“I admit,” Bax said, closing the front door behind them, “Christmas pageants are growing on me.” He kissed the tip of Misti’s nose. “I’m even getting used to all the Christmas decorations and weird clothes. Now, don’t go getting all defensive. You know I love you, Mrs. Ryan.”
On tiptoe, she looped her arms around his neck. “And I love you, Mr. Ryan. Go on, finish what you were saying. I think I heard a but coming?”
He laughed and swung her around, then held her close. “But, as much as I love you, I positively will not wear that fur trimmed red vest I saw you making. C’mon, you know I’m not a Christmas outfit type of guy.”
She pushed away and waltzed toward the huge tree they’d decorated the day they’d moved into the big house. She refused to think of it as Edna’s house anymore. A tap on the floor switch and the Christmas tree was ablaze in twinkling lights. “I know that,” she said. “I made it for Santa.”
“Santa? Really?”
She nodded. “Really. I noticed he’s lost a little weight and you know he has to get super hot whenever he travels to the Deep South.” She shrugged. “I thought he could use a makeover. Holly helped me finish decorating it this afternoon. Doesn’t the tree look beautiful?”
“Looking good, Shortcake. Hey, I keep meaning to ask. What’s with the lights? It happened at the little house last year too. They’re white, then blue, then white again. I thought maybe the old lights were defective, but I noticed it happening here again this year.”
“Maybe it’s a miracle,” she said with a grin as she touched the fairy wings on her necklace. “Speaking of miraculous, i have something to tell you. I—”
“Look! It happened again!” He leaned closer then looked back at the tree. “Is it Merriweather again? You can tell me. Is she here now?”
“No.” Not that she knew of, anyway. “We need to—”
“What the…? Now they’re pink! What’s going on?”
“I have a feeling we will find out in a few months.”
The End