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  “We’ve had a few deliveries, Nigel. Get over it.”

  I’ll get over it when I’m good and ready to get over it.

  “Jonas is out there. You’ve sure got attitude,” I respond. “Now that you have a girlfriend, you think you’re all that.” I pick up the appetizers and head out into the dining area.

  He follows after me, leaping gracefully to the dining table to sniff the food. I am all that. Always have been.

  I scoop him up in my arms and give him a squeeze before tossing him on the floor. “You are truly all that and then some.”

  “Merry Christmas, happy day, joyous holidays, and here’s to restoration,” Jonas calls to our guests from the foyer. The “here’s to restoration” phrase is something we say at every holiday gathering for good luck. It’s become a cultural catchphrase.

  We’ve already rented a house until we can buy something. Jonas wants to buy some land and build something but I don’t care—just so we’re together. We figured it wasn’t too soon to throw it down together since we’ve known each other for so many years. It just seemed like the right thing to do and we both wanted a fresh, neutral reality—hence, the rental.

  “Hello, darling,” Magicka says as he sashays into the dining room. “Oh, this looks marvelous. Did you do all this?” He sweeps his hand around the room.

  “All my doing,” I say. I’ve decorated the room in holiday cheer. I used to hate the holidays. Not this year. I suspect Christmas will become my favorite time of year. “You look good…as usual.” My eyes roam his attire. “What, you decided on one look today? No mixing it up Nuevo style?”

  “I’m going for simple, simple, simple today.” He’s dressed in jeans and a red leather bomber jacket. His hair is swept back with product in a swirl à la James Dean, that cool actor from the mid-nineteen hundreds. Instead of the diamonds he sported along his upper lip, he’s now got rubies. A matching ruby stud is in his earlobe.

  “Honey, you can never be simple.” I reach out to give him a big squeeze.

  “And what about you?” he says as he releases me. “Mm mm mmm, you look good enough to eat.”

  I twirl in a circle feeling like a little kid. I’m wearing a short red dress that hugs every curve, a gold necklace that Jonas gave me, and my trademark boots. My hair is swept to the side and hangs in a whirl of blond, purple, and just a touch of red accents.

  “Oh, my, is that a ring I see?”

  Magicka grabs my left hand.

  I blush and wiggle my fingers. “Oh, it’s just something Jonas gave me. After we’ve settled in we want to do a commitment ceremony in the spring. Just something to declare our devotion to each other.”

  “I’ll officiate,” Magicka declares. “I’ve got the certificate from Holo Industries, you know—Performer of All Ceremonies that Need Officiating. It cost me a few bucks, I filled out a few questions—voilà!” He whistles as he gazes at my ring. “This is not just any ring. It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you. I designed them.”

  “Them?” Magicka says with an arched eyebrow.

  I laugh. “We’re going for equality in this union. Jonas has one, too. He asked me for the commitment, I asked him, it was a win-win.”

  “You only just got back together, girl.”

  “So we’re moving fast. We’ve known each other for a bazillion years.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

  The ring is made of two flattened pieces of gold, entwined with like seaweed. A bit of copper threads through the gold, adding a mysterious greenish accent.

  Dean, Kaama, Kayos, and Grammy enter the room, talking and laughing, followed by Jonas. “They all arrived at the same time,” he says, giving me a warm smile.

  “That’s because Dean drove, dear heart.” Magicka flashes him a saucy wink. “In his Cadillac.”

  Jonas shakes his head. “You gender benders and your toys.”

  “You heteros and your…your…whatever,” Dean counters, grinning.

  Jonas makes his way over to me, leans me back along his arms, and gives me a dramatic, movie-worthy kiss. Everyone cheers as I turn twenty-nine shades of scarlet.

  “Not sure how I feel about the PDA,” I say to Jonas.

  “Get used to it,” he retorts. “We’re together finally and I intend to tell the world.”

  “Welcome, everyone. Help yourselves to refreshment.” I bite my lip, put my arm around Jonas, and gaze around the room. “Restoration happens. This celebration is proof enough.”

  “Hear, hear, doll,” Dean says, reaching for a glass of champagne. “Here’s to restoration.”

  “I’m happy you two finally got off your high horses,” Grammy says to me as she reaches for a cup of cider. “All this ‘we’re just friends’ stuff was getting on my nerves.”

  “Timing is everything,” Jonas says. “And friends are good to have.”

  “Yes, but good family is even better. Welcome to the family, dear.”

  Grammy shuffles between us and puts her arms around both of us.

  “Best damn Christmas ever,” Jonas says.

  “Best damn Christmas ever,” I agree. “In more ways than one.” I wink at Jonas.

  “Did you give her the best gift a girl could ask for?” Grammy asks Jonas.

  Jonas actually reddens. “What’s that, Evelyn? I gave her a ring, I gave her my heart. Are those what you’re referring to?”

  “Did you make my girl orgasm?”

  His face flames. “Uh, yeah, as a matter of fact. Not just one.”

  My foolish new grin spreads across my face. My cheeks feel warm, too. “Grammy! You’re so blunt sometimes.”

  “When you’re my age you can be as blunt as you like. I’ve earned this. And that’s the kind of news I like to hear. Good for you. Good for you both.” She squeezes us both, hard. “Now let’s get this party started.”

  About the Author

  The Fun Part: Calinda B was told early on that she should be a writer. She heard frequent praise for her writing, as well as her sense of humor. Scoffing at such admonitions and praise, she went on to pursue her life of adventure, chock full of the things that make up a well-rounded adventurous life: music (Yep, she was a singer in a rock and roll band), dance (even performed hip hop in Russia), rock climbing (ever hung from a rock wall a few stories up? Yikes!), fire walking (taught high-ranking Moscow fire officials how to walk the coals), kayaking, scuba diving (she's in love with sharks), travel, and falling in love again and again.

  The Daily Grind: An award-winning web designer and certified SEO specialist, Calinda B has worked in the Internet industry as a web page designer/developer since the early 1990's. She has also taught web site design and computer graphics at community colleges in Northern California. In addition to writing, Calinda B creates fine art and music, and enjoys scuba diving, kayaking, and bike riding. Calinda B makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with the love of her life and her two cats. She is currently working on her next great novel, whatever that may be.

  You can find Calinda B here:

  www.calindab.com