Sloane stumbled out of her room, and saw Piper doing the same, with Madeline behind them, saying “C’mon, C’mon!”
Jack was asleep on the sofa when he awoke to noise and loud music.Am I dreaming or is that the ‘Coconut’ song by Harry Nilsson playing?
Throwing off the blanket, Jack got off the sofa, wandered into the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Jack said, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw Bella, Angela, Madeline, Sloane, and Piper in the kitchen -that IS the ‘Coconut’ song playing- all of them in their jammies, sipping some kind of frozen drink in glasses, dancing and singing around the kitchen.
“It’s Midnight Margaritas Dad!” yelled Piper over the music.
“What?”
“You know, Midnight Margaritas from that movie, ‘Practical Magic,’ where they make margaritas at midnight and dance around the kitchen. Angela said they recreate it every Christmas Eve and asked if we wanted to join them this year. This is SO much fun!”
As she danced by Jack, Angela whispered to him, "Don't worry, there’s no tequila in these” and spun away as they all laughed and danced a conga line through the kitchen.
Watching Bella sing and dance along with them, he thought she was crazy, in the best kind of way.I’ve been a really good boy this year, Santa. Please bring me what I want.
Chapter 17
Bella awoke at about 7am on Christmas morning, to get coffee brewing, as well as preparing a light breakfast that would be ready by the time the others woke up. Knowing that later would be filled with lots of snacks and a big Christmas dinner, she liked something light in the morning - just enough to keep them all going. She made a fruit salad, as well as bacon, and had a quiche she had made a few days ago, which she popped into the oven to warm up. She had always loved this time of day on Christmas, being the only one awake in the house, getting things ready and the anticipation of seeing the girls open their gifts. Now that they were older there weren’t as many presents under the tree - they usually wanted cash, but she always made sure there were a few small items. This year there were also gifts for Sloane, Piper, and Jack, along with the gifts they had brought with them.
Hearing rustling behind her, she turned to see Jack come into the kitchen, a sleepy smile on his face. “Merry Christmas, Jack. Did you sleep okay? I'm sorry about the shenanigans last night — you can use my bed later if you need a nap.”
“Your bed sounds inviting, but only if you’re joining me.”
“I wish. That will have to wait till we don’t have a houseful of big ears and eyes,” she said as she poured him a cup of coffee.“The girls will be up soon, and my parents will be over around 1pm. I’ve got dinner planned for about 5pm. That gives us time to let our food settle before dessert. “
“That sounds wonderful, Bella. You’ve really outdone yourself. Oh look, there’s that mistletoe again,” he said, giving Bella a very good morning kiss.
The oven timer dinged, signaling the quiche was done, and just in time, as the girls all came down the steps and straight into the living room, looking to see what ‘Santa’ left for them.
After Sloane and Piper insisted on selfies in front of the decorated tree, they had a bit of breakfast, then headed back to the living room, where they sat down to open presents while Jack and Bella sipped on coffee, smiling, and oohing and aahing at all the right moments as each gift was held up for inspection. Judging by the looks on their faces they were all happy with their gifts.
Pulling a small, wrapped present from under the tree, Bella passed it to Jack, saying with a smile “Santa didn’t forget you this year, Jack.”
“Oh, what could this be?” he said while shaking it next to his ear with a laugh. Unwrapping the gift, he looked down to see a first edition, signed copy ofThe Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe's account of the early space program — a genuine classic. Opening it gently, almost afraid to damage it. He read the inscription.For Jack — who had the right stuff all along. Bella
“Bella, this is amazing, one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I love it, thank you so much.”
“Dad, give Bella her gift,” said Piper.
Jack reached under the tree and handed Bella a medium-sized box, wrapped in paper covered in tiny Corgis wearingChristmas sweaters. Bella tore the paper off and looked stunned. “Oh. Crocs.”
Jack, Sloane, and Piper all burst into laughter at her face -Her face said everything — she wasn't sure what to say but absolutely did not want to hurt his feelings.Crocs weren’t really her style.
“Open the box.” Lifting the lid off the box, Bella saw a smaller box nestled inside next to the Crocs. Lifting it out, she opened the box and gasped. Inside on a white gold chain was a charm of a high heeled shoe, studded in tiny diamond chips, with the sole of the shoe painted in red enamel, just like Louboutin’s.
“Oh Jack, this is gorgeous, I love it! Can you help me put this on now?”
Jack took the necklace from Bella, unclasped it, and placed it around her neck. His breath warm in her ear, he whispered “Merry Christmas, Bella. Also, you don’t have to wear the Crocs.”
“Thank God, I’m so relieved!!”
The girls offered to clear up all the wrapping paper, as well as do the breakfast dishes so both Bella and Jack could have showers (not together of course!) and get dressed. Bella went with comfort for the day, her favorite low-rise boyfriend jeans, and paired it with a Christmas themed hoodie, printed with a woman kissing Santa under mistletoe, along with Tod's
Gommino suede driver loafers in red. Jack was casual as well, with jeans and his own sweatshirt of Santa riding a rocket ship in space, pulled by reindeer. All four girls headed upstairs to get dressed - Angela and Madeline also taking a few minutes to Facetime with their dad in California.
At 1pm Big G and Mary arrived, and it started all over again, as they had presents for all of them, including Sloane andPiper. They had brought gifts themselves for Big G and Mary: a baseball cap, golf balls, and a shirt all emblazoned with the NASA logo on them for Big G, and for Mary they had purchased an Italian leather bound journal, as Bella had mentioned once that her mom was an avid journaller. After cleaning up again, Bella headed into the kitchen to get dinner started, while the others sat in the living room, each with cups of nog or juice, talking while Christmas music played softly in the background. She had a roast to get into the oven, and sides to prepare: potatoes, glazed carrots, oven-roasted sprouts, lemon-roasted Romanesco broccoli, rolls, and of course Big G had brought a massive lasagna that they’d be eating for at least a week after. Jack offered to help with dinner, but Bella shooed him out. Dessert was a selection of pies, and Madeline had brought a traditional Christmas Pudding with her from England.
