The Christmas Arrangement

by A. J. Morrow

  Just at that moment, Erin, Jamie’s older sister, came charging past. Jamie followed right after, yelling something about a stolen football.

  “We could decorate the front of the house—they could let off steam outside, then.”

  Marian pursed her lips. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  Tess shook her head.

  “You’re enabling her, I hope you know,” Marian said to her daughter. “Alright, fine. I’ll get the old decorations out from the attic.”

  “Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Tess jumped up and down, a smile splitting apart her face.

  When Marian had left to go fetch the decorations, she high-fived Colette. “Success!”

  “I’m starting to think maybe you’re the one who needs to let off steam,” said Colette, but she was laughing.

  Tess shook her head sheepishly. She took Colette’s hand in her own and led them to the front door, where their shoes were kept. “I just love decorating—puts me in the Christmas mood, you know? With my family, we decorate every year together, and we always have a theme.”

  Colette stilled. “Do you miss them?”

  “Obviously.”

  “I mean, is it hard now, not to be with them this holiday?”

  Tess shrugged her shoulders, careful to keep her face blank. “Yeah, it always is, but I couldn’t afford to go home this year anyway. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m calling them this evening anyway, and we’ve been texting.”

  “I hadn’t realized.”

  Tess reached up to bop Colette on the nose. “I’m sneaky. Super sneaky. I could be in Europe right now and you’d never know.”

  “Sure.”

  “I was a spy in a past life.”

  Colette laughed. “Okay, double-O-doofus, are you going to be warm enough in that?” She gestured to Tess’s outfit, which was missing both a hat and a scarf.

  “Uh, yeah,” said Tess, “I don’t feel the cold.”

  “I know that’s not true—”

  Colette was interrupted by the reappearance of Marian, who was lugging a massive black box down the stairs. Tess rushed to help her and together they managed to get the box downstairs in one piece, though the lid was slightly askew when they set it down.

  Inside was a collection of ancient Christmas decorations, some clearly meant for the tree, while others looked like they’d be perfect hung over the mantelpiece, or somewhere similar. Tess clapped her hands together once again and pulled Marian into a tight hug.

  “Oh, this is perfect,” she squealed.

  Marian tensed in her arms, but she didn’t move. Tess got the impression she was glaring, and Colette’s snort from behind only proved it.

  “Yes, well, I still think it’s more bother than it’s worth.”

  Marian pulled away and turned back into the kitchen, no doubt to complain to her husband. Tess didn’t mind, however. She poked her head into the living room to fetch anyone who wanted to help, and then she grabbed the edge of the box. Colette held the front door open for her as she dragged it out onto the front porch, huffing at the weight.

  “Yikes,” Tess said, “this is heavier than it looks.”

  “Let me help.” Colette picked up the other end of the box with ease and they found a good spot to leave it in.

  Arthur, Jamie, Erin, and another smaller kid, Marty, came outside to join in with the decorating. They each grabbed an armful of tinsel and began the task of winding it along the banisters and around the door, with the help of the adults. Tess found a collection of little paper stars, which she stuck along the edge of the window.

  At the bottom of the box were a bunch of old-fashioned decorations, like wreaths of dried orange slices and pine leaves, that seemed to be quite new. Shiny red baubles and pristine little angels on string, the kind that break quickly with children around, were packed into a cardboard box of their own. Tess was beginning to think that maybe Marian was less against decorating than she let on, at least until Tess mentioned it.

  “Hey, Tess,” Colette called. She’d disappeared for a few minutes and had now reappeared laden with bunches of holly and mistletoe, apparently picked from the garden. “Can you help me arrange these?”

  “Oh, yes!” Tess bounced over to Colette and took a handful of mistletoe. “I think they’d look good on the beams above the house.”

  “I agree, but how are you going to get them up there?”

  “Easy.” Tess put her foot on top of the railing and hoisted herself onto it. She was quite short, and the extra boost to her height still only meant that she could just about reach the beams.

  “Are you sure about this, Tess?” said Colette, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “If you fall, you’ll land in the snow.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got good balance.”

  Despite this, Tess could see Colette move to stand behind her, at the foot of the front steps, just in case. It was a little act, nothing really, but it made Tess smile. Her heart expanded in her chest, hot and full of affection for Colette, but she didn’t say anything.

  The front of the house was nearly decorated, and the kids were laughing with Arthur as Tess ordered Colette away from her spot beneath her so she could go fetch string. The decorations were an eclectic mess of tinfoil, shiny paper, and an army of mini snowmen built by Erin at the bottom of the steps. Chains of paper angels—old, by the looks of it, probably made by Colette and Arthur when they were kids—were taped to the windows, accompanied by red and gold ribbon and Victorian style Father Christmas figures.

  Colette reappeared with the string and Tess began to tie clumps of mistletoe and holly to the beams above the porch. Her bare fingers dug into the snow that lined the edge and she bit her lip as it stung her skin, cold and wet and brutal. The holly was plum red against the white and green; a stark, beautiful contrast.

  Tess reached down to take another bunch of mistletoe from Colette, her frozen fingers briefly touching against Colette’s warm palm as she did. She straightened up, cheeks warm, and focused on tying the mistletoe in the spot next to the holly.

  “Your hands are frozen,” Colette said from somewhere slightly behind her.

  “I know, I should have put on gloves.”

  “I can go get you some, if you like.”

  Tess smiled, though she knew Colette couldn’t see her. “Nah, don’t worry about it, there’s only a few more to do.” She took a step sideways along the rail so she could reach another spot.

  Her foot slid up as it touched a path of snow on the wood, and Tess’s head was thrown back. Her whole body lurched backward, feet in the air, head pointing down, as she slipped from the railing and fell backward. A strangled cry left her throat, but there was no time to think. Tess reached out for anything to catch her. There was nothing to hold onto.

  She spun in the air, hair whipping around her shoulders, before she felt something grab her waist. Two strong hands grabbed Tess’s side and she landed, with a thud, in the snow. Beneath her was Colette.

  “Uh, hi there,” Tess said, her voice knocked up an octave. She had landed on her elbows and the impact left them aching.

  “Hi there yourself,” said Colette. Between her and the snow, Tess’s fall had been broken, but now they were in an awkward position: Colette lay flat against the snow and was looking up at Tess, whose face was only inches away. Their bodies were pressed against each other, and Tess had an arm on either side of Colette.

  “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Colette asked. She frowned.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” Tess felt the blood rush to her cheeks, no doubt turning her face red. “Thanks for catching me.”

  “Of course, anytime. Are you sure you’re okay, though? You seem a bit…” Colette’s eyes scanned Tess, who was more than ‘a bit’ flustered.

  Tess jumped up so that she was sitting across Colette’s waist but was no longer lying flat against her. “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m okay, just a bit shocked—I’m not hurt or anything.”r />
  Colette watched as she rubbed her bruised elbows. Once again, a strange sort of tension fogged the air between them; Tess was acutely aware of Colette beneath her, of the feel of her stomach rising and falling with each breath and the warmth that bled through the fabric of her clothes in stark contrast to the biting snow. Unable to move, Tess sat there, eyes fixed on Colette.

  “Oi, lovebirds,” Arthur shouted from the other side of the porch, “can one of you give me a hand with this tinsel?”

  Tess moved off Colette with a speed that sent her head spinning. Although basically unhurt, the fall had knocked the breath out of her and scraped up her elbows and knees. She straightened up and offered a hand out to Colette.

  “I’ll go help him,” said Colette, “I think you should go sit down.”

  “You’re probably right.” Tess frowned, her face the picture of disappointment.

  “Maybe you can help Jamie with his lines instead?” said Colette.

  At her suggestion, Tess perked up. “Great idea! I’ll go fetch him now.”

  The next few hours passed quickly, with Tess practicing lines with Jamie on the porch stairs while the others decorated. Jamie was confident with his lines (and Colette was confident Tess didn’t have a concussion) they all went back inside to decorate the Christmas tree. They chose all the prettiest, most precious baubles for the tree—the rest were hung around the bottom floor—and carefully arranged the red and gold so there was an equal amount of both hidden among the green.

  When everything was perfect, Arthur lifted Marty up on his shoulder and he put the angel on top of the tree. It was a beautiful, old-fashioned angel, with a ceramic face and burgundy red dress. A gold robe was draped over the dress, and it’s wings, also ceramic, were a soft pinkish white.

  They all stood back to admire their work. It really was a beautiful Christmas tree, and when the rest of the family saw that it was done, they all agreed.

  The rest of the day was spent wrapping gifts, baking cookies, and drinking mulled wine. Just after dinner, when everyone was full of mince pies and little pigs-in-blankets, they made their way down to the nearby St. Paul’s. It was a grand, old building, with beautiful stained-glass windows and candles lit in every corner.

  A somber note came over them as they stepped into the church from outside. Everything was hushed, and, although the walls were draped in shadow, the inside was warm and inviting. Tess slid into a pew, followed by Colette, and they sat near the front of the church.

  After a few minutes, a bell rang and every one stood, service sheets in front of them, to sing Silent Night. As they did, a procession of children all dressed in nativity costumes walked in pairs down the aisle. Each held a single candle in front of their solemn faces, and they sang in a single harmonious pitch.

  Right at the back was Jamie, dressed in a stripy robe. Beside him was a little girl dressed in blue, and in front were two angels. When the song was over and the children had all marched up to the front, the organ fell silent and the nativity began.

  It was a simple, charming production. A child would step out, narrate a scene from the story, and then the actors would unfreeze and perform their lines. Bible verses were read, as if to prove the narrators right, and carols were sung after every scene. The parishioners joined in with each song, and their voices filled the church with a truly ethereal sound.

  “Are you religious?” Tess whispered to Colette just after Gabriel had visited Mary.

  “No, not particularly. I think Christmas is beautiful, though.”

  Tess nodded, and they settled back into their seat to watch the nativity. Jamie gave his lines perfectly, and, when it was over and he joined them in the pews, Tess high-fived him. He grinned from ear to ear, though his face was still half covered by his fake beard.

  When the nativity was over, the priest stood up to thank the children and give a short sermon. A few hymns were sung and prayers given, and then it was time to leave. The children were worn out, so their parents carried them home, while Tess and Colette walked arm in arm.

  “You’re good with kids,” said Colette.

  “I have two younger brothers.” Tess shrugged.

  “Still.”

  She nudged Colette’s shoulder playfully. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Ah! I’m so excited.”

  Colette laughed. “You’re just a big kid yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, one hundred percent.”

  It was dark when they got home, though not particularly late. Mugs of hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and marshmallows, were handed out, and then Marian was whisking everybody to bed.

  “You’ll have plenty of time to natter tomorrow,” she kept saying, “but we have to leave time for Santa to come.”

  So, a tray of freshly baked cookies, carrots, and a glass of milk were laid out, and then everyone, even the adults, went to bed.

  Chapter 6: Christmas Day

  She knew she had to call her family before the others woke up, so Tess set her alarm early the next morning. When it went off, muffled by the pillow so she wouldn’t wake up Colette, it was still half dark outside. Tess put a sweater on over her pajamas and grabbed her phone as she stepped out onto the balcony.

  Behind her, Colette mumbled in her sleep. Her mouth hung open and her hair was splayed across the pillow; Tess smiled. Carefully, she closed the door.

  The balcony attached to Colette’s bedroom was wide and long, with a wooden chair in one corner that was now covered in snow, and a curved metal railing lined the edge, with a few strands of ivy growing around the base of its iron spokes. Tess leaned against the edge, her eyes fixed on the scene before her.

  Snow covered everything, from the trees around the edge of the driveway to the bushes around where the flower beds might have been, were the snowfall not so heavy. Beyond the gate, far into the distance, skyscrapers stood proud against the horizon, dwarfed only by the mountains further behind them. The sky itself was a pure, heavy white, promising more snow later in the day. For a Christmas view, Tess couldn’t imagine anything more picturesque.

  It was still dark as Tess rang the landline of her childhood home, but she knew that time zone differences meant her family was probably already waiting on her call. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

  “Elsie speaking, who is this?”

  Tess smiled, even though she knew Elsie couldn’t see her. “It’s me, Tess. Merry Christmas!”

  “Merry Christmas! I’m so happy to hear from you, we were getting a bit worried there,” Elsie said.

  “It’s only been, like, two days.”

  “Still, you never know, the dragon lady could’ve eaten you.” Elsie’s voice faded as she said something to someone away from the phone. “Mom says hi, by the way, and Dad wants to know if they’re feeding you enough.”

  Tess laughed. “Yeah, they’re feeding me plenty. Lots of eggnog and cookies. Colette’s family are mostly awesome, actually, but not a patch on Dad’s cooking.”

  “So, the dragon lady hasn’t eaten you?”

  “No.” Tess switched which hand she held the phone in as she searched for the right words. “We’re friends now.”

  “Friends?”

  “Yeah, friends.”

  Tess could hear more conversation on the other side of the call. “Mom wants to know if you’re doing okay. You’re on speakerphone, by the way.”

  A bird chirped in the distance and Tess frowned. “Yeah, I’m good—great, actually. We’ve gotten really close. It’s made the crush worse, for sure—I’m not sure it even counts as a crush anymore—but we’re really comfortable around each other now. Half the time it doesn’t even feel like we’re pretending to be dating.”

  Elsie was quiet as Tess told her all about the past few days, from the almost-kiss at the gala to how they decorated the house the day before. When she was finished, Elsie was silent for a moment more.

  “Tessie,” she said eventually, “I’m gonna be honest with you; I think the dragon lady is into
you.”

  Tess gasped. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “She’s not. She really isn’t,” Tess said, “this is just so she can make her old-fashioned family think she’s mature or something.”

  There was a loud sigh. “Listen to me, Tess.” Elsie’s voice switched into full on protective sister mode. “I know you, and I know how dense you are when people like you, but even you’ve gotta be able to see that this is more than a normal friendship. It’s more than ‘just pretending,’ too.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “She holds your arm all the time, she listens to you even when she doesn’t listen to anyone else, and you wake up every morning cuddling each other. I’d say it’s pretty obvious.”

  Tess sighed. “When you put it that way it sounds simple, but it’s not like that.”

  “Look, I’ve heard you go on about this woman nearly for the past two years, and there seems to be a pretty big gap between how she treats most people and how she treats you.”

  Somewhere in the background, their father chimed in with a loud “Yeah!”

  “But what if you’re wrong, Elsie?”

  “Then I’m wrong. I still think you should be honest with her. The worst she can do is say no.”

  Tess paused. “You’re right, I need to talk to Colette, even if she doesn’t feel the same way. She deserves to know the truth.”

  There was loud cheering in the background and Tess laughed. “Tell Dad I send my love.”

  “Will do.”

  They talked for a few more minutes, wishing each other a wonderful day, and Tess spoke with both her parents as well while she watched the sunrise. They all gave her advice, some of it good, most of it really cheesy, but she had to say goodbye when she heard the shrieking and children’s footsteps through the walls. How Jamie managed to be that loud, even on Christmas morning, Tess didn’t know.

  She said goodbye to her mom and headed back inside. When she opened the door and stepped back into the warmth of Colette’s room, she found Colette sat on the edge of the bed with a book in her lap.

  “Good morning,” Tess said, and Colette smiled with a warmth that half knocked the breath out of her.