Puppy Love for Christmas

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Throughout the year, there were several versions of the Trevor Scavenger Hunt. One might be persuaded to think that the town loved any excuse to hunt things down. Naturally, there was an Easter one. There was a Valentine’s Day hunt. Halloween, of course. And once there was a hunt that lasted all summer long. But, by far, the most popular scavenger hunt happened during the Christmas by the Sea Festival.

It started with a piece of paper. Like the one in Christopher’s hand. On that piece of paper was a list. A list of quirky Christmas-y things teams of two had to run around town in search of. Once an item was found, a picture was taken.

The mechanics was fairly simple.

First team to complete the list won.

The prize? Well, it varied. One year it was free movies for an entire month at the cineplex. Another year the price involved six months’ worth of pastries from Bake My Day. And Christopher’s personal favorite—which to that day he was still bummed about not winning—was a summer at Space Camp. That prize went to Troy, who he shouldn’t hate because it seemed like he enjoyed his experience. Anyone who enjoyed science, Christopher automatically gave a free pass to. But considering that they were competing for the affections of the same girl—which, in hindsight, Troy had no idea about—complicated things for Christopher.

This year the prize was special and extremely extravagant. It was a trip for two to Paris. All expenses paid with pocket money. It could be claimed at any time. Sponsored by his parents. Christopher didn’t need the prize, but he was determined to win it for Sabrina. She and her mother deserved some extra bonding time together. What better way to do that than a trip to one of the most beautiful cities in the world?

“I think the hunt committee outdid themselves this year,” Christopher said, glancing over the list for the tenth time since the hunt began. They already had five of the twenty items stored away in JPEG on Sabrina’s phone.

“Hat’s off to the diabolical genius who came up with this thing. Where the heck will we find the smallest lighthouse in town? As far as I know there’s only one lighthouse.” Sabrina scowled at the sheet of paper with checkmarks on the boxes beside each item they had completed.

“It doesn’t have to be in order. Let’s go for the snowman with a red scarf. That’s an easy one.” Christopher tried to stay positive. They were having fun. It was just that Sabrina was super competitive, rivaling even Marcus. Games stopped being games after a while when she was involved.

“Uhm, in case you hadn’t noticed . . .” Sabrina spread her arms wide and turned in a circle. “No snow.”

Christopher wiggled his eyebrows. “Yeah, but how many plastic snowmen are there in town. Think. You know almost every decoration. Where is the snowman with a red scarf?”

Like a mage with special powers on a quest in an RPG, Sabrina closed her eyes and started murmuring to herself. She was in the zone. Christopher knew from experience never to interrupt her process. She remembered the weirdest things. Facts that he could never recall in a million years. His mind was good for only a few things, chief among them was math and science.

“Mr. Henson’s lawn!” Sabrina declared, hands outstretched like she was in the middle of casting a spell.

“Shhh!” Christopher looked around. Good. No one seemed to overhear them.

They made a run for the row of houses on Cherry Lane and at the fifth house on the left sat a jolly plastic snowman with a red scarf. Sabrina pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. The key was never to stay at a location too long. That way other hunters wouldn’t notice that there was an item there on the list. As soon as the snap was taken, Christopher and Sabrina ran back to the center of town, where the next item on the list was: The only green candy cane. It was at Flannery’s pottery studio. Again, the picture was taken and they moved on.

Down the list they went, running and laughing all over town. Once in a while they would run into Troy, who always participated with his younger brother. In Christopher’s estimation, the pair was their toughest competition.

“Troy,” Sabrina said, eyeing him.

“Found the lighthouse yet?” Troy’s younger brother, who was pretty much a carbon copy, asked.

“Of course, we have,” she blurted out.

Christopher bit the inside of his cheek. He hated lying and was really bad at it. Was really bad at hiding his discomfort when witnessing someone else lie. He could hardly keep from shifting his weight from foot to foot. The soles of his feet itched.

“No, you didn’t,” Troy said, smiling in triumph. “Because if you did you wouldn’t be standing around chitchatting.”

“Oh yeah?” Sabrina challenged. “Found the sand unicorn yet?”

Troy and his brother stood there, speechless.

“Ha!” She did a mini dance before taking Christopher’s hand and tugging him away. “We need to find that freakin’ lighthouse,” she said after they were out of earshot.

He checked the list. Including the lighthouse, they only had three items left on the list. “We’ll find it,” he assured her.

“We better.”

It wasn’t even about winning the trip for Sabrina, Christopher knew. It was about beating Troy. This confused Christopher because despite the animosity that radiated like the heat of a Bunsen burner from Sabrina, she was still going on the hayride with Troy. It should have been Christopher accompanying her. It was well-known that Sabrina loved the Christmas hayride that took a tour of the best light decorations in town and culminated with meeting Santa and a smores roast. Christopher enjoyed seeing Sabrina enjoy herself. He thought about not going on the ride, but quickly discarded the idea. He loved the hayride too. He couldn’t miss it just because the woman he liked was going with the guy she might still like.

“If you’re so angry at Troy right now then why still go on the hayride with him later?” Christopher asked while Sabrina took a picture of a ceramic clown dressed as an elf.

“You know how he gets when he wins something,” she said absentmindedly as she checked the photo for clarity. That was another rule. All photos of the items must be clear. One blur could disqualify a team. “For once I want to shove a win in his face.”

“Is that all there is?”

“What more is there?”

He hurried after her when she moved to the penultimate item on their list: A dancing banana wearing reindeer antlers. Which he remembered could be found in the pharmacy. His one good eye landed on it during his moment of embarrassment-fueled Benadryl overdose.

“So, you don’t hate him,” he asked, checking off the item on the list.

“There are many things to hate about Troy, but there are also many things to like about him.”

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s simple.” Sabrina crossed her arms. “It’s a balance of things. No one is perfect. As much as you like me, there has to be some things that I do that annoy the heck out of you.”

That made Christopher think. “Well, yeah.”

“That’s how I feel about Troy right now. He cannot win another scavenger hunt. I’m sick of him lording it over everyone like we’re ants.”

“Ants.” He grabbed Sabrina’s hand. An almost audible ding going off in his head. “I know where the smallest lighthouse is.”

The widest grin on her lips made every inch of skin on Christopher’s body burn.

“Then don’t just stand there,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Take me there.”

They ran as fast as their feet would take them. For the first time in years, he felt free. The chilly wind in his hair. The warmth of Sabrina’s hand in his. The experience defined the word exhilaration.

That was until he led her to the bookstore. He stopped right at the window display. Sabrina still road the momentum of their run so she had to bump into Christopher in order to stop. She even had to jump in place. He relished every second of it.

Once Sabrina settled by his side, he pointed at the display through the freshly cleaned glass. Not a fingerprint in sight, which told him they could possibly be the first ones to figure it out. He was so excited that it felt like a band of neutrinos danced in his chest.

“The miniature of the town?” Sabrina asked, not getting it until her eyes grew wider than the perpetual storm on Jupiter’s surface. She scanned the landscape until she found what she was looking for. Right across the mini Wakefield hotel. She pulled out her phone, the camera app already engaged. “The smallest lighthouse.”

She snapped a picture and made a run for the organizers’ table at the center of town square. It wasn’t easy since she had to dodge the booths within the Christmas fair to do it. Christopher took off after her, checking the last item on their list as he went. He reached the table seconds after Sabrina did. She was already in the process of showing the organizers the pictures they had taken all morning.

Hot on their trail was Troy and his brother. They wriggled like snakes as they waited for their turn to show their pictures. Christopher had a huge grin on his face as soon as the organizers finished looking through everything and comparing it to their master list. Then the head organizer nodded and Sabrina squealed for joy.

The look of disappointment on Troy’s face and his brother’s will forever live in the hall of fame moments in Christopher’s memories. Sabrina had been right. A deep satisfaction came with the fact that they won at something and beat Troy in the process. What he didn’t expect was for Sabrina to bounce toward him. She hugged him and planted a kiss smack on his cheek.

He felt that kiss reverberate through his body like the striking of a bell. Like someone had set off a bomb. Better than winning the Nobel Prize for Physics, which was an ultimate goal for him.

At first, it seemed like they were both shocked by what just happened. Sabrina still had her arms around him when their gazes met. Then shock turned into something more. Something deeper. Something he couldn’t explain.

As if an invisible force drew them together, their heads grew closer. And closer. It was as if everything was in slow motion.

Then, just as Christopher was about to reach the promise land, a smooth as glass voice called his name. He and Sabrina turned toward the sound. Sabrina stepped back as an elegantly dressed woman approached them. She was tall. She was blond. She was beautiful. And she touched Christopher’s shoulder before giving him a kiss on each cheek.

“Chris?” Sabrina crossed her arms, eying the both of them with suspicion. “Who’s this?”

Everything in Christopher fell to the ground. “What are you doing here, Charlie?”

“You told Andrew to get the anti-anxiety tech here at any cost. I wasn’t about to overnight million-dollar IP during the holidays, so I decided to bring it here with me. Anyway, you will need me to calibrate. You want to test it on animals?”

To the untrained ear, Charlie’s voice was a monotone. But, after years of knowing her, Christopher had developed a keen sense of picking up the subtle nuances in her tone. She may have spoken deliberately, but there was a hint of excitement in Charlie’s voice.

“Sabrina . . .” Christopher gestured toward Charlie and the briefcase she held. “This is Charlotte Davenport. She is the head of research and development for my company.”

“Oh?” Sabrina’s eyes narrowed.

“Hello,” Charlie said before looking Sabrina up and down. “Please excuse our company’s CEO. He sometimes forgets to introduce both sides. You are?”

“Sabrina Fairbanks,” she said. “Long-time friend of Chris. I run the Animal Sanctuary.”

“I see.” Charlie’s lips twisted.

Christopher felt himself pale. As if all the blood left his body all at once. “Sabrina, Charlie is here to help us. Although I would have been able to calibrate if needed.”

“What part of million-dollar IP don’t you understand? Surely, you don’t want the company to suffer if this tech goes missing.”

“All I am saying is you didn’t need to fly all the way here,” Christopher said through his teeth. It was clear from the look on Sabrina’s face that she was jumping to all sorts of conclusions about them. “But since you’re already here, we can test you the tech. Is that okay with you, Sabrina?”

“Of course,” Sabrina said. Her voice sounded natural enough, but Troy winced and shook his head. Christopher knew too, based on years of experience. The calmer Sabrina was the worse the situation someone was in. “I completely understand. Well, it was nice meeting you, Charlie. Why don’t we head on over to the shelter? We don’t want to waste any time.”

Christopher straightened to his full height while Charlie stood by his side. All he could do was watch as Sabrina walked away.

***

The walk to the shelter had been a silent, awkward affair. The entire time, Christopher replayed the scenario in his head. There was absolutely nothing going on with him and Charlie, but Sabrina took the two kisses on the cheek to mean something. He had to smoothen the misunderstanding out. How exactly, he had no idea.

“Why don’t we start with the cat,” Charlie said after Sabrina had led them to the back where the animals were.

Without a word, Sabrina strode to the cat section of the shelter. Christopher followed after her.

“I’m sorry,” Christopher said.

“For what?” Sabrina asked back.

“I feel like you’re made about something.”

“Mad?” The smile she gave him was strained. “Why would I be mad?”

“Charlie is just—”

“Chris,” Sabrina interrupted him. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. You and Charlie work together. She is here to help. It doesn’t matter that she looks at you like you’re something to eat.”

“What?” Christopher stood frozen in place while Sabrina coaxed Abby out of her cage. The cat clung to her like she was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Sabrina held on to Abby’s scruff as if to make sure an escape wouldn’t happen.

By some miracle, Christopher managed to push down his shock and followed Sabrina back to where Charlie stood. The briefcase was already on a table, opened. She had removed one of the prototype bracelets from its plastic container and held it in her had. A small laptop was also open beside the briefcase.

“Okay,” Sabrina said, setting Abby down on the examination table. “How do you want to do this.”

Charlie scanned the skittish cat. “What is her age and weight?”

“Two years old and eight pounds,” Sabrina rattled off.

Nodding, Charlie typed in the information into the laptop. A scanner screen opened. She tapped the bracelet on the scanner.

“What is she doing?” Sabrina asked, losing some of the bite in her voice.

“She’s calibrating the settings of the tech to fit Abby,” Christopher said, equally as fascinated. “Each brain is different, but all brains send electric signals to all parts of our bodies. The anti-anxiety tech helps regulate those signals.”

Once the laptop beeps, Charlie purse her lips. “It is ready. Now if you will please hold the cat down—”

“Abby,” Sabrina corrected.

“If you will hold Abby,” Charlie said, professional to her core, “I will slip the tech on her.”

Sabrina did as she was told. Abby let out a series of meows as if she was about to get hurt and was bracing for the pain. As Charlie drew closer with the bracelet, Abby hissed.

“Here, let me.” Christopher took the bracelet from Charlie. “It’s alright, Abby.”

“Let’s slip it on from behind.” Sabrina turned Abby away from Christopher.

With quick fingers, he slipped the bracelet, which had become a collar, from behind. The second it was on, Charlie tapped the ENTER button on her laptop.

“What now?” Sabrina asked.

“Can you place her in an environment where she would normally be uncomfortable?” Christopher asked.

Sabrina didn’t have to think twice. She carried Abby toward the kitten enclosure. Christopher wished he had thought about it himself. He opened the door for Sabrina and she placed Abby down. They closed the door and moved to the window to observe.

The kittens didn’t pay any attention to Abby. The older cat stayed at the door, still the ball of fur that Sabrina had set down seconds earlier. All three of them watched.

“How do we know if it’s working?” Sabrina asked.

“Look,” Christopher said, a smile stretching on his face. “I take it that’s not normal for her.”

Abby got up on four legs and approached one of the kittens who had been grooming. First, both cats sniffed at each other. Then Abby began licking the kitten’s head. Soon they were grooming each other.

Sabrina let out a tiny squeal, which she covered with both her hands. Then she spoke through her fingers. “Abby’s never been able to socialize before. I never thought this was possible.”

“Anything is possible with the right technology,” Charlie said.

***

Lugging Charlie’s bag, Christopher led the way to his house. Charlie, with her arms swinging side to side, ambled along. She hummed a merry little tune.

“Seriously, you didn’t have to come,” Christopher said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “You could have helped me remotely after I called Andrew.”

“I’ve always wanted to see this hometown you talked so fondly about.” Charlie pouted. “I wanted to have a little fun. And now that we know the tech and work on animals, you can just imagine the possibilities.”

“You’re not wearing warm enough clothes for Upstate New York.” Christopher side-eyed the cardigan she wore over a white shirt and jeans. “I think my mom has a couple of things you can use.”

“So that’s Sabrina,” Charlie said, totally not paying attention to his admonishment.

“You shouldn’t have done what you did. Now she’s mad at me.”

“I think I did you a favor. Did you see how jealous she was?”

“Sabrina?” He snorted. “Jealous?”

“You’ll see.”

“And I knew the tech was solid. Did you bring enough for all the animals that need them?”

When she grinned, it was all teeth. “It’s for her, isn’t it?” she asked.

Christopher didn’t know if he should be scared or flattered. Then Charlie said the words that made him tremble. And it wasn’t from the cold.

“I did some digging on her.” She lifted her chin. “She’s into animals and has this event, right? For Christmas eve?”

He suspected that Charlie knew more than that. He didn’t want to find out just how much “digging” she had done on Sabrina.

“Let’s just concentrate on retrofitting the other animals,” he said. “Then you can go home and inform the rest of the team about this breakthrough.”

“Why are you so worried? I’m just here to help.”

That was what he had been afraid of.

***

After giving Charlie a stern talking too about personal boundaries and dropping her off at his parents’ house because the hotel was completely booked—even the Wakefield Suite, which rumor had it was taken over by a senator’s family—Christopher went back to the Animal Sanctuary to check on Triumph. He promised Charlie that if she stayed out of trouble, i.e. away from Sabrina, that he would take her on the hayride. That seemed to placate the head of research and development. She already had her laptop out, working on the other bracelets.

At the shelter, Sharleen suggested Christopher take Triumph for a walk. The pooch may be on three legs, but he did get antsy all cooped up. Residual energy from staying at a high-kill shelter. They were on the way to the dog park when Marcus caught up with them.

“Hey, Math-whizz, I heard you have a girlfriend,” he said, nudging him on the shoulder. “You player.”

“Don’t.” Christopher shook a finger at him, which confused Triumph into sitting and whining, tail thumping. He turned to the dog and said, “I don’t mean you.” He handed over a milk bone, which Triumph gleefully accepted. Then they were back on their way.

“That dog has three legs,” Marcus whispered, leaning close to Christopher.

“It’s not like he’s sensitive about it. Look at him. Does he look like someone who can’t get around?”

Marcus leaned back and studied Triumph. “He’s sure damn cute, though.”

“And Charlie is not my girlfriend,” Christopher said, stirring them back to their original conversation. “She works for my company.”

“Not what I heard. Sabrina was fuming.”

“She was?” Christopher’s heart jumped. “Does that mean she’s jealous?”

“Looks like it from where I was standing at the fair.” Marcus shrugged. “But, honestly, dude, I don’t think that’s the way to go with her.”

His eyebrows came together. “It’s not like I intentionally brought Charlie here. How was I supposed to know that she’d latch on to my stories about Trevor and see for herself what goes on here this time of year? I didn’t even think she remembered those stories.” They were told during a time Christopher missed home and was feeling nostalgic. He concentrated on work so much that he didn’t have much time to share anything about his personal life.

“I mean . . .” Marcus stretched his arms wide, gesturing at the Christmas wonderland that was their little town. “Trevor knows how to do the holidays right. You’d have to be crazy to pass this up. The snow’s late, though. What’s up with that?”

“So, you’re saying—and this is just a hypothetical—making Sabrina jealous is not the best tactic?”

“Look, you know her the best. When was the last time getting Sabrina worked up about something the right thing?”

Christopher thought back through the years. Sabrina was honest to a fault. Even emotional at times. Letting her heart guide her decision making if stealing puppies from the mall was any indication. So, no, making her jealous wasn’t the way to go. Marcus was right.

“I already invited Charlie to the hayride later.”

Marcus winced and whistled. “Oo, that’s not good.”

“But if I back out, who knows what Charlie will do? She can be a bit of a wildcard.”

“Then keep it casual. No touching. No making her laugh. Just stay professional.”

“Stay professional.” He squared his shoulders. “I can do that.”

“And if Sabrina sees you, act cool. Like you said, Charlie is your friend and we here at Trevor are welcoming to tourists. Let’s stick with that.”

“Right. Charlie is a tourist. I can work with that.”

Marcus opened the gate to the park. As soon as Triumph went off leash, he bolted, ready to expend as much energy as his little body held.

“Wow!” Marcus shaded his eyes with his hand as if he were looking out into the distance. “That dog can move. If he comes back we’ll throw a ball around.”

Christopher sat on one of the picnic tables, his feet planted on the bench. Marcus sat beside him, leaning back on his hands.

“By the way, Troy is entering the Polar Run,” Marcus said, too casual for Christopher’s liking.

“He always does. That’s nothing new.”

“I’m just saying. Might be a nice way to square off.”

Eyebrow raised, Christopher looked over his shoulder at Marcus. “If I were to ever join the Polar Run, and this is not me saying that I will, it’s because this year’s proceeds all go to the Animal Sanctuary. I’d be helping Sabrina.”

The more he spoke the more the idea appealed to him. Maybe joining that year wasn’t so bad. No snow was a bonus. It was for a good cause.

Marcus grinned. “It’s Christmas. Miracles can happen.”