Ian: Then I guess I won’t have to tell you a dirty joke.
Elly: It better be a damn good one!
Ian: Then it better be a really festive decoration!
Elly: Goodnight, Ian.
Ian: Goodnight. Sweet dreams…Of sugar plums.
Elly: Ugh!
I wasn’t thrilled about having to put up a Christmas decoration, but I was curious to know what kind of dirty joke Ian would come up with. I put my leftover wine in the fridge, cleaned up the kitchen, and walked to the bedroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and had to do a double take—I had the silliest little grin on my face, and I didn’t even realize it. Ian definitely knew how to make me smile. It was really easy to talk to him.
Ian checked so many boxes on my list of qualities I would look for in a guy if I was serious about dating someone. I just wasn’t sure if I could open myself up like that. I certainly didn’t think I could magically transform into someone that was eager to celebrate the holiday season, even if I had someone to share it with that didn’t bring me a lifetime of grief.
I’ll put up one decoration—just to humor him.
Chapter Six
Ian
I walked upstairs to my room, and I had a feeling in my soul that was different from the loneliness that normally resided there after an evening alone. I didn’t toss or turn when my head hit the pillow. I was relaxed and happy. I slept through the night and woke up feeling so refreshed that I didn’t even realize I hadn’t made a pot of coffee until I had been up for almost an hour. I never thought I would be interested in another woman after my relationship with Abigail ended, especially after so many dates ended in disaster because the memories had a tight grip on my heart—but my interest in Elly seemed to be growing with ev
ery conversation we had.
I have no idea if this is entirely one-sided, or if she’s still talking to me because she feels some sort of connection too…
There were things Elly didn’t want to talk about. I did my best to back off when she wasn’t comfortable with discussing certain aspects of her life. I might have been a little pushy when we talked about Christmas, but she hadn’t shut me down entirely—I took it as a sign that maybe she had a little bit of holiday spirit left. It was buried under something that she wasn’t quite ready to share. I wasn’t going to give up on it. I felt like it was a barrier that could be broken down, and possibly even the key to finding out if things could go further than a few jokes that we shared over the app.
I need to come up with a dirty joke. If she really calls my bluff and puts a Christmas decoration up, then I have to deliver on my promise.
I wracked my brain throughout the day. She didn’t seem to have any limit to the dirtiness of her jokes, but I still felt like she was just testing me with a few of them. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to joke about jingling Santa’s balls, but I could venture outside of the corny one-liners and dad-jokes that made up my usual repertoire. I came up with a few, and shortly after I finished dinner, my phone lit up with a message from her. I clicked the Secret Santa Romance app and saw that she had shared a picture—it was a Christmas wreath hanging on the wall.
Elly: There you go. I put something up.
Ian: It’s a very nice wreath. Good job. :)
Elly: Don’t get excited. I’m not leaving it up very long.
Ian: You put it up. That’s a pretty big step. Where did you get it?
Elly: Someone in my apartment building sells them. I think the money goes to charity…
Ian: A nice decoration and a little charity—that’s two big steps.
Elly: I already gave money to the evil Salvation Army Santa too, so I’m all caught up on my charity this season.
Ian: I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.
Elly: Okay, I’m ready to hear my dirty joke now! Don’t keep me waiting!
Ian: Alright. Why is Santa so jolly?
Elly: Are you stealing my White Christmas joke?
Ian: No.
Elly: Okay, why is Santa so jolly?