Carats and Coconuts Read Online Free PDF Page A

the point of my invention. By using
Operation Holly, we’ll be taking a ton of the load out of reindeer emissions, if
you catch my drift. Very green, isn’t it?”
    “ All I need is Father Time’s
cell phone, and I’ll be able to help you, Sir,” Roman said, rubbing
his hands together with a quite mischievous, rather boyish
glee.
    Which meant one thing. He and R had
some cool new superfab gadget to try out.
    “ Terrific! I knew you would
be perfect for the job. But please, no more of that sir stuff. It’s
Dad now, Son.”
    “ Which reminds me,” my mom
cut-in, “we’ve got a couple very special, pre-holiday gifts to hand
out tonight, right dear?”
    This time it was my turn to rub my
hands together and bask in the anticipation of the moment to
come.
    I couldn’t wait for this special day
each and every year. It was seven days before Christmas, which
meant my mom would let me have the special ornament she’d made just
for me. I bet she’d made one for Roman too.
    “ I’m going first,” my dad
said, reaching his hand underneath his chair and removing a
beautifully wrapped box.
    The box was done in all red and green
pin-striped, velveteen and foil paper. A very manly wrap job fit
for a king, which I guess Roman would someday be.
    The little boy glee still clearly
evident across his face, Roman took the package. I couldn’t tell if
his eyes danced from the glow of the fire or if it was his joy at
receiving the gift. Either way, I knew he was beginning to feel the
Witherspoon love from the inside out.
    He lifted the lid off the box and
filled the room with the heartiest laugh I’d ever heard from
him.
    Taking out the gorgeous Santa Claus
hat my mom had no doubt hand-sewn just for him, he put it on
without so much as a second thought.
    “ This is much more
comfortable than my crown,” he said, flicking the big fuzzy white
ball on the end of the hat with such gusto it ricocheted off my
nose.
    “ Oops! Sorry about
that.”
    “ No you’re not.”
    “ Yeah. You’re right. I’m
not,” he said, then did it again before standing up and going over
to hug both my parents.
    “ This is truly one of the
best gifts I’ve ever received.”
    My eyes held steady on the gold-gilded
embroidery now sparkling from the glow of the fireplace. The
letters across the white front rim of the hat spelled out
‘Prince-of-Many-Names’.
    Mom never missed a trick.
    My chest swelled until it felt as if I
might burst.
    “ Now for you, our princess,”
my mother said and handed me a small purple, metallic foil-wrapped
box.
    She’d made a brilliant lavender bow
and included matching straps of ribbon running down the sides.
Gorgeous strands of Swarovski crystals had been braided through the
crisscrossed ribbon.
    I carefully removed the ribbon and
crystal ropes, my fingers trembling with the excitement of
revealing this year’s ornament.
    Opening the box and rummaging through
the matching lavender and lilac tissue paper, I pulled out the
cutest hand-blown glass pot-bellied pig I’d ever seen.
    The little fella’s legs were all
blinged out with tons of glitter-dusted paint, as was his curly-cue
tail. His snout had some kind of metallic pink paint. And his
frosted glass ears were just precious.
    “ Oh, Mom, he’s gorgeous! I
can’t wait to put him on my tree. Thank u sooo much.”
    I ran to her chair and hugged her
close.
    “ He’s just perfect. Just
like our Vinnie.”
    I took the ornament over to Vinnie who
was curled up on his new bed in front of the fireplace.
    “ What do ya think, boy?
Doesn’t he look just like you?”
    Vinnie raised his head and gave out a
pleasingly sweet ouff then sighed and went back to
sleep.
    “ I think he likes it,” Roman
said to chuckles the room over. “I’d love to see your tree,
Zoey.”
    And I’d love to show it to you, I
thought, taking his hand and squeezing it tight, ready to call it a
night.

Chapter Six
     
    W ith our new Vinnie ornament ready to hang, Roman and I said
goodnight to