9781250209153

13
Holiday break begins with a rainstorm. It never gets cold enough to snow
before Christmas, but I guess something has to fall down from the sky. For
two days, rain lashes the windows and pushes our inflatable snowman
decorations onto the grass. We stay indoors and feed our boredom with
Christmas movies. When we get tired of that, Thora insists we stage the
holiday card she wants to send from her family.
“You mean our family?” I ask.
“No, I mean Pickles, BooBoo, and myself.”
She dresses in green velvet and lounges in front of the fireplace with the
cats in her arms. Daphne captures three whole photos before Pickles
scratches his way free.
When the weather finally clears, Danielle and I go shopping for family
gifts. Daphne tags along, which I’m grateful for, because it means Danielle
won’t have a chance to ask about Irene. We make our way around town,
hitting up the mall, the bookstore, and Balthazar’s Antiques. None of us
suggests treading into Candlehawk.
“Is Thora working today?” Danielle asks after we dip into a beauty store
for some bath bombs. “We should go by The Chimney. I’m craving their
fried pickles.”
“I could go for a virgin piña colada,” Daphne says. “Shopping is
stressful. I need something to take the edge off.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, slinging my arm around her shoulders. Truth be
told, I’ve been over this shopping thing for at least an hour. I’ve already
picked out presents for Mom, Dad, and Thora, and now everything I see is