I HUNG THE last stocking on the mantle. “How does it look?”
Finch whistled and gave me a thumbs-up when I looked at him. I hadn’t planned to decorate for Christmas because it felt wrong putting up a tree without Mom and Dad. But when Finch had pointed out that we needed our stockings for Santa, I couldn’t say no.
I stepped back to look at my work, and my throat tightened at the sight of Mom’s and Dad’s stockings hung in their usual spots. I’d been doing my best to keep our spirits up today for Finch’s sake, but sometimes it was hard to fight the sadness pressing down on me. I’d never had a Christmas without my parents, and I missed them so much it was a physical ache.
Sleet swished against the windows, and the lights flickered. It had snowed all morning, coating everything in a prett
