Advent Calendar - Day 16 Fiction from Byron Beach!
Happy Monday!
Even the Mondays are a bit nicer this time of year, I think. Right? Everyone's a bit cheerier. A little more hopeful that THIS is the year they finally get their pony.
I figured Monday was the perfect time to share this bit of holiday sweetness from Byron. Today we're checking in with Griff and Pierce of Stranger on the Shore.
"PierceDiscovers Costco"
Griffwas finishing his morning run, and as he turned onto their street, he couldn’thelp but marvel at the vibrant fall colors on Long Island. The leaves seemedeven more intense than in Wisconsin, and winter’s snow wouldn’t arrive quite asearly. While he missed parts of his life in the Midwest, being close to hisgrandfather—and, of course, to Pierce—made him feel truly at home. Nearingtheir house, Griff was filled with a sense of contentment: health, love, andthe promise of a hot cup of coffee.
Despitethe wealth now at his command, Griff still believed that the simple, frugalvalues he’d grown up with were the clearest path to happiness. Pierce, Jarrett,and most of Syosset, however, would politely but firmly disagree.
Unlockingthe front door, Griff was greeted by six large packages piled in the foyer,another testament to the festival of excess their upcoming wedding had become.For the most part, he and Pierce were aligned on the important parts of “TheEvent,” like vows and tone, but minor details—guest lists, appetizers, music—were part of an incessant demand for decisions. Griff had made countlessconcessions, mostly to make his grandfather, Jarrett, happy, but also forPierce’s family. Lately, though, he was beginning to feel just a bit—notannoyed, not angry—more like overlooked. It was fine with him if it made Jarretthappy to spend a disturbing amount of money on a single afternoon and evening;Griff would still be married to Pierce at the end of the extravaganza, and thatwas what truly mattered. But there was a limit, and with the holiday seasonapproaching, Griff felt that line drawing near.
Therun had cooled his temper, but earlier that morning, he’d found himself nearlysnapping at Pierce over something that seemed simple enough: how to decoratetheir home for Christmas. Pierce’s “Don’t you want it to be nice?” comment hadgotten under his skin, as if only expensive decorations could be “nice.” Heunderstood, though—for Pierce, Christmas decor had never been personal orintimate. His parents hired a designer every year to transform their mansionwith enormous trees, sparkling lights, and exquisite ornaments. Pierce saw noreason why this year should be any different, but Griff had other ideas.
“Whyhire someone when we can do it ourselves?” Griff asked as they stood in theirspacious, mostly empty living room.
“Idon’t have the time,” Pierce replied in a clipped tone, signaling he was readyto push his case. “And neither do you, considering you were up until 2 a.m.working on your new book.”
Griffopened his mouth to respond, but Pierce cut him off. “What’s the big deal?It’ll be lovely. You can ask for any special touches, and it’ll all be done bythe end of the week.” Griff, bit back a few choice responses and let it go fornow deciding a run would clear his head.
Griffwalked into the kitchen, where Pierce handed him a cup of coffee with a smile.He knew cost wasn’t the right angle to approach this, so he chose a differenttactic. Growing up, Christmas hadn’t been lavish, but it was the one time ofyear he felt truly close to the woman he’d considered his mother. They bakedcookies, made their own wrapping paper and ornaments, and created a worldwhere, for a short time each year, Griff felt safe. No designer could recreatethat feeling—not with all the German blown-glass ornaments and brocade ribbonin the world.
“Whatwould make this Christmas special for you?” Griff asked softly, taking thecoffee and meeting Pierce’s gaze. “If the right designer would give you thatfeeling of love, comfort, and home, I won’t stand in your way.”
Pierce’sface softened. “You didn’t tell me this was going to be a dirty fight.”
“It’snot a fight. I don’t want to fight,” Griff said earnestly. “I want us to dothings we love together, things we’ll remember year after year. And I don’t seewhy that has to cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
Pierce,now certain that he’d been bested, wrapped his arms around Griff, kissed him,and whispered, “Anything you want, as long as we do it together.”
Griffseized the moment. “We can get everything we need from Costco. Make it our own.It'll be fun.”
Piercearched an eyebrow, adjusting the collar of his cashmere sweater. “Costco?Really? Isn’t that like a discount Whole Foods or something?”
“Areyou serious? You’ve never been to Costco?” Griff tried not to laugh.
“I’mpretty sure I own a fair amount of their stock,” Pierce replied.
“Definitelynot the same thing,” Griff chuckled. “You’re in for an adventure.”
Thenext day, Griff checked his pockets for his holy trinity: keys, wallet, andphone before locking the front door. Pierce was already waiting in thedriveway, revving the engine of his sleek Porsche Boxster.
Griffraised an eyebrow. “You do realize we’re going to Costco, right? How exactly doyou plan on fitting anything in here?”
Piercewinked. “Adventurous spontaneity, my love. That’s what today’s about.”
Grifflaughed as he climbed into the passenger seat. “This is definitely not what Imeant by ‘adventurous,’ but sure, let’s go with that.”
Asthey sped down the road, Pierce asked, “So, what exactly do they sell at Costcothat has you so excited?”
Griffgrinned. “Everything. Toilet paper, Christmas trees, and—of course—wine. Trustme, you’ll love it.”
Piercemade a skeptical face. “Christmas trees and toilet paper in the same store?This should be interesting.”
Whenthey arrived, Griff grabbed them each a cart. The moment they stepped inside,Pierce froze, taking in the vastness of the warehouse. Rows upon rows of bulkproducts stretched into the distance, and the air buzzed with a scatteredchoreography of high-performance shopping.
“Thisis… comprehensive,” Pierce muttered as they passed a display of 90-inch TVs.
Griffchuckled, leading the way toward the Christmas section. “Welcome to the realworld.”
Asthey wandered the aisles, Pierce marveled at the oddities. “Who needs afive-pound bag of peanut brittle? And why would anyone want a six-pack of miniwaffle makers?”
“Here,try a mini quiche,” Griff said, holding out a sample. “Eating samples at Costcois part of the experience.”
Pierceeyed the quiche warily but took a bite. “Hmm… not bad.”
Thereal test came when they reached the Christmas trees.
“So,”Griff began, pulling out a slim, 7-foot artificial tree from the display. “Thisone looks great, right? We can decorate it together.”
Piercestared at the tree, his expression unreadable. “It’s… small.”
“It’spersonal,” Griff countered with a grin. “And easy to set up. Plus, no pineneedles all over the floor.”
Piercehesitated, and for a moment, Griff thought he’d lost him. Then Pierce spotted atowering 15-foot tree. “What about this one with the lights already attached?We could get one for the living room, one for the kitchen, and maybe thissmaller one for the bedroom.”
Grifflaughed, nudging Pierce playfully. “With that setup, we could camp out in ourChristmas forest. Maybe even zip our sleeping bags together.”
WhileGriff picked up decorations and a few office supplies, he let Pierce wander onhis own. By the time they met at checkout, Griff found Pierce with a cartloaded with wine—not just a few bottles, but enough to stock a small vineyard.Alongside the wine were 480 frozen mini quiches.
Griffraised an eyebrow. “Planning a party I don’t know about?”
Piercegrinned. “This place… it’s unexpected. They had an excellent selection ofFrench Bordeaux and a Château Neuf-du-Pape. I thought we could stock up forholiday visitors.”
Grifflaughed. “Good thing they deliver the trees. The Boxster’s going to be maxedout just with this—you might have to leave me behind.”
Piercewinked. “Dream on. I’m never leaving you behind, not as long as we both shalllive.”
