How the Hitman Stole Christmas

“Do you have any ideas for a gift for your mom?” I ask, looking at Jasper as he opens the door so I can step back out onto the sidewalk.

He shrugs, purposely missing my gaze. “You can just give her whatever you got for Brady’s mom, it doesn’t matter.”

“I feel like we should get her something.”

He stops on the sidewalk. “Is there anywhere else you want to go?”

I sigh, looking around at all the festive shops. “I want to go everywhere. I wish we would’ve had one more day here.”

He cracks a smile, but I don’t feel like his heart is all the way in it. “Next time. Why don’t you pick one more shop to check out tonight?”

There are still a lot I want to see, but if I only have one left, I know which one I’ll pick. “How about the candy store?”

When we first started walking down this way, I couldn’t help noticing how cute the candy shop looked with all of its lovely Christmas decorations. There’s a good chance I’ll be able to pick up something for Jasper’s mom there, too. Maybe it won’t be anything personal, but at least it will be something we bought specifically for her.

Even though his hands are full of all my shopping bags, Jasper opens the door for me. I flash him a grateful smile, thanking him as I step inside.

“Did you ever watch Willy Wonka when you were a kid?” I ask him.

Jasper’s gaze drifts around the shop, taking in all the different kinds of sweets. “Yeah, I saw that one.”

I nod. “I liked that one. It wasn’t my favorite Roald Dahl movie, though. That was Matilda.”

A little smile tugs at his lips. “I actually remember that one, too. The little girl with telekinesis, right? Figured you’d be too young for that one.”

I shake my head. “When I was a kid, my grandpa ran this video store.” I glance over at him, realizing those don’t exist anymore. “Remember those? You had to go somewhere to pick out a movie to rent.”

Jasper cracks a smile. “I’m older than you, remember? I know what a video store is.”

“Okay. Well, Grandpa owned one—that was his job. Every Saturday he’d bring me with him to open the store and let me help out with little things. Like, it was my job to take the movies out of the return bin and stack them on the counter.” I crack a smile, stealing a glance at him. “I thought my job was of the utmost important.”

“Oh, I’m sure the entire infrastructure would have collapsed without you.”

My smile widens. “So, anytime I worked, Grandpa paid me with a movie rental. I couldn’t get any of the brand-new movies that everyone wanted, but I could pick any older movie I wanted—provided it wasn’t rated R, of course.”

He humors me. “Of course.”

“So yeah, I ended up watching a lot of old family-friendly movies. I even watched Shirley Temple’s entire catalogue. Grandma loved Shirley Temple movies.”

I fall quiet for a moment, lost in memories of being little.

Jasper must notice, because despite the playfulness of the conversation we were just having, his tone is more somber when he asks, “I take it your grandma loved Christmas, too?”

“Oh, yes. She loved Christmas. Our house wasn’t very big but we’d still have everyone over. The place would be packed around the holidays.”

“Did your mom or dad ever come? I know your grandparents raised you, but you never said… were they alive?”

I shrug. “Presumably. I lived with my mom and dad in a trailer when I was super young, but they split up. He disappeared and my mom was unstable without him, so she gave me to her parents when I was four. She never came around when I was growing up. Last I heard she moved to West Virginia. Someone must have been in contact with her because she did show up to Grandpa’s funeral, but… she didn’t come back for Grandma’s. Maybe because she knew if she did, she might have to take me back,” I say, offering a slight smile.

Jasper shakes his head, not at all amused. “She sounds like an asshole.”

A burst of surprised laughter bubbles out of me. “Yeah. It seems like she was. I don’t know, I don’t really remember much of her. I remember a birthday party at the trailer park, I must have been three. I got some kind of riding toy, I was riding it around outside and she was there. Then I remember when I was four and I thought we were just going to Grandma’s house for a visit. I was standing up on her recliner even though I wasn’t supposed to, perusing a built-in shelf full of movies. My mom opened the sliding door and looked back at me, but she didn’t say anything. I thought she just left something in the car and she’d be right back, but she didn’t come back. She left.” I run my finger along the rim of a basket brimming with wrapped candies as we pass it. “Didn’t even give me a hug goodbye.”