Page 53 of A Love Like Christmas Time
“Not too great, to be honest.” Nic lifts her fluffy-sock clad feet onto my coffee table and drinks more of her cocktail. “The earliest ones are kicking off in August.” She grimaces. “So I’m extending my horizons and seeing what else I can do in the meantime, but…” She lets out another deep sigh that comes from the depths of her soul. “There are so many options, Lauren. Too many. I’m stumped. Like, I’m not trying to become a doctor or anything. ButBasics of Neurologysounds interesting.”
“Well, I’m sure most medicine courses are fun. Unless you, need to pass an exam. Or have strict parents breathing down your neck and expectations as a crushing weight on your shoulders.”
“I could go to law school,” she points out.
“Very Kim Kardashian of you.”
“I was thinking more about Elle Woods.” I chuckle and softly shake my head.
“You certainly have a wardrobe to rival hers.”
“I could study business and open a bookshop in town.” Now that piques my interest.
“I would be your best customer,” I assure her, trying to hide how exciting that sounds to me. The internet is a blessing, but there is something wonderful about strolling around a bookstore, finding books you never would have seen online. About picking up physical books to find out what they’re about and feel their weight in your hand.
“And I love how supportive you are. But I think I’ll stick to furniture.” She grins and softly shakes her head.
“Good for you.” I let out a deep sigh. “I’m trying out a lot of things, but man, nothing catches me, and I’m starting to run out of ideas.”
“You could ask Dimitri if he can teach you a thing or two about making furniture out of wood.”
“Or you could have him teach you about restoring furniture,” I point out.
Nic blinks at me. Once. Twice. Before her whole face lights up.
“You know what, Lauren? That is such a good idea.” She gently punches my upper arm. “We should do that. Next year. Because the two of us still have a friendly Christmas market competition hanging between the two of us.”
We stare at each other for a moment, playful tension in the air. Caleb might not be optimistic about winning against their dog-kissing booth idea, but I have not given up on victory yet.
A loud sound comes from the TV, and both of us flinch, my heart beating like it wants to run away.
“Holy shit,” I curse and quickly scroll on. “That caught me by surprise.”
“Why is the music so fucking loud?” Nic points out, clutching her chest.
“Okay, time for the biggest decision of this evening. Which one do we want to watch?” I finally found the Hallmark collection. “One where she comes back to her small hometown from the city. Where he comes back to his small hometown from the city. Oh look! In this one, she is apparently also bringing her big-city boyfriend.”
“We could close our eyes and let luck decide.” Nic carefully sets down her half-empty glass on the coffee table and stretches her arms over her head. “Wait,” she suddenly says. “Is that Chad Michael Murray?”
We glance at each other. I don’t even need to know more. It is decided.
I clickPlayblindly and take another sip of my drink.
“Let’s have a nostalgia movie night with our childhood crush.”
Chapter 22
Lauren
I wake up when two fluffy little creatures hop onto my bed and start climbing all over me, digging their little paws into my legs. It’s a daily ritual that will only last for a few minutes before they begin voicing their hunger. Loudly. Because apparently not eating every three hours makes them starve.
“Good morning, my babies,” I mumble in a coarse voice and lift the corner of my blanket. The two of them immediately rush under it, Taytay cuddling into the nook of my elbow and Jenna nudging her little nose against my chin.
I left my window ajar overnight, just the tiniest bit. There’s nothing better than waking up under your warm blanket, cozy and comfortable, in a room that rivals a walk-in refrigerator.
The only caveat? Having to get up in the cold to close the window and turn on the heat, freezing while you wait for the room to warm up.
The space between my curtains reveals a beautiful view of the mountains on the other side of the lake, illuminated by the pink hues of a cloudless dawn. Only a soft wind blows, rustling the branches of the trees beside my window.
