Page 31 of The Loophole

Embry held up a package of plastic clips and said, “I found these for when we go to put the lights up. They slide under the roof shingles to avoid damaging your woodwork. We’re going to use a staple gun around the windows, but we’ll staple the side of the trim, not the front of it, so it won’t show.”

I asked, “Is Dylan going to help?” Dylan was a former firefighter, and I knew he’d put safety first.

Lark nodded. “He’ll be here soon. He’s borrowing some equipment from an arborist friend of his.”

Embry paused and looked up at me. “That reminds me, is it okay if we block the driveway? You probably won’t be able to get your car out until tomorrow.”

“The car was my dad’s, and I only use it once in a while. Block away.” He thanked me and fired off a quick text.

A few minutes later, I heard the beeping sound of a truck backing up, so I went over to the window. As a dump truck tilted its bed and deposited a huge pile of branches in my driveaway, I muttered, “What the hell?”

Embry joined me, and as the truck lowered its bed and drove off, he said, “Oh, good. The greenery is here.”

“So, that was intentional?”

“Yup.”

“I’ve got to be honest,” I said, as I turned to him. “I’m not sure about all of this.” That was an understatement. I was on the verge of panicking.

“Trust me, Bryson. I promise you’re going to love it.”

That was really what this all came down to—trust. Was that something I was capable of? Apparently we were both going to find out.

When Lark unpacked several red, green, and white plastic tablecloths, I actually flinched. Where the hell were they going? Embry distracted me by asking, “Can I have the key to the garage door? I want to work in there later.”

“It unlocks with a keypad. It’s the same code as the front door.”

“Got it.” He turned back to the window and gestured at an enormous truck that had just pulled up. “Oh hey, Dylan’s here with the cherry picker.”

“What’s that for?”

“I thought that would be the quickest, easiest way to hang the lights, especially the ones along the roofline. It belongs to Dylan’s friend Jimbo. He’s been an arborist for over twenty years, and luckily he had some free time today. He’ll be operating the lift.”

Now I had a whole new list of things to worry about.

We went outside, and I was introduced to Jimbo, who seemed like he knew what he was doing. Then I pulled Dylan aside and made him promise he’d look out for Embry. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I know he tends to be accident-prone, but I’ll make sure he’s safe.”

Embry jogged over to me and grabbed my arm. As he towed me toward the stairs, he exclaimed, “Go inside! We’re about to get started, and I want to surprise you with the big reveal when we’re done.”

“Fine, but please be careful.”

“I will. You have nothing to worry about.”

After I let him herd me inside, I went to the kitchen and started making a list of ingredients for our next baking lesson. I was nervous and distracted though, so after a while I decided to go take a peek out the living room window. As soon as I got there, I heard someone yell, “Be careful, Embry!”

Fear surged through me, and I rushed outside. Lark and Dylan were on the sidewalk, looking up at the house. I ran into the small yard, and there was Embry, directly above me in the basket of the cherry picker.

On the plus side, he was wearing a helmet. But he was also leaning over the side of the basket as he adjusted a string of lights. I was about to tell him to stop doing that when one end of the light strand fell off the house.

My breath caught as he lunged for it and tumbled out of the basket. I braced myself and got ready to catch him, but he stopped in mid-air, spread-eagled like a skydiver a few feet above my head. It turned out he was hanging from a harness, which was fastened around his torso.

I muttered, “Fucking hell,” as Jimbo started to lower the basket and its dangling former occupant. As soon as he was within reach, I crushed Embry in a hug and blurted, “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“I’m sorry, Bry.”

I kept holding him as I muttered, “You can’t scare me like that.”

“I wasn’t going to die or anything. I’m wearing a helmet and a harness, and it wasn’t even that high.”