And she had. Nicola opened the simply wrapped gift slowly, slightly nervous. A small five-by-seven frame contained a photo of Seamus and Nicola. Shot from behind, on the film set in Ojai, it showed Seamus leading Nic by the hand toward the spaceship as the sun set over the mountains in the distance.
“This is the only photo I shot that weekend,” Kara began. “I promise.”
“It’s beautiful,” Nicola said softly. “Thank you.” Then she punched Kara lightly on the arm. “And thanks for not selling it.”
Nicola stared at the photos sitting in their nests of wrapping paper. She got up and took them into her bedroom, placing them on her too-small bedside table. Turning in the near dark, she saw another gift sitting on top of her Pottery Barn covers. Her shoulders dropped.
It was small blue box with silver candy canes printed on it, tied with a silver bow.
Nicola lifted it tentatively. It felt light. She shook it, and was relieved to not hear anything rattle. No jewelry. She pulled the ribbon undone and dropped it to the bed. Lifting the lid, she saw a small gift tag. TO: OHIO, FROM: EDINBURGH.
Beneath the tag was a folded note. She lifted the note out, revealing the box’s contents—a woven nylon bracelet, strands of pink, lavender, and silver braided together. She unfolded the note, handwritten. She’d never seen Seamus’s handwriting before—like him, it was irregular and a bit childish. It made her smile.
Dear Nico. A very happy holidays to you, my sweet. I made this for you. No matter what happens, I hope you can wear it and let it remind you that you’re not Hollywood. Miss you madly, love you more. —S
She put the note and the box next to the photographs on the table and tied the bracelet around her left wrist. She walked around the apartment, turning off all the lights. Returning to her room, she pulled her curtains wide open, letting the silver moonlight flood the room. Nicola looked up at the night sky and felt the rasp of the nylon against her wrist. Then she climbed under the covers, shivering as she waited for them to warm up.