SHELTER

Chapter 11

The final weeks to Christmas passed in a blur. Coffee and shopping with Barb and Sue had been a blast. Jolie had shipped gifts back to Dustin and his family and cards to everyone else back home. As discreetly as possible she'd purchased gifts for Warren's family and had them bagged heavily to keep her companions from seeing their surprises.

Barb had brooked no opposition to her invitation for Jolie to join them for Christmas. Jolie had to admit she looked forward to spending her favorite holiday with such a warm, wonderful family.

She was sure that Barb would like the brightly colored, hand blown glass spoon rest she'd found and she could share in the bottle of good wine Jolie had found for her husband. Sue would be the recipient of multiple baby related gifts that she had mentioned she needed before the baby arrived. Jolie had located a DVD of digitally re-mastered dance routines between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that Warren's grandmother had talked about for a particularly long time after Thanksgiving dinner had concluded. She worried that they already had it but Barb assured her they didn't. Tommy, Beau and Caleb were getting matching beer steins that had been personalized with their names.

Everyone was taken care of except for Warren himself. She planned on spoiling him with the requested fudge and had already showered him in peanut butter bon-bons and chocolate covered cherries but she wanted there to be an element of surprise to his day as well.

Things between them had returned to the light and comfortable status they had enjoyed before she'd had her melt down but she knew he was still concerned about her. Too often she caught him observing her as nonchalantly as possible or under a hooded gaze.

She'd thought a lot about what he'd said. Much of it made sense. After quite a few tears and a prayer offered up to a God she hadn't spoken to in quite some time she'd finally taken a ragged breath towards the early dawn hours after making a solemn oath to herself to do as he'd asked and try to be nicer to herself.

Still, being nicer and letting herself be ridiculous were two different things. She'd already made an ass of herself by crying on him, blubbering on him and kissing him without his permission. It had only been his cheek but it was still awkward. She blushed at the memory. He hadn't mentioned her actions to her at all and aside from the watching didn't treat her any differently. She was truly grateful that she'd been delivered such a great guy for a friend and was determined not to ruin it.

These crazy feelings she couldn't really ignore, and had made the vow to stop punishing herself for, were hers to deal with alone. She wouldn't be the crazy girl who couldn't tell reality from fantasy. Just because she had them didn't mean he did and the chances weren't likely that they were returned.

With a quick shake of her head she pulled herself from her unfruitful thoughts. She still had only 4 days until Christmas and no idea what to get Warren. She'd just finished wrapping the giant 5 pound block of fudge in wax paper and placing it in the decorative tin she'd found. Then she'd wrapped the tin and sealed all the edges with tape so he wouldn't be able to sniff out its contents. Now she sat icing sugar cookies while contemplating what other gift to give him.

He dressed himself pretty well for a man. His biggest fashion fault being the worn out cowboy boots he insisted on wearing day in and day out but in truth they were slightly endearing so she didn't mind them all that much. He was also unusually hygienic for the male species. He bathed daily, always smelled nice and maintained his hair and beard within reason. She found him even more attractive when he was slightly mussed and had a shadow of a beard.

He already owned a great television and sound system and an assortment of DVDs and CDs. He hadn't made any mention of any he desired to have.

In frustration she bit the head off a newly frosted snowman cookie and chewed slowly as the buttery goody melted in her mouth. It was Warren's day for dinner. She glanced at the clock and noticed he was due any minute. Time to get distracted.