Day 1

“Oh my God,” Milly said, taking another big bite, “This one is even better.”

“No way,” Hannah chuckled. “That is simply not possible.”

Milly closed her eyes as she chewed. “It really is,” she moaned.

“I’m still so full from the last one,” Hannah said, patting her stomach.

“You have to taste this one,” Milly replied, holding up the waffle.

“This is going to hurt,” Hannah laughed and took a bite. Her eyes immediately widened. “Oh, shit,” she said, covering her mouth.

“I know,” Milly grinned. “Brussels waffles are the best.”

Hannah shook her head as she swallowed. “This is not a Brussels waffle.”

“It’s not?” Milly asked. She gestured at the baroque buildings all around them. “We’re in Brussels!”

“I know that,” Hannah laughed. “But this waffle,” she said and pointed. “This one is from Liège.”

Milly tilted her head. “But it’s sold in Brussels?”

“Yes, it’s made and sold everywhere in Belgium. It’s called the Liège Waffle or sugar waffle. There is a Brussels waffle too,” Hannah explained, reaching for the treat in Milly’s hand. “We can try that one later. I want another bite of this one first.”

“Oh, so you do want more?” Milly said and stepped back before Hannah could take another bite. “I think this Liège waffle is all mine.”

“Okay,” Hannah said and pulled at Milly’s coat. “I guess I’ll need to eat you instead, then. I want something yummy.”

Milly squealed. “Careful!” She stuck out her arm so the waffle was safe.

“I think I’ll start here,” Hannah chuckled and pretended to bite Hannah’s shoulder.

Milly giggled, pushing Hannah away. “You get so silly when you’re in Belgium.”

Hannah’s smile was so relaxed, so genuine, Milly’s breath caught for a moment. The light of the Christmas lights all around them gave Hannah’s copper hair an extra special glow.

Seeing Hannah like that was a treat too. A much better treat than any waffle. Only a few people got to see this version of Hannah: relaxed, extra goofy and dressed like a tourist. Woolly winter hat and all.

“What do you want to eat or see next?” Hannah asked, waving her arms in the air.

“I don’t think I can eat anything for a few hours,” Milly chuckled, patting her stomach. “I’ve reached my limit.” She looked at the waffle. “Okay, but I have to finish this.”

Hannah laughed. “Careful you don’t get sick.”

“I’m more worried about my gown for the concert on Saturday,” Milly said, still staring at the waffle. “It was tight to begin with.”

“You’ll be fine,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “We’re walking a lot.”

“True,” Milly replied, pursing her lips.

“Do you want to go see Manneke Pis?” Hannah asked. “It’s only a short walk away.”

“Is that the weird statue of the little dude peeing?” Milly asked right before biting into the waffle again.

Hannah nodded and pointed to a street on the right of the large square. “He’s right over there. Let’s go see if he’s wearing a Santa costume today.”

“Yes! Let’s go,” Milly said, still chewing.

Day 2

Mary yawned, annoyed, and pulled the cover over her head. She didn’t want to get up this early. It was her morning off and she had intended to sleep in.

But then it happened again: scratch, scratch, scratch.

“Is that Charles?” Lex asked, sounding even more sleepy than Mary felt.

“I think so,” Mary grumbled. “Ignore him. He’ll go away.”

“Hmm,” Lex hummed unhappily as she moved closer and wrapped her arm around Mary’s waist. “I have a hangover.”

Mary frowned. “You didn’t drink.”

“I feel like I have a hangover,” Lex clarified.

“Maybe you ate something that was spoiled?” Mary pondered, but she had eaten precisely the same as Lex did and she felt fine.

“You’re not feeling sick?” Lex asked, her breath tickling Mary’s ear. Lex’s fingers stroked Mary’s bare stomach.

“No, just tired,” Mary said, pushing into Lex, enjoying the warmth of their cocoon under the sheets.

“I think I’m super tired too,” Lex croaked.

Mary chuckled. “Of course you’re tired. It’s the holiday season and you manage a chocolate store.”

Lex grunted.

“Try to get a bit more sleep, baby,” Mary cooed and covered Lex’s hand.

“Just a little longer,” Lex pleaded.

Mary smiled because Lex didn’t have to convince her. She too desperately wanted to stay in bed and get more sleep.

But there was the scratching again. Scratch, scratch, scratch.

“He’s back,” Lex commented dryly.

“Hush,” Mary whispered. “He’ll forget we’re here if he doesn’t hear us.”

“It’s a cat,” Lex replied. “Cats don’t forget that kind of stuff.”

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

“You’re not helping,” Mary groaned.

“It was your idea to babysit,” Lex sighed, kissing Mary’s shoulder.

“Catsit,” Mary corrected her. “Not babysit.”

“Same thing.”

Mary pushed her butt back in protest, bumping into Lex. “Hush!”

Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.

“He’s so annoying,” Mary sighed. “And you know we’re not just here to babysit.”

“See? You said babysit,” Lex chuckled.

“Catsit,” Mary whispered back.

Lex laughed again.

The scratching became louder.

“We should have stayed home,” Mary said, shaking her head.

“We don’t have any windows,” Lex replied dryly. “It’s cold there. And we can’t live with your grandma downstairs.”

“We never should have done these renovations,” Mary whined. “Not in the middle of the holiday season.”

“Baby,” Lex said sweetly, kissing the back of Mary’s neck. “That’s not our fault. The contractor started late.”

“I know,” Mary sighed, turning her head towards Lex. She could barely see her face under the sheets. “It sucks.”

“It’s not that bad,” Lex said, stroking up and down Mary’s side. “We’re lucky Hannah and Milly went on this trip. When they return, the windows will be installed and we can start painting.”

Mary nodded, chewing on her lower lip. “You’re right. I’m just a little tired and stressed, you know?”

Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.

“And I’m not sure if I still want a pet after this,” Mary added, throwing off the sheets, annoyed.

“Hey!” Lex groaned. “A warning, please!”

“Sorry,” Mary said, leaning over to cover Lex with kisses. “Sorry.”

“I might forgive you if you keep doing that,” Lex grinned.

A loud meow came from behind the door.

Mary rolled her eyes. “He’s so whiny!”

Lex propped herself up on her elbow. “I think he’s just hungry. And you can’t change your mind about having a pet. You promised me a dog.”

Mary met Lex’s eyes. “I still want a dog. But never a cat!”

Lex smiled. “I’ll go feed the cat. You stay in bed a bit longer, okay?”

“Thank you,” Mary said gratefully. She closed her eyes as Lex placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll call you when breakfast is ready,” Lex said.

“You’re the best,” Mary whispered.

Day 3

“Charles is being a pain,” Milly said, pointing at the phone in her hand.

Hannah put down her mug. “What do you mean?”

Milly smiled. “He keeps waking them up early in the morning.”

“Oh,” Hannah grinned, crossing her legs under the table. “They have to get up anyway, don’t they?”

“Not yesterday,” Mary replied. She placed her phone on the table. “It was their only morning off this month, poor things.”

“Maybe they’re not feeding him enough,” Hannah said. Charles got very whiny when he was hungry. He had been that way since he was a kitten.

“We should get them some waffles,” Milly continued.

Hannah looked up, confused for a moment.

“Earth to Hannah?” Milly laughed. “Where did you go?”

Grinning, Hannah replied, “I was thinking of Charles when he was a kitten.”

Milly rolled her eyes. “That cat has you under a spell.”

“Hey, you say that like it’s a bad thing,” Hannah said, faking a pout. Milly often teased her about Charles. She was used to it. “I miss him.”

“Of course you do,” Milly sighed, reaching for her mug of hot chocolate.

They were sitting at a small table in a café in Bruges. They’d taken the train here from Brussels early in the morning. They were enjoying some hot chocolate and pastries before exploring the historic city center.

“Can you ask Mary to send a picture?” Hannah asked.

Milly stuck out her tongue. “Ask her yourself.”

“She’s my employee. That would be inappropriate,” Hannah quipped.

“Your employee is living in your apartment for two weeks,” Milly replied, sipping her drink. “Some would consider that inappropriate too.”

“True,” Hannah admitted. “It’s our apartment, by the way. Not just mine.”

Hannah always made a point of correcting Milly about this. It wasn’t just her apartment anymore. It was their home. They had been married for over a year, and Hannah wanted to share everything she had with Milly.

“I know, it’s our apartment,” Milly smiled.

“Just making sure you do,” Hannah said softly.

She reached for Milly’s hand. Milly’s fingers immediately entwined with Hannah’s.

“I know,” Milly said again.

Hannah shifted in her seat. “Anyway, Mary and Lex needed a place to stay and we needed a catsit.”

Milly chuckled. “I was just teasing you.”

“I don’t like it when you tease me,” Hannah said as she pulled her phone closer.

“You love it when I tease you,” Milly replied, sticking out her tongue.

Hannah unlocked her phone and started typing a message. It was hard with just her one hand, but she didn’t want to let go of Milly’s hand.

“Who are you texting?” Milly asked, amused.

Hannah shrugged. “Just Lex.”

Milly squeezed Hannah’s hand. “Are you asking her for a picture of Charles?”

“No,” Hannah replied, shaking her head. “I am asking if they’re feeding him enough.”

“Oh, God,” Milly chuckled. “Micromanager.”

Hannah’s eyes snapped to Milly. “That’s a pretty bad accusation,” she said, quirking an eyebrow.

“Just when it comes to Charles!” Milly replied, raising her hands. “I’m sure you do better as a CEO.”

“Hey, I liked holding your hand,” Hannah pouted.

Milly wiggled all of her fingers in the air. “Sorry, I need it back. I’m going to the bathroom.” She pushed her chair back and got up.

“Okay,” Hannah said, “Want to go into town when you come back?”

“Yes!” Milly smiled. “I read you’re better off taking one of the earlier boats. It gets very busy in the afternoon here.”

“I’ll be ready,” Hannah smiled.

She tried to remember if she had brought her gloves as she watched Milly make her way to the back of the café. It would be cold on the water. But she did look forward to seeing Bruges with Milly. She’d only seen it once as a kid.

Hannah looked down at the message she was typing. She hadn’t sent it yet. Milly did have a point about being a micromanager. She should trust her cousin to look after Charles. Hannah pursed her lips as she considered whether she should send it.

She still hadn’t decided when Milly returned from the bathroom.

“Let’s go see this magnificent town,” Milly said, smiling brightly.

Hannah nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s!”

She pushed send before she slid her phone into her pocket.

Day 4

Lex tugged at the zipper of her leather jacket. It wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping her warm. She’d known that before she chose to wear it but had put it on anyway. She didn’t have to walk to work that far today.

The sun wasn’t up yet, adding to the chill. Lex was earlier than usual because Christmas was less than ten days away. Chocolate was flying off the shelves faster than the team could handle. It was all hands on deck every morning to restock.

Lex turned the corner, reaching the alley where the staff entrance was. She fished her key out of her jeans pocket. Her hands were so cold she struggled to move her fingers. She took the last few steps in a hurry, shivering.

When she was about to pull open the door, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She held on to her key as she scanned the back of the alley. Yesterday’s pile of empty cardboard boxes had not been picked up yet.

Lex tightened her sore fingers around the door handle but nothing seemed out of order. Before she could open it though, a sound caught her attention. Something was moving between the boxes.

“Probably a rat,” she thought, wrinkling her nose.

She pulled open the door, even more eager to get inside. She’d have to ask the team to make sure they left no food out there. Lex knew there were always going to be rats. It was New York City. But she didn’t want the alley to become a hotspot.

A high-pitched sound reached her just before the door fell shut. Lex stopped, processing for a moment. Her eyes widened when she realized what she might have heard. She turned around and rushed back into the cold.

Lex went straight for the boxes this time. She moved them aside, hoping she wouldn’t find a rat. But she didn’t. There, against the wall, sat a tiny dog, shaking and growling.

“Hey, little fellah,” Lex said, kneeling.

The dog growled ferociously at her.

Lex backed off even though he was tiny. She bet he could still hurt her pretty badly.

“Are you lost?” Lex asked him. “How did you get here?”

The dog growled some more. Lex saw that his fur was wet and dirty. He looked like he had been outside for a while now. Poor thing. She couldn’t leave him behind like this. She had no idea how to get him to come inside with her.

“Would you like some food? A towel?” Lex thought out loud.

Her first idea was to get some chocolate to lure him inside, but chocolate was toxic for dogs. She hadn’t brought lunch, so she couldn’t use that as bait either. Maybe someone from her team would have something the dog couldn’t resist?

“Are you going to stay put?” Lex asked.

He growled, moving away from her a bit. 


“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Lex sighed.

She pulled her phone out and chewed on her lower lip. She could either call someone inside the store or she could call Mary. She might still be at the apartment. Lex tapped the shortcut to Mary’s number and lifted the phone to her ear.

Mary picked up after two rings. “Miss me already?” she asked cheerfully.

“I’ve got a bit of a situation at the store,” Lex said.

“What’s wrong?” Mary asked, audibly worried.

“I found a dog,” Lex replied, gesturing toward the small canine.

Mary was quiet for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a tiny dog hiding between the boxes in the alley,” Lex explained. “I think he’s lost.” She kneeled down again, studying him. “He’s not wearing a collar, though. So maybe he got dumped.”

“Poor thing!” Mary said. “I’ll be right there!”

“Thank you,” Lex said in relief.

Day 5

Milly nodded at her reflection in the mirror approvingly.

“Thank you, Ash,” she said.

A young woman with curly, black hair stepped back. “You’re welcome, Miss North.”

“Oh, please,” Milly said as she got up. “As I told you before, it’s Milly.”

The makeup artist nodded shyly. “Right. You’re welcome, Milly.”

Milly smiled. “I love your work. I wish I could take you with me back to the States.”

Ash giggled. “I’d love to but I have two small kids and a husband that are not eager to move.”

“That’s too bad,” Milly winked. “Maybe in a few years when they’re a bit older. In the meantime, I’ll have to find you whenever I am in Europe.”

“Yes, please,” Ash nodded eagerly. She reached for a pocket in her makeup bag and pulled out a card. “Here’s my business card. Call me whenever you’re here.”

“Excellent,” Milly said as she accepted the card. “I’ve got some solo shows planned in Europe next summer. I’ll get in touch.”

“Thank you, miss….” Ash started and then stopped herself. “Thank you, Milly,” she said with a grin.

“Good catch,” Milly grinned back. She straightened, wincing a little. Her shoulder felt sore today. “Ugh, the bed in Bruges was horrible.”

“Excuse me?” Ash asked.

“We just got back from Bruges,” Milly explained, walking to the corner of the room where her gown was waiting for her. “Decided to stay the night last minute and booked the only available Airbnb. It was okay, but the bed was horrible.”

Ash wrinkled her nose. “Yikes. It sounds like you need a massage!”

Milly was holding up her gown, inspecting it. “Now that would be nice, yes,” she commented absentmindedly.

Silence fell. It took Milly a second to realize it. Her eyebrows shot up. Wait, was Ash offering to give her a massage? Milly slowly turned her head. Sure enough, Ash was looking at her expectantly.

A smile tugged at the corners of Milly’s lips. She was never bothered by the attention she got at times. But she also made a point of making it very clear that she was not interested. She focused on the gown again, brushing off some lint.

“I think I have some time left for a massage. I’ll see if my wife is in the building. Thanks for the great idea,” she said, smiling.

“Right,” Ash said quickly. “Eh, do you want me to see if I can find her?”

“I’ll just give her a call,” Milly replied, putting the dress back on the coat rack.

“Okay, I’ll pack up and get out of your way,” Ash said. She was already gathering her things from the makeup dresser.

Milly picked up her phone and started a new message. “I just got offered a massage,” she typed and sent.

Hannah was quick to reply. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, I told her I’d rather have my wife take care of it,” Milly sent back.

The reply was almost instantaneous. “I do love to take care of you.”

Milly chuckled, butterflies stirring in her stomach. She wondered if there was enough time to get Hannah in here? She didn’t have to be on stage for another 90 minutes.

Another message came in. “I’m on my way.”

Milly bit her lower lip, biting back an anticipatory groan.

“I need to get changed,” she told Ash, putting the phone back on the dresser.

“Almost out of your way,” Ash said and closed her makeup suitcase.

“Thank you again,” Milly said, inspecting her makeup in the mirror again. She would have to make sure not to mess it up.

Ash grabbed her coat from the chair. “Alright, all set. Good luck with the performance.”

“Thank you,” Milly beamed, but her mind wasn’t on the performance.

Ash opened the door and stepped out, almost bumping into Hannah.

“Shit, sorry,” the young woman said.

“No problem,” Hannah replied smoothly. She gestured for Ash to go first.

Ash apologized again and quickly disappeared.

Hannah met Milly’s gaze, wiggling her eyebrows. She was wearing the new dark blue suit she had purchased in Bruges.

“Hey there,” Milly said, leaning against the dresser, her bathrobe slipping off her shoulder.

Hannah closed the door and locked it. “I hear you need a massage, Miss North?”

Day 6

The tiny dog was wagging its tail, ears hanging low. Mary couldn’t bring herself to close the door.

“Baby?” she called out.

“Yeah? Something wrong?” Lex answered from the bathroom.

“He’s in a good mood today,” Mary said. “I think he wants to cuddle.”

“Really?” The bathroom door opened. “Be careful,” Lex said, sticking her head out.

“Come and look at him,” Mary said.

Lex pointed at her wet hair. “I just got out of the shower.”

Mary nodded at the dog. “What if I let him in the hallway for a bit? I think he’s tired of the closet.” She bent over. “Are you finally ready to get to know us a bit better?” she asked.

His tail wagged faster.

“Wow, you’re right,” Lex said, stepping behind Mary. She had wrapped a towel around her upper body. “He does look a lot more friendly today.”

“Do you think it’s safe to let him sniff my hand? He hasn’t growled today,” Mary asked, looking up at Lex.

A wet little nose pushed against Mary’s hand before Lex could reply.

Both Mary and Lex said in unison, “Awww!”

Mary’s heart rate picked up a little as she petted the dog’s head. His tail kept wagging and he pressed into the touch. It looked like he wouldn’t try to bite her anymore.

Lex sat down next to Mary. “I guess he’s finally starting to trust us.”

“Took him a while,” Mary said, scratching behind the dog’s tiny ear. “All those treats… I thought he’d never give in.”

Chuckling, Lex held out her hand. “Think he’ll like me too?”

The doggy froze for a second. He then carefully sniffed the air around Lex’s hand. His tail started wagging again as he pushed into Lex’s hand.

“Awesome,” Lex grinned.

Mary rested her head on Lex’s shoulder. “What a cutie.”

Lex nodded. “Too bad we can’t find his owner. They must miss him.”

“He sure misses them,” Mary said, sighing. It had broken her heart to find this tiny, helpless animal in such distress. “I still think someone left him behind.”

“You like this, don’t you?” Lex asked the dog, scratching under the dog’s chin.

He groaned approvingly.

Lex laughed.

“I’m going to call the shelter again today,” Mary said, pulling her knees up to her chin. “I’m not very hopeful.”

Lex wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, if someone was looking for him they’d have contacted the shelter by now.”

Mary nodded. Her chest tightened again. She’d felt sad often these last two days. She just couldn’t get over the fact that someone might have left this poor creature to die in a cold alley in New York City.

“I haven’t found any dog looking even remotely like him on the lost and found websites either,” Lex sighed.

“I’m so happy you found him,” Mary said. “What if you hadn’t?”

Lex stroked Mary’s back. “But we did find him and you managed to catch him.” She grinned and bumped her shoulder into Mary’s. “Risking your own life.”

Mary giggled. The dog sure had given her a hard time. Before picking him up, she’d put on two pairs of gloves and the thickest winter coat she could find. She’d been lucky most of Lex’s team members were big animal lovers and had been willing to help with their gloves and coat.

“But we can’t keep him here forever,” Lex said, wrinkling her nose.

Mary reached out and petted the dog’s back. “We can let him out in the hallway for a bit before we leave for work?”

“If Hannah finds out, she’ll kill us,” Lex said, sounding a little nervous.

Mary chewed on her lower lip. Lex was right. Hannah would probably be very upset if she found out they’d brought a stray dog into the apartment. What if he had fleas? Or some disease? Or what if he did something to her precious Charles?

“Charles is fine and we treated him for fleas,” Mary said in an attempt to reassure herself and Lex. “But yeah, she won’t be happy.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell her,” Lex said.

Mary considered the suggestion for a moment. “We probably shouldn’t. Or we could tell Milly and see what she says first?”

Day 7

Hannah looked up at the cathedral. “What style is that? Gothic?”

Milly tilted her head. “I think I see some baroque elements too. The tower is beautiful against that blue sky, isn’t it?”

“It really is,” Hannah said, rubbing her hands. “Think it’s warmer inside?”

“Doubt it,” Milly chuckled. “Are you sure you want to see the Ghent Altarpiece today?”

“Nope,” Hannah admitted. “I am freezing. I’d much prefer a waffle and coffee somewhere.”

“This is why I married you,” Milly said and grabbed Hannah’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Easy!” Hannah gasped, nearly tripping over the steps in the middle of the square. “Where are we going?”

“I saw a café by the other church that looked pretty nice,” Milly replied, stepping up her pace. “But I don’t know if they have waffles.”

“Just coffee is fine,” Hannah laughed, “I’ve already had enough waffles for a year in the last few days.”

“I hope I’m walking in the right direction,” Milly said, looking around. “There are beautiful towers everywhere here. Hard to keep ’em apart.”

“There are also cafés everywhere, so we should be fine,” Hannah grinned. “Why don’t we just go there?” She pointed at a sign in the street.

Milly stopped. “A comic book café?!”

Hannah nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s go sit with the locals. It says they have lots of games to play.”

“Okay,” Milly replied slowly.

“Come on,” Hannah said, “It’s just for one coffee.”

Milly smiled and shook her head. “Fine.”

“This is fun,” Hannah said and hopped up and down. She tugged at Milly’s hand.

The café was darker than she had expected. There were pinball and arcade machines lined up against the walls. A few geeky-looking guys were standing in the corner, discussing one of the games in English.

“So much for locals,” Milly commented, poking Hannah in the side.

A sound came from her pocket.

“I really need to turn down that sound,” she said frowning and pulled the phone from her pocket.

Hannah just nodded, shuffling her feet as she took in the café. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay here. This was not what she had imagined. She wished she had let Milly pick a place.

“Eh, it is a bit cold here,” she said.

When Milly didn’t respond, Hannah turned around. “What do you think?”

Milly was slow to look up from her phone. “Sorry?”

“It’s a bit cold here, isn’t it?” Hannah repeated.

“Sure,” Milly replied, glancing back at her screen.

“Is something wrong?” Hannah asked, stepping closer.

“No, nothing at all,” Milly said, giving her a bright smile. She lowered her phone.

Hannah nodded at Milly’s phone. “Are you sure? Did you get some bad news or something?”

“No,” Milly said immediately. “Just… Checking the weather.”

“The weather?” Hannah asked. “Didn’t you check earlier?”

“I did,” Milly nodded, sliding her phone into her pocket. “It just felt like snow outside and I thought I’d check.”

“It’s beautiful outside,” Hannah said slowly. “Blue skies.”

“Yes! But so cold,” Milly frowned, rubbing her hands together. “Not much better inside.”

“No, it’s not,” Hannah said.

She pursed her lips as she thought. She knew Milly well. She was sure something was going on. Should she insist and ask Milly again? Or should she just wait until Milly brought up whatever was wrong?

“Did you want to find another place?” Milly asked, grabbing Hannah’s hand.

“Yeah, I think so,” Hannah replied. She looked into Milly’s eyes for a long moment.

Milly smiled back at her. “Let’s go then!”

“Alright,” Hannah mumbled as she followed Milly.

She would wait, she decided as they stepped back into the sun. If Milly was keeping something from her, there probably was a good reason. Hannah would find out soon enough, she hoped.

Day 8

Lex hurried into the elevator. She was late and super hungry. The store had still been packed with customers at closing time. It had taken the team another hour and a half to get everyone out and everything locked up. 

“Just four more days,” she told herself as she pressed the button that took her to Hannah’s floor. 

Christmas day would be the first day off in weeks for Lex. She had put in tons of overtime. Technically, she wasn’t allowed to work that much, but what was a manager to do when her team simply couldn’t keep up? 

Lex hardly paid attention as the elevator made its way up. She thought of all the things she still needed to get done tonight. There was so much paperwork to catch up on. It was overwhelming.

And then there was the dog situation to consider. They still hadn’t been able to find his owner. None of the shelters had heard about a missing dog that fit his description. Nothing on the internet either. It seemed no one was looking for the little doggy.

That meant Lex and Mary had a decision to make. They had talked about it several times already. Neither of them thought bringing the dog to the shelter was a good idea. He was too tiny and too weird-looking. 

He wasn’t an easy fellah to live with either. He had gotten a lot more friendly and lively, sure. But he still snarled whenever Mary or Lex made an unexpected move. There was no way he could live around children. No, he’d never make it out of the shelter alive.

They hadn’t discussed keeping him. But Lex knew they would have to have that conversation if they didn’t find a solution soon. What other options were there? 

It wasn’t the type of dog Lex had imagined having, but sometimes fate had other plans. She was slowly coming to terms with the weird little creature being part of her life. I guess it was meant to be? 

Lex made her way out of the elevator on autopilot, looking for her key in her back pocket. She was just about to unlock the door when Mary suddenly stuck her head out of the door. 

Lex nearly jumped. “Fuck!”

“Sorry!” Mary whispered. 

Lex closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I am happy to see you, but damn, woman!”

Mary wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. I really didn’t want to wake the pets.” She was still whispering.

“Why not?” Lex asked quietly. “And why are we whispering?”

Mary’s whole face lit up. “You need to see this for yourself. Come in!”

Lex took off her coat and hung it on the hanger as quietly as possible. 

“Don’t forget your shoes,” Mary whispered. 

Lex chuckled. She quickly untied her shoes and placed them on the floor more carefully than usual. 

Mary tiptoed through the hallway and into the living room. Lex followed her, struggling not to laugh. She had no idea what was going on, but Mary’s giddiness was rubbing off on her. 

“Look!” Mary said in something that was between a whisper and a happy squeal. 

Lex’s lips parted when she saw what Mary was pointing at. Charles and the dog were lying on the couch together, fast asleep. The dog was sprawled all over the cat as if they’d been friends for years. Both were snoring happily. 

“Oh my God,” Lex whispered.

“I think they’re in love,” Mary giggled.

Day 9

“It’s better if she doesn’t know,” Milly said to herself as she tapped her phone absentmindedly.

But she didn’t like keeping secrets from Hannah. She wasn’t very good at it. She also loved talking to Hannah about pretty much everything. Secrets and surprises got in the way of that.

Milly was lying down on the bed in their Brussels apartment. Tomorrow was their last full day in Belgium. There was no reason to ruin their extraordinary time together by worrying Hannah with the news from home.

When Mary had texted Milly about a dog they’d found in the alley behind the store, Milly had been touched by all the effort Lex and Mary had put into helping the poor thing. And she had immediately agreed it would be best not to tell Hannah about it.

But now, days later, Mary and Lex still hadn’t found the owner. That meant the dog was still staying at Hannah and Milly’s place. With Charles. Milly knew that if Hannah knew, she’d assume the dog’s presence would upset her cat, Charles.

Mary had promised to keep the dog away from Charles, but Milly knew that Hannah would worry anyway. Hannah was a very reasonable person, except when Charles was involved.

“She’s going to be so pissed off at me when she finds out I knew,” Milly thought and sighed.

She looked at the picture Mary had sent her. The dog did look like he needed all the help he could get. He was tiny and fragile. He didn’t look dangerous at all. Milly reminded herself that she was keeping secrets for a good cause.

In the bathroom, the water stopped running. Hannah was getting out of the shower. Milly quickly texted Mary. Besides asking how the dog was, she wanted to make sure he was kept away from Charles as much as possible.

The door swung open and Hannah stepped into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. Milly put her phone back on the nightstand. She looked at her wife and smiled. She loved how Hannah’s wet hair stuck to her white shoulders after a shower.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Hannah smiled.

“Of course,” Milly said, stretching her arms above her head. “Have been since you left.”

Hannah sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning over for a kiss.

“You’re dripping on me!” Milly giggled, shifting because Hannah’s wet hair tickled her skin.

“Is that a complaint?” Hannah whispered against Milly’s lips.

“I think so,” Milly said, butterflies stirring in her stomach.

“Do you want me to leave?” Hannah asked and kissed Milly again.

“No,” Milly said, running her fingers through Hannah’s wet hair.

“We’ll be late for our museum reservation,” Hannah said breathily after another, deeper kiss.

Milly tugged at Hannah’s towel. “That’s fine with me.”

“Oh, really?” Hannah asked, wiggling her eyebrows. She got up and let the towel fall to the floor. “Can I come back to bed?”

Milly pulled aside the sheets. “Only if you hurry.”

Day 10

“I haven’t told Milly we let them sleep together,” Mary said.

Lex chewed on the inside of her cheek. “And Hannah doesn’t know anything?”

Mary shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Fuck,” Lex sighed. “They’re both going to be so pissed off at us.”

“Probably,” Mary agreed. She rubbed the back of her neck. Fatigue had caught up with her these last days and she felt like she was constantly fighting a headache.

“But they look so happy together,” Lex said after a long moment.

Mary followed Lex’s gaze to the couch, where Charles and the dog were sleeping together again.

“I still can’t believe it,” Mary said. “I really thought I had closed the door properly. What if the doggy had gotten into a fight with Charles? He’s tiny but he can still bite.”

“They didn’t get into a fight,” Lex said, stroking Mary’s back.

“But that’s what Hannah will say,” Mary replied, wrinkling her nose. “That it could have turned out ugly.”

“But it didn’t,” Lex repeated. “And if you hadn’t let the dog escape by accident, Charles would have never found his new best friend.”

Mary chuckled. “Or the love of his life. I’m not sure which it is.”

“I think we better say best friend, or Hannah will be upset.”

“I think Hannah will be upset either way,” Mary said. She laughed. “And jealous.”

“For sure,” Lex nodded. “Especially if Charles gets upset after the dog is gone.”

“Awww,” Mary said, her shoulders dropping. “Do you think they’ll miss each other?”

Lex pointed at the two pets on the couch. “Hello? Have you seen them?”

“Shit, you’re right,” Mary agreed. “Now I hope we never find his owner or Charles might never see the doggy again!”

“Yeah, at least we can bring him with us now and then,” Lex sighed. “That way, they can still spend time together.”

Mary snorted. “This is crazy!”

“What do you mean?” Lex asked, wrapping an arm around Mary’s waist.

Mary turned to face her girlfriend. “Didn’t you just say we’re keeping the dog?”

Lex’s eyes widened. “Oh, damn, I guess I did. Sorry! It’s fine if you don’t want to. I just assumed…”

Mary stroked Lex’s cheek. “You’re so sweet.”

“I assumed there was no way back now,” Lex continued to stammer.

“You’re right,” Mary said, resting her forehead against Lex’s. “But boy, this is not the dog I imagined we’d get.”

“Oh my God,” Lex laughed. “That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking!”

Mary grinned, pulling Lex closer. “He’s too tiny, too thin and he looks like he should be living with an elderly lady. Not us.”

“Maybe Elza…,” Lex said, her eyes twinkling.

“Never going to happen,” Mary laughed. “She’s too busy.”

“You’re right,” Lex sighed. “We really are stuck with him.”

Mary turned her head, pursing her lips. “That’s okay. I want to give him a good home after all that he’s gone through. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“What if Charles really can’t live without his best friend anymore?” Mary asked, walking over to the couch. “What if us coming over now and then isn’t enough? What if they are happier living together?”

She sat down and stroked the little dog. He opened his eyes, wagged his tail for two seconds and then promptly fell back asleep. Mary smiled.

Lex propped her hip against the couch. “You think Hannah and Milly would let him stay here?”

“I doubt it,” Mary replied, feeling sorry for Charles and the dog. “I’m not even sure if Hannah likes dogs.”

“She likes dogs,” Lex said. “She just likes cats more. The only way she’d let him stay is if she would see that Charles is much happier.”

“Isn’t he?” Mary asked, scratching the cat behind his ear. Charles purred softly.

“He does complain a lot less,” Lex said.

Mary stared through the window. She wanted to do what was best for Charles and the little dog. She would try to talk to Hannah and Milly about it. Maybe if she created the right atmosphere, she thought, they’d be more open to consider keeping the dog.

“I think I know what we should do,” she said slowly.

Day 11

Hannah stretched her legs and yawned. She looked over to her side, where Milly was sleeping. She had propped her pillow up against the plane window. Strands of hair had fallen in front of her eyes.

Hannah was tempted to tuck them behind Milly’s ear but didn’t. She was glad to see that Milly was finally getting some sleep. The flight was packed and the first few hours had been noisy. Turbulence had upset the dozens of kids on board.

“Just six more hours to go,” Hannah thought, relieved.

She was looking forward to being home for Christmas. For a moment, she had feared they wouldn’t make it. Brussels Airport had been pure chaos because of the holidays and a spontaneous strike by the cargo staff. Luckily, their evening flight had not been canceled. The four-hour delay was not too bad.

Hannah regretted that their last moments in Belgium had been so stressful. Overall, their trip to Belgium had been terrific. Milly had had a very successful performance at the Brussels opera. The rest of the days they had been able to take time off.

They’d seen every Belgian city Lucile had ever told Hannah about. Ghent was Hannah’s favorite. Bruges had been Milly’s. They hoped to see more of those cities next year when Milly had performances scheduled in Europe again.

A sudden flash of light interrupted Hannah’s thoughts. She was surprised to see Milly’s phone lit up on the small table of the business seat. A message had come in. Hannah frowned.

“Right, wifi on board,” she remembered.

No matter how many flights she took, she couldn’t get used to the fact that an internet connection was available now.

“I’m getting old,” she thought.

Milly’s screen lit up again and Hannah couldn’t help but glance at it. She saw Mary’s name in the message preview.

Hannah narrowed her eyes at the bright screen. “Probably wants to know what time we land?” she guessed.

But then she spotted Charles’s name. That piqued her interest. Hannah glanced at Milly again. She was still fast asleep. It would be a pity to disturb her.

“I’ll just wait until she wakes up,” Hannah decided.

She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

But then a thought popped up in her mind. “What if something’s wrong with Charles?”

Hannah took in a deep breath. Surely Milly would have told her if something was happening with their cat. Milly knew how important Charles was to Hannah.

The voice in her mind was persistent now, though. “She never told me what was going on a few days ago….”

Hannah looked at the phone again. The screen was off. Mary had stopped texting for now. She slowly reached for the device, debating whether she should check the message.

“If something is wrong with Charles, I want to know,” she thought and picked up the phone.

She entered Milly’s code and tapped Mary’s message.

“What the fuck?” she blurted out when she saw the picture Mary had sent.

Day 12

Lex hurried across the street. She was on her way to Hannah and Milly’s apartment. It was hours before Christmas Eve. She was surprised she had managed to escape the store for a while.

Mary had worked from home today to wait for Hannah and Milly and take care of the finishing touches of their plan. Last night and early this morning, Lex and Mary had turned the apartment into a true Christmas marvel.

It had been Mary’s idea to surprise Hannah and Milly with a decorated apartment. This year’s Christmas party was at Christine’s. Since Hannah and Milly weren’t expecting guests tomorrow, they apparently hadn’t taken the time to get into the Christmas spirit.

There had been a tree, but it hadn’t been decorated yet. Mary had found their ornaments in boxes stacked in Hannah’s office. Lex figured Hannah and Milly thought they’d decorate once they returned from Belgium.

Well, they wouldn’t have to. Mary had managed to turn Hannah and Milly’s apartment into a wonderland that would make their homecoming a unique experience. Officially, they’d organized this surprise to celebrate Hannah and Milly’s wedding anniversary.

Unofficially, Mary thought the Christmas cheer would make it harder for Hannah and Milly to be mad at them. That wasn’t a good reason to do this, of course. But Lex hadn’t protested. She’d do anything to make Hannah less angry.

Lex wiped her forehead and strode into the building. She waved at the concierge and proceeded into the elevator. A few minutes later, she unlocked the front door of the apartment.

“I made it!” she yelled.

“They’re in the car from JFK!” Mary yelled back from the living room.

Lex hung up her coat. “Are the cookies ready?”

“Can’t you smell them?!”

Lex realized then that she did indeed smell cookies. “They smell wonderful!”

She stepped into the living room. “Wow,” she blurted out as she took in the room.

---

Milly felt a drop of sweat roll down her back as she leaned against the elevator mirror. Her coat was too warm to wear inside but she had been too tired to take it off.

“I want a shower,” she sighed.

“Me too,” Hannah replied absentmindedly.

“I’m so happy we got home in time for Christmas Eve,” Milly added.

“Yeah, same,” Hannah said.

Milly frowned. Hannah had been unusually quiet since they had gotten off the plane. She had already asked her about it, but Hannah had assured her everything was fine.

“Are you hungry?” Milly tried again.

Hannah nodded slowly. “I guess I could eat.”

Milly tapped the handle of her suitcase nervously. She could tell something was wrong and wanted to know what it was, especially since things were about to get worse. Time was running out and she still hadn’t told Hannah about the dog.

To make matters worse, Mary had sent her a picture of Charles and the dog eating from the same plate. The dog was wearing a cute Christmas sweater. Apparently, he had escaped from the closet when Mary had gone to the bathroom. But Mary had assured her that they got along great.

It sure looked like they did. Still, Milly had felt her stomach flip when she saw the message. She deeply regretted not telling Hannah about the whole situation. She had kept coming up with reasons not to. There was no more time for excuses now.

“Baby?” she started.

“Yeah?” Hannah said, looking up expectantly.

“I need to tell you something,” Milly continued.

Hannah nodded as if she agreed.

“Lex found a tiny dog while we were away,” Milly said. She could hear her heart pounding. “They had no other place to go so they let him stay at our apartment.”

“Wow, when did this happen?”

Milly looked at her hand resting on the handle of the suitcase. “Couple of days ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Worry?” Hannah asked.

“About Charles,” Milly explained. “I knew you’d worry even if everything was fine.”

“Yeah, I would have,” Hannah replied.

Milly looked up. This wasn’t the response she had expected.

Hannah’s shoulders dropped. “I have something to tell you as well.”

“What?” Milly asked, tugging at the zipper of her coat.

“I saw Mary’s message come in on the plane and I read it because I saw she was talking about Charles,” Hannah said, her cheeks turning a deep red as she spoke.

“Oh! Really? So you already knew?”

“I’m sorry,” Hannah said. “I shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to wake you up and I also didn’t want to wait to find out what was going on. But I really shouldn’t have.”

Milly thought about what Hannah had done as she opened her coat. A loud ding announced the arrival on their floor. They pulled their suitcases out of the elevator but didn’t continue further down the hall.

“Apology accepted,” Milly finally said. “I get it.”

She smiled and was relieved when she saw Hannah’s lips curve up too.

“I really am sorry I kept this a secret from you. I hate doing that,” she sighed.

“I totally understand,” Hannah said and stroked Milly’s hand. “I thought about it on the plane and during the car ride. I really would have worried a lot and for no good reason. It would have ruined our time together.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Milly said quietly.

“I can get a bit neurotic about Charles,” Hannah continued. “I know I have to learn to let go.”

Milly didn’t want to agree too enthusiastically, so she said, “Hmmm.”

“Wanna go meet Charles’ new friend?” Hannah asked.

“I do,” Milly said but leaned in for a kiss first.

The…

E…

Wait, is this the end? Hmmm. Maybe you should check back here tomorrow to see if something shows up under the Christmas tree?

Mary’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the front door unlock.

“They’re here!” she whispered to Lex.

Lex ran a hand through her hair and started pacing around the office. Mary motioned for her to be quiet.

Lex shrugged, “They can’t hear me.”

“Hello?” Milly called out.

Mary took a deep breath and closed the door without pushing it entirely shut. She closed her eyes and focused on what she could hear. Milly and Hannah should be making their way into the living room.

“It smells delicious here,” Hannah said, still far away.

“What is going on?” Milly asked, barely audible to Mary.

A few more moments passed before Mary finally heard what she had been hoping for.

“Oh my God!!” Hannah and Milly said in unison.

Mary looked at Lex and smiled.

“This is amazing!” Milly continued. Mary guessed that she was walking around in the living room. “Omg, there are Santa cookies everywhere!”

Hannah laughed. “It’s like Christmas exploded in here.”

Milly giggled. “I love it! But where is everyone??”

The tentative smile on Lex’s face grew wider.

“They love it,” Mary whispered to Lex. Lex nodded happily.

“Where is Charles?” Hannah asked from the other room.

Mary checked the chair in the office. Charles and the dog looked asleep, although the cat’s ears were twitching. Mary was surprised he hadn’t jumped up yet. He must have heard Hannah by now.

“Charles?” Hannah called out.

“We’re here!” Mary yelled back.

Both Charles and the dog perked up now.

Lex ran a hand through her hair again. “Shit,” she mouthed. “This is it.”

Mary heard footsteps coming toward the office. She pulled open the door and stuck her head out. “Hi! Surprise!”

“Mary!” Milly said, “What have you done? It’s wonderful!”

But Mary’s focus was on Hannah. “Hey there!”

Hannah looked as delighted as Milly was. “Thank you so much for this. What a wonderful Christmas homecoming.”

“We have something to tell you,” Lex blurted out from behind Mary.

“Oh? What is that?” Hannah asked, looking puzzled.

Mary stepped back so Hannah could come inside the office. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

“Charles?” Hannah said, spotting him in the chair.

Charles got up and stretched lazily. The doggy looked around the room and wagged his tail.

Mary held her breath.

“We found him and just couldn’t leave him and so we brought him here and then he escaped but it was okay because Charles loves him,” Lex said in what could only be described as blabbering.

Hannah laughed. “Yes, I can see they’re good friends.” She walked to the chair and knelt down. “Hey, boy,” she said as she scratched behind Charles’ ear. He purred loudly. The doggy got up and sniffed Hannah’s hand.

“And what’s your name?” Hannah asked.

Mary was feeling light-headed. She forced herself to breathe better. Things were going well so far. Hannah wasn’t yelling at them yet. She obviously didn’t hate the dog.

“They’re so cute together,” Milly said and joined Hannah by the chair. The dog immediately started licking her hand. Milly giggled.

“So, what’s his name?” Hannah asked, looking over her shoulder at Mary.

Mary stammered. “W-w-we don’t know. We just called him doggy.”

Hannah laughed. “We can’t keep calling him ‘doggy!’

“How about Amadeus?” Milly suggested, petting the dog.

“No!” Hannah chuckled. “No way.”

Mary and Lex looked at each other again.

“We’ll come up with something,” Hannah said, petting Charles’ back. “Are you guys adopting him?” she asked without looking at either Mary or Lex.

“Eh,” Lex started to say. “We’re not sure if it wouldn’t be best if he….”

“If you’re not adopting him, we will,” Milly announced, interrupting Lex.

“You will?!” Mary blurted out, stunned.

Hannah pushed herself up. “Of course. If it’s okay with you guys, he can stay with us so Charles can keep his friend around. ”

The doggy barked happily. Charles rubbed his head against his friend’s side, purring.

“Awww,” everyone said.

“They look so happy!” Mary said, beaming.

Hannah smiled at Charles. “He sure does.”

Milly laughed. “Laser focus on the cat, of course. I’ll have to be as obsessed with the dog as Hannah is with Charles.”

Hannah blushed. “Hey, now…”

Milly threw her a kiss. “It’s fine. I’ll take Amadeus everywhere and we’ll be best friends.”

“We are not naming him Amadeus!” Hannah replied and stuck out her tongue.

“Eh, I think the dog already has a best friend,” Lex commented, pointing at the pets, who were already getting comfortable again together.

“I bet this is their best Christmas ever,” Mary sighed happily.

“Well, it seems ours will be pretty special too,” Hannah smiled. “Now, who will join me in eating all of those delicious cookies? I’m starving!”