Susan forced herself not to tear open the gift straight away. In fact she saved it – walking around as she went through her bed time routine. She was about to explode when she finally got into bed, the paper bag held delicately in her hands.
She took a deep breath and pulled out the contents: two parcels in tissue paper and gold ribbon. It was tantalizingly simple. She laughed out loud with joy and slipped first the parcel from the ribbon, unwrapping it with so much anticipation she could hardly contain it.
It was a silver angel christmas decoration, made of wire and ribbon and tinsel. So beautiful.
Smiling, she unwrapped the second package to find a jewellery box… and inside, with a deep breath, she found a silver chain with a square pendant, turquoise in a silver frame…
She exhaled quickly. Wow. It was so… perfect. Not too much but far from being too little… okay, maybe it was too much.
She was out of bed like a flash, holding it around her neck, admiring the reflection in the mirror. She'd wear it to breakfast.
Hardly containing her excitement she put it back in the box and sat it beside the angel on her bedside table. She was more than ready to sleep, but… her head was spinning, her heart hadn't slowed from when he'd kissed her goodbye and she kept laughing, feeling a little ridiculous, alone in a dark room.
Eight o'clock sounded about right for a breakfast date. Susan was up well before that – feeling on top of the world despite so little sleep. She had a bath, a little pampering, tidied up, and made her bed… twice.
Then she decided she'd walk to Mark's rather than drive – then she could leave now and save herself from repeating any other household chores.
It was a nice morning – a little cool, but not compared to christmas most places, and the sun was trying to shine through the clouds, making everything glary and yet, in her eyes at least, glowing.
She didn't need her jacket anymore when she got to Mark's.
"I got it!" she heard Mark's father call just before the door opened. "Good morning Susan." He grinned. He knew something.
She smiled, "Good morning."
"Come in."
They found Rachel watching TV, letting James play with her hand as he lay in the rocker beside her.
Susan knelt down and touched James while she greeted Rachel.
Mark's father sat on the sofa and said, "Mark's in the kitchen."
"Oh right." Susan stood up, "You got him Rachel?"
"Yeah." She was a little distracted but Susan just smiled and headed to the kitchen dropping her bag and jacket beside the sofa en route.
"Hey you." She stopped in the doorway with a grin.
Mark jumped and spun around. "Oh, you gave me a fright."
Susan laughed and stepped toward him.
"Hi." He put down the knife and turned to her
"Hi." She mimicked him.
He hugged her tenderly. "Good timing."
"Ooh, looks good." She saw the pancake mix over his shoulder and the diced fruit beside it.
"Thank you."
"Oh," she pulled back only far enough to look him in the eyes, "Thank you for your gift. It's beautiful – they're both beautiful."
Mark smiled and traced the skin along the necklace with one finger, "My thoughts exactly." He kissed her softly and she leant in for more, only breaking apart to laugh. The whole situation was so much more than either had expected, or dared to admit, even to themselves, that they hoped for.
Susan cooked the pancakes while Mark finished cutting the fruit, only sporadically distracted by the alternative entertainment the other offered.