The rest of the school day passed without incident and Amelia did not tell Samantha what she had got up to while she was centre of attention. Josh arrived back home from work at the normal time and the family had dinner together while Samantha excitedly recounted the events of the swimming lesson and shared some of the questions she had been asked. Since getting home from school, she and Laura had started wrapping the gifts for the stockings and she proudly showed Josh that they had got about a third of them done so far with the goal of completing at least half before she went to bed. The Christmas cards they had sent out had started arriving from the day before and, just as she had that evening, Laura enjoyed telling Samantha about the fun responses she had received, mostly from people complimenting the picture and expression jealousy that they would just be having ordinary turkey or goose that year.

“Well perhaps I might inspire some other girls?” Samantha suggested with a giggle. “It definitely seemed like some of my class were interested in signing up when I told them all about it! Still no reply from Grandma and Grandpa I guess?”

“Not yet,” Laura replied gently, “but I’m sure they won’t let you down!”

After dinner, Josh waited until he and Laura were alone in the kitchen to take out his phone and show her the pictures Amelia had sent.

“Little minx!” Laura laughed as she scrolled through them, recognising the changing room from the times she had been there as a parent helper to assist the children getting changed when Samantha was smaller. “She must have taken advantage of the distraction Sammie caused with her stamp to sneak away!” she chuckled, making the connection between the pictures, the background of which clearly showed the changing room to be otherwise empty, and the story Samantha had told over dinner. “Well, she definitely seems to like you!” she teased, handing the phone back to her husband.

“You’re not angry?” he asked tentatively. “I was going to move them onto my secure drive but I can delete them if you’d rather?”

“Oh you silly man!” Laura giggled, tapping the end of his nose then standing on her tip-toes to kiss his forehead. “Why would I be jealous? I strongly doubt she can cook and clean half as well as me and she’s going to be gone before the Summer anyway! Now,” she teased, “if she distracted you so much you couldn’t keep me satisfied, then we might be having a different conversation but I certainly have no complaints in that department!” she grinned. “And when she does come over, Sammie makes very pleasant company for me! In fact,” she giggled, “I’m impressed you can keep up with those two!”

“So I should keep them, then?” Josh asked again, looking for confirmation that there was no kind of misunderstanding.

“Of course!” Laura shook her head in amusement. “They’re a gift and it would be rude to refuse a gift! Hmm,” she took the phone back from him and began to scroll through the pictures again, “maybe I should get some of these printed up for you to enjoy in private?” she suggested with an impish twinkle in her eyes. “Or get you a nice desk calendar made up for work?”

“Oh, I um… I mean… I’m not sure if…” Josh stammered.

“Oh for goodness sake!” She chuckled, tapping him on the nose again. “I’m teasing! Don’t worry! But thank you for sharing them with me and not trying to keep them secret and I do want you to enjoy them, just as much as I want you to enjoy Sammie and Amelia herself this weekend! This is the last big one with both of them, after all,” she reminded him. “Next weekend we’re going to have a whole lot going on! Don’t worry,” she stroked his hair, “I’ll make sure you and your little harem get a chance to have some fun, I wouldn’t stop them having their wicked way with you!” she giggled as he blushed deeply. “But I will be needing all of you to help out with the party stuff so make the most of this weekend, okay?” Josh promised that he would.

Once the washing up was finished, all three of them sat working on the stocking gifts while another Christmas movie played and they actually managed to get three quarters finished. With Samantha’s blessing, once she went up to bed, Josh and Laura continued to work through the carefully sorted bags until everything that needed wrapping was wrapped and each labelled bag had its correct allocation of sweets.

“How many stockings do we have?” Laura asked as they snuggled together on the sofa, not with wine this time but with mugs of minty hot chocolate.

“I think I got twenty?” Josh replied, trying to remember. “Maybe more? I know I got more than enough for everyone we’d invited.”

“No, not those,” Laura corrected herself apologetically, remembering hat her husband had not been privy to her last few minutes of thought-process, “I mean proper ones, like we would hang out on Christmas Eve. We’ve got a few, right?”

“Well there’s Sam’s one,” Josh pondered for a moment, “and her old one from when she was little that she started to say was too babyish. Then there’s the little ones she told you and I to get a couple of years ago… Not sure there’s any more, honestly. Why?”

“Don’t worry,” she smiled at him, “just wasn’t sure. Leave it with me!” Knowing better than to question his wife once she got an idea securely in her head, Josh just kissed her again, enjoying the way her lips tasted of the hot chocolate, and relaxed into the comedy special they had specifically waited until Samantha went to bed to enjoy.


To be continued...