I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes before she blinked them away.
All around me, parents and kids told stories about waking up on Christmas morning and finding gifts under the tree.
Parents swore they didn’t buy them, and kids promised that some of the gifts were things they’d not told anyone else they wanted but had written letters to Santa, and their requests had been met.
It was all too much for my brain to comprehend.
Every year around Christmas, some inexplicable gifts showed up under these kids’ trees.
How was he pulling that off?
21
BISHOP
After putting in a full twelve hours on the Christmas drive, I was well beyond my limit of seeing and talking to people.
But the celebration afterward was one of those events that no one missed.
I tucked my shoulder into the corner, sipped my spiked eggnog, and watched from the shadowed depths of the clubhouse.
Laughter and music created a dull roar in the back of my head.
I didn’t bother trying to drown out the sounds but let them flow through me.
My heart drummed in time with a beat blaring from Colt’s vintage stereo system.
Even though it stood on the other side of the room, the bass reverberated.
Couples danced on the stage in front of the speakers, their bodies a mass of leather and bare skin.
They’d changed from their kid appropriate holiday attire to their usual stuff.
Even I’d swapped out my green sweater for a thin black T-shirt.
Relief at the success we’d managed today lowered my shoulders.
I took several deep breaths, inviting the scent of peppermint schnapps into my nose and throat.
Tonight’s party was the one people–including myself–looked forward to the most.
After planning and struggling all year, we now had everything we needed to make Christmas a success.
And this year, we’d be able to help even more kids than ever before.
I took a long drink and held the eggnog in my mouth, letting the flavors seep in and expand.
A light buzz skimmed my nerves.
Dale must have been in charge of the drinks.
He always put in too much booze, which meant I’d stop drinking after one glass.
Good thing I’d hidden away a carton of eggnog just for me. It was one of my few indulgences.
Noelle danced past me, her arm up over her head as she shimmied her hips and bobbed her head in time with the music.
She wore a red sweater dress that hugged her curves and left my imagination to run wild.
