Page 69 of One Night with Number Nineteen

“Here, Saw-yur!” Ollie says the moment I’m within five feet of the couch, holding up a box wrapped in dog-themed Christmas paper. “I wrapped it myself.”

It’s barely covered, a hodgepodge of paper and tape and a dash of ribbon. “It looks awesome,” I tell him.

And it’s true.

It’s maybe the best present I’ve ever received—and I haven’t even opened it yet.

“Do you want to open yours first?” I ask.

“Nope.”

I laugh, surprise rippling through me. Then get to work on opening the present—something that’s no easy task considering the sheer volume of tape used.

Eventually, I make it through the tape and the ribbon and the paper.

But what’s inside⁠—

“Ollie picked it out,” Lainey says quietly. “Because⁠—”

“You like to tell jokes and they’re super duper funny.”

My gaze locks with Lainey’s. “That’s all,” she says, still quietly, worry edging into her eyes. “Not because…you know.”

I look down at the box, pulse speeding.

Dad Joke of the Day Calendar.

“I know,” I tell her softly.

“Do you like it?” Ollie asks.

“I do.” I ruffle his hair. “Should we read one?”

“It doesn’t start till January first,” he says.

“Oh. Well, how about a sneak peek, then?”

“Okay!”

I open the box, unwrap the calendar, pick a page at random, and read, “What do you call a bear with no teeth?”

“Hmm.” Ollie taps his chin.

Lainey and I share a smile.

“I don’t know,” he eventually says.

“A gummy bear.”

A pause.

Then he cracks up and a heartbeat after that, Lainey and I are laughing too. It’s impossible not to. It’s contagious.

Eventually, we sober up and I promise to share more jokes.

“Open mine next,” Lainey says, nudging a box (that’s much more neatly wrapped) toward me. “It’s not as funny as Ollie’s, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“You sure you guys don’t want to go next?”