Holiday Sparks

“Not my dad. He’s a little taller,” her voice pitched lower, “and even wider.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Hey, is Darcy around?” Ben interrupted before his chatty niece told Jaime all about John. No one would make the correlation to the guy that came into the store, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

“She’s covering a break.”

“On the… Is she on the register?”

“Yes. You should hear her trying to bite back a growl whenever her station is on the loop.”

“Loop?” Brittany asked.

One of the songs he’d programmed came on and the lights twirled around the single wall behind the register, the wreaths flashing in time to the music.

“That is so cool!”

Ben shrugged down at Jaime. “It’s her favorite word.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty cool too. But I like Christmas.”

“So which one’s your girlfriend?”

Jaime bit back a laugh.

“The blonde lady over there.”

“Wow, Uncle Ben, she’s a hottie.”

Jaime couldn’t muffle her laugh this time. “Oh Ben, you’re going to end up with a daughter just like her. I can see it.”

“Ha ha, Jaime. That’s very funny.”

She took the box and cooler from him. “Thanks for thinking of us. I’ll get Darcy off the registers so you can get some food into her. She hasn’t stopped since she got here.”

“Come on, squirt, let’s go surprise her.”

Darcy’s back ached something fierce and if she heard Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree one more time there was going to be blood. She smiled at the customer in front of her. “Do you need a box for this?”

“Do you have two?”

Darcy looked at her dwindling stack but grabbed two anyway. When they were gone, they were gone. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” The woman gave her a weary smile. “Happy Holidays.”

“Happy Holidays,” Darcy parroted back. It was safer to say that then Merry Christmas. Heaven forbid they didn’t celebrate the holiday.

Garlic and sauce wafted into her station. Man, if someone went to Lou’s and didn’t ask her if she wanted something there was definitely going to be more than blood.

“Excuse me, miss?”

She would know that voice anywhere. She heard it before dreams and when she woke up. Sometimes she even heard it in her dreams. “Yes sir, one moment.” She didn’t turn around. Instead, she changed the register tape and refilled the bags under the counter.

He cleared his throat.

“I’ll be right with you, sir.” Her laughter was too close to the surface.

Ben gave her ponytail a sharp tug. “You wouldn’t be ignoring a customer would you, miss?”