“So…” I glance at him. “You said you’d decided to stay for Christmas.”
“Yep.”
“What are you going to do for the rest of the week?”
“I told Jude that I’ll help out at the Forever Home if he needs me at all. He’s already got Christmas Eve and Christmas Day covered, but I might do a shift on Boxing Day.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away.
The twenty-sixth is the anniversary of Jack’s death. I’m guessing he wants to keep busy that day. I think it’s going to be difficult for all of us.
We slow as we reach Beach Road. It’s almost dark now. The sky is the color of an eggplant, with a glimmer of marmalade near the horizon. The sea to our right is calm in the lagoon, reflecting the moon that hangs above it like a silver bauble, as if God has decorated the sky for the festive season.
“So how are you spending Christmas?” I ask softly.
“Not much. I asked my landlady if I could stay until the New Year, and luckily she said yes. She said she’d saved my room because she’d hoped I was going to stay.”
“Aw, that’s nice.”
“Yeah.”
Max slides his hand into mine, maybe because it’s dark, or perhaps because he’s so tired he’s almost asleep on his feet.
“My landlady’s trying to talk me into joining her family for Christmas dinner.” Cullen chuckles. “It’s very sweet and extremely kind, but I don’t relish the idea of having Christmas dinner with a group of strangers.”
“Do Max and I count as strangers?”
Cullen looks at me, and his lips slowly curve up in a smile. “Of course not.”
“Well, we wondered whether you’d like to join us. It wouldn’t be a huge cooked dinner,” I add hastily. “I don’t think I could fit a turkey in the microwave.”
He gives a short laugh. “I don’t care about that.”
“Look, um… I know it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, but the local supermarket is open. If you’re not busy, we could treat ourselves to something nice and a bottle of wine. And play games, or watch movies, and walk on the beach.”
“It sounds amazing.”
We stop outside the bach. Max gives Ghost a hug, then takes the key from me and unlocks the door. “I’m starving,” he says. “Can I have a cheese toastie?”
“Yes, of course. Get the bread out.”
He goes inside.
I look back at Cullen. “So, do you want to come over tomorrow?”
“I’d love to.”
“Come over around eleven, and we’ll take a walk to the supermarket.”
He nods. “I look forward to it.” He glances into the bach. Max is busy taking some bread out of the bag and slotting it into the toaster.
Cullen bends his head and presses his lips to mine. It’s a brief, sweet kiss, but it sends tingles all the way down my spine.
“’Night,” he says.
“Goodnight.”
“Bye Max! See you tomorrow!”
“Bye,” he yells from inside.
