When Tim opened it, it contained a gold ring with a dark red stone.
“I can’t believe it,” Tim said, taking the ring out of the box. “This is my grandmother’s ring. I gave it to my wife on our first anniversary. She dropped it down the drain in the kitchen sink years ago and we thought it was lost forever.”
I was mystified. How did Felix come up with a present that would be so meaningful to Tim?
“Nothing is lost forever,” said Santa. “Especially not the love between two people who have pledged to spend their lives together.”
Tim’s eyes filled with tears.
“This is heartwarming, Geri,” said Pepe. “But I tell you this is not Felix. This Santa smells of sugarplums and spice and everything nice. Felix always smells like the dogs he trains.”
“Merry Christmas!” said Santa, opening the door to the balcony. He stepped outside and seemed to vanish into the night air. The door blew shut with a bang.
“Wow!” Tim said, staring at the ring. He sank down into the chair beside the little table in the room and looked over at Sophie, who had scrambled back into bed and was tucking Chiquita in beside her, kissing her repeatedly on the head. “It’s almost enough to make me believe Santa is real.”
“Of course he’s real, Daddy,” said Sophie with a bit of scorn in her voice. “He found Chiquita.”
Just then, there was another knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” I said.
“Ho-ho-ho!” said Santa, entering the room. As he passed me, he winked and asked, “How’s that for timing?”
I recognized his voice. It was Felix! “Weren’t you just here?” I asked him.
He shook his head. His beard was not as fluffy as the previous Santa’s. Nor was his stomach as protuberant. And his “ho-ho-ho” was not as hearty.
“Told you so,” said Pepe.
Felix turned to face Tim and Sophie, then noticed that Chiquita was already in the room. He looked confused, groped around in the canvas bag he carried, and came up empty.
“Hey,” said Felix. “What happened to the stocking? How did the Chihuahua get into the room?”
“Never mind,” I said. “Everything is fine now. I think it’s time for us to leave.”
Of course, we couldn’t go without multiple hugs and kisses from Sophie and Chiquita. Finally we scrambled along the balcony through the thickening snow back to our room. When I opened the door, my jaw dropped.
There was a punch bowl full of frothy eggnog sitting on the bedside table and two crystal cups beside it, already filled with the beverage. A plate of shortbread cookies sat on top of the TV. There was a bite taken out of one of them. Christmas lights were strung up over the bed. And sitting in the middle of the table was Arturo, the funny little tree I had left on my dining room table back in Seattle, but now he was all decorated with blue ornaments and white lights and the special golden star ornaments that my mother had collected and given to me and my sister in Christmases past.
I whirled around and gave Felix a big hug. “Wow!” I said. “No wonder you were delayed. This is amazing. How did you pull this off?”
Felix took off his Santa cap and scratched his head. “I didn’t do any of this,” he said. “Where did it come from?”
“Santa?” I asked.
“Told you so,” said Pepe, looking up from where he was gnawing on a bone that had been left under the table.
“Here to make all your dreams come true,” said Felix, tumbling me down onto the bed.
It was the best Christmas ever.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
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Copyright © 2015 by Waverly Curtis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-064-1
ISBN-10: 1-61773-064-5
First Kensington Mass Market Edition: November 2015
ISBN: 978-1-6177-3064-1
First Kensington Electronic Edition: November 2015
The Silence of the Chihuahuas Page 28