“I know… After tonight, I won’t see you until January, and I don’t want to spend the last night of the year that I have with you sad.”
“Okay.” Without thinking, I raise my hand and trace his frown. “Then let’s turn this upside down.” I feel the twitch of his lips.
“My silly girl,” he murmurs.
Something flutters in my chest at that. “Will you go do something with me?” I bite my lower lip.
Garrett trusts me enough to share his story with me. It makes me want to be brave.
Thirty minutes later, we park on Second Street in Belmont Shore. The Long Beach neighborhood tucked against the Pacific Ocean is a busier version of downtown Seal Beach. It’s also a short walk to Naples, where houses along the canal draped in Christmas lights brighten the night sky.
It’s one of my favorite parts about Christmas. I have enough vision to enjoy the way the colorful decorations make the darkness sparkle.
We made a quick stop for me to change into jeans, a sweater, a scarf, and sneakers. Garrett laughed when I emerged in a sparkly pink Santa hat from my bathroom. I threatened him with the pair of reindeer antlers that now sit in his backseat.
As Garrett turns off the SUV, I look up at him. “Reindeer antlers?”
“Nope.”
“Boo!” I give him a thumbs down. “Guess I’ll be the lone festive fashionista in our duo.”
“Come on, Mrs. Claus.”
“I’m going to leave my cane here.”
“Okay,” he says slowly, seeming to take in my meaning.
From Second Street to Naples, through each side of the canal, and back will be approximately two to three miles. It will push me to be guided through a terrain that I’m not familiarwith. Without my cane, I won’t be able to anticipate ruts, drop-offs, bends, and other changes outside of what Garrett communicates as my guide.
“I hope it’s okay that we just do regular human guide. I thought about the rope, but I didn’t want to make this all about training. I wanted this to also be a little Christmas fun. Since you’ll be working.” I motion between us. “Though, I realize looking at Christmas lights is more my thing, so if you want to go steal all the presents from Whoville or whatever you like to do for the holidays, we can do that after.”
He laughs.
I smile. “I know your mom loves to cook. Did she do a special meal for Christmas?”
“Pizza.” A contented sigh escapes him. “Mom cooks all the time, so the holidays are her days off. Christmas Eve, Dad orders pizza. Each of us get our favorite. We’d eat, play board games, and watch movies.”
“An entire pizza for yourself?” My eyes widen. “Oh my god, I need to experience a Marlowe Christmas. It sounds perfect!” I grin.
He huffs a chuckle. “Hard pass. You and my mom would be dangerous.”
“Moms love me,” I say with mock indignation.
He laughs, opening his door. “That’s what I’m scared of. You two would team up, and I’d never know peace again.”
“Now thishasto happen.” I open my door. “We’ll discuss travel plans after Christmas lights, during our pizza time. And sir…” I arch an eyebrow. “I will be ordering my own pizzaandgarlic knots.”
He rounds the car. “I imagine you’ll want a hot chocolate for our Christmas light stroll, too?”
“Naturally.” I smirk. “And since hot chocolate isn’t a latte, I’m made in the shade.”
“Made in the shade?” A deep belly laugh belts out of him, causing a triumphant grin to pop across my face. “The things that come out of your mouth sometimes… You ready?” he offers me his arm.
“I’d be more ready if you put on the reindeer antlers.”
“Not happening.”
Biting my lip, I wrap my hand around his bicep and position myself just a step and slightly behind him. “Let’s do this.”
