Josh grabbed her hand again. “Come on and help with the tree. We got all the ornament boxes out. Dad already got the lights on it.”
There was no way to avoid this. She couldn’t disappoint Josh. Though she’d rather clean the abscesses on a hundred animal wounds than decorate a Christmas tree.
“Grab an ornament and go for it.” Steve pointed to the boxes. “Want a beer?” He lifted up the six-pack.
“Yes, that sounds good.”
Steve opened the box, pulled out a bottle of beer and twisted off the top. “Glass?”
“No, bottle is fine.” She took a good long swig of the cold liquid. Maybe for courage? She placed the bottle on a coaster on the coffee table and turned to the ornament box looming before her. Her hand shook as she reached into the box of ornaments and pulled out a small angel, covered with glitter.
“You okay?” Steve looked at her like he thought she was going to faint. Which, to be honest, she was darn near doing.
She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m fine.” Good thing there wasn’t a lie detector hooked up to her right now, the needle would be flipping out over her answer.
She slowly crossed over to the tree and reached up to an upper branch and carefully hung the angel. A light on the tree reflected on the small, delicate ornament. She stood and looked at it for a moment. This was not the way she’d pictured her Great Christmas Escape. Not at all.
Josh shuffled up beside her. “That’s pretty. Look what I got.” He held up a small sleigh with Santa sitting in it.
“That’s a nice ornament, too.”
Josh brought her each ornament before he hung them. Each. And. Every. One. She smiled and made the appropriate comment. Over and over.
Finally Steve swung Josh up high to put an angel on the top of the tree.
“That means we’re done decorating.” Josh said as his father let him back down to the ground. “We always do the angel last. I get to do it.”
“She’s very pretty.”
Josh looked at the tree with the critical eye of a child. “Yes, she is pretty. The tree looks great, Dad.” He took another step back examining it carefully.
“Come on. Now we can have chili.” Josh popped onto a new subject. Evidently the tree was finished and it was time to move on.
Yes, let’s finish up this project and move on to normal life. Dinner. Conversation. Away from the tree.
“Dad always lets us eat in front of the Christmas tree on the night we decorate it.”
Of course he did.
“That sounds nice,” she lied. She lied big time.
“Josh, maybe we should eat in the kitchen. I don’t think Miss Holly wants to sit on the ground and eat on the coffee table like we usually do.”
“Sure she does.”
Spoken with the confidence of a child.
“Yes, that’s okay. I can sit on the floor.”
“You sure? We do have a kitchen table.” Steve tilted his head toward the kitchen.
“No, I’m sure.”
They ate dinner under the traitorous Christmas tree. Josh chattered about his day, with Steve asking him a question here and there. Holly felt like she knew Josh’s life story by the time dinner was over. Well, except for the part about not having a mother.
Steve stood up and took her empty bowl. “Josh, you go finish your homework while I clean up.”
“Dad, I’ll do it later.” His Dad sounded like Daaaaad, at least two, if not three syllables.
“No, you know the rules. Finish the homework, then we’ll see if there’s time left for some TV.”
“Fine.” Josh got up and walked with a deliberate slow shuffle off in the direction she assumed was his room. He turned back around. “Hey Louie, come do homework with me.” The dog got up from where he’d been sleeping under the tree and trotted off down the hall with Josh.
“Here, let me help.” Holly got up from sitting on the ground, but caught her toe on the leg of the coffee table and tumbled back down on her rear. So graceful.
“You okay?” Steve set down the bowls and knelt down beside her, his brown eyes filled with concern.
“Nothing hurt but my pride.”
“I knew this was a bad idea. You were company, we should have eaten at the kitchen table.”
“I was uninvited company and there was no reason to give up the tradition you have of dinner by the Christmas tree on the night you decorate it.”
“Well, at least let me help you up.” Steve stood up and reached out both his hands. His warm, strong hands, she soon found out. With a quick easy pull he had her on her feet.
“Thanks. Now, let me help with the clean-up.”
“You don’t have to, you’re a guest.”