"A Christmas tree? In a law office?" Paul Drake entered the office without knocking.
"Hmm, well, the spirit of Christmas overtook a secretary of mine and she insisted that we needed one," Perry Mason glanced over at said secretary, who was busying putting ornaments on the tree.
"Don't you dare try to talk him out of it, Paul Drake!" Della Street warned.
"Someone, and I do not know who, got into my office and hung mistletoe everywhere. I've been avoiding my office like the plague!" Paul sighed and Della laughed.
"I wondered why you've been hanging around so much lately," chuckled Perry.
"What are your plans for Christmas?" Paul asked, flopping into the chair that was unofficially his.
"I'm going to my aunt and uncles in a week," Della replied.
She nearly lost her footing on the chair she was standing on.
"And I will be traveling Canada for Christmas with my family," added Perry.
"I guess none of us will be here for Christmas: I'm going to New York to see my family."
"Isn't it funny how we all come from such different places, but we all ended up here in Los Angeles?" Della mused.
"I've thought about it before," Paul nodded, "Los Angeles is a magnet for crime, tourists, and people trying to get into the movies."
"There! How does that look to you gentlemen?" Della asked.
"An excellent job!" Perry helped Della down from her perch on the chair, "You get the lights," he directed.
Della turned off the lights and Perry plugged in the light strand.
"Beautiful!" Paul applauded and Perry gave a nod of approval.
Della looked at the tree and shook her head, "Something's missing."
"It looks all right to me."
"Something is missing," she insisted.
She hurried into her office. Both Perry and Paul looked at each other. They had seen her grin before left and they were both curious. She came back with her coat, purse, and two brightly wrapped Christmas packages.
"I know it's early, but I couldn't wait!"
Della handed one to Paul, leaned down, and surprised even herself by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. The look on Paul's face showed his surprise. Della pressed the other present into Perry's hand. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek longer than she had Paul's. Perry gave her an enormous smile and squeezed her hand.
"Don't open them 'til I'm gone!" she hurried out of the room.
Paul found a very nice cigaret case. It had his initials engraved down in the corner. Perry's gift contained a pair of gold cufflinks. On them were engraved a tiny justice scale. He smiled again.
"You've got quite a girl, Perry," laughed Paul.
"I know," Perry greatly admired his gift, wondering how much it had set her back.
He now had a favorite pair of cufflinks.
Merry Christmas from the law firm of Perry Mason and the Paul Drake Detective Agency!
Thank you for reading, and please leave a review telling me what you thought about the story.
I plan on possibly one more story for the year.