Rain S. Daniels
Rain couldn't have spent a better day. She had secretly made a list of the presents she wanted to give everyone. It was only a matter of finding the proper ones. Of course, she didn't let Ron see the list or what she'd bought. She wanted every present she gave to be a surprise.
For Derek, she bought a few boxes of Christmas cookies, knowing he would enjoy that. For Arthur, she'd asked an assistant at the music store to help her compile a CD of soothing classical music, knowing that it would help soothe his frequent headaches. Jasper had a similar gift, an MP3 with a playlist Rain had compiled with Jasper's favourite songs. She didn't know anything about liquor, but with a little help from the shop assistant, she'd selected a bottle of whiskey for Lauri.
Ron's present was the hardest to get by far. It hadn't been easy shaking Ron off, but she'd finally escaped his watchful eyes. While he was in the toilet, she'd quickly purchased a watch and managed to slip it into her bag before he returned. Rain tried to be discreet about it, not wanting to show Ron his present before it was time to open it. Luckily, she'd already gotten everything wrapped, including the watch, so Ron hadn't a chance of seeing the presents in her bag.
Later, at lunch, Rain sat at the patio of the quaint cafe they'd gone to, staring blissfully at the scene of others bustling around shopping. She caught Ron staring at her and felt her cheeks and the area above her ears heat up. "I honestly can't tell you how great today was, you made it pretty nice too," he commented. Rain nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for a nice afternoon. And lunch." She smiled.