Myths and Mistletoe

These are a few of my favorite things...

After an awkward breakfast of blueberry pancakes and turkey bacon, Nick and Kristine made their way from Prince's Bay to Rossville, which was located on the other side of Staten Island. Soon, they pulled into the driveway of a front-gabled house with a full width porch with spindle work. The house was brightly painted in shades of green, yellow, and white, its porch littered with numerous wind chimes of all sorts. An eccentric personality lived here. Kristine adored eccentric personalities.

Cheerful about their presence at the little house, Kristine got out of the car without waiting for Nick to open the door for her. He had made it only halfway around the front of the car, on his way to do the gentlemanly thing, but halted his steps when she popped out of her own accord. She shrugged and motioned for her to follow him up the steps.

"Who lives here?" she asked, investigating the chimes closest to the door. "Whoever it is, I like them already."

Nick chuckled. "My grandmother."

He knocked on the door, then tried the door knob. It opened easily and they entered without waiting for someone to bid them enter. They shed their coats, gloves, and scarves and left them on the coat stand standing sentry in the foyer. He called out for his grandmother to let her know who was in her house and a sweet voice beckoned them to join her in the kitchen.

Nick showed the way, leading her down a narrow corridor to the back of the house. The old woman came into view as they rounded a corner and entered the kitchen, transporting them to the 1950's with its blank and white linoleum tiles and turquoise cabinets. Even the appliances were vintage. Kristine could not help but look around in awe. It took her several seconds to realize that Nick was asking her a question.

"I am sorry. What did you ask?" she stammered, ripping her gaze from her surroundings to focus on the elderly lady sitting at the dining table.

"What is your last name?" he asked again, barely concealing his amusement.

"Oh, uh, Kringle," she said hesitantly.

"Seriously? Your name is Kristine Kringle?" Nick asked, his eyebrows rising.

Kristine nodded in the affirmative. "Yep. Why?"

"Oh, leave the poor girl alone. She didn't pick her name." The elderly lady rose from the table with the assistance of a cane and shooed her grandson out of her way so she could examine the young woman standing in the middle of her kitchen. "You sure are a pretty thing. You know, my grandson is as single as a cougar past its prime. Are you here to fix that?"

Nick nearly choked on his saliva. "Mimsy!"

"Well, its true!" the slumped over lady said with conviction. "Its time you fell off that high horse you have been parading around on and got back into the saddle!

"You do realize that you just contradicted yourself," Nick pointed out and earned himself a keen glare from his Mimsy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Kristine offered. The older woman turned her full attention to Kristine and shook her head from side to side.

"It's Mimsy to you, young lady! I am much too young to be a ma'am," she said with a gleam in her eye.

Kristine giggled. She most certainly liked this woman. Mimsy danced to her own drum, and Kristine could relate to that easily. "Yes, Mimsy. As you wish."

Leaning all of her weight on her gnarled cane, she slowly turned around to face her grandson. "She is a keeper, I tell you. But I assume it is not my advice you have come for. Follow me. The lot is out back."

The three of them passed through a sliding door that led to a covered patio cluttered with potted plants of variant species, all of them mere stumps due to the frozen weather of winter. Something yapped from behind a large urn shaped pot, followed by several other yaps. Nick and Kristine peeked behind it and Kristine squealed at the sight of several puppies crowded around their attentive mother.

"Oh, my! They are adorable. Like little puff balls!" Kristine enthused as she knelt down beside the layers of blankets that made up the litter's bed.

"They are Pomeranians," Nick said. He crouched down beside her to admire the randy lot. "Mimsy found them outside her door a few mornings ago. She has been trying to find them homes, so I thought it might be a nice surprise for the girls."

"What about the mother?" Kristine asked. Two of the puppies dared to leave the protection of their mother to investigate their visitors.

Nick reached out his hand and patted the black Pomeranian's head as she watched over her brood. "Mimsy has developed a fondness for her, so she will be staying here. She even named her Ebony."

"Which one did you chose for the girls?" Kristine asked, picking up on of the pups to cuddle.

"That is where I thought you might be able to help. You are a girl, so I thought you might have some insight as to what girls like in a dog."

Kristine smiled. It mattered to her that he thought so highly of her opinion after only knowing her for a few hours. It made her heart swell with joy and stirred something unfamiliar in the pit of her belly. She pushed the feeling aside and focused on observing each puppy.

"The brown one is playful, but likes to chew on things. The black one is nervous and would not tolerate young owners. But this one," she picked up the white puff ball that had been sniffing her knee, "she is a trooper and patient. She is very intelligent as well."

Nick scratched the little pup she held under the chin. "You certainly know your dogs."

Kristine giggled. "I know many things, but animals are something that I particularly enjoy. There is an innocence about them that kindle a protectiveness within us humans."

Their choice in hand, Nick and Kristine left Mimsy's house with a warm farewell. Once closer to home, they stopped by a pet store and Kristine assisted Nick in picking out food, a bed, and numerous toys. Soon, they were home and setting up the little one's new home in the kitchen. Nick was certain that the girls would eventually transfer the bed to one of their rooms, but he wanted the puppy baby gated in the kitchen until she was house broken. Though Kristine was not keen on imprisonment, she was well aware that his decision was logical.

"When will the girls be home?" Kristine asked once they had put the baby gates firmly in place at both entrances. She could not wait to see their reaction to the considerate gift their father had procured for them.

"There is no telling with mother," Nick answered, pouring them both a cup of freshly brewed coffee as they watched the little Pomeranian sniff out her new surroundings. "In time for dinner, maybe. She will send me a text when they are on their way. Till then, you could help me put that dog house together out back."

"Sounds like fun." She took another sip of her coffee, watching Nick over the rim of her ceramic mug. As fun as it all was, she hoped the girls would be home soon. The idea of spending time alone with Nick Rafferty was putting ideas in her head that were incredibly dangerous to her mission, and her heart.