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“Did you buy Christmas socks?” Mom asked.

“Christmas socks? I was just going to dig some out of my drawer. I thought it was supposed to be funny. Like a white elephant or whatever they call it.”

“I don’t think so,” Mom said. “I might have some Christmas socks I bought to put in Harris’s teacher’s basket. I’ll come with you. Are you done with that?” she asked, pointing at my cup.

I nodded and she took it, stacking it with her empty one.

They were all heading the other way, and I just stood there. “We’re done?” I called after them.

Mom turned first, followed by the others. “We’ll walk it again on Christmas Eve,” she said.

Behind her was the dark house, taunting me. I didn’t want it to be the last thing on my mind tonight.

“I’m going to walk a little more,” I said.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Be safe,” Momma said.

Marcus hesitated. “You want me to stay?”

“No, go to your sock party.”

He tried to read my expression, like he was worried I was upset or something. I wasn’t. It was fine. We’d walk again. This wasn’t the last chance or anything. I swallowed and shooed him away with a flick of my hand.

Chapter 17

After my family left, I stared at the dark house again. All its curtains were drawn, no lights on at all, not even house lights. Did anyone live here? Or did they leave for the entire month of December? Maybe they were snowbirds, like my grandparents, heading to Florida or Arizona when the winters got too cold. Well, the joke was on them, because it hadn’t even snowed this year. I turned my gaze up to the sky, giving it a dirty look as well.

“Are you plotting? Trying to figure out how to get lights on this house so that they aren’t the shame of the entire neighborhood?”

Ryan was standing next to me. My eyes flashed to where I’d last seen my family. They had already rounded the corner. They weren’t the only ones I was worried about seeing us, though. There were other people in the neighborhood who would recognize us. But only strangers seemed to surround us now. Probably out-of-towners.

“Don’t worry, we’re safe,” Ryan said, obviously noting my scan.

“Where are your friends?” I asked.

“Terrorizing children on another street,” he said.

“So, you are aware that pelting people with candy canes is…”

“Obnoxious?” he asked.

I let out a laugh.

“I tried to disarm them. It was useless.”

“Was that your golf cart?” I didn’t remember ever seeing him drive one before.

“No. Phillip’s.”

“Fancy,” I said.

Ryan turned his attention back to the dark house. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. He was wearing his long plaid wool coat again with a dark-blue hoodie underneath. He wore a beanie pulled down over his ears. “What did you decide to do about this house?”

“Do you think this is the one? The hater?” I asked.