When the Dead Come a Knockin'

by B. L. Brunnemer

  “Nothing alive, Lexie.” Miles' voice had me looking at him, he had that half grin on his face. He knew what I was doing and appreciated it. I winked at him. Miles’ half grin turned to a smile before he was going through his box too. I slid down back into my spot between the twins, Hades was still asleep. I watched Ethan pull out a black leather wallet.

  “Okay, this is awesome.” Ethan was smiling.

  “It’s a wallet.” I didn’t get it. Ethan leaned over, opened it and pointed at the slots in the wallet. “It’s a wallet, with pick slots.” He explained still smiling. “This baby can hold twelve. I bitched about losing picks to Rory like, a month ago,” I smiled. Good one Rory.

  “Okay, that’s pretty cool,” I admitted. Ethan shook his head and went back to looking through his box.

  “Hey Red, where are your sneakers?” Isaac asked. I looked over to see him with his mischievous grin on his face again.

  “Why?” I asked suspiciously.

  “Rory got me a custom sneaker kit.” He looked back over at me with a big smile. “There’s paint to use on your sneakers.” That sounded pretty cool. “I want to test it out.”

  “No, use it on your own shit,” I said smiling. “But if you want I’ll help you with the artwork?”

  “Yay!” He did a little dance in his spot and kept digging through his box.

  “Ally…” I looked over to see Asher holding a smaller box. It looked like a set of knives.

  “Did he get bad knives?” I winced hoping that wasn’t the case. Asher shook his head, his face looking stunned.

  “Oh no. He... he got me some of the best knives in the world.” Asher looked up at me.

  “What did he get you?” Ethan asked looking up from his box.

  “A full Wusthof set of knives.” Asher still looked like he couldn’t believe it. I smiled at him.

  “He knows you love cooking. Ash.” I gently reminded him. Asher nodded slowly, still looking at the box. I watched him pull a post it off the front. Miles started laughing. I looked over to see him chuckling at a poster he’d unrolled. “Miles?” Miles looked over at me still laughing.

  “On this one, there was a note attached. It said ‘to help you keep up with Lexie.’” I raised an eyebrow at that. “It’s a flow chart of Shakespearean insults.” He smiled at me. “So, I can insult someone without cursing.” Everyone burst out laughing. Oh, that was perfect. I was looking over Isaac’s shoulder when Zeke spoke up.

  “Lexie…. your uncle.” Zeke’s voice sounded weird. I looked over to see him holding a black full face motorcycle helmet. I flinched expecting something wrong.

  “What, sweetie?” Zeke looked up at me, his face just as stunned as Asher’s was.

  “This…” He stopped and looked back down at the helmet in his hands. “This is a Shoei RF-1200 helmet. It’s one of the best helmets on the market.” His voice was a little rougher than his usual gravelly one, but it was so subtle I doubted the others heard it. He pulled a yellow post-it note off the face of the helmet. “And on it is a note saying ‘If me or any of my friends on the force ever see you not wearing a helmet again. I’m going to ticket you every day for the rest of your life. Ask Lexie if I’m kidding.’” Everyone else burst out laughing but Zeke and me. He still looked stunned. I didn’t know what to say except the obvious.

  “He wants you safe, Tough Guy.” He looked at me still not quite believing it. “And he’s not kidding, he will do that.” Zeke was still shaking his head looking like he was still trying to understand something when Ethan caught my attention.

  “Holy mother…” I looked over to see him looking at a piece of paper. I shifted Hades and leaned over but couldn’t make it out.

  “Okay, what is it?” I asked smiling. Rory was a damn good gift giver. Watching the boys open their presents from him was like a present just for me. It was fun.

  “Rory bought me a Fender Mexican Strat.” His face was shocked. “It’s waiting for me to pick up at the music shop in town.” Ethan looked at me his mouth moving, but nothing came out. I gave him a smile and bumped his shoulder with mine.

  “He knows you’re good, Snoopy.” Ethan looked back down at the paper in his hands like he expected it to disappear. I could tell by his expression that the guitar must have been good or really good. I didn’t know.

  “Lexie…” Miles' voice had me looking to him. He was looking at a piece of paper too.

  “Yeah?” I was dying to know what Rory got Miles. Miles looked up at me with a stunned look on his face.

  “Rory bought me a telescope. It’ll be here tomorrow.” He looked at me with a curious expression on his face.

  “I might have told him you wanted to be an Astrophysicist,” I admitted smiling. “He’s trying to encourage you, honey.” Miles looked back down at the paper with his ‘I’m dealing with an emotion’ face. “Is it a-.”

  “No, it’s…” Miles stopped me not even looking up. His voice was quiet. “It’s perfect.” His voice was thick. I was about to get up to hug him when Isaac let out a hoot. Hades woke up and let out a small woof. Then he settled back down on my neck. Isaac was doing a dance in his spot.

  “Rory is awesome!” Isaac yelled pulling out a bag of a new set of MMA pads. “And the note says. ‘Stop getting your head kicked in.’” Everyone burst out laughing, even Isaac. The guys kept emptying their boxes. Everyone seemed to get a lot of little things that they’d like too. A new wallet chain for Zeke, galaxy lollipops for Miles, a gadget that Ethan was thrilled about he said it was a pick cutter. Free guitar picks for life. Isaac got silly stuff that he was happy to instantly start playing with. Asher got something called a Gray Kunz spoon, it was used for plating or something.

  “Anyone else get a shaving kit?” Zeke asked suspiciously. All the guys said some variation of yes.

  “You guys got shaving kits?” Was that a guy thing? They all nodded.

  “Yeah, and they’re the old-fashioned kind,” Ethan said picking his up and handing it to me. I held Hades in one arm and looked in the leather case. There was a shaving mug, a brush, a soap disk, a safety razor, a small bottle of scentless after shave, extra blades and instructions on how to shave with a safety razor.

  “Why would he give you old fashioned ones?”

  “His note said that it gives a closer, better shave,” Asher answered for everyone. “That it takes longer, but it’s worth it to not have to shave every day.”

  “I think he meant that bit about me,” Zeke admitted smirking. I snorted. Yeah, Zeke didn’t like shaving all the time. I thought about that.

  “Shit. I need to find one for myself.” The guys chuckled. Yeah, I wasn’t joking. I never could find a razor worth a damn. Each of their boxes had things specifically for them, but there were things that all of them got, like the shaving kits. They all also received a nice dress watch, cufflinks, tie clips and a shoe polish kit. According to Rory, these were all things guys needed. I had no fucking clue. Then there were the things that were for each of them. Ethan got a tuner for his new guitar that he’d been wanting. He was so happy he did his own dance when he pulled it out of the box. Miles got a bioluminescent globe thing. It was a plastic ball almost filled with water, but when you moved it the plankton in it glowed blue. Miles loved it instantly. Isaac’s favorite was a smartphone projector box. You used your phone to watch a movie, and it projected it onto the wall. It was cool. Asher got a subscription to receive a box of artisan ingredients every month for a year, he was really excited about that. Zeke got a gift certificate to go overhaul his protective riding gear. Gloves, boots, even a new jacket with inserts for armor. Rory also demanded that Zeke also pick up several pairs of motorcycle jeans. Apparently, they make jeans now that have Kevlar worked into the fabric so if you crash your skin isn’t scraped off by the asphalt. Ouch. I needed to hug Rory when I got home. But in every one of the boxes, there was what looked like a letter to each of them. Ethan started reading his before everyone was done looking through the boxes. I noticed after a couple seconds
he stopped and put it back in the envelope. When Asher went to open his, Ethan coughed catching his attention. I pretended not to notice him mouthing the words ‘not here.’ Whenever one of them started opening their letter, Ethan would do the same thing. Get their attention and tell them to wait. I wasn’t going to ask, but I really wanted to.

  In the end, all the guys were shocked by Rory’s gifts. I couldn’t stop smiling. The guys started talking about gift ideas for Rory. I suggested yard work hours. The guys snickered, but Zeke looked like he was considering it.

  While the guys were still talking, Hades woke up and was ready to play. Zeke brought down the toys he’d left with him upstairs. While everyone else started a board game, Zeke was teaching me what not to do when playing with a puppy. He told me you weren’t supposed to let them bite on your hands. I had no clue. Zeke also told me how to use positive reinforcement to get the obedience you wanted.

  “Especially with house training, you can’t do the whole rub their noses in it, shit. That creates fear in the dog and a dog that fears you might obey. But he won’t trust you as much.” Zeke said as he held the end of a rope as Hades yanked on the other end. “It’ll take longer, and there will be more mess, but in the end, it’s better for the bond.” I smiled to myself.

  “Okay, lots of treats and positive attention.” I agreed. I was willing to follow anything he said right now. I had no fucking clue how to take care of a dog. I put Hades on a leash and took him out back to see if he needed to go. My coat pocket was full of treats like Zeke said. The back yard was covered in snow, and I was worried about whether Hades’ short hair would keep him warm enough. I watched him carefully to make sure he didn’t start shivering. While I was out there, I took a couple photos of Hades to show to Dylan. Shit! Dylan! I was supposed to head up there this afternoon. Could I take Hades? Fuck! I waited a few more minutes outside as Hades peed on a bush. When he was done, I gave him a treat and some love. His tail was wagging like helicopter blades. We came back in and headed into the living room.

  “Okay, dog question.” Zeke looked up from the game. “I’m supposed to leave to see Dylan in twenty minutes. It’s an hour away. Do I take him?” Zeke’s eyes were unfocused for only a couple seconds.

  “If someone else were going with you, I’d say yeah. But he’s a puppy, and he’s going to want to explore the Blazer while you're driving.” Zeke explained. “I wouldn’t if I were you.” Shit. I was afraid he was going to say that. “Lexie, don’t worry. I’ll take him back to my house, and you can pick him up on your way home.” My eyebrows went up. Zeke’s house? I’ve never seen Zeke’s house.

  “Really? I get to see your house?” I said smiling. He rolled his eyes.

  “I do have a house Lexie, it’s where I sleep.” He pointed out being a smart ass. I wrinkled my nose at him. “Besides, you’ll have to start socializing him with people and dogs. And I’m your only friend with dogs.” He made a good point.

  “You don’t mind?” I didn’t want to put him out. He didn’t even look up from the game.

  “Not a bit, it’s kinda fun to have a puppy around again,” Zeke answered absently. My heart melted a bit right there. I leaned over and gave him a side hug.

  “You’re the best,” I said. He smirked and patted my back.

  “You might want to stop your dog from eating your new purse,” Zeke said not even looking up from the game. I turned and found Hades gnawing on the bag strap. Oh shit. I hurried over and took it from him.

  “No,” I told him firmly. He looked at me with a tilted head.

  “Now give him something he can chew on,” Zeke called from the table. I grabbed one of the chewing bones and held it out to Hades. Hades sniffed it then took it and began gnawing. “Now you give him a treat and tell him he’s a good dog.” I did what Zeke said. Hades ate his treat and went back to chewing on the rawhide. “You’ll have to do that a lot, Lexie. It’s repetitive and all the time, but in the end, it’s pretty fucking worth it.”

  “I’m going to end up calling you a lot,” I warned him. He snickered.

  “Just not after midnight or before eight in the morning.” He shot back. I just smiled. Then it was time for me to go. I didn’t want to leave my puppy. The guys started laughing at me, and that got me out the door with Dylan’s presents. Those shit heads.

  An hour later my stomach was in knots as I pulled up to Dylan’s house. It was around four, and it was going to be dark soon. I texted him I was here and needed help carrying stuff. A minute later he was coming out the front door. He gave me a big smile before he gave me a quick soft kiss. He pulled back, his eyes warm.

  “Merry Christmas Sunshine.”

  “Merry Christmas cutie.” I smiled up at him; I couldn’t help it. But I did have a question before I met his dad. “Does your Dad care if I curse? Cause I might need a swear jar.” He laughed at me.

  “Sunshine, I curse around him all the time. He won’t even notice.” He reassured me. That took a big weight off my shoulders. I turned to the back of the Blazer at the two stacks of boxes.

  “Okay, you take one stack. And I’ll take the other. Please don’t drop them, it was hard enough to make them the first time.” I begged him. He smiled and took a stack. I took the other one and the book bag I had stashed in the back. We closed the back and headed in. My stomach knotted even more as we walked into the foyer. Dylan looked back and gave me a wink. It made me smile. Okay, this wasn’t going to be so bad. Right? Dylan led me into the great room. His dad was sitting in the leather recliner. Wow, he looked like an older version of Dylan. Except for his eyes. Dylan’s Dad had his hair buzzed down to a small layer on his head like he just didn't want to deal with it. I envied guys that option.

  “Dad.” Dylan got his attention. “This is Lexie, Lexie this is my Dad, David.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Miller.” I was on my best behavior. It felt weird. He waved a dismissive hand.

  “Just call me Dave, honey.” He said with a friendly voice. “So, you're the girl Dylan won’t stop talking about?” Dylan's face started to turn red. I looked at him smirking.

  “Dad…” Dylan groaned.

  “Oh really?” I asked smiling. I looked back at David. “What’s he been saying?” David started grinning.

  “Lexie…” Dylan pleaded. I looked at Dylan still smiling.

  “Sorry, sweetie, you brought me here.” I turned back to his dad. “Come on, tell me what he said? Were there details? I bet there were details.” Dylan groaned and headed for the kitchen. I held it together until he was in the kitchen then I started snickering. I looked back at David, who had a big smile. “Oh, that was fun.” David started laughing, his eyes warming.

  “I think I’m gonna like you.” David declared. I smiled back, then tilted my head at the TV.

  “Have you guys been drowning in Christmas movies?” I asked. David nodded.

  “Yeah, it’s overload at this point.” He confirmed.

  “Well, I did bring some anti-Christmas movies if you're interested.” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m listening.” He said smiling. I put the boxes down and opened my bag as I walked over to the coffee table. I pulled out several stacks of action movies, bad horror movies that I personally loved. Not to mention the classic comedies, Spaceballs and Monty Python. David whistled. I gestured to the stacks.

  “Have at it.” I picked up the boxes and eyed David. “Do you want your cookies now?” His eyebrows went up, and a light came to his eyes.

  “Have you tried them first?” He asked cautiously. I snickered.

  “Yes, and so did everyone helping to bake them. No ill effects.” I assured him. His face lit up.

  “Then, yeah.” He said smiling big. I walked over and just put the whole stack of boxes in front of him on the coffee table. His eyebrows went up. “That’s a lot of cookies.” I snickered.

  “That’s your half.” He looked up at me his eyes wide. “Dylan has his with him in the kitchen.” I took a breath and added. “They might no
t taste the same. But I can tell you and my friends, who wouldn't stop eating them, that they aren’t bad.” He gave me a smile.

  “Hey, Lexie, where’d ya go?” Dylan called.

  “I didn’t go anywhere; you ditched me.” I shot back over my shoulder. David burst out laughing. I smiled and headed into the kitchen. I found him waiting in the doorway.

  “What do you mean where did I go? You’re the one who walked off without me.” I pointed out.

  “Okay, yeah, I’ll admit that.” He grinned down at me. I stepped a little closer.

  “Let’s give your Dad a couple of minutes; he’s going to try the cookies and if we succeeded…” I whispered. Dylan’s eyes warmed on my face. He nodded, took my hand and led me into the kitchen. I took my coat off and hung it on the back of a dining chair and put my bag on the table.

  “How many cookies did you make Sunshine?” He asked going to the boxes. I went to the empty counter next to him and hopped up.

  “We made a whole fucking bunch,” I told him honestly. “Your Dad has his half.” Dylan’s brows went up, his eyes wide.

  “Half?” He pointed at the gift boxes full of cookies. “This is half?” He asked in disbelief. I gave him a big smile.