Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy

“Because you’re acting childishly, and so he has to treat you accordingly.” Maybelle plucked the fry from Rosie’s fingers before she could bite into it. But rather than put it back on Sophie’s plate she bit the end off that hadn’t been in Rosie’s fingers. “Mmm, you’re right. That is good.”

Rosie shot an evil eye tow

ard Maybelle. Cole leaned back, wondering if he was about to witness a granny catfight, and wishing Sophie would hurry up and get back to the table.

Maybelle just smiled, as if nothing Rosie said fazed her. “Go talk to Lou and I’ll give you the other half back.”

“As if I want the other half back after you’ve had your fingers all over it.”

Sophie came back to the table, eyed the two women who now occupied her side of the booth, then glanced toward Cole as if to ask how this had happened. He automatically slid over to make space for her on his side of the booth. Not that Cole wanted her that close, but he couldn’t just leave her standing there. Besides, these ladies were her friends. Maybe she’d know what to do with them.

With one more questioning look his way, Sophie sat down, then smiled at the women. “What did I miss?”

The bickering grannies launched into a sordid tale of why Blue Hair wouldn’t set a wedding date and why Regal General thought she should, before finally saying their goodbyes.

Cole let out a sigh of relief when they’d gone back to their table.

“Don’t believe anything they said about each other,” Sophie warned. “They’re the best of friends, even though you’d never know it from that conversation. Kind of like how you are with Andrew and Ben, I imagine.”

With the women gone and the opposite side of the booth empty, Cole felt odd with Sophie still sitting next to him. They weren’t touching, but it wouldn’t take much to accidently bump against her.

After they finished eating, they drove back to her shop with a key lime pie for her sister. As they drove, Sophie told him all about the ladies and their lifelong friendship and matriarch roles within the town. She told him about her Aunt Claudia, who was also a “Butterfly” and who’d started taking trips with her husband after having dreamed of traveling for many years.

When they got to the town square, he parked in front of her shop to let her out. A fuzzy yellow cat sitting on her windowsill caught his eye.

“I thought you didn’t have a pet.”

Following the direction of his gaze, Sophie smiled.

“He’s not mine and doesn’t want to make friends despite the fact I’ve been feeding him for weeks.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “He comes around, teases me with how close he gets, but has yet to let me touch him. As far as I can tell, he doesn’t belong to anyone.” She eyed the cat that must have sensed them watching him as he jumped down and took off down the street. “He is beautiful, though.”

Cole hadn’t had a pet in years—if the random critters he’d carried into his mom’s apartment had even counted as actual pets. He never got to keep them for long before she forced him to release them.

Sophie picked up the bag with the Santa suit, but she didn’t open the car door, just left her hand resting there as she turned to him.

“I’ll get the suit altered in the next couple of days. I know you need it next week.”

Still staring at the yellow cat, he nodded. “I appreciate it.”

She smiled. “Thanks for helping today. Sorry I have to go back to work before we completely finished.”

His gaze refocused on the woman sitting in his passenger seat. As Sophie opened the SUV’s passenger door and stepped out, he had a flashback of how he’d feel when his mother took away his latest pet.

“No problem,” he mumbled. “I’ll take these boxes to the last couple of places on our list.”

“It’s safer to go in pairs,” she reminded with her usual bubbly smile. “If you’re free, we could go together after the shop closes.”

Safer to go in pairs? Cole snorted. She didn’t really he was in danger by himself on the mean streets of Pine Hill. And if they went together and ran into trouble, did she really think she’d be the one protecting him? What did Sophie think she’d do, talk their assailant into giving up? Unleash her Butterflies on them, maybe? He fought grinning at the notion.

“I think I’ll be okay on this one.” Delivering toy collection boxes by himself in Pine Hill seemed way safer than spending more time with Sophie.

“I—okay, but I had a good time today and wish we could deliver the rest of the boxes together. I’d like for us to be friends.”

Her disappointment was palpable, which had Cole feeling guilty. But today had been a mission, not a precursor to their becoming friends.

She saw him as another charity case, he reminded himself. She could save her charity for someone else who deserved it.

“We’re not friends and never will be.” Pushing the words out was harder than he’d expected.