Ruby picks one out especially for Belle.
She doesn't mean to buy it, at first. "Only paper towels and foil," Granny had said. "No candy." But Ruby sees it and the glossy cardboard with cartoon snowy trees and squirrels and rabbits and reindeer remind her of Belle, and she thinks that advent calendars don't really count as candy, not really, so she buys one.
When her shift ends in the evening, Ruby practically runs back to her "apartment" (which is what Ruby calls their small, messy room at the Bed and Breakfast). Belle is making dinner, pancakes because they're Ruby's all-time favorite, and her hair is pulled back out of her face.
"Pancakes!"
Belle laughs and smiles. "I thought you'd be pleased." She sounds so proud of herself. She wipes her sweaty, sticky forehead with the back of her hand and Ruby thinks it's adorable.
"I got you something at the store today," Ruby grins.
Belle's eyes light up. "Another gossip magazine?" she asks hopefully.
Ruby rolls her eyes. The last time Belle bought one, she went around talking about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise for a week. "No, something even better!" She laughs as Belle pouts and sticks her bottom lip out. "You'll love it, Belle."
"What is it?" Belle leans to the side and tries to peer behind Ruby's back. Ruby pulls the calendar from behind her and holds it in from of Belle.
Belle looks at it. She cocks her head to the side and narrows her eyes, trying to figure out what Ruby got for her.
Ruby laughs. "It's an advent calendar! We get them around Christmastime. See, the little doors with numbers represent the days in December. So, like, today is the tenth so you're supposed to open the ten door and eat the chocolate!"
"That sounds wonderful!" Belle grabs the calendar with her floury hands and finds the door marked 'ten.' She struggles opening it and once she finally does get the cardboard open, she can't get the star-shaped chocolate out of the mold.
"Ruby!" Belle whines, shaking the calendar and hitting the back.
"Jeez, Belle, calm down," Ruby shakes her head and takes the cardboard from her. She pushes the back and the chocolate falls out into her hand.
"Oh," Belle says. "I guess I'm just not used to all the weird contraptions and things in your world," she jokes. She grabs the gooey chocolate from Ruby's hand and sticks it in her mouth.
The next day at the diner is slow. Granny lets Ruby leave early because, Granny said that Ruby had been working so hard lately (Granny actually just wanted to get a bored, restless, Christmas-anticipating Ruby out of her hair).
Ruby, her cheeks and nose rosy from the cold, leaps up the stairs to her apartment. Since she has a couple of extra hours, she really wants to show Belle how to decorate their Christmas tree and string up rainbow and gold lights over their windows and how to make gingerbread houses. Ruby knows Belle hasn't experienced the candy cane, chocolate, presents-under-the-tree Christmas that Ruby loves so much and she wants this year to be perfect. It's Belle's first Christmas, and it's Ruby's first Christmas with Belle.
When she opens the door, she doesn't see Belle, who is usually in the kitchen or reading on the floor (Ruby's not sure why Belle likes to sit on the floor. Belle just says, "It's comfortable.")
Ruby shrugs and tugs off her bright red coat.
"Ruby?" she hears Belle whine from the bedroom. "Ruby, is that you?"
Ruby throws her coat on the couch and walks to the bedroom.
Belle is sprawled out on the bed, her face buried in a pillow and her advent calendar lying beside her.
"Belle, what's wrong?" Ruby carefully sits on the edge of the bed and rests her hand on Belle's back.
Belle rolls over and groans. "I ate all the chocolate."
"What?"
"Ruby, I ate all the chocolate in the advent calendar!" Belle groans again and clutches her stomach.
Ruby looks down at the calendar sitting on the bed. All the little cardboard doors are wide open.
"I came home from the library and I decided to eat the chocolates from earlier in December, you know? But I just couldn't stop eating them!"
Ruby stares at Belle, then she tilts her head back and starts laughing.
"Ruby, this isn't funny!" Belle sits up. "I feel really sick."
"Belle," Ruby gasps, her face turning red. "Belle. You ate them all."
"Yes, I just told you that," Belle huffs.
"You ate them all!"
"Ruby!" Belle refuses laugh.
"Okay, okay, yeah, Belle, I'm sorry you ate—" Ruby starts laughing again, her whole body shaking.
Belle rolls her eyes and falls back onto the bed with a thump.
"Wait, Belle, I'm sorry, I'm good now, I'm good. I'll go make you some tea, okay?"
Belle smiles up at Ruby, chocolate stuck to her lips and teeth. "Thanks, Ruby. That'd be nice."
Ruby turns to walk out the bedroom and shakes her head. "You ate them all."