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“Both, plus whisky and gin—basically, you pour in all the booze you have on hand. Then, you add three teaspoons of honey, three-quarters of a cup hot water, and lemon slices. Sounds vile, but the virus won’t know what hit it.”
“But I sure will!” Oliver’s laugh dissolved into a coughing fit.
Georgie furrowed her brow as he hacked and sputtered. “Oh, Ol.”
“I-I’ll just sip some water—” Mid-cough, he strayed from the phone. “Be right back…”
Glancing out the window as the snow spiralled under the streetlight, Georgie shifted back on her childhood bed, taking the stuffed poodle and a squishy present wrapped in skiing squirrel paper with her.
The phone line crackled as Oliver returned. “I mentioned your hot toddy recipe to Xander. He’s making me one.” He sniffed. “So, how are you feeling, Bug? Did yesterday’s migraine attack go away completely?”
“No, got worse. I had to take a second pill and missed tobogganing with Eden’s kids.”
“Aw, babe. I’m sorry.” Oliver paused, taking a sip of water. “Did they swing by again today?”
“They did! They brought us homemade jam-filled donuts,” said Georgie.
“Oh, I love those! What’d the twins think of their Hanukkah gifts?”
“They loved the dinosaurs, so thanks again for the staff discount.”
“Always. What’s mine is yours, Bug.”
Georgie smiled, her heart full of longing. “So how’d everyone like your presents?”
“Waffles destroyed his within minutes, Raff’s on his second viewing of Thelma and Louise, and Xander is busy tabbing his cookbook with sticky notes. I, in turn, received a puzzle of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, a t-shirt with a pigeon on it, and a new pair of headphones.” Oliver cleared his throat again. “How’d you make out?”
“Good. Michael’s family’s large, so we always pull names. Florence bought me a gorgeous top, and Mum gave me a hot air popcorn maker and the most adorable serving bowl.”
“Which, knowing your love of popcorn, must be the best gift ever.”
Smoothing the poodle’s scruffy plush, she nodded into a smile. “Comes close, yeah.”
“Have you opened mine yet?” he asked.
Georgie picked up the present, its seams held together by a web of sticky tape. “Not yet. I was hoping we could open ours together.” She raised it to her ear, giving it a shake, but the item inside didn’t disclose any secrets.
“Good. I waited too.”
Returning the gift to her lap, she leaned forward. “Okay, you go first.”
“Says the cheater.” Oliver sniffed.
Georgie’s stomach hardened. “I’m sorry?” She stared across the dimly lit bedroom. “I haven’t cheated.”
“You did! We agreed on one gift each, but I’m sat here with three.”
The tension in her body melted away. “Oh! Right.” She scrunched her face, annoyed she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. “No, they’re all interconnected, part of the same…experience, for want of a better word.”
“Well, watch out next time because now I know how you operate, I won’t be sticking to the one-gift rule either.” Rustling paper crackled through the phone line, followed by a sharp intake of breath and an abrupt “Polkagris? No fucking way!” Oliver let out a chesty laugh. “How’d you know?”
She shrugged into a grin. “Lucky guess? I thought you might appreciate a taste of home.”
“I do! Where’d you find it?”
“A neighbour was in Sweden last month for her son’s hockey tourney. I asked her to bring back candy.”
“Well, you’ve outdone yourself, Bug. They’re my absolute favourite!”
