The Christmas Ornament, page 2
As soon as we got back to Evergreen Lake, the planning for our special day began and now, sixteen months later, our wedding is nearly upon us.
The sound of Sab’s voice snaps me back from my memories and I listen as Sab tells me a story about her girls, Monique and Cassie. I love those girls as if they were my own, and I cannot wait to see them in their flower girl dresses.
“You realize you created mini versions of us? Mon and Cass are just like you and me from when we were younger.”
“Oh my God, you’re right. I’m screwed when they become teenagers.”
“At least you’ll kind of be prepared.”
“Thank God for wine,” she states. Raising my glass, we tap them in a silent cheers.
“Your turn,” Sab says, pointing to the empty wine bottle.
“I have to work tomorrow.”
“Rubes, you’re the boss, you can go in late.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“A girl needs to let loose every now and then and when your sister from another mister arrives early, you drink wine and eat cheese with her.”
“Well, when you put it like that, how can I resist?”
“You can’t, now, wine me.”
Saluting her, I jump up and head into the kitchen for another bottle of wine. When I return, she’s sitting there with a sheepish look on her face.
“What are you up to?” I ask, as I refill our glasses and sit back down.
“Here,” she states. “Happy early birthday,” Sabrina singsongs, handing me a beautifully decorated gift box.
“My birthday isn’t until March,” I remind her.
“Hence early. Now open it.”
“Okay. Okay.” Lifting the lid on the box, my eyes widen when they land on the most beautiful Christmas ornament I have ever seen. It’s a handblown purple, blue, and pink star adorned with glitter. It’s so delicate I’m scared I’ll break it. “Sab, it’s gorgeous.”
“I grabbed it from this store Mad was telling me about in the city, but as soon as I saw it, I knew you needed it. The storekeeper told me it was enchanted.”
“Enchanted, huh?”
“Mmmhmpf. She said the person who receives it would be able to look into their future to find their true love. It was that story that sold it for me because I knew you and your romantic heart would eat that shit up.”
“Sab, I already have my true love.”
“But do you?”
Her question shocks me and I pause. “Yes?” My answer is more of a question than a reply, but I do love Joel. “I love him,” I tell her.
“I know you do, ignore me, but seriously, do you really love it?”
“I do, Sab, I really, really love it. It’s stunning and I can’t wait to put it on my tree when I get home.”
“Before you do, make sure you ask it to show you your true love.”
“For you, Sab, I’d do anything.” Carefully, I pull out the ornament and I hold it up by the gold string, I stare at the shimmery ornament. “Okay, ornament, show me who my one true love is.”
No sooner do I finish asking the ornament who my one true love is and there’s a knock at the door.
three
MADDOX
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
My knuckles wrap on the front door, which has a gorgeous wreath full of vibrant red poinsettias, red berries, and golden baubles. A massive ribbon bow sits proudly on the wood, and from the smell, it’s real and not one of those fake things from the chain stores.
The door swings open and the warmth from the cottage envelops me and my eyes widen when I see who opened the door.
“Maddox.” A soft voice that haunts my dreams cuts through the frigid night air, followed by a screeching, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“What are you two doing here?” I ask, my gaze snapping from my sister to her best friend and back to my sister again.
Ruby Olsen, aka Reindeer, is just as stunning as I remember. Her hair is a gorgeous golden-blonde and pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head. Her eyes are a shade of hazel that changes depending on the light; right now they are a combination of brown, green, and gold and they are staring intently at me. Her chest is rapidly rising, her tongue darts out and swipes across her lower lip. Lips I know are plump and soft but I need to forget that. A, she’s about to get married, and B, my sister doesn’t know about what went down with us that Christmas. If she knew what happened between Ruby and me, all hell would break loose because we all know, your sister’s BFF is off-limits. Hence, why Rubes and I agreed to keep it a secret—then and now.
“We’re having a girls’ weekend,” my sister says, pulling me in for a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m moving back this weekend but, I, umm.” I squeeze the back of my neck. “I had a little car accident—”
“Are you okay?” Reindeer interrupts. Her eyes roam over me, looking for any injuries … or she’s checking me out.
“I’m fine, Reindeer, but my truck, not so much. Can we, umm, maybe take this inside? It’s colder than penguin snot out here,” I tell them.
“Penguin snot, really?” my sister hisses while Ruby laughs.
“Yep, or would you prefer colder than a well digger’s ass?”
“What does that even mean?” she asks.
“It means it’s fucking cold. Now, you going to let me in?”
Taking a step closer, I stand under the porch light when Ruby screeches, “Oh my God, you’re bleeding.”
“Ohh, yeah, my head.”
“Come inside and we’ll get you patched up.” Ever the mother hen, Ruby looks to my sister. “Get the first aid kit from the kitchen.”
“Yes, boss.” Sabbi salutes Ruby and she walks away from us.
Reindeer steps closer to me, and she rests one hand on my forearm while lifting the other to my forehead. Gently, she runs her finger over my hairline and down my face. My skin burns under her touch, but the moment is interrupted when Sabbi shouts, “Get the fuck inside, you’re letting all the hot air out. I reckon my nipples could cut glass right about now.”
Reindeer chuckles and I shake my head. That’s not an image I need in my mind. Stepping inside, she guides me into the cottage after closing the door behind us. She leads me over to the dining table and gestures to the seat she pulls out for me.
Lowering into the chair, I stare up at her. She has concern etched all over her face. Lifting my hand, I rest it on her hip and squeeze. She drops her gaze to my hand, then back to my face. Again, Sabbi intervenes and she steps back from me.
Opening the first aid kit, Sabbi grabs some antiseptic solution and a gauze pad. She soaks the pad in the liquid and gently wipes it over my head wound. A hiss slips out and my sister teases me, “Is the big bad police man afraid of a little antiseptic?”
“No, you’re being rough.”
“Please, Mon is tougher than you when it comes to cleaning up scrapes.”
We all laugh because Monique McMahon is a walking disaster. She always has a Band-Aid covering one of her many injuries; she’s the complete opposite of her sister. Cassie is a bookworm and as she tells us, “You can’t get hurt from a book.” Well, except for that one time when Monique threw a book at Cassie to prove that you can, in fact, be injured by books.
“You were speeding, weren’t you?” my sister unhelpfully asks as she applies a Band-Aid to the cut on my forehead. She pulls off the rubber gloves she slipped on and begins to clean up the mess. She returns with a glass of water and two headache pills. She drops the pills into my palm and hands me the water. Swallowing back the pills, I stand up and look about the living area.
“I’m not you; I do not speed.” That comment earns me a bird flip from my sister, and I flip her right back. “Nice digs,” I voice.
“It’ll do for the weekend,” Sabbi says. “I’m still pissed Mom and Dad sold our house on the lake here when they retired. Had they said something, I would have bought it as a holiday home. I couldn’t live here full time—”
“You’re such a city girl now,” I tease her.
“Yes, yes I am but so many memories were made in that house.”
“So many,” I echo, my eyes locked on Reindeer’s and I can tell she’s remembering what I’m remembering. “You got a charger?” I ask.
Sabbi holds her hand out for my phone, and I drop the device into her waiting palm. She walks over to the desk by the window that overlooks the back deck and plugs it in for me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ruby asks.
“I’m fine. There was a fucking huge deer in the middle of the road. I overcorrected and ran into the embankment just up the road.”
“That’s Murray,” she tells me. “He’s been causing mischief for years now. One of these days he’s going to get someone killed.”
“Why doesn’t Game and Parks just move it on?”
“They’ve tried, but Murray the Mule Deer always returns.” She gets a wistful look on her face. “Personally, I think he has a secret girlfriend here and that’s why he keeps coming back.”
“Well, this town is like a boomerang, people and deer, it seems, always come back,” I offer.
“Not me,” Sabbi singsongs, handing me a glass of red wine. “I’ll come back to visit my two favorite people in the world, but I cannot see myself ever living here full time.” She takes a sip of her wine. “To be honest, I’m not shocked you’re moving back.”
“Yeah, me neither,” I reply with a nod. “As soon as I heard Sheriff Roberts was retiring, I knew I’d be returning to Evergreen Lake. Once I mentioned I was interested, one thing led to another and here I am, the new sheriff in town.”
“Well, as much as I hate that I’m losing the best babysitter I have ever had, I’m glad you’re following your dreams.” My sister pauses and smiles. “I remember you telling me when we were kids that one day you’d be the sheriff here, and look, at the ripe old age of thirty-two, you’re childhood dream has come to fruition.”
“Look at you using big words.” She flips me the bird again and takes a seat next to Ruby—who is staring intently at her phone and worrying her lip between her teeth.
“Still no answer?” Sabbi asks Ruby.
She shakes her head. “Nope, but his phone has been acting up.”
“Who’s missing?” I ask.
“No one is missing,” Ruby tells me, “but I haven’t heard from Joel since I left a voicemail to say I was coming to have dinner with Sab.”
“Is that out of the norm?” Again, she shakes her head. “Do you want me to call the station, see what I can do?” Her head moves side to side, again. For someone who is getting married in a few weeks’ time, she seems, I don’t know, not how a bride-to-be should be acting. I remember when Sabbi was about to marry Eamon, she was glowing and high on life, but Reindeer? Well, she’s just Reindeer.
“No, it’s fine, but thank you. I’m sure he’ll be in touch before he goes to bed tonight.”
“Won’t you see him before you go to bed?”
“We, umm, don’t live together.”
“How does that work if you’re getting married soon?”
“He’s going to move into my place after the wedding. Joel is kinda traditional like that.”
“Mmmhmpf,” I reply because I don’t know what else to say.
“I can drop you off in town, if you like?” Ruby offers.
“Or you can stay here for the night,” my sister suggests. “You and I can have a brother-sister sleepover but come three tomorrow, your sorry ass needs to be gone because Rubes and I are having a dick-free weekend.”
“Really, dick free?”
“Mmmhmpf.” My sister nods. “Rubes and I don’t often get us time, and we’re going to take advantage of it … but there will be no penises, or is it peeni? What’s the plural of penis?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“Because of the three of us, you’re the only one with a penis.”
“Yes, and I only have one, so knowing the plural isn’t high on my need-to-know list of things.”
“Well, you suck.” She picks up her phone. “Hey, Siri, what’s the plural of penis?”
A few seconds later, Siri advises us, “The plural of penis is penises.”
“Well, there you go,” Ruby says. “but personally, I think peeni sounds better than penises, and on that peen note, I will leave you two to your sleepover. If you need me to get anything tomorrow, just sing out.”
“I have it all sorted, Rubes. You just need to bring your gorgeous self and leave all the plans to me.”
“Are you scared, Reindeer? Putting your life in Sabbi’s hands is dangerous.” My sister sticks her tongue out at me like the mature twenty-eight-year-old she is not.
“Nah, I trust her.” She walks over to my sister and drapes her arm around her shoulders. “She hasn’t led me astray yet so I think I’ll be fine … besides, I know the new sheriff in town, and I’m sure he’d helped me hide a body should the occasion ever arise.”
We all laugh and then the two of them hug goodbye. Ruby offers me a shy wave and then she leaves me with my sister.
“Should we rescue your car?” Sabbi asks me
“Nah, it’s not going anywhere without a tow, but I might call the station quickly to let them know so they don’t send out a deputy to investigate.”
“That’s gonna go down well.”
“Well, I can tell them it’s Murray the Mule Deer’s fault.”
She laughs and leaves me to call the station.
With business sorted, she and I sit by the fire and we finish the bottle of red that was opened while Ruby was here. She also feeds me some of the leftover pasta they had for dinner. You’d swear my sister was Italian with how good of a pasta cook she is.
“Is it just me or does Reindeer seem off?”
“She’s just a nervous bride,” Sabbi says, but I can tell she doesn’t believe it.
“Don’t lie to me, Sis. I haven’t seen her in years and in the small time she was here, I could tell she’s not her usual bubbly self.”
“I guarantee you, she’s just worried about the wedding, and I think that’s because deep down, she knows Joel isn’t right for her.”
“Why don’t you say something to her?”
“Because she thinks she’s happy with him, and I don’t want to lose her friendship.” She pauses and then slaps my thigh. “But maybe you can say something to her?”
“And say what? Hey, Reindeer, I know I haven’t seen you in years, but I think marrying this guy I have never met is a mistake because you don’t glow like you used to glow.” And I mean that; the Ruby Olsen I used to know could make the brightest of rooms brighter. The sound of my sister’s voice snaps me back to the present.
“Well, yeah, okay. When you put it like that, I guess we just have to smile and be there for her.”
“You’re a good friend, Sabrina McMahon.”
“And you’re a good brother, Maddox Whitworth … but when are you going to settle down and make me an aunty?”
“I think that ship has sailed, Sis.”
My mind drifts to the one who got away. I will always regret that moment, but it’s something I will have to live with forever. Now that I’m back and she’s here too, it’s going to be hard—pun totally intended—especially since she’s about to marry another man.
four
RUBY
The roads are icy as I drive back to my place, but thankfully, the snow has eased up a little. I’m a good driver, my pop taught me how to drive in some of the most precarious of conditions. Just call me the female version of Marshall Kerr—just without the horrible accident and fractured hip—but I still panic a little when it’s like this.
Sticking to the speed limit, I take my time and safely make it back to my cottage. Unlike Mad, I didn’t encounter Murray. After his near miss with Mad, he’s probably hiding out somewhere cleaning the poop from his ass after his near-death experience with Mad and his truck.
Leaving Sab and Maddox just now, left me with a sense of déjà vu. It reminded me so many times of when we were growing up, and I would head back to my place after having dinner at theirs.
Grabbing my things, I head inside and place my keys in the bowl and my handbag next to it. Next, I shuck off my coat and hang it on the hook near the front door. Kicking off my boots, I slide my feet into my Uggs and let out a contented sigh. A sense of peace washes over me, and I know Nan and Pop are here with me, happy I made it home safely.
Grabbing the gift box from Sab out of my bag, I walk over to my tree, looking for the perfect spot for the ornament. The lights are on an automatic timer and they shimmer and sparkle as I continue to look for the spot. Finally, right at eye level, I find where I’m going to place it. Lifting the lid, I carefully pull out the ornament. Holding it up, I gaze at it and smile. My best friend knows me too well, this is stunning and one-hundred-and-ten-percent me.
Placing it on the tree, I smile, even amongst the other decorations, her gift shines brightly and is the focal point on this year’s tree. This Christmas is even more perfect now.
Walking into the kitchen, I pour myself a glass of red wine and take a sip. Closing my eyes, I savor the flavor and let the wine infuse my soul and warm me from the inside out. With my glass in hand, I head into the living room and sit down. Grabbing my phone, I shoot off a text to Joel.
RUBY
Hope you had a good day. Just got home from dinner with Sab. Love You.
Picking up the remote, I turn the television on and Home Alone 2 is playing. It’s not Christmas without watching these movies, so I snuggle back and laugh along at Kevin and his antics. My eyes grow heavy, and I drift off to dreamland.
