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Quatre.
On Christmas day, Kendra rose early to the smell of gingerbread and potpourri, but she knew the aroma was only due to the bargain bran candles Caroline has placed around the house. Still, the fragrance of her old home was as good here as it would get.
Hastily she was showered and ready, and raced downstairs to be the first at the tree. Although upon arrival she found that she was, in fact, one of the last people to the family room. She stood awkwardly at the end of the staircase, biting her lip, until Jimmy patted the seat beside him on the sofa, motioning for her to sit between him and Brian.
Once the initial excitement of Christmas morning and opening presents had melted away and the adults had retired to their master bedroom, Kendra, Jimmy, and Jimmy’s friends sat in the family room, watching the fire and drinking mugs of eggnog or hot chocolate.
‘I wish you’d stop calling them that.’
Kendra stopped short of decorating a side of the gingerbread house she and Jimmy had begun working on. ‘Calling them what?’
‘My friends,’ Jimmy emphasized the first word. ‘They’re your friends, too, silly. Don’t you know that by now?’
Kendra squeezed a dot of green icing onto her finger and stuck it in her mouth, ‘Why do you say that? They haven’t known me long enough.’
‘Johnny has someone in the group his age, Zack and Brian absolutely adore you, and Matt . . .’ he searched for words.
She raised an eyebrow.
‘Matt’s quite fond of you, too.’ Jimmy admitted.
Kendra was contemplative. ‘Really?’
Jimmy laughed quietly, ‘Really. He thinks the world of you already. He’s just not a very open guy, you know. He’ll come around and talk to you more, eventually.’
Jimmy resumed icing his roof piece of the gingerbread house. As he stuck onto it little gumdrops and candy pieces, Kendra thought over what he had said.
They really liked her that much?
Remembering the snowball fight, when they had first met, and Jimmy’s words to her, Kendra supposed she could call the motley crew her friends, and she was proud to do so. As she sat, curled up on the couch—a warm wool blanket draped over her legs and a mug of eggnog on hand—she felt comforted by their presence. For the first time, Denver almost felt like home.
Zacky, with a kiss on the cheek from Kendra and a “Merry Christmas” wished to them both, was the last of the guys out the door and shut it behind him.
Jimmy took up his mug of hot chocolate and seated himself opposite Kendra on the sofa. He winked at her, and she looked down at her lap. In it sat a tiny black velvet box with an even tinier red ribbon wrapped around it—Kendra’s gift to Jimmy.
“Um,” she began, but she hesitated. She could feel the blood creeping into her cheeks. “This is ah, yours.”
She held up the little black box so he could see it.
With a surprised look, Jimmy shook his head, “I told you I didn’t want—”
“But I wanted to get you something,” she interrupted.
This time with no fault, Kendra took his hand and in it placed the present. With a playfully cross “Humph!”, Jimmy slipped the ribbon off of the box and opened it.
He hardly had time to register the gift, much less comment on it, before Kendra began to ramble, “I really wanted to find the perfect thing, but I didn’t know what you’d like. So I had to settle for this. You probably hate it, but if you don’t want it, I’ll keep it. I mean, yeah, it’s from a department store; but it’s not cheap. And—”
Jimmy wasn’t listening to her talk. He was gaping at a large, black onyx and white diamond spider clasped to a sterling silver necklace. How could she have known this exact gift would touch his heart more than any other he had ever received, yet she didn’t because she was disappointed in not discovering something grander.
“It’s magnificent,” he whispered.
“Still, I’m sorry it’s not something better—What?”
“I said, I don’t care how much it did or didn’t cost; and I don’t care where it came from,” Jimmy looked up at her and smiled. “It’s perfect.
Kendra half smiled, unable to find words at the time. She brought her gaze to the blanket covering her legs. Her fingers found a loose string in the stitching and she played with it, pulling at it and twisting it around her finger until it broke off.
After a few semi-uncomfortable seconds, Jimmy suddenly jumped up.
“Oh!” he exclaimed and ran upstairs. Then he bounced down the staircase, a gift in tow.
He sat down on the couch again, this time close to Kendra. Actually, he was so anxious that he almost sat in her lap.
“I almost forgot,” he handed it to her. “Sorry about its condition.”
The box—sloppily wrapped in shiny silver wrapping paper—was heavy.
Kendra slipped her finger under the metallic wrapping on the package. She tugged away at the paper, slightly excited that her stepbrother had been so thoughtful as to give a gift to her, as well.
“Careful!” Jimmy said quickly.
She halted and looked to him.
He bit his lip, and his gaze fell to the floor, “It’s kind of fragile.”
Hastily she was showered and ready, and raced downstairs to be the first at the tree. Although upon arrival she found that she was, in fact, one of the last people to the family room. She stood awkwardly at the end of the staircase, biting her lip, until Jimmy patted the seat beside him on the sofa, motioning for her to sit between him and Brian.
Once the initial excitement of Christmas morning and opening presents had melted away and the adults had retired to their master bedroom, Kendra, Jimmy, and Jimmy’s friends sat in the family room, watching the fire and drinking mugs of eggnog or hot chocolate.
‘I wish you’d stop calling them that.’
Kendra stopped short of decorating a side of the gingerbread house she and Jimmy had begun working on. ‘Calling them what?’
‘My friends,’ Jimmy emphasized the first word. ‘They’re your friends, too, silly. Don’t you know that by now?’
Kendra squeezed a dot of green icing onto her finger and stuck it in her mouth, ‘Why do you say that? They haven’t known me long enough.’
‘Johnny has someone in the group his age, Zack and Brian absolutely adore you, and Matt . . .’ he searched for words.
She raised an eyebrow.
‘Matt’s quite fond of you, too.’ Jimmy admitted.
Kendra was contemplative. ‘Really?’
Jimmy laughed quietly, ‘Really. He thinks the world of you already. He’s just not a very open guy, you know. He’ll come around and talk to you more, eventually.’
Jimmy resumed icing his roof piece of the gingerbread house. As he stuck onto it little gumdrops and candy pieces, Kendra thought over what he had said.
They really liked her that much?
Remembering the snowball fight, when they had first met, and Jimmy’s words to her, Kendra supposed she could call the motley crew her friends, and she was proud to do so. As she sat, curled up on the couch—a warm wool blanket draped over her legs and a mug of eggnog on hand—she felt comforted by their presence. For the first time, Denver almost felt like home.
Zacky, with a kiss on the cheek from Kendra and a “Merry Christmas” wished to them both, was the last of the guys out the door and shut it behind him.
Jimmy took up his mug of hot chocolate and seated himself opposite Kendra on the sofa. He winked at her, and she looked down at her lap. In it sat a tiny black velvet box with an even tinier red ribbon wrapped around it—Kendra’s gift to Jimmy.
“Um,” she began, but she hesitated. She could feel the blood creeping into her cheeks. “This is ah, yours.”
She held up the little black box so he could see it.
With a surprised look, Jimmy shook his head, “I told you I didn’t want—”
“But I wanted to get you something,” she interrupted.
This time with no fault, Kendra took his hand and in it placed the present. With a playfully cross “Humph!”, Jimmy slipped the ribbon off of the box and opened it.
He hardly had time to register the gift, much less comment on it, before Kendra began to ramble, “I really wanted to find the perfect thing, but I didn’t know what you’d like. So I had to settle for this. You probably hate it, but if you don’t want it, I’ll keep it. I mean, yeah, it’s from a department store; but it’s not cheap. And—”
Jimmy wasn’t listening to her talk. He was gaping at a large, black onyx and white diamond spider clasped to a sterling silver necklace. How could she have known this exact gift would touch his heart more than any other he had ever received, yet she didn’t because she was disappointed in not discovering something grander.
“It’s magnificent,” he whispered.
“Still, I’m sorry it’s not something better—What?”
“I said, I don’t care how much it did or didn’t cost; and I don’t care where it came from,” Jimmy looked up at her and smiled. “It’s perfect.
Kendra half smiled, unable to find words at the time. She brought her gaze to the blanket covering her legs. Her fingers found a loose string in the stitching and she played with it, pulling at it and twisting it around her finger until it broke off.
After a few semi-uncomfortable seconds, Jimmy suddenly jumped up.
“Oh!” he exclaimed and ran upstairs. Then he bounced down the staircase, a gift in tow.
He sat down on the couch again, this time close to Kendra. Actually, he was so anxious that he almost sat in her lap.
“I almost forgot,” he handed it to her. “Sorry about its condition.”
The box—sloppily wrapped in shiny silver wrapping paper—was heavy.
Kendra slipped her finger under the metallic wrapping on the package. She tugged away at the paper, slightly excited that her stepbrother had been so thoughtful as to give a gift to her, as well.
“Careful!” Jimmy said quickly.
She halted and looked to him.
He bit his lip, and his gaze fell to the floor, “It’s kind of fragile.”