Chapter 29

twenty-nine

PAUL

After lunch, I looked around the living room. If we'd been in Milwaukee, our house would be filled with decorations, lights, and every color of tinsel you could imagine. In comparison, Liam's friend's house looked bare. Apart from Amy's pictures on the walls, it was as if Christmas was still months away.

"Whatever you're thinking, it can't be good." Liam leaned against the doorframe.

If you didn't look into his eyes, you would think he was in vacation mode. "Why do you say that?"

"It's the dreamy look on your face. You only get that when you're imagining what something will look like. I don't think Jacob would appreciate us knocking down a wall or painting the living room."

"I wasn't thinking about remodeling the house. It's perfect the way it is, but it could do with some Christmas spirit."

Liam frowned. "It's too early for decorations."

"It's never too early. Just imagine what the house could look like with lots of fairy lights and tinsel strung everywhere."

He studied the walls. "Amy's pictures are Christmassy."

Amy looked up at Liam and smiled. She was kneeling beside the coffee table, playing with her dolls. "I like Christmas."

I sighed. "I know you don't like celebrating Christmas, Liam. But couldn't we buy a few decorations?"

Liam glanced at Amy. "It's not that I don't like Christmas. I do. But it's not the easiest time of the year for me."

I frowned. That had to be the biggest understatement of the year. When we'd first met, Amy had asked Liam if he liked Christmas. The unexpected question had left him pale and sweaty, as if he was going to be sick.

"Why isn't it a good time of the year?"

He looked through the French doors at the snow-covered trees. "Lacey died two days after Christmas. Victor and I spent Christmas Day holding her hand, hoping the doctors were wrong and praying for a miracle."

Amy hugged Dolly to her chest. "Who's Lacey?"

Liam looked down at Amy. "Lacey was my daughter. She died in a car accident."

"Like my mommy and grandma and granddad. Were you sad?"

"I was."

Amy picked up another doll and handed it to Liam. "You can share my dolls. They make me feel better when I'm sad."

Liam knelt beside her. "Thank you. Would you like some Christmas decorations?"

A smile lit Amy's face. "Yes, please."

Liam tapped the end of her nose. "I guess I'm driving into Sunrise Bay, then." He stood and looked at me. "What would you like me to buy?"

"Anything's better than nothing. The house is so large that we'll need lots of decorations."

"The whole house? I thought you were only talking about the living room."

I forced a smile. Liam's reason for not liking this time of the year made me feel terrible. The least I could do was try to focus his attention on the present and not what had happened six years ago.

"Why stop with this room?" I asked. "We spend just as much time in the kitchen. And we walk through the hallway at least forty times a day. The chandelier could have red berries hanging from its arms and the staircase would look incredible with a Christmas garland strung along the banister."

Liam looked toward the hallway. "I've got an idea. Wait here."

He left the room, but I wasn't letting him out of my sight. And neither, from the sound of it, was Amy.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked as she scrambled to her feet.

"Liam has an idea."

We followed him into the hallway.

Amy held Dolly in her arms. "Is it a good idea?"

Liam stopped outside the garage door. "I always have good ideas," he replied. "Except this one might take a little more time and effort to make it happen."

I held Amy's hand. "We have plenty of time, and Amy and I can help with the effort part, too."

Amy's head bobbed up and down in agreement.

Liam smiled before opening the door. "I helped Jacob take down his decorations last Christmas. We stored them in the garage. He won't mind if we use them this year."

Amy's big blue eyes looked hopefully at me. "Do you think there are mice in the garage?"

I shuddered. "I'm hoping they've all gone to the barn."

"We could look while we're there." Amy skipped after Liam, no doubt dreaming about finding more furry friends.

I cautiously stepped into the garage. When we'd last been here, I hadn't taken much notice of the enormous space. It was as big as the entire house and looked as though it was packed with every piece of sports equipment you could imagine.

I touched the silky smoothness of a fiberglass kayak. "Your friend must enjoy the outdoors."

Liam stopped in front of a door on the far side of the room. "He does. It helps him relax."

"Are we going into the backyard?" Amy asked.

"No. This is where the Christmas decorations are stored." Liam opened the door and flicked on a light switch.

With more than a little curiosity, I peered around the edge of the doorframe. It was another large storage area.

"It's like a magic cave," Amy whispered.

I had to agree. Unlike the rest of the garage, the walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with wood that was stained a rich chocolate brown. Boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes were stacked against the walls.

"I think the Christmas decorations are over here." Liam walked across the room and started hunting through the boxes.

Amy and I helped him.

"Does your friend have any children?" I asked.

Liam shook his head. "He travels a lot with his job. Most of the time he's only in Colorado for a few months of the year."

Amy tilted her head to the side. "Is he a special agent like you?"

"He's a doctor," Liam replied. "He works in refugee camps around the world."

I lifted a box away from the wall. "I've found a box of decorations. It looks as though there's more over here."

I placed the box beside the door and went back to investigate the rest of the pile.

Amy was on her hands and knees studying the writing on the side of another box. "I don't know what it says."

I knelt beside her. "Tell me what the letters are." I pointed to the first letter.

"L-I-G-H-T-S." Amy repeated the sound of each letter, slowly getting faster and faster. "Lights! We found the lights."

Liam placed another box in the center of the room. "Good work. I found the garlands."

After another few minutes of searching, we had enough boxes to start decorating the house.

I wiped my hands on the side of my jeans and looked at the shelves. "There are so many amazing things in here."

"Wait until you see what's inside the boxes." Liam opened the largest box and handed Amy a small ornament. The blue and gold rocking horse sparkled under the lights. "The house looked incredible last Christmas. Is everyone ready to start decorating?"

Amy waved the ornament in the air. "I am."

I picked up another box. "Me, too. Let's go."

With Liam leading the way, we walked back into the house .

I sighed when I saw what was inside the first box I opened. A beautiful pine garland dotted with tiny red berries sat on a bed of tissue paper. Carefully, I lifted one end into my arms and imagined how incredible the staircase would look. If the rest of the decorations were as special as this one, the house would be spectacular.