“What would you say…no, never mind.”
“No, tell me. What were you going to say?”
“It’ll sound daft.”
She smiled and tucked her arm in mine. “Tell me anyway.”
“I was thinking of putting up a tree this year. I’ve no ornaments or other Christmas decorations, so…daft, right?”
“Ornaments don’t necessarily make the tree, you know?”
“No?”
“There are so many other things we could do. String popcorn and cranberries. We could dry orange slices and hang them from ribbons, and tie cinnamon sticks together and do the same. Oh, and I’ve even seen oranges dotted with cloves.” She tapped her finger to her bottom lip, something I’d noticed Tee-Tee often did. “One year, I remember my grandmother and I made ornaments. I think the recipe was half applesauce and half cinnamon. We rolled them out, used cookie cutters to make shapes, and then let them dry. They smelled so good.”
“Sounds brilliant.” Was she saying she wanted to do all these things with me? It sounded as though she was. “So…you wouldn’t mind hanging out with me like that?”
“Like that?”
“You know. As friends.”
“I’d love it.”
After we’d made our way through the light show, we took a car service to South Congress. It was easier to leave the truck parked where it was than try to find a spot in the popular neighborhood where five-star restaurants dotted every block.
“Do you fancy Italian?” I asked as the driver wound his way through the crowded streets.
Rebel looked over at me and smiled. “I fancy English more.” She had the sweetest look on her face.
Gawd, I wanted to kiss her.
“Hey, what are you two doin’ here?” I heard a voice I didn’t recognize say as we walked into the restaurant where I’d made the reservation. I turned in time to see Rebel wrap her arms around the Long Branch’s former bouncer.
“Steel! It’s so good to see you!” She pulled me closer. “You remember Edge?”
It must have dawned on her when he would’ve seen me last. Rather than a sweet smile, she frowned. I leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “None of that, now. We’re celebrating new beginnings. That was in all of our pasts.”
“Right,” she said, a smile plastered back on her face. “So, Steel, is this where you work?”
He told us it was and then introduced us to some of the other staff. It seemed like a friendly bunch, and the clientele was nothing like those who frequented the Long Branch. Not that there was anything wrong with that group; this was just slightly higher brow.
After we finished a fabulous meal, during which we both ate far too much, the server Steel had insisted wait on us, brought a dessert tray to the table.
“Wow,” Rebel said, her voice full of awe. “These are so beautiful. Do you make them in-house?”
At that very moment, Steel stopped back by. While Rebel continued to ooh and aah over the desserts, I filled him in on her job at the dining hall.
“You should taste the things she makes,” I told him proudly.
“Hey, Rebel, you wanna meet the pastry chef?”
Her head spun so quickly I laughed.
“Seriously?”
Steel nodded. “I’ll take you back to meet her.”
“Would you mind?”