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If I had a guardian angel stretching every dollar for me, I wasn’t about to complain. I sent a silent thank you to whoever was listening and toasted the best bagel in the world. But I couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was off.

I closed the cabinet above the sink after grabbing my favorite mug.

It stayed closed.

And that stopped me.

I stood there a second longer, staring at it. I was supposed to push it shut for the hundredth time. Now it just… stayed.

This was one too many. A shiver crawled up my spine. Nothing was wrong. Everything was right. The faucet was quiet, the tea was full, and the cabinet fixed. I wasn’t used to things going right.

I turned to the coffee maker and stopped.

The mug was gone.

Rhett’s mug. It had been sitting where I’d left it because I didn’t want it. The wrapping paper was gone too.

I must have tossed it.

But I couldn’t remember doing that either.

I poured the coffee, shook the can of whipped cream, and giggled as I popped off the red lid. It was the only thing that made coffee better. I carried my plate and mug to my little table and sat where I could see the tree. Christmas Eve. My first one with a tree of my own. Mom would’ve loved it, back when she still loved Christmas. Dad… he would’ve ignored it, same as he ignored every Christmas.

I thought about Klaus and wondered what he was doing for Christmas. If he had someone to spend it with. My chest ached, but I ignored it.

I’d just taken my first sip when there was a knock at the door.

My stomach dropped.

Hope you liked my gift. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ru.

There was no way he was here.

I wouldn’t open it if it was.

But I could check.

He wouldn’t know I was home.

I set the mug down after I’d convinced myself, pulled my hair into a bun, and crept to the door. I looked out the peephole and waited a minute, then two, making sure no one was out there waiting to jump out at me. The hallway was empty. I wrung my hands as I waited. When I was sure, I unlocked the door and eased it open.

Two boxes sat on my doormat. A small black box stacked on top of a large square one, both tied with a big pink bow.

I scooped them up and scanned the hallway again. Not a soul in sight. I retreated into my apartment, locked the door behind me, and set the boxes down beside my cup. It felt more like Christmas Eve now that I had a present.

A small cream card stuck out beneath the little box. When I tugged, it slid out easily. Only two words were written on it.

For you, little lamb.

Something about it tugged at me. It wasn’t from Rhett. He would have knocked until I answered or stayed until he could watch me open it. Even if he had somehow left it, the note would have been a paragraph long and signed with R.

After how pushy he’d been recently, I was surprised he hadn’t texted or called. I was just thankful it was a holiday and I didn’t have to see him at work. I tried not to think badly of people, but he made my skin crawl. That movie night was a blur, and every instinct I had told me never to be alone with him again.

The pretty pink bow caught my attention again.

I pulled the ribbon on the small box and lifted the lid.

A QR code.