Page 96

“I’m talking many dozens of kisses,” June continued. “Possibly hundreds. Tell her, Chris.”

“Thank you, June. You can stop talking now,” Maye said, pulling Chris by the arm.

They continued walking slowly through the market, arm-in-arm.

“I wish you weren’t leaving,” she said.

“I know. We’ll see each other again soon, though. And then, after the holiday season—” but instead of finishing his thought, Chris gasped, and then took off after something.

Maye really wanted to hear what he was going to say about after the holiday season, but he was now singularly focused on a flier that said ‘$5 Egg Nog Samplers.’

Maye had to listen to people rave about egg nog her whole life. And when Chris offered her a sip of each sample in his flight, she politely declined. Each sip he took got a more indulgent reaction. It was the first time she had ever felt like she was missing out on something.

“Either you are deeply deprived of egg nog, or you are a more exquisite actor than I thought,” Maye reached to grab one of the sample-sized cups.

“Yes!” Chris shouted. “It’s nog o’clock, baby!”

She took a small sip and was immediately disinterested. “Why does it have to be so thick?” she whined.

“Here, try this,” he said, handing the next cup. “This one is thinner.”

She smelled the spice before she even took a sip. “Woo! That’s strong! What is that?”

“That would be the bourbon,” Chris said as he downed the rest of it. “Here, this one is kind of in the middle of those two,” he slid her another egg nog and sat still, waiting.

She sipped the third cup, and it was her favorite so far. The freshly ground nutmeg exploded with every sip.

“Yeah?” Chris said, his eyebrows arched in anticipation.

“Ehh…” she shrugged. “Just doesn’t do it for me.”

“Aw!” he took the cup back and finished it for her. “Well, at least you tried. If you ever find yourself face-to-face with a tall drink of noggin, you come find me. I’ll take care of it for you.”

“Deal,” she said.

It wasn’t long after the sampling that Maye noticed signs that her night would not end well. First, she felt extra full even though they hadn’t eaten a lot. Then the cramping started. Chris led her to a bench so she could sit, and that’s where they both heard the gurgling and rumbling noises.

“I think we need to get you back home,” Chris said.

“Yeah, it doesn’t sound good, does it?” She handed him her keys. “I think you need to drive.”

Chris zoomed through the streets and got Maye home and into bed in record time. When Maye woke up in the morning, her memory of the details was foggy, but she remembered him kissing her forehead before he left. He also left an empty mixing bowl and a can of ginger ale on her nightstand. She picked up her phone as soon as she could sit up in her bed.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he answered quickly. “How are we feeling?”

“Hey…” she groaned. “Not great. Better, but not great.”

“Aw, I’m sorry. I’m never letting you near egg nog again.”

“Oof, please don’t say those words…” Maye placed a hand over her stomach.

“I feel horrible. Well, not as bad as you, but, you know…”

“No, it’s not your fault. I did it to myself,” Maye admitted. “At least you’ll never pester me to try it again.”

“Well, never say never,” he said.

Maye could tell he was smiling. “Well, I’m sorry to leave you hanging, but I don’t think I have it in me to get out of bed for a while.”