Paisley is across the room, sitting on a footstool, but she’s right in my line of vision, looking pretty in a burgundy velvet dress with a black belt around her waist, her hair in loose waves around her shoulders.
Everyone’s chatting easily, and no one but Braxton seems to notice when I don’t join in.
Joseph goes outside, coming back with a massive cardboard box filled with gifts and a huge smile. “Now, I know we said no gifts,” he starts, “but you know what Esther is like. The woman can’t help herself.”
Raewyn laughs gaily. “Well, I won’t put up too much of a fuss.” She points at the presents gathered under the tree. “I picked up a few odds and ends for you all myself.”
Stephen stands up, slapping a Santa hat on his head, rubbing his hands together. “Guess that makes it present time,” he says gleefully. He heads to the tree and starts handing out presents, making sure that everyone gets at least one before moving on to the next round.
I open a book from Analise, my smile genuine when I see it’s one of our shared favorite authors. The smile widens when she unwraps her present from me and finds the exact same book.
She lets out a delighted laugh, telling me, “I knew there was a reason I liked you. We’re reading these at the same time, right?”
Stephen unwraps his present to find a new soldering pen—the same one he happened to show me in a catalog acouple of months ago. He shoots me a conspiratorial wink, saying, “Just what I needed.”
“For what?” his wife demands suspiciously. But Stephen only taps his nose, grinning as he watches me open a new tool kit—one with flowers printed on the handles.
“Every girl needs her own tools,” he tells me.
Raewyn hands me a gift card for a spa day at a place in Ashland, including a massage, a facial, and a manicure. She leans over, tapping the card, telling me playfully, “You look like you need this. Let me know when you’d like to go, and we can do it together.”
Her present from me is a personalized cookbook, where I’ve taken all her handwritten recipes she keeps in a box in the kitchen, printed them out, and bound them into a book. She stares down at it for several minutes, her knuckles white, and I’m sure she hates it…Then she gets up and marches over, yanking me up for a hug.
“My mama’s recipes are in here,” she whispers in my ear. “This is priceless. Thank you, Gracie.”
My emotions get the best of me as I hug her back, her familiar floral perfume filling my lungs. “You’re welcome,” I whisper.
She hurries over to Stephen, eagerly showing him the recipe book, and I watch, trying to carve every moment of the day into my memory. I might be losing the first relationship that ever truly meant something to me—in a permanent,realsense—but I’m going to be losing these people, too, and that hurts almost as much.
Braxton sets a small gift box on my lap, distracting me. I don’t look at him as I pull the paper away with meticulous precision, revealing a square jewelry box. I open it to see a pair of elegant earrings resting on a black velvet cushion, the diamonds glittering in the overhead light. Istare down at them for a beat before thanking him quietly, closing the box back up, and setting them aside.
He watches me, confused. “You don’t want to wear them?” he asks uncertainly. “If you don’t like them…”
“I’ll try them on later.”
Paisley stands, catching Braxton’s attention before he can press the issue. She’s holding a small present and a gift bag, and she crosses the room to us. I glance at Braxton, eyes narrowing when I see the way the color has drained from his face, but then Paisley’s there, setting the box on his lap.
He thanks her, but she doesn’t move away, standing there as she watches him peel the wrapping away to reveal a box of chocolates.
“Don’t worry,” she confides with a bright smile. “I didn’t let Nick get his hands on it. The caramel ones are all there and accounted for.”
“Thanks, Paisley,” he murmurs, setting the box on the ground without another look.
She still doesn’t move away, turning to look at me. “I know we don’t know each other well, Gracie,” she says demurely, holding the bag out. Braxton shifts his weight beside me, but I don’t look at him, desperately trying to keep my expression impassive. She looks from the bag to me, her eyebrows lifting with expectancy. “But I wanted to get you something to…welcome you into the fold, I guess.” She watches me expectantly and, without any real way to tell her to kindlygo jump off a fucking cliff, I take the bag.
The last thing I want to do is open anything from her, especially in a room full of people, but I dip my hand inside anyway. The first thing my fingers touch is a small cardboard box, which feels safe enough. I pull it out slowly, like I’m expecting something to bite me, and trace my eyes over the words on the side.
Velvet Noir.They’re printed next to a gorgeous model holding up a small crystal bottle.
“What is it?” Analise asks from the ground beside my seat.
My lips feel numb as I tell her, “Perfume.”
Raewyn’s brows climb, her mouth pinching. “Perfume is quite a personal gift, especially for someone you’ve just met, Paisley.”
Paisley’s cheeks warm as Analise takes the box, pulling the bottle out and testing the scent in the air. I want to be surprised when the familiar fragrance fills my nose, but I’m entirely focused on not retching all over Paisley’s black pumps.
“There’s something else,” she murmurs, not taking her eyes off me. Her smile widens sharply. “Braxton helped me pick it out. We spent ages searching the store for the perfect thing, but I had to make sure that I got something you loved.”
