Noah and Angel were childhood sweethearts and teenage lovers. With youth comes unrealistic ideas sometimes, and also bad choices. But just about the time they reach manhood, Noah’s demons pull them apart.<br><br>Seven years later, he gets a second chance when Angel returns to town. Hoping everything can be different, Noah sets out to remind him how wonderful their past was by secretly sending him thirteen gifts commemorating their happiest times, one on each day beginning December 11.<br><br>By Christmas Eve, Noah hasn’t heard a word back, and wonders if Angel even recognized the meaning of the offerings. When Angel does get in touch, he only remembers the bad things that drove them apart. Can Noah remind him how good they had it, too?

The Presents and the Past

It took me several minutes to find the scissors out there after I served the Whisker Lickin’s. Once I cut out my masterpiece for Angel, back in the living room, I tried to tempt Pocket with the long, bouncy leftover scrap—a little exercise to work off the calories he’d just consumed. The cat took only one swipe, and then refused to engage. “How did you get so lazy?” I asked plopping back onto the couch.


Chapter 13