Chapter 26

Wednesday and Thursday were busy days trying to juggle the Dear Santa project at work with their regular workload. By Thursday night they were all ready to leave at a regular hour instead of the late nights they'd been putting in recently. Oliver left for choir. Norman was going to dinner with a cousin that worked at the Colorado Art Museum. Rita and Shane were off to the O'Toole house.

Joe and Leah met them at the house to help unload Oliver's Christmas gift. "I'm not gate-crashing girl's night. I'll run some errands while you're all crafting."

"Dad we're not getting up to anything too crazy. At least stay and eat something before you run." Shane said. "We put soup in the crock pot before we left this morning. Oliver will be back after choir later."

"I'll go run errands and eat with him when he gets back." Joe said. They unloaded the table and Shane gave him a hug letting him go.

"We found a new recipe for tortilla soup. I thought hot soup would be nice after a cold day." Shane got bowls out while she finished pulling out tortilla chips, grated cheese, avocado and sour cream toppings.

Knowing Rita's penchant for Margaritas. Shane had prepped drinks as well.

After they all dug in, "So what did you guys bring?" Leah and Rita started pulling out some of the items they'd found. Shane wasn't at all surprised to find a few owls in amongst Rita's decorations. "Rita where in the world did you find Christmas owls?"

"There's a little holiday shop around the corner from our house that popped up." After they got done eating, Shane showed them how to wrap the ribbon around the wreath. While Shane was finding some Christmas music to put on, Rita having started her margarita and always the romantic turned to Leah. "You and Papa O'Toole seem to have quite the chemistry. I could tell from the trivia night we attended."

Leah smiled thinking of him, "Things are going well. He's such a nice man and funny. A man that can make you laugh makes life so much more interesting."

"Remind me to show you the furniture he and Oliver made me for a wedding gift." Shane said as she joined them back at the table after starting the music. She took the packaging off some of the decorations they were about to add while keeping an eye on the doodles who were nosing around the kitchen looking for food. "He's quite taken with you."

Feeling young again, "I never thought I would be falling in love at my age. The day we helped with the tree he ate dinner at my place and told me he loved me."

Rita lifted her glass, "To love. One of life's greatest adventures." Shane and Leah lifted their margaritas clinking.

"Toasting this early. Should we be drinking while gluing ladies?" Oliver questioned walking in on them clinking their glasses curious as to what they were toasting. Overall, he was curious about what occurred on a girl's night.

"It's just a part of girl's night Oliver. Dad will be back in a bit and was going to eat with you."

Oliver leaned over to kiss her hello. "I'll take the dogs for a quick walk before I eat then." He found their leash and left again.

"Oliver's dad has always been so supportive even before Oliver and I were married. My own dad died before I moved to Denver. Joe stepped in to walk me down the aisle for our wedding." Shane told Leah.

"I'd like to see Joe in a tux. The O'Toole men are so handsome. I'd have difficulty getting anything done working with them. I'm not sure how you do it." Leah commented shaking her head while gluing.

"I can probably find a picture of him from the wedding and give you a copy. You're as bad as my mother." Shane said laughing. "It's rough but we power through."

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor dark of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. I'm not sure where you'd slip in good looking men." Rita said seriously.

Leah and Shane were laughing so hard they didn't hear Oliver and Joe returning until the doodles came running into the kitchen. Trying to stop when they entered the room all three broke into laughter as soon as they saw them.

Oliver and Joe stopped. "Why do I get the feeling we missed something?" Joe asked.

Shane got up to get them food. She patted Joe on the cheek and kissed Oliver on the way by, "Rita was just considering improving upon the unofficial Post Office motto."

"Rita surely it requires no improvement." Oliver said seriously.

"We noticed an omission only a woman would notice Oliver. You guys sit and eat." Shane said handing them bowls of soup and a bowl of chips. "We've finished with the wreaths and I told Leah I'd show her the O'Toole's mad carpentry skills." Moving the wreaths off the table the women headed back to the bedroom.

"Oliver and Joe made the dressers and the bed as a wedding gift." Shane told Leah walking into the bedroom.

"They're beautifully finished." Leah said looking at the headboard and running a hand over a dresser drawer.

"I couldn't believe they were able to finish everything in time. Oliver kept telling me he was working on home improvement projects at his Dad's. I thought Dad's house was falling apart by the time we were married." Shane said remembering fondly.

The doorbell rang. "That must be Norman," Rita said as they left the room to join the guys.

"He's very good with random trivia." Leah commented. "Joe's team didn't do as well last week without you three. My team made a comeback."

"The DLO gets really busy this time of year." Rita answered. "We enjoyed the evening maybe we can come again after the holiday rush is over."

Shane pulled out dessert while Oliver made coffee and tea. Everyone ate by the fire while the doodles weaved in and out trying to figure out who may be the most likely to share. Norman and Rita left first. Shane gave Joe a hug saying softly, "Thanks for your help with Oliver's gift. Leah is delightful by the way."

"I think so." Joe replied looking over at her talking with Oliver about a piece of furniture they had in the entryway.

"I know she told us." Shane said smiling.

"Did she now." Joe said with a grin.

"She's pretty smitten as well."

"I know she told me." Joe said looking smug. Shane laughed patting him on the shoulder. Hearing Shane laugh, Oliver watched his father with Shane releasing some of the fear he'd been holding onto since the week before Thanksgiving.

After walking his Dad and Leah out, he found Shane in the kitchen cleaning up. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, "I'm glad you had everyone over tonight. I've missed hearing you laugh."

Rubbing her hand on his arm, "What do you mean?" She asked quietly turning around to look at him.

"Shane your laugh brightens a room. Hearing it lights something up inside me, brings me joy, reminds me to stop and enjoy life. You've been going through the motions trying to be fine, but it's a little forced at times. Shane tonight you forgot, you laughed, you enjoyed yourself and you were in the moment. When you think no one is looking I can see the sadness on your face."

A single tear ran down her cheek. "Oliver every day I wake up remembering. I'm trying to let it go but it's always there in the background."

"The nurse at the hospital said it was natural to be depressed afterwards. It hasn't even been a full month Shane. I'm here if you need to talk. You don't have to pretend everything is fine when it's not," Oliver sighed.

He'd been there supporting her every step of the way. "Oliver, how are you?" She asked putting her hands on his shoulders looking him in the eyes realizing he probably needed to talk just as much as she did.

He leaned his forehead against hers, "It hits me at random times. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night needing to check on you." His hands slid around her to the small of her back. "Sitting next to you in that ER and waiting to find out what was wrong was..." He had difficulty even putting it into words.

"No more pretending." Shane said. "If I'm falling apart inside, I let you see the mess." She moved her hands from his shoulder up around his neck fingers edging into his hair.

"Agreed. Can I wake you up in the middle of the night to make sure you're fine?"

"Maybe just make sure I'm breathing and go back to sleep." She said with a teasing smile. More seriously, "Oliver anytime you need me even if it's in the middle of the night I'm here."

They held each other for a moment before Shane sighed, "Oliver there is something we need to sort out."

"What's that?"

"This kitchen. It's not going to clean itself."

Oliver looked around, "It's really not." Running a hand down her back, "We've got this."