Rory glanced at Frank.Frank smiled.“I’ll do some, and you can do some.”
“Sounds like a deal.”
Rory was glad that they wanted to get on with Christmas.They were having a blast.Opening gifts, loving what everyone got for them.They even had gifts in the Christmas stockings—treats, chocolate, mini jars of honey, beef jerky, and more.
Then Florence and Lacy started heating the cooked spiral ham.
Lacy washed her hands and hugged Florence.“I thank my lucky day that I met you, and my grandfather mated you.”
Florence smiled.“I feel the same way.”
Then they all went back into the living room and played Trivia and other games until it was time to make the sides for the ham, parmesan roasted asparagus, and mashed potatoes.
They sat down for lunch and began passing the sides around.
“I haven’t had a real family in years,” Rory said.“You all make this super special.”
“I was going to say the same thing,” Florence said.
“Well, I’m delighted that Lacy and I have expanded our family, and we hope it will continue to grow.”Frank began slicing the ham.
Rory smiled at Lacy.Her cheeks were a brighter pink.Yeah, kids were on the agenda.
He had thought of offering to cut the ham, but Frank seemed to want the role as the senior male there, even though both Florence and Lacy cut up meat in their line of work also.
Once everyone’s plates were filled, they began eating their Christmas lunch.
“Everything tastes great,” Lacy said.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Frank said.“Last year, I had takeout Chinese.”
Florence smiled and reached over and squeezed his hand.“We can have anything you like for Christmas or Christmas Eve in future years.”
“I agree,” Lacy said.“Florence and I can make tasty Asian dishes if everyone wants something different next year.”
“As long as we have turkey for Thanksgiving, I’m game,” Rory said.
“Yeah, I prefer turkey also.”Frank buttered another roll.
“What about New Year’s Eve?We’ll be going to the dance, but what about dinner before that?”Frank asked.“Steaks sound good to me.”
Everyone agreed.
The wind was howling, and after they finished eating, they looked out the windows at the blizzard, a total whiteout, the wind whipping about at about eighty miles per hour.
“We’re staying here the night.”Rory wrapped his arm around Lacy’s shoulders.
“Yeah, that’s too dangerous to drive in,” Florence said.
Rory wondered about the twin brothers and if they were out in this storm.Their thick winter coats would keep them warm, trapping air close to the skin.But they would also have to find a cave, rock overhang, or dense shrubs to protect themselves from the storm, and move to lower levels where it would be warmer.
If they were wild cougars, they would increase their body fat in wintertime.But for humans, they were often warmed up by fires or heating units, so that might not happen for shifters.The cougars also had higher body temperatures and, in conditions like these, could sleep more to conserve energy.Too bad they couldn’t catch them while they were holed up somewhere.
“Does anyone want to watchThe Santa Clause?”Florence asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Lacy said.
So they watched the movie while Rory stroked his light beard, and the Santa kept trying to remove his white beard whenever it appeared.
