A sense of giddy excitement, relief, and anxiety swirled in Pam’s chest as she stood in the conference room. In front of her Dwight turned back to her after repacking a white box.

“There you are, everything back in order as I found it.”

She felt a smile bloom on her face while holding out the iPod. “Thanks Dwight! I owe you one.”

“False, you owe me nothing!” Dwight said as he snatched the iPod from her hand. “We have concluded a fair and equitable barter thus there is no debt involved.”

She followed him out of the conference room and started heading back towards her desk. She couldn’t wait to re-open the box and admire the thoughtful gift she knew was from Jim. The feeling of hope only lasted until the cutting and slightly slurred voice of her fiancé reached her ears.

“Hey! What’re you doin’ with my iPod?”

Pam froze in her tracks when Dwight replied.

“This is my iPod. I completed a barter for it. Now excuse me, I need to start downloading episodes of Battlestar Galactica onto it.”

“Pammy!”

Steeling her resolve she turned to where Roy was stomping towards her. She paused just in front of Jim’s desk.

“What is it?”

“What’s that Dwight guy doing? He says he traded for our iPod? Please tell me you got something good for it.”

Annoyance flared in her and she felt her brow furrow. “First of all, Roy, it would have been my iPod, not yours. Second, it’s none of your business what I do with my stuff anyway.”

Roy raised an eyebrow at her, oblivious to the glances that were starting to get thrown their way. “Yeah? We’ll see about that.”

He grabbed the box out of Pam’s hands and roughly opened it. He nearly dropped it in shock. “This is it! A chintzy teapot? For an iPod? There better at least be cash in this envelope!”

“Roy! Give that back!” Pam managed to wrest the box out of his hands, however Roy had already opened the envelope and pulled out a card decorated with a Christmas wreath.

Pam looked up at him after making sure the teapot was safe. She didn’t like what she saw. Roy’s face very quickly started contorting into one of pure unbridled rage. He crushed the card in his hand and threw it to the floor before turning around the room.

“Halpert!! Where the hell are you, you skinny piece of shit! Get out here so I can rip your goddamn head off!”

Every eye in the office was now laser focused on Roy as he stomped off in the direction of the breakroom. The only sound was of the lyrics of Santa Claus is Coming to Town coming out of the radio. Pam knelt to the floor and gingerly picked up the crumpled card. Gently she smoothed it out and opened it. Her hand came to her mouth as she read what Jim had written. Words of appreciation, respect, and love flowed from the cardstock. All the emotions she’d felt in the conference room ratcheted up way off the scale as the full force of Jim’s feelings was laid bare for her.

“Hey Roy! I got the Nancy boy right here!”

Looking up Pam’s heart fell at the sight of Todd Packer frog-marching Jim into the office near her desk. Jim was struggling to get out of the other man’s grip to no avail.

“Packer! Get the hell off me!” Jim shouted.

Roy stormed in from the kitchen with several of their coworkers hot on his heels. “There you are you goddamn sonofabitch! Making a move on my girlfriend!”

Pam got to her feet, but she was too slow to stop Roy. All she could do was try and shout out over the growing din. “No, Roy stop!”

Roy’s fist seemed to fly in slow motion, heading right for Jim’s face. At the last second, Jim ducked to the side which caused Roy’s punch to connect with Packer instead of its intended target. The impact caused Packer’s eyes to instantly roll up into his head and he lost his grip on Jim to fall to the floor in a drunken senseless heap. At the same time another body entered the fray. Dwight extended his arm towards the back of Roy’s neck.

Bzzzzzzt!!

“Aaahhh!”

The electricity coursing through Dwight’s taser made Roy fall to the ground next to Packer. Dwight kept the taser applied until Darrel arrived to help hold down Roy. Dwight’s voice was calm and firm despite the screaming and swearing coming from Roy.

“I hereby declare a citizen's arrest on you Mr. Anderson. The charges are attempted battery on one Jim Halpert and aggravated assault on one Todd Packer.” Dwight looked up at Pam. “Pam call the police.”

Pam, however, was rooted to her spot in a state of shock. Behind her she thought she heard Oscar walk around her desk to place the 911 call. Around her, her co-workers started to move. She felt a gentle hand lead her forward into Michael’s office.

“Here, sit down.” She looked up at the sound of her boss’ voice. “It’s a madhouse out there. Stay here while I managerialize all this.”

The door closed, but she could still hear Roy struggling under the hands of Dwight and Darrel. She looked down and saw the teapot still resting in hands. Through the tears brimming in her eyes, she saw the top had been taped down. She set the card aside and peeled off the tape. What she saw caused more tears to flow. A dorky yearbook picture, twin hot sauce packets, a Boggle timer, a golf pencil, and a cassette filled the teal ceramic teapot. Memories of joyful times with Jim flooded her mind to wage war with the feelings of anger and confusion she felt at Roy. She bowed her head into her hands and simply let the tears fall. She didn’t know how long she stayed in Michael’s office crying until there was a knock on the door.

“Pam?” Toby’s voice reached her ears. “The police are here. They want to know if you are willing to give a statement.”

Gathering herself, she wiped her face and stood up. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

She walked out of Michael’s office and looked around. Roy was gone. Packer was still unresponsive and being placed on a wheeled stretcher by a crew of firefighters and paramedics. Her co-workers were gathered in small groups around the various desks of the bullpen. Two police officers stood by the copier interviewing Dwight. However, the one person she longed to see was nowhere to be found. She waited by Jim’s desk until Dwight had finished talking to the police officers. Toby was standing nearby and beckoned her over when she was needed. As accurately as she could, she told the police what she had seen. After she was done with the police she turned to Toby.

“Where’s Roy?”

“The cops arrested him and took him to jail,” he said slowly. “I know you two usually drive to work together so I asked if they could have him leave his keys. They’re on your desk. I do have to tell you that Roy has also been let go from the company. He blatantly attacked another co-worker, on company property, during an official company event. Corporate policy is black and white in that regard.”

“Yeah,” Pam swallowed hard. “Okay.”

“If you need anything, let me know, okay?”

Pam knew Toby was trying to be kind, but the news of Roy’s termination on top of his arrest just caused another loadstone to sink into her stomach.  She nodded and turned away from him. Retreating to her desk she sat down hard. Setting the box containing the teapot next to her keyboard, she leaned forward and let her head hit the top of her desk. The dull pain from her forehead striking the desk quickly faded while she breathed slowly and deeply.

After several slow breaths she looked up. Two things met her eyes. The first was a hand drawn picture of her tacked up in a place of prominence. It was drawn with all the skill of a fifth grader, but the sight of it even now triggered a glow of warmth in her heart. The second was a framed picture that was obscured behind a mug filled with pens and pencils. Sitting up, she pushed the mug aside and took a long look at the smiling couple in the picture. She remembered it clearly. Roy had just proposed, and she was grinning from ear to ear. Pam picked up the frame and studied the image more carefully. While her younger self was beaming with excitement and hope for the future, she couldn’t say the same of the image of Roy. Long years of being with him had given her the ability to discern his various moods. It wasn’t excitement that she saw in the picture, it was relief.

Thinking back, she remembered the various Anderson family functions she’d attended prior to that date. The constant questions of when they were going to get engaged. The abrasive humor of the jokes leveled at both her and Roy. Roy’s noncommittal answers whenever the topic had come up. It was as if a veil was being lifted from her eyes. The Roy she saw in the picture hadn’t asked her to marry him because he wanted to. The Roy in that picture had asked her to marry him so his family would get off his back. Three years of being engaged with no definite wedding plans confirmed her assessment. With a growl, she reached forward and slammed the picture face down on her desk. It took a few more deep breaths for her to calm down. At once her eyes started flicking between Jim’s drawing of her and the box containing the teapot, he’d given her. As her eyes darted over her desk, she noticed a slip of paper laying on her keyboard. Jim’s familiar handwriting met her eyes when she looked at it

Hey Pam,

I’m sorry I’m not there for you right now. Michael and Toby told me I had to leave.
I’ll be at home all night with my phone on. Please call if you need or want
to talk.
                                                                                                                        Jim

She read and re-read the note over and over. Finally, she couldn’t bear to stay seated any longer and stood up. Ignoring the looks sent her way, she walked over to where Michael was doing his best to ignore Toby’s attempts to complete the paperwork needed to document the incident that had taken place.

“I’m gonna go home,” Pam said in a small voice.

Michael looked up, grateful for any pause in the paperwork. “Yeah! Good idea! In fact, that’s what we should all do. Just go home, forget any of this happened and come back stronger. Just like Mr. T did in that one boxing movie. I pity the fool who stays at this lame-o party!”

Michael’s attempt to impersonate an 80’s movie character fell flat.

“We have to stay and get this done,” Toby told him wearily.

“God! Fine! This sucks!” Michael pouted. “Pam gets to leave, and I have to stay here.”

Rather than waiting around to hear Michael squabble with Toby, Pam turned around and gathered her belongings. The elevator seemed to crawl its way to the ground floor. Frigid wind bit at her cheeks as she walked to Roy’s truck. Snow and slush assaulted the windshield on the drive back to the apartment she’d shared with Roy. Looking around confirmed what she’d realized at her desk. There was no sign of her anywhere in the apartment. None of her art, no touches she’d added to make the place cozier. Save for her clothes and bathroom supplies, she was essentially living in a bachelor pad. Exhausted, she fell into a heap on the couch. All her tears seemed to have been spent. Pam buried her face into the armrest and pulled a blanket over herself. Muted light filtered through the worn fleece. Curled up in a tight ball, the weariness took hold and she drifted to sleep.

A buzzing sound coming from the coffee table roused her. Blinking to get moisture back into her contact lenses, she saw it was her phone buzzing that had woken her up. Her vision cleared while she flipped it open to see six new voicemails waiting for her and several text messages. Roy’s voice reached her ear, though it was slightly hard to hear due to a lot of background noise.

“Pammy, these jag-offs say I need five hundred bucks for bail before they let me out. There should be at least that much in the savings account. Grab it and get down here.”

The savings account that was supposed to be for wedding costs, Pam thought to herself as she deleted the voicemail and played the next message.

“Pammy! It’s been hours! Where are you! Get down here so I don’t have to spend the night!”

She heard the tell-tale signs of his anger. The growing venom in his voice he was holding in check. Her own disgust with Roy grew as she again deleted the message before listening to the next one.

“I’ll be done in a second asshole! Back off! Pammy! I don’t know where you are, but I need you to get down here now!”

Roy’s third message was deleted as quickly as his first two.

“Pammy! It’s Kenny! What the hell is going on! I’m on my way to the county jail because Roy said he needs bail money and you’re not picking up the phone. You guys better pay me back for this, or else!”

Rolling her eyes at Roy’s idiot older brother she repeated the steps to listen to the next message.

“Are you fucking happy now! Kenny had to come down here to bail me out, but now he’s in here with me! Fucking cops said he was driving drunk! You hear that! Kenny got thrown in here because you were nowhere to be found! Now we’ll need bail money for him too! Say goodbye to that trip to the Poconos you wanted to take next month. Just get the hell down here, I don’t care what it costs. I’ll tell you this though, the minute I get out of here I’m heading over to Jim’s place and finishing what I started! Where does that prick get off writin-”

Her voicemail cut him off, but by now she was numb to Roy’s anger. The last message on her phone though sliced through all her defenses. She heard herself gasp when Jim’s quiet tone reached her ear.

“Hey Beesly. Sorry, I know it’s late and you’re probably asleep by now. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s, that’s it really. Just wanted to check in on you. I’m probably going to head to bed soon, but if you want to call please do, don’t worry about how late it is. Bye.”

She let her head hang for a minute before opening her texts. They were all from Jim. The theme of ‘are you ok,” repeated itself several times. The difference between the two men couldn’t have been more clear to her. She also knew which man she wanted to be with. However, she also knew that Roy saying he’d be out to finish what he’d started in the office was no idle threat. An idea quickly formed in her mind. One that offered a semblance of peace and safety. A quick search on Mapquest got her directions before she reached for her phone. Her hand trembled for a moment before she hit the speed dial button for Jim’s phone. Despite the late hour, he answered on the second ring.

“Pam! Hey! How are you?”

Relief battled for nervousness before she replied. “I’m, uh, I don’t really know.”

“Yeah, I think I get that.”

“Yeah. Um, Jim, I need to tell you something.”

“It’s about that note right? Shoot, Pam, I shouldn’t have put that in there. I just, I-”

“Jim!” Pam cut him off. “There’s something more important right now than your note.” She explained about Roy’s voicemails and that Jim would be his first target as soon as he was released from jail.
“It would kill me if you got hurt on my account. So, I’ve got an idea. It’s a little crazy but, hell it’s actually completely crazy but I can’t think of anything else right now. It would mean you’d need to pack some stuff for an extended weekend though. I just don’t want you to get hurt and I don’t want to be here right now.”

“Pam, slow down,” Jim said. “Whatever this plan is, we can figure it out. Do you want me to come over there and pick you up?”

One of the loadstones resting in her stomach evaporated when she heard Jim agree with her. “I think it’ll be better if I come over there. Still remember how to drive a stick shift?”

She heard him smile through the phone. “Never forgot. How soon can I expect you?

Looking around the apartment, Pam realized it wouldn’t take her long to clear out all the things that were truly important to her. “Call it forty-five minutes or so. Can you be ready by then?”

“Not a problem,” Jim replied instantly.

“Okay, let me take care of some stuff here and I’ll right over.”

“Great! See you soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

Thirty minutes later two suitcases and two backpacks had been brought out to her seldom used car. Roy’s truck rested in its usual parking space. Another voicemail alert pinged on her phone as she walked back inside after her latest trip to her car. By now she recognized the number of the county jail. She ignored the call and subsequent voicemail. For good measure she turned off her phone as well. Looking around, she found a scrap of paper and set it on the table next to Roy’s truck keys. On it she wrote two words before taking off her engagment ring and set it on the note.

I can’t

Turning from the apartment for the last time, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked out to her car. As soon as she sat down, memories flooded her. Jim and her laughing while she taught him to drive a stick shift. The glow she’d felt in her heart after returning to the office after a lunch at Cugino’s. Confusion on Dwight’s face when the entire office insisted on calling him Dwayne for a day. The glimmer she always saw in Jim’s eyes when they shared an air five.

Slow down, she thought to herself. There will be time for all that later. For now, just get to his house.

Before she knew it, she was pulling into Jim’s driveway. Snow was piling on his car as she stepped out of hers. She kept her hands in the pockets of her pink puffer coat as she walked up to the door. She was about to knock, but the door flew open before she could.

“Hey!” Jim beamed at her.

“Hi,” she smiled gently at him.

They stood on the threshold of his door for a moment before he broke the silence.

“So, where are we going?”

The sparkle in his eyes proved to her the words he’d written in the teapot note were real. He was genuinely excited that she was standing there in the cold. The warmth flowing out of the door flowed over her like a warm blanket. She let the feeling fill her soul and her courage followed in its wake. Her sense of mischief did too. For the first time since she’d traded the iPod for the teapot her smile reached her eyes as she replied.

“Santa’s workshop.”

Jim looked down at the pages of driving directions Pam was holding out to him. He felt the corners of his mouth quirk up in a smile when he got to the end. A quick laugh also escaped him.

“Oh wow! You’re not kidding! We’re really going to Santa’s Workshop!

“It’s even in the North Pole!” Pam beamed back at him and pointed to the end point on the map. “North Pole, New York that is.”

“Well then!” Jim turned to grab a small suitcase and then back to her. “Let’s get going. According to your directions it’ll take us about five hours to get there. Do you want to drive first, or would you like me to?”

Pam stifled a yawn while Jim closed and locked his front door, and they started walking back to her car. “If you could take at least the first shift, that would be great.”

“Not a problem,” he replied with a smile.

It didn’t take long to reach the interstate and for Jim to settle into long distance driving. The highway was mostly empty given the late hour. Looking over, Jim saw Pam staring out the window as the lights of the city flashed past. Her early enthusiasm had waned, and it was clear she was starting to fade.

“Doing okay over there?” he asked. “You sounded kind of upset earlier when you called.”

“I just have a lot going through my mind right now,” Pam said through another yawn. “I don’t know how long Roy is going to be in jail, and frankly I don’t really care either. I am a little worried about your roommate though. What happens if Roy shows up and doesn’t find you there and tries to go after him instead?”

“Considering Mark is a cop; I think he’ll be able to handle himself.” Jim smirked.

Pam looked over at him. “I never knew that! Why didn’t you guys say anything during when you had everyone over last month?”

Jim shrugged and kept his eyes on the road. “He doesn’t like to advertise it all that much. Says it tends to make people nervous. Can’t say I blame him. From what he’s told me about some of the stuff he’s had to deal with, I think he’d rather try to leave work at work when he can.”

“That’s fair.” Pam yawned again. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Jim reassured her. “It’s been a long day for sure. Go ahead and get some sleep if you can.”

“Yeah, good call. Though I do want to tell you this before I nod off.” Pam took off the gloves she’d been wearing and held up her now bare left hand. “I don’t want to marry him anymore. This isn’t the first time Roy has acted like this. Not violently mind you, but like really overprotective and aggressive to anyone who might be friendly to me. Not only that but I looked around our apartment and there was nothing of me there. I realized I don’t want to be with a man who won’t let me be with friends or who won’t let me be me. Does that make sense?”

It took every measure of Jim’s self-control to maintain a neutral expression. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Also, I, uh, read the note you put in with the teapot,” Pam went on. “I, um, I’m not trying to avoid it or anything, because it was very sweet, but I’m also exhausted, and that discussion feels like it should happen when we’re both ready for it, you know.”

A measure of relief calmed the nerves that had been rising in Jim’s chest. “Yeah, no, totally. That’s totally fine. Smart even.”

Pam reached over and put a hand on his arm. “Thanks Jim. I’m really not trying to avoid what you said. I think I’ve done enough avoiding. I just want to make sure we get it right, you know?”

Jim looked over and gave her soft smile. “Me too.”

She hummed a smile at him before tilting her seat back to a more comfortable position. She reached into the backseat and grabbed a small pillow, clearly meant to be used for just this purpose, and closed her eyes once she had it set. A few minutes later the steady rise and fall of her breathing told Jim she’d nodded off.

He took a large breath through his nose and blew it out. His thoughts started to race. Holy crap! She broke it off with Roy! This is big! Huge! And she wants to talk about the note! I mean this is the chance I’ve been hoping for! She says she’s done with him and now she’s here with me! Don’t mess this up. Don’t mess this up. Don’t mess this up. You pushed her with the note, but this is Pam we’re talking about. She rarely does big and bold. Slow, steady, and predictable are more her pace. Just be there for her as a friend right now. A friend who told her that you were in love with her. Maybe she is ready for a big type of gesture. She’s the one who started all this after all. But she was with Roy for years. Since high school. She’s going to need time to get over that. I don’t want this to just be a rebound for her. Crap! I don’t know what to do! Okay, chill out. Stay calm. Focus on the road. You can do that. Just focus on the road. She said she wants to talk about everything. That’s good. That’s more than good. That’s great! Start there. Start with the good. We’ll get through this. She’ll probably have to really take the time to break everything off with Roy at some point. I’m sure she’ll want to call her family too. This is a big thing after all, and I know her family is really important to her. You’ve been waiting for years; you can wait a little longer if you need to. There we go, starting to calm down. Easy does it. Focus on the road. Downshift now, stupid truck getting in the way. The left lane is the passing lane! Stay on the right! And upshift again, good.

The highway went on and on as Jim drove through the night. Eventually he felt the pull of sleep start to tug at his eyes. He pulled into a rest stop somewhere in New York and nudged Pam once he had the car safely in a parking space.

“Hey, Beesly.”

“Hmmmm, what is it?” she asked groggily.

“My turn to catch a nap if you don’t mind,” Jim yawned.

Pam sat up and pulled her glasses back on. “Yeah, sure. Where are we?”

Jim pointed out their location on the map she’d printed off. They switched seats and it was now Jim’s turn to throw his coat over his shoulder as a blanket. He had one last pleasant thought before he drifted off.

The pillow smells like her.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I’m glad Jim let me take a nap, Pam thought to herself as they got back on the highway. Of course, that’s just Jim. Always being so wonderful to me. But of course, he’s been nice, he’s been in love with me. Holy crap! Jim loves me? I’ve seen the kind of girls Jim’s gone out with in the past. Girls like Katy. He’s dated girls like that, but he wants plain old me? I mean what’s so special about me? I’m not like saleswoman Katy. Starting her own business and not afraid to go to other businesses to sell things. Perfect hair, perfect make up, perfect outfit. I’m just ordinary Pam. Jim’s the best guy friend I’ve ever had. Really the only guy friend I’ve ever had. Does that mean I was never really friends with Roy? Maybe. Think Pam, did Roy ever really express any interest in anything you’ve ever done like Jim has? Hmmm, maybe back in high school when I was on the volleyball team. But then again, Roy never really said anything good about my playing. Just how good my ass looked in volleyball shorts and how much he wanted to take them off me.

Pam shook her head at some of the more embarrassing moments of her high school career. Roy’s comments had been said in front of the rest of the team and they’d teased her about it for the rest of the season.

Just another reason to break things off with Roy. The only thing he gets excited about with me is what I can do for him. Not like Jim. I don’t know if Jim even knows I used to play volleyball. He just knows me as the receptionist who likes to draw. Considering I was drawing back then and still draw now, but I’m not playing any kind of volleyball anymore, which one is really more important to me? Of the two guys in my life which one has paid attention to the thing that’s more important to me? Jim.

She spared a glance over at Jim’s sleeping figure. A feeling of warmth and safety came over her.

Jim’s never embarrassed me like Roy always has. Jim wants to be with me for me, not just in bed. We always get along so great together. I can just be me with him and he just gets me. It’s easy to be with Jim. We laugh, we prank, we have fun, we talk about everything. Could there be something more than friendship?

Pam looked over at Jim again and she felt her mouth curl up at the edges.

Maybe, and I kind of hope so.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Jim wake up! We’re here.” Pam reached over and gently nudged his shoulder.

“Hmmm, what?” Jim’s voice was deep and gravelly as he woke up.

“I hope you’ve been good, because we made it to Santa’s workshop!” Pam beamed. “Come on!”

While Jim was untangling himself from the car, Pam hopped out and walked around to his door. He climbed out of the car and wrapped a scarf around his neck before buttoning up his coat over top. Pam had put on a pair of big fluffy earmuffs, but snow was gently falling into her hair. Jim dug a hat and pair of black leather gloves out of his pocket and stood to stretch. The clean air of the Adirondak mountains filled his lungs. Across the parking lot he saw the wooden welcome building of Santa’s Workshop. A sign advertising the real US Post Office for North Pole, New York was prominently displayed near the entrance. Beyond the fence a carefully built fantasy village spread out. Tourists and families were already making their way along the paths between the buildings.

“My family came up here once just before Christmas when I was in elementary school,” Pam told Jim as she led him by the hand to the entrance to the village. “I’ve always wanted to come back.”

Jim paid their entrance fee and they walked into the village. The station for the Christmas train was directly in front of them. Jim unfolded the map they’d grabbed and led Pam off to one side to look through it.

“Where to first? The reindeer barn? St. Nicholas’ Chapel? Santa’s house? The toy shop?”

“Oh, let’s just meander a bit,” Pam suggested. “It’s not like we have anywhere pressing to be.”

“Sounds great.” Jim tucked the map away and they set off down the nearest path. “I hope I’m not intruding, but have you called your family at all?”

“Yeah,” Pam answered. “You were still asleep in the car when we got here, and we had some time before the park opened.  My parents are a little disappointed that the wedding is off. They also wondered why I drove all the way up here when I could have crashed with them. My sister Penny was really supportive. She told me, that she never really liked Roy, but never really said anything to keep the peace.”

Jim grimaced. “I think I know how she feels.”

Pam looked up at him as they passed a playground. “It seems obvious now that you don’t like Roy. Is that because of what you wrote in the note or was there some other reason?”

Taking a moment, Jim collected his thoughts. “It’s both. It’s the fact that he got to be with you. So that part was just straight up green-eyed jealousy. But also, I would see how he would treat you from time to time. Blowing you off so he could be with his buddies. Calling you a nickname you don’t like. Saying crude or private things where anyone could hear them. I never liked the way your face would fall when he would do all those things. I know I’m biased, but that doesn’t sound like the way a guy should treat the lady he’s with.”

“Oh,” Pam reflected for a moment on Jim’s words. “I think I’ve got some soul searching to do. When I hear you or Penny say things like that, it makes it all so obvious. I guess there were a lot of reasons to call off this wedding, huh?”

“Hey, don’t go beating yourself up,” Jim told her. Taking a calculated risk, he reached over to hold her hand, but refrained from twining his fingers with hers. He gave her hand what he intended to be a comforting squeeze. He was relieved when she tightened her grip in return. “It took a lot of courage to break things off.”

“Thanks. I had to wade through more angry voicemails from him though. Now that my family knows where I am and that I’m safe from any of that, I turned my phone off again. I just don’t want to hear him screaming at me or anything. Same for when his family finds out I broke things off. They tend to be loud and vocal.”

“That’s smart,” Jim assured her. “You’re handling things on your own terms rather than letting someone else dictate your actions.”

Pam smiled back up at him. “Thank you. How is it you always seem to know the right thing to say?”

“Just that awesome I suppose,” Jim grinned with faux bravado which made Pam erupt in a giggle fit. He grinned down at her for a moment before looking around. He pointed with their combined hands at large building. “But enough of that. Fancy meeting Rudolf?”

“Rudolf’s overrated,” Pam fired back. “He’s not even in the original Night Before Christmas poem. Blitzen though, I’m a big fan of Blitzen.”

Jim just laughed at her as they walked in the direction of the barn holding the famous team of reindeer. They kept the rest of their conversations light and Christmas themed as they walked around the village. After visiting all nine reindeer, they worked their way over to a blacksmith shop that forged the magical reindeer shoes that granted the animals their ability to fly and land on rooftops without any noise. A walk across a large common area took them to St. Nicholas’ Chapel where a pipe organist was playing various Christmas carols. In the Toy Shop, Pam gave Jim a polite golf clap when he managed to stay inside all the lines of his coloring page. They hung up their pictures alongside other pre-school masterpieces. In the Candy Maker shop, they loaded up on sweet treats.

“I know how much you love jellybeans,” Pam teased as she shook a few bags of bulk Christmas candies, “But I think we can change things up.”

“No objection from me in the slightest,” Jim told her while sliding the candies into the bag he was carrying along with some homemade cookies and cream fudge.

They skipped past Santa’s house after agreeing it would be the place to visit before they left. At the Bake Shop they again loaded up on Christmas cookies and a few other treats. In the World of Christmas shop they saw various items for sale from traditions from around the world. Together they explored the wide range of items until one shelf caught their eye.

“What do you think Pam?” Jim asked as she came around a corner to where he was standing. “Think he’d lighten up the mood in the office?”

Pam stifled a laugh at the Christmas gnome figure Jim was holding up. Her face lit up with an idea as she saw the chubby character. “Oh, without a doubt. But we have to have some fun with him. What if he steals one of Dwight’s bobble-heads and every day before Christmas Dwight gets a picture of the bobble head traveling around with our new friend.”

“Beesly, you’re a genius! I love it!” Jim exclaimed. “Or we could do that after Christmas and go for the whole Twelve Day of Christmas theme, but a work version. Four calling phones, three pointless meetings, two Olympic doves.” He softly sang along to the tune while bobbing the gnome figure back and forth.

Pam took up the tune with a huge grin on her face. “And a Dundie in a paper tree!”

It was Jim’s turn to laugh as the memory. “I’ll hand it to Micheal, setting up a tree of paper reams and one of his Dundies as the tree topper was actually kind of fun last year.”

“Says you,” Pam shot back with good natured banter. “You didn’t have your workspace taken up by that tree. I had to move everything around the back counter to get it to fit.”

“But Pam,” Jim adopted his best puppy dog pleading look and repeated Michael’s arguments for having the decoration from the previous year. “Don’t you remember how important it was for us to get real tree for the office last year? Since paper comes from wood the paper tree counts as a real tree and it was pre-cycling since the paper hadn’t been used yet, boom, win-win.”

“A paper tree is not a real tree,” Pam said with authority as they started walking to the register.

“So, what’s wrong with an artificial tree?” Jim asked. “After all, you can use them year after year, you don’t have to keep them watered, no pine needles to clean up, less of a fire hazard. They even make them nowadays that are pre-strung with lights so all you have to do is plug them in.”

Pam started ticking off points on her fingers in rebuttal. “You don’t get the fun of going to a tree farm to pick one out, real trees make the house smell like Christmas, if you put the lights away properly, they don’t get tangled up in the first place and it’s easy to wrap them around the tree. A real tree adds character since it’s always a little different each year. You’re going to be picking up tinsel off the floor anyway so what’s a few pine needles to go with it? Keeping the tree stand filled with water teaches responsibility and also adds good deed points for kiddos looking to make sure they’re on Santa’s Nice list. Face it, Jim, real trees are just better.”

Bringing a hand up to his chin, he pretended to ponder her rationale. “Hmmmm, yes, I see. All good points, true.”

“See!” Pam fluttered her eyes at him, “You should never doubt me.”

Jim couldn’t help it. He dropped the playful expression on his face for a tender one. Reaching forward he gently took her hand not holding the gnome in his and held it up so he could place a delicate kiss on her knuckles. “As you wish.”

The blush and smile that filled Pam’s face made them both temporarily forget where they were. Until the person standing behind them called out.

“Hey! Lovebirds! You’re holding up the line!”

Both Jim and Pam found themselves blushing for a different reason before taking the few steps forward to the counter to pay for the Christmas gnome. They ducked out of the market shop and walked back down the slight hill in the direction of Santa’s house. Joining the line filled with families, they waited until it was their turn to see Santa.

The Jolly Old Elf, shook with laughter as they walked up to him. “Ho ho ho! A couple of big kids to visit!”

“I hope you don’t mind if we ask to not sit on your lap,” Jim smiled back as they walked up.

“Oh, not at all,” Santa replied. He stood up from his chair and beckoned them forward to whisper to them. “Between you and me, it’s nice to have a little break from time to time, but you didn’t hear that from me?”

Pam grinned back. “Your secret’s safe with us, right Jim?”

Jim zipped his lips closed and held up his right hand in a promise.

“I knew I could count on you,” Santa smiled at them. “Now, what would you like for Christmas?”

“Well,” Pam put on a playful look and clasped her hands in front of her. “When I was a little girl, I always wanted a pony, but nowadays I’d really love some new watercolors and paintbrushes.”

“Oh!” Santa’s eyes grew wide. “Looks like we have an artist on our hands. Though I also remember you asking for those ponies. I'm sure my elves would love to work on something unique like paintbrushes. I think I can work something out. What about you Jim?”

Unzipping his lips, Jim thought for a second. “I think the Power Wheels firetruck I always wanted as a kid would be too big for your sled. But I would love a new basketball.”

Santa’s laughter rang out again. “You're right, the firetruck would be a bit much. Thank you on behalf of my reindeer. I’m sure we have a stock of basketballs. I’ll make sure to pick out a good one for you.”

Thanking Santa profusely, they held up the candy canes an elf gave them while posing for a picture. Pam sprung for two copies of the print when they ceded their time with Santa to the next family in line.

“All set,” she said. “Coming?”

“Yeah, in a sec.” Jim replied.

Pam looked over and saw Jim smiling at the family of four now talking to Santa. She stepped over to stand next to him and grabbed his hand.

“You okay?” she asked kindly.

“Yeah,” he said looking back at her. “Just a stroll down memory lane. Thinking about times my family would go see Santa. Kinda makes me look forward to doing that with my own kids someday.”

“Yeah,” Pam’s voice was rich with warmth. “Me too.

They walked back to the exit of the village but not before stopping at the Post Office. They wrote replies to children’s letters to Santa which would have an official North Pole postmark. Matching stockings bought from the gift shop completed their trip to Santa’s Village.

Jim checked his watch as they stored their purchases in Pam’s car and got back on the road. “It’s a little late for lunch, but still a little early for dinner. I don’t know about you though, but I’m hungry.”

“I have an idea for a place for Linner,” Pam told him. “We passed a place on the way in that looks cute.

It only took a few minutes before Pam was pulling into the parking lot of a chalet style restaurant. Snow was starting to fall harder as they stepped out of the car.

“The Wilderness Inn and Restaurant,” Jim read the sign. “You’re right, looks cute.”

The dining room was sparsely occupied when they walked inside. A hostess brought them to a booth and gave them menus before departing. They chatted over the menu before placing their order. As soon as the waitress left with the menus Pam took a deep breath to steady herself. She looked across the table to Jim and held his gaze.

“You have no idea how much your friendship means to me. After everything that happened yesterday you were right there when I needed you and then dropped everything to come up here.” She reached across the table to hold his hands. “Thank you for the teapot and for the note. I’ll admit it was a shock to be sure. I want you to know that I thought it was very brave of you to say what you did in that note. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. That’s why I hope you know that right now is not a very easy time for me.
“I was with Roy for years. That was a big part of my life and regardless of anything it’s going to take some time to adjust to not having that part of me. I know how you feel, and I think I know how I feel, but, well, change is always hard for me. Can you wait for things to settle down for me?”

Jim took a deep breath before he replied. “You said you think you know how you feel. What do you mean by that?”

Pam took her own breath in return. “It means that I have feelings for you too. Not just friendship feelings. They’re more than that. But it also scares me a little.”

“Why?” he asked gently.

“Because what I feel for you is so not like anything I’ve ever felt before. It feels like it’s this fragile little flower. Beautiful and growing, but delicate. I’m scared that if I do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing that it’ll get crushed. Especially when I look back and realize just how long these feelings for you have been growing. Ever since you stopped me from eating that expired yogurt because I know you’re wondering by the way. I told you earlier that I’m done avoiding things. That includes being done with avoiding how I really feel about the people in my life.”

“Look out world, Fancy New Beesly is out to make it her own!” They both laughted for a beat until Jim started to gently rub the tops of her hands with his thumbs. “It makes me very glad to hear that. You have no idea really. I mean what I said in the note. I’m in love with you. I know you’re going through a hard time right now. It was all I was thinking about after I left the office yesterday. How I just put this huge, big thing on you and how you might be reacting. Then everything with the cops happened and it all seemed so messed up. More so for you, I’m sure. Breaking things off with Roy and everything that means. I don’t want to put any undue pressure on you. Not to say anything. Not to do anything you’re not ready for. Now that I know we have something more than friendship, I promise, I can wait as long as it takes. You’re worth waiting for.”

Tension visibly left Pam’s face and shoulders. “Thank you. I want to explore these feelings I have for you. I just want to make sure we do it right, you know?”

“Yeah,” Jim smiled. “Me too.”

They kept talking about lighter topics through their meal. As the waitress handed Jim back his credit card he peaked around her. “Seems kind of slow in here for getting close to dinner.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Forecast says there’s a big storm coming in from the south. The news said the state cops are already starting to advise against driving on the interstate let alone back roads.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

Jim and Pam grabbed their coats and walked back to the front desk. “Any chance of getting a cabin?” he asked.

“Boy are you lucky,” the host told him. “We just had a cancellation. I’ve got one cabin open. It’s just up the hill there. We’ll try and keep things plowed but I can’t promise anything. The cabin is open through the weekend though. It has a kitchen in it and there’s a store in town if you want to get some stuff and make your own meals. I’d recommend it if this storm is even half as bad as they’re saying. If the roads become impassable, we’re not going to have our kitchen staff try and make it in.”

“That’s fine. Hopefully we won’t need it for that long though.” Jim replied and looked at Pam. “You okay splitting a cabin and groceries till the storm blows over?”

“Fine by me.”

They checked in and got the cabin key. It took less than a minute to move their car from the parking lot to the cabin.

“Hemlock,” Pam read on a sign as they walked up to the porch with their bags. “Looks cozy.”

Jim let them in, and they stepped inside. One large room met their eyes. To the right a couch and armchair rested in front of a small fireplace. On the far wall was a small kitchen with what was clearly a bathroom leading off to the side. Directly in front of them was the cabin’s single queen-sized bed. A small Christmas tree rested on the counter next to the cabin’s sink.

“Cozy is right,” Jim said as he felt suddenly warm under the collar with equal parts nervousness and excitement starting to flood his chest.

“Dear Diary, I think she’s starting to notice me. We even sat at the same table at lunch today.”

Pam looked over from the kitchenette with a bemused smirk on her face. Jim was sitting on the futon near the fireplace. He had a magazine in his hand and was pretending to write in it while Pam washed their lunch dishes. Jim saw her grinning and kept up with his narration.

“We have study hall together later. I’ve heard she’s a really good artist. Maybe she can give me a few tips on how to clean up my own drawings. According to my science teacher, my doodles lack depth. Not my fault he’s so boring he could make paint dry seem exciting. I mean it’s chemistry! Show us how to make something explode or how to create our own backyard nuclear reactor! Something like that!”

The last line earned Jim a laugh from Pam as she walked over and plopped down on the couch next to him. She picked up a separate magazine and started her own journal entry.

“Hi Journal, it’s me Pam again. How are you? Still the strong silent type? Glad to hear it. That’s why I like confiding in you. You know the value of discretion. So, I’ve got to let you in on a secret, there’s this new guy at school. He’s kind of dorky looking.”

Next to her, Jim let out a gasp of fake astonishment and put a hand on his chest. Pam only smiled and kept writing.

“His clothes are a bit too baggy for him, his hair is kind of shaggy, and don’t even get me started on how big his ears are. But none of that’s important. You know what is important? He did the sweetest thing today. I forgot my lunch at home and didn’t have money to buy anything. He came over and offered to share his lunch with me. It was chicken nugget day in the cafeteria. He let me have three of the five he was given. I’ll have to make sure to do something nice for him in return.”

Pam set the magazine down and looked over to Jim. “Seriously though, thanks for making lunch. You’ve been taking really good care of me these past couple of days. It’s very sweet.”

A warm smile bloomed on Jim’s face. “You’re welcome. You’re worth it.”

“Awww, Jim,” Pam ducked her face as her cheeks flushed red. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

Jim draped an arm across her shoulders and was delighted to hear her let out a sigh of contentment. He looked around the small cabin. The storm hit two days prior and dumped over a foot of snow on the area. They’d made it to a local grocery store before the worst snow squalls came down. Between the two of them they had several days' worth of easy to make meals.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Jim asked. “Add cousins to the snowman family outside? Another game of Risk? Find some talk show on daytime TV?”

“Nah,” Pam said with a yawn. “I wouldn’t mind curling up for a nap though.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Jim said softly.

They adjusted themselves on the couch until Pam was essentially lying on top of him. Jim pulled a blanket over the two of them and wrapped his arms around her. Her head ended up resting on his chest. He reached up to start dragging his fingers across her scalp and through her hair.

“Mmmmm,” Pam hummed. “That feels wonderful.”

“Glad you like it,” Jim told her.

Before long the warmth of the blanket combined with the heat of the fire lulled her to sleep. Craning his neck, Jim watched her doze. He could feel every sensual curve of her body pressed against his. Her hands burned imprints of themselves where they rested over his heart. A sigh of serenity escaped Jim. For years he’d envisioned being with her like this. The reality was proving to be better than any dream he’d ever had. Her closeness also kick-started other reactions and he reached down to subtly adjust himself before the growing bulge in his jeans made things uncomfortable for either of them.

Time enough for that later, he thought to himself. She wanted time and it’s only been a few days since she broke things off with Roy. You’ve waited years, you can wait a little longer.

He wrapped one arm around the small of her back while his other hand returned to her hair. It was just one of the many fantasies he’d envisioned over the years. The reality was proving to be beyond anything he could have dreamt up. Starting at the top of her head, he let his fingernails graze lightly before the strands would curl themselves around the tips of his fingers as he moved his hand down across her neck and upper back. Soon, the press of her body gradually lulled him to sleep as well.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Pam woke up from her nap cocooned in warmth. The fire had burned down to embers, but the coals still glowed red. Outside the snow had finally tapered off. Amber blinking lights filtered through the window. Careful not to rouse Jim, she slipped off the couch and walked to the door. A snowplow was working to clear the parking lot. She walked back to the fireplace and added a couple logs. She prepared herself a mug of tea before sitting down at the table. She took a breath before turning her phone back on. As she suspected, her voicemail inbox was full once more. The first few messages were from Roy. His anger at being left at the jail hadn’t subsided. Anger turned to shock when he realized she’d left her ring on the table and its implications. Next came the calls from Roy’s mother. More anger that Pam had let both Roy and Kenny wallow in jail followed by disbelief that Pam had broken things off with her son. Demands that Pam call all of them back ended each message. It was the last message that surprised her. When Pam heard the voice of Roy’s sister, Hunter, she was taken slightly aback. Pam’s mind flashed back two summers prior to a Labor Day cookout where Hunter had viciously fought with Roy’s father before storming away vowing never to speak to the family again.

“Hey Pam, it’s Hunter. Guess you’re probably not expecting to hear from me. I heard from Mom and Roy that you not only called things off but kind of disappeared on them. I’m sure you know how they are, so I won’t repeat anything you’ve probably heard already. I want to let you know that whatever your reasons for breaking things off with my brother, I support you. Regardless of what they may have told you, I do still care about my family. For a long time, I thought you were going to be part of that family which means I care about you too. That’s why I’m calling. If you want to talk about anything I’m here for you. If you don’t, that’s fine too. I get it. I’ve always seen a lot of potential in you. Hopefully you get to explore it. Take care.”

Unlike the other messages she’d deleted, Pam let Hunter’s voicemail linger. Wow! That’s not at all what I was expecting!

She sipped her tea and let Hunter’s words mull around in her mind. She was slightly startled when a gentle hand settled down on her shoulder.

“Jim!”

“Oh! Sorry,” he was instantly apologetic.

She shook her head to clear some of the cobwebs. “No, it’s fine.”

“You, okay?” Jim asked as he walked towards the door.

“Yeah, no, fine. It’s just that I opened my phone and got a bunch of voicemails from Roy and his mom, but also one from his sister saying she supported me.”

“I didn’t even know Roy had a sister,” Jim’s shocked face showed the truth of the revelation.

“No reason you should,” Pam shrugged. “She kind of disappeared from their family stuff a couple years ago. Also, let's face it, you were never really looking for a reason to be buddy-buddy with Roy and thus hear about any of his family drama.”

Jim nodded sagely while pulling on his coat. “You got me there Bees.”

“Going somewhere?”

“Yeah,” Jim looked out the window. “If the plows are finally getting through it must mean we’re on the tail end of the storm. It’s already kind of late, but I figure I’d get a head start on digging out the car for whenever we want to get out of here.”

“That’s a good idea. Thanks.”

Jim slid his hands into his gloves and pulled on his hat. “You’re welcome. Be back inside in a bit.” He slid his feet into his boots and walked outside. Pam stayed where she was at the table. The flicker of flames from the fireplace caused shadows to dance across the cabin. The messages she’d heard continued to bounce around in her mind. Other thoughts circled too. Thoughts of how Jim had insisted she take the bed and had curled up on the futon for the previous two nights. Memories of times with him and the fun they’d shared. Glancing out the window she saw him digging in with a small shovel to clear snow from her car. The memory of strolling through Santa’s village fueled the growing romantic feelings she was discovering for Jim. At once a sense of guilt also wormed its way into her heart. She’d simply left Roy in jail with only a note and her ring on the table. A glance at her phone reminded her of the way he’d taken those actions. She bit her lower lip lightly before flipping open her phone and making a call. It picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi Hunter, it’s me, Pam.”

“Pam! Hi!” Hunter’s voice sounded surprised through the earpiece. “How ya doin’?”

“I’m...good.” Pam started. “I got your voicemail. I’ve had my phone off for the most part that’s why I didn’t answer.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me,” Hunter assured her.

“That’s just the thing, I think I do. You were right because for a long time I thought I was going to be part of your family. I think I owe it to you all to explain why I did what I did. I’d call Roy directly, but I think he’s still pissed and I don’t really want to get screamed at some more.”

“I get that,” Hunter replied. “He and Kenny both have pretty nasty tempers.”

Pam told Hunter her version of the events leading up to Roy’s arrest and her decision to skip town. For her part Hunter listened patiently without interruption. She let out a whistle when Pam got to the end of her story.

“That’s something out of a movie right there. You’re right, he’s still upset. First about getting thrown in jail for the night and then when he found all your stuff gone and the ring on the table. It was the first time he’s called me since I walked out on everyone a couple years ago. That’s how I knew it was bad. But like I said, I support you in this, not him.”

“Why?” Pam asked quietly.

Hunter took a deep breath before she continued. “Roy takes the easy way. He always has. The few times he really puts effort into things are when he’s already naturally gifted at them. Take football. He was just always fast and strong without putting a whole lot of time into it. Add in my dad basically telling him he was the golden child for doing so well on the field, it made him think a bit too highly of himself. Why work harder to become great when good enough gets him through? It’s probably why during his senior year there were a lot of scouts, but no scholarship offers to play in college. I remember sitting behind a few of them in the stands. They’d say things like, ‘if only he’d really commit, he’d be great,’ or stuff like, ‘all flash but no heart.’
“It’s why it took him so long to propose to you. He didn’t feel the need to do anything more serious because he was happy with the way things were. Same as to why he never took you seriously about setting a wedding date.
“I’ve tried telling him all this kind of stuff for years. He’d rather hang out with Kenny and his buddies. Mentally I don’t think he’s much different than the kid we knew back in high school. I told him all that when he called yesterday. It didn’t go well. He was also probably drunk at the time too, so that didn’t help. I tried calling him again this morning, but he didn’t answer.
“What really killed me was that he was dragging you down with him. I’ve seen some of the artwork you’ve done. Especially back when you were in college and really diving into it. It’s really good! If you had kept it up, I wonder where you’d be right now. But because Roy didn’t want to go anywhere, and you were loyal to Roy, you didn’t go anywhere.”

Hunter’s direct words caused a goiter to form in Pam’s throat. She tried to swallow it as Hunter went on.

“I’m not saying all this to be mean, but I also want to be direct. When Roy called and said you’d run off and left the ring, I was ecstatic! Again, not to be mean to either you or Roy, but finally something got shaken up and at least one of you pulled your head out of your ass to realize that you’d outgrown the other one. Maybe then you’d both get a chance to actually grow and mature, which is what I’ve always wanted for both of you!”

“You think Roy sees it that way?” Pam croaked out.

“Not right now. He’s still in shock.” Hunter told her. “But I do think there’s a good man somewhere in Roy. However, to become that good man he needs to focus on himself. So, you leaving him could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him. I know that sounds kind of  harsh, but it’s because I care about you that I don’t want to blow smoke up your ass.
“You’re free now too you know. Free from just tolerating my oaf of a brother to explore who you are. Find that art spark again and let it shine. Hopefully someday find a guy that will really support you like you deserve. I know it’s probably going to sting for a bit. You were with Roy for a long time and there’s a lot of history there. But there’s also a big wide-open future for you. I just hope you have the courage to grab it.”

Pam looked out the window again to see Jim arching his back after tossing a full load of snow off to one side. “Thanks Hunter. That was, it was a lot.”

“I know. But if this is the last time I ever talk to you, I wanted to make it count.”

“I don’t want it to be the last time I talk to you,” Pam told her. “I’ve always liked hanging out with you and don’t want to stop doing that. Even if I’m not going to marry Roy.”

“I’d like that, but let’s let things cool off for a bit before we head out for a ladies night or anything. Give everyone a chance to come to terms with things.”

“That sounds smart. Could you do me a favor though?”

“Sure.”

Pam swallowed. “If you do get a hold of Roy, let him know that I’ll come by the apartment sometime next week with my dad to get anything I missed and talk about leaving my key and stuff like that.”

“Not a problem. Let me know what day that is. I’ll try and be there too.”

Pam and Hunter chatted for a few minutes longer before hanging up the call. Feeling better for the discussion, Pam walked over to the kitchenette and pulled two TV dinners out of the freezer. She set the oven to pre-heat and put in the food when the oven was hot enough. Outside she could see Jim still bobbing up and down. He had finished clearing her car and was now working on the walkways the plow had missed. Darkness was falling quickly. The lights from the small Christmas tree seemed to burn a hole against the creeping blackness outside as if it were a miniature lighthouse, guiding her to safe harbor.

Find a guy that will really support me. Hunter’s words echoed in Pam’s mind. Well, there he is. Ever since the first day I’ve met him, Jim’s supported me. When Michael and Packer were acting insufferable, he got me out of there with that trip to Cuginos. He’s always wanted to see what I’m sketching. I don’t think there’s been any other guy who I’ve been able to talk to as easily as him. He’s made me look forward to showing up to work, just so I can tell him something. I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to seeing Roy at the end of the day and telling him how it went. Is this what it’s supposed to be like? To really care for someone? To be cared for by someone else? It feels really good. It feels like...love.

Her ruminations were interrupted by Jim walking back inside and closing the door.

“Hey! Smells great!” he said with a smile while taking off his gloves. She looked over at the oven and saw it was time to take out the food. It was the work of a few moments to slide on oven mitts and pull them out.

Pam looked down at the steaming dinner trays. “They’re just TV dinners.”

“Yeah,” he acknowledged while taking off his boots. “But it’s always nice to come inside from the cold to a warm meal. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Pam smiled. “Do you want the Salsbury steaks or the fried chicken?”

“Salsbury steaks please.” Jim crossed over to the fridge and pulled out two cans of Coke. He set them down at the table while Pam set out the food. “As long as we don’t get to much more snow, we should be good to get out of here in the morning.”

“Sounds good,” Pam said while still looking down at her food.

“Hey, you okay over there?”

She looked up. “It’s just we, and more importantly I, am going to have to face everything when we get back. I called Hunter while you were outside.” She went on to tell Jim about the conversation she’d had with Hunter.

Jim listened quietly while she spoke. “Do you need a place to stay till you get a new apartment? You’re more than welcome to crash on the couch at my place,” he asked when she was done.

A brief smile flickered over her face. “That’s sweet, but my sister has already offered her spare bedroom. I think it might be prudent for me to stay there.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Pam reached over and grabbed his hand. “Please don’t think I’m rejecting you or anything. It’s just, I just ended one relationship. I do want to start something new with you, but being in the same house right now seems way to fast.”

It was as if she could see the tension melt from his shoulders. “Yeah, no, that’s a good idea. I just wanted to help in any way I could.”

Her earlier tentative smile made way for one that stretched from ear to ear. “I know. You always have. Thank you.”

Jim’s smile mirrored hers. “You’re welcome.”

They discussed plans for leaving and returning to Scranton while they ate. After the dishes were put away, they reclined together on the couch again to watch a back-to-back feature of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

The last movie came to an end, but neither one made a move to get the DVD out of the player. Instead, Pam shifted so she was able to look at Jim.

“I was doing some thinking while you were outside shoveling earlier.”

Jim cocked an eyebrow. “About what?”

“About you actually,” she admitted. “I was thinking about how you’ve always made me feel and how I feel when I’m around you.”

Jim had to take a deep breath before he was able to respond. “What are you saying Beesly?”

She looked deep into his eyes. “I love you too Jim. I think I have for a while now. I just couldn’t see it.”

Jim sat in shock for a moment while what she told him registered. When he did speak, his voice was barely above a whisper. “Come here.”

He forward to gather her in his arms and held on tightly. She leaned into his embrace to bury her face in the crook of his neck. It wasn’t enough for her though. She leaned slightly back to tilt her head towards his. He met her halfway and his lips met hers. The kiss deepened quickly, and she felt her heart start to race. One of his hands moved up from her back to entangle itself gently in her curls. She brought her own hands up to rest on either side of his face. It was only when he started to awkwardly try to roll over that she broke the kiss.

“Jim,” she managed to pant out.

“Yeah,” he breathed into her ear sending a ripple of goosebumps racing down her shoulder.

“There’s a lot more room on the bed.” Instantly he froze and backed up a touch. At once worry crept in. “What is it?”

“It’s just earlier, you said you didn’t want to move too fast. Then you say that. Forgive a guy for getting a little whiplash.”

Clarity dawned on her. “Oh.” She leaned forward to give him another brief kiss before she went on. “Then let me be clear. When we get back home, yes, I’ll want some space of my own. I’ve never had my own apartment before, and I want to have a space that’s just mine for now. It’s been a long time since I’ve known what I want and had the chance to reach out for it. I know there’s things we’ll still have to figure out when we get home, but those can wait for tomorrow. I want you, Jim. I love you, and I want you in my life. I don’t want to wait to start what I know will be an amazing life with you.”

Jim just smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss her once more before getting off the couch to help her up. Moments later they fell into bed with each other. Across the room the firelight slowly died. However, the lights of the little Christmas tree shone out across the cabin. Hope shining brightly against the dark.