and didn’t even share,” Tom says. I recognize him and his girlfriend from John’s wedding last summer. I make the introductions all around.
“Quinn’s one of my oldest friends,” I explain.
“By old, she means we met as children. Toddlers, really.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “We met in college and we’ve earned these wrinkles.”
“Wrinkles?” Quinn gasps. “Never!”
“Ryan’s an amazing dermatologist,” Diane tells her friends.
A driver honks his horn at us. I realize we’re standing in the middle of the street. We move out of the way in a big clump, chatting all at the same time. Diane is now holding Lizzy’s hand as we stroll. Lizzy still has her head tucked into Quinn’s shoulder, but she holds a tight grip on Diane’s finger.
“Do you think Ye Olde Carolers know the Wham Christmas song?” Quinn asks as the singers break into “Jingle Bells.”
“I’d take some Mariah Carey over another round of ‘Silent Night’.” Diane suggests.
“Oh, I only like her song that was in Love, Actually,” I say. “It’s–”
“Your favorite movie.” Gil and Quinn finish my sentence.
“Oh, I love that movie,” Hailey agrees. “‘God Only Knows’ is a great song, too.”
We run through a list of our favorite songs and scenes in the movie, becoming instant friends.
John taps away on his phone, oblivious to the conversation. I feel my phone vibrate in my coat pocket and take it out. I respond to his text, fighting a smile while I do it.
“Look at all this bearded goodness!”
The voice can only belong to my other best friend, Selah. I lift my eyes to spot her dark hair a dozen feet away. She’s staring at John and Tom like she’s a sailor and it’s fleet week in NYC. Standing beside her, Kai, her fiancé, is sporting a nice level of George Clooney style scruff. They got engaged this past summer, but I suspect they might be one of those couples that stays engaged for years. Or elope, and not tell anyone. I covertly eye their fingers for wedding bands, but find none. I love weddings, but who am I to talk? Gil and I have no plans to get married.
“Damn. It’s a real live lumbersexual convention right here on the sidewalk.” Selah purrs.
John visibly bristles at her words.
“Oh, Paul Bunyan, I don’t mean you. You’re the real thing. All seven feet of you.” She teases him good-naturedly.
Even Hailey and Diane laugh at her nickname for John.
“Why didn’t I come up with that one?” Hailey mumbles to her friend.
“Holy cats, you’ve procreated.” Selah’s eyes focus on Diane’s belly. “You lucky, lucky woman.”
Diane looks up at John and back at Selah in confusion.
“We haven’t met. I’m Selah, the obnoxious friend.” She sticks out her hand.
“Oh, I’ve heard all about you.” Diane shakes her hand and adds, “All good things.”
Selah’s laugh is deep and throaty. “Then you haven’t been talking to Quinn.”
I observe our little group. Selah’s right about the facial hair. Gil has started growing his winter beard. He’ll shave it before the spring semester starts. Along with Kai, Quinn sports more scruff than usual. Only Ryan is clean-shaven. I guess beards are taking over the world.
Selah hugs Ryan and gives Quinn a half hug so she doesn’t squish Lizzy. It’s the closest ever Selah’s come to holding her. I laugh as Lizzy lets go of Diane’s finger to grab the fringe on Selah’s cape/poncho. Despite her overstated dislike of children, Selah smiles and tickles Lizzy’s nose with more fringe, causing the girl to giggle and lean in for more.
“When did you arrive?” I ask Kai. We might all live in Portland, but we rarely find time to get together. Kai spends a lot of time in Africa and travels the world for his non-profit work, taking Selah with him when she’s not teaching.
“Yesterday. Selah finished her grades and we drove up in the evening.”
“Are you settled in the house?” I’m happiest when my little cabin on the beach is filled with my favorite people.
“We are,” Selah says. “We even brought a tree with us over on the ferry. Kai strapped it to the top of the car like he’s a Norse God. I swear he lifted the thing with one arm.”
She may notice other men, hell, we all notice good looking men like John and Tom, you’d have to be blind not to, but her heart is firmly held in the hands of Kai. He might even give the island guys a run for handsome. I know for a fact he looks amazing in a suit.
“Did he chop it down himself?” John asks. If it were John’s tree, the answer would be yes. Knowing Kai, he bought the most expensive tree on the lot. I hope it fits in my living room.
Christmas at my beach cabin with my closest friends is my gift to myself this year. Even if our Christmas is a few days early so everyone could make it. We’d asked Ben and Jo to join us, but they’re spending the holidays in Florida with her family. As Jo put it, it’s the last chance to go to Disney World with sullen teens, and who wants to miss out on that fun. Selah’s comments on the whole trip involved the words “sea of germs” and “hell portal.”
“Baby, it’s cold outside,” she sing-says to the group. “I’ve done the strolling part of this evening, now how about some sipping?”
She’s right about the cold. I tuck my plaid scarf tighter around my neck. Sitting on the bluff, Langley is exposed to the wind. A few flurries dance through the air.
“We have dinner plans.” John drapes his arm around Diane. They stop walking, so we all stop.
“We do?” she asks
“I made reservations at Cafe Langley.”
“You did?”
“I did.” He smiles down at her.
“We have plans, too.” Tom interrupts.
“Are you joining us?” Diane asks the group.
Tom and John exchange looks.
“No, um, our plans are separate. I’ve had enough festiveness for one evening.” Tom gives Hailey a cautious look. He’s normally so cocky and self-assured.
I don’t know him well, but if I had to guess, he wants Hailey all to himself for the rest of the evening.
“Watch out for the mistletoe. The town is a minefield. Covered with the stuff.” John points above our heads.
Gil rubs his hands together, a devilish glint in his eye. “I say we take full advantage of it. What say you, Maggie May?”
My old nickname always makes me swoon. I rise up on my tiptoes to kiss him. It’s a soft, sweet kiss that ends too soon.
Gil scans the storefronts. “You owe me ten, no wait, twelve kisses.”
I don’t question his math. “Challenge accepted.”
After saying goodbye and wishing us all merry Christmases, the two couples split off and walk in opposite directions down the crowded street.
Another surprise is waiting for Diane at the restaurant. I smile, knowing I did something really nice for John and his wife. After all, this season is about giving.