Jane woke at eight the next morning when the clock radio clicked on, playing a Christmas carol. For a moment she thought she was home, but then remembered. Hillbillies and Christmas deliveries. 

She pulled the comforter over her head. 

Let me sleep. 

No, can't. Prett will wonder where you are. 

She sighed. Christmas dinner with the women she'd met yesterday did sound nice. She rolled over, peeping at the pink-infused room, the hue created by sunlight through the insulation panel. Her gaze landed on the vase of silver branches. 

Val's so sweet to make this room pretty for me. 

Danny's merry blue eyes came to mind. 

Danny! 

She threw off the covers.

Although she'd taken a quick shower the night before, she took another, much longer one this morning. 

If I mixed Prett's kindness, Val's sensitivity, and Danny's looks and charm, that'd be one perfect guy. 

She wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out. 

But the perfect guy for me also has to be educated–ooh, I love this heated floor–and have a career. 

She smirked. 

And be clean-shaven.

Jane combed out her hair. 

That was Brandon in spades. Educated. Ambitious. Good-looking. 

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. 

You're forgetting arrogant. Demanding. Egotistical. Half the time I didn't even like him. Why did I stay so long? 

She exited the bathroom. 

Don't think about that.

She went lighter on makeup, allowing her hated freckles to show through. She dried her hair, letting it fall in soft waves around her face, wishing she could afford a cut and style. Pairing her designer skirt with her favorite dark green sweater made her feel festive, and it brought out the green in her eyes. She stuck a finger through a hole in the cashmere's waistband before scrunching it so it was unnoticeable.

The men's building was unlocked, and a tantalizing aroma led her upstairs. Val opened the apartment door. Jane's eyes widened. She'd forgotten how big he was. She forced herself to not back up. And to smile.

He ushered her in with a shy smile of his own. 

"Thanks for getting my room ready last night," she said as he took her coat. 

He nodded and waved her over to the sofa.

"Ah, good." Prett rose from the recliner. "Val's eager to open gifts."

Danny entered the room wearing a stained khaki apron emblazoned with silhouettes of kitchen utensils below the phrase Armed and Dangerous. He grinned, signing a greeting. 

"He says you clean up nice," Prett said. 

Danny shot him a perturbed scowl. 

"Oh, my mistake. He doesn't think you clean up nice. Personally, I would have just gone with 'Merry Christmas.'" 

Danny snatched a sofa pillow and threw it at his brother before taking Jane by the arm and leading her to the kitchen. By his gestures, she understood he was asking if she wanted breakfast.

"Oh, well, I already ate that leftover caramel roll." Jane glanced back at Prett, who had returned to his chair. If he'd heard her, he didn't let on. As Danny went to the refrigerator, Jane saw what smelled so wonderful.

Pies. A freshly baked lemon meringue, a pecan, a pumpkin, and two more of unknown variety lined the counter. The center island held a glob of pie dough and a rolling pin, with various utensils and measuring cups scattered about. A fine dusting of flour covered it all, including the floor.

Danny held up a yogurt he pulled from the fridge. Jane nodded. Next he pulled down a box of granola, and she nodded again. He indicated Jane should sit at the bar. As she ate, she watched him roll out a crust, expertly fold it into a pie plate, and dump two cans of cherry filling into it. He rolled another crust onto a lattice cutter, transferred it onto the pie, pinched the edges, and popped it into the oven. 

Gorgeous. Charming. Sweet. And he cooks.

Danny relaxed, taking a sip from a glass tumbler. Seeing Jane watching him, he picked up a bottle of amaretto and offered her some. 

"It's a bit early for that, isn't it?" she admonished. 

He shook his head and grinned.

"Are ye' nippin' at the bottle agin, ye' lush?" Prett called from the other room. 

Danny ignored him. 

"Yeah, yeah, all right," Prett said to Val, then more loudly, "We gonna open gifts now? Val's under the impression we got him something he wanted."

Danny insisted Jane join him on the sofa as Val handed out the gifts; two for himself and two for each of his brothers. Much to Jane's surprise, Val also placed two extraordinarily large packages in front of her. 

"Oh, but," she said, "you didn't have to get me anything."

"We didn't," Prett said. "Those are from Santa. Doesn't matter where you are, you know. He always finds you. That Rudolph's a right good tracker."

"These aren't from Santa."

"Yeah they are. Check the tags. You must have been a good girl this year." He looked pointedly at Danny. "He skipped over us again, Vel." 

Danny leaned back on the sofa, flipping up his palms.

"Told you that deer you shot last month was Blitzer." 

Danny laughed.

"No, really," Jane protested, but Prett interrupted her.

"Hang on a minute, Val." Prett briefly held his palm out to his brother and Jane saw the latter had partially ripped the paper off his largest gift. "I don't think you're the youngest here today." Prett turned back to Jane. "I won't be so rude to ask your age, but can I assume you're under thirty-four?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Then you get to go first." He pointed at her gifts. "Open one."

After a moment's hesitation, she pulled the larger of the two closer. The tag indeed had "To Jane, From Santa" written on it, in all-too-familiar block letters. 

Probably some sort of electronic gadget. 

She tore the wrapping paper. 

No...it's a suitcase. Wait. Is this a Louis Vuitton?! 

She turned to Prett, her mouth agape. "Wha...how..."

"Well, that's disappointing." Prett shook his head. "Santa must've run out of toys. Down to the practical gifts now. Guess I don't mind getting skipped. I don't need any more gloves or stocking hats." 

Danny signed a comment. 

"Or underwear. 'Zactly."

"Where did you get this?" Jane exclaimed.

"Found it under the tree this morning. Didn't even hear the old guy sneak in. If I'd known he was going to show, I'd have left out milk and cookies. Instead, he raided all our beer and chips." 

Danny shook his head and pointed to himself. 

Prett scowled. "Those cheese balls were mine!" 

Danny upturned his hands with a sheepish smile. By this time Val had ripped the wrapping off his gift; a guitar. He removed it from its case and tested the strings.

Jane returned focus to her own gift. 

A Louis Vuitton suitcase? All because I mentioned I sold mine? He listens, even when you think he isn't. That's what Cadence said. But where would he find a Louis Vuitton suitcase? In Nebraska? In one day? Less than a day, really, because I was with him practically every minute yesterday.

Danny ripped the paper off his first gift; a rifle scope. He gave a thumbs-up to his brothers. 

Jane fingered the suitcase's leather tag. "This really is Louis Vuitton."

"Who's Louie?" Prett asked, picking up his first package.

"This suitcase!"

"Is it?" He carefully undid his gift's tape.

"Where would you get a Louis Vuitton?"

"Where would I get one?" He shrugged. "Wal-Mart, I suppose."

"Wal-Mart doesn't sell Louis Vuitton!"

"Wal-Mart sells everything."

"Not Louis Vuitton!"

"If you say so." He held up his gift: The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. "Well, Miss Jane, guess my brothers also think I need more culture." He tossed the book on the coffee table and pointed to her second gift. "Your turn."

He's so frustrating. Why won't he admit he got this for me? 

She moved the suitcase aside and ripped the paper off her second gift. A matching, but slightly smaller, Louis Vuitton suitcase.

"Oh, now that's just sad." Prett shook his head again. "The old guy's obviously lost his imagination."

Jane's chest felt tight. 

Brandon loved me when he gave me those suitcases. That's why I wanted to keep them. 

She held her breath to contain the growing pressure. 

Oh, really? I don't think he ever loved you. He was just using you. The only reason you kept them was because you were desperate and pathetic. 

Jane strained to stop the surging wave of emotion, but it overwhelmed her. She put her face in her hands and burst into sobs. 

Great. Now you're bawling in front of them. How humiliating.

But what am I supposed to do? I can't pay Prett back for these. For everything he's done. Why does he have to be so outrageously generous? Why does he have to remind me how stupid I was? Why can't he leave me alone? 

She squeezed her fingers to her forehead. 

Stop it. You're being ridiculous.

Jane managed to compose herself. She took a deep sniffling breath and removed her hands from her face. Beside her, an alarmed Danny glanced back and forth at his brothers as if begging for guidance on what to do. With mild sympathy, Val handed Jane a box of tissues. She snatched out a couple and blew her nose. "I'm sorry," she squeaked.

Prett's expression hadn't changed at all. "Don't be. I had the same reaction last year when all I got was socks."

"I'm grateful...really I am," Jane said between sniffles. "It's just...all so...much. And I...I didn't get you anything."

"Why would you? I didn't get you anything, either."

"You got me these." She waved her hand over the suitcases.

"That was Santa."

"Well, you bought me breakfast. And lunch. And grocer–"

Prett held up his hand to stop her. "That's just part of your benefits package." He suddenly scowled across the coffee table at Val. "What are you doing?"

Val now held his second gift, a professional digital camera. He clicked off a couple more photos before Jane put up her hand. "Oh, I must look hideous."

Val shook his head, signing the one phrase she knew by heart, You're beautiful.

"My makeup has got to be all messed up now." She wiped a tissue under her eyes to remove any streaks, her face burning with embarrassment.

Danny let out a whoop. He jumped from his seat and flung his hands in the air, his right hand holding a newly unwrapped box. He plopped down again and tore into it.

"Sorry you're disappointed, Vel." Prett picked up his last gift. "We saved the receipt, so you can always exchange it."

Danny shook his head, pulling a small blowtorch from the box and examining it. Prett slowly undid the wrapping on his own gift. Jane continued to sniffle as she wiped her nose and eyes. Then the men went quiet.

Prett stared at a wooden box in his lap while his brothers watched with breathless anticipation. He lightly brushed the top of the box with his fingers, gazing at it with a faraway expression. The clicking of Val's camera caused him to look up. He locked eyes with Jane and resumed his poker face. He held up the box so she could see the front. Under the glass top was a lineup of hand chisels, each with a different head. 

He placed the tool set on top of his book, saying, "You boys are obviously conflicted whether I should be a pinhead or a grunt." 

Danny grinned and relaxed back into the sofa. Val snapped a couple more photos.

Jane lifted the smaller suitcase onto her lap, but before she could appraise it further, a sudden click and whoosh startled her. Danny was testing his blowtorch, the flame blazing dangerously close to her hair.

"Whoa, watch where you're pointing that, Vel," Prett said with sincere concern.

Danny clicked it off, jumped from the sofa, and headed to the kitchen.

"Don't burn the place down!" Prett yelled, adding to Val, "I told you it was a bad idea."

Val just smiled, shook his head, and took another photo.

"And if you don't stop doing that, I'll let the evil twins play with this one, too."

Val grinned and set to beeping through his just-shot photos.

Prett pulled his new book off the coffee table and cracked it open. Jane noticed something on the suitcase's tag she hadn't before: engraved initials. "Oh," she said, "these belonged to someone else."

"Santa's regifting now?" Prett replied. "What's this world coming to?"

"Who's G.M.G?"

"Gifts Magically Given. It's Santa's workshop slogan. Everyone knows that."

"You just have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Only because you have a question for everything."

Jane read the tag again. She remembered Prett's comment about Cadence's bed; It was GiGi's to give. She triumphantly announced, "Genevieve Gingery!"

Prett slightly raised his eyebrows. "That's who's feeding us dinner."

"You took these from Mrs. Gingery!"

"Santa brought those."

"Santa took these from her, then."

"You're treading on thin ice, accusing Santa of theft."

"I–" Jane was interrupted by the shrill tones of a smoke alarm.

"Doggone it, Vel, I told you not to light the place on fire!" Prett jumped out of his chair and strode towards the kitchen. Jane and Val followed, the latter seeming more interested in another photo opportunity than worried about burning up in flames. However, the alarm had been set off by hot steam when Danny opened the dishwasher, not by careless use of his new toy. 

Prett returned to the living room, but not before griping about the kitchen mess. Jane offered to help clean, so Danny dug up a camouflage apron for her, and together they tackled the dirty dishes. Val snapped photos until Danny pantomimed smashing the lemon meringue into his face.

Just as they finished kitchen duty, Prett returned, saying, "We've been summoned early. Too many women in the kitchen. Miss Cady needs us to run interference." 

Danny picked up his half-full tumbler and again offered the drink to Jane. When she declined, he downed the last of it himself with a knowing smile.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please help me improve my writing by pointing out problems. And if you like what you read, please click the Vote button below. And comment! I love comments! 😊  

Fun Fact: Here's a photo circa the 1910s of the A. M. Smith General Merchandise store, my inspiration for the brothers' apartment building. 

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