Chapter 131

“Merry Christmas,” I said as I let them in.

They returned the greeting and bent down to pet Thor, who was bouncing around clamoring for attention.

Mike walked up to us and said, “If you guys will go look above the fireplace, you’ll find some things with your names on them.”

They hurried to the fireplace to look. A row of stockings was hanging from the mantle. There were five of them, labeled “Mike,” “George,” “Thor,” “Zeb,” and “Zeke.”

I walked to the tree, retrieved a small box, and handed it to Lucinda. “If we’d known you were coming by, we would have had a stocking for you too,” I said.

“You shouldn’t have,” she said, and then she raised her voice. “Zeb, Zeke, give George and Mike what you brought them.”

Zeb handed me an envelope, and Zeke handed one to Mike.

“It’s not much,” they said.

“Guys,” I said, “it’s truly the thought that counts.”

They’d given us each a bundle of gift certificates for McDonald’s and Wendy’s.