Missy didn’t seem to have noticed, though. “Well, I guess I ought to go home and get some dinner; two mochas on an empty stomach probably wasn’t a real smart idea. But thanks for meeting me for coffee; it was great hanging out with you.”

I laughed. “Are you kidding? I’m the one who ought to be kissing your feet in appreciation. Being alone in a new state has been almost more than I can take.”

We headed out in the evening chill toward our cars. The palm trees in the parking lot were strung with Christmas lights, and I laughed out loud when I saw them.

Missy looked around, unaware of what I found so amusing. “What?”

“The trees! Christmas lights on palm trees—that’s hysterical. It looks so … not right.”

“Really?” Missy studied them with a critical eye. “I think they look cool.”

I chuckled as I unlocked my car. “It just looks weird without any snow to go with it. Well, and the fact that it’s palm trees.”

She grinned. “Will you be going back home for Christmas to visit your parents or anything? Maybe see some snow-covered trees?”

I blinked. It dawned on me that Christmas was only two weeks away. My face must have betrayed my shock, because Missy was instantly apologetic. “Ooh, was that a touchy subject or something? I’m sorry if I—”

“No, no, it’s not that at all, it’s just that—wow, Christmas is really, really soon, isn’t it? I’d totally forgotten. I’m used to snow and cold telling me to start my Christmas shopping, and that never happened, so I just … Um, no, to answer your original question, I have no plans at all for Christmas. I don’t really see my family anymore, and I’ve always just spent it with my other displaced friends. Do people even get Christmas trees out here, or do they just decorate their cacti and oleander bushes?”

Missy laughed. “No, people buy real Christmas trees. They sell them in parking lots and stuff.”

“Oh … you know, now that you mention it, I guess I have seen them around. I don’t know why that didn’t remind me. I think I’ve just been so absorbed with the move and getting settled and everything.”

Missy nodded as she opened the door to her car. “Yeah, moving can do that to you. Well, hey, you have my number, and I have yours; let’s get together again soon, okay?”

I felt a buzz at the thought of finally having a friend—either that, or else the caffeine was finally kicking in. “I’d love to, Missy. And thanks again for the mocha.”