Page 184 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
Cole:Shit. Really? I’m sorry.
Storee:It’s fine. She seems clueless.
Cole:Good. Maybe we shouldn’t have fucked against the door.
Storee:What a silly comment. Of course we should have.
“Want some coffee?” Taran asks, tearing my attention away from my phone.
I take a seat at the countertop and say, “Yeah, sure.”
My phone buzzes again, and I glance at the text.
Cole:Want to go to Baubles and Wrappings with me today? We can pass it off as the town needing to see us together, but really I want to get lost in the store with you.
Storee:Tell me what time. I’ll be there.
I set my phone down and watch Taran make us coffee. “So how was your phone call with Guy?”
“Fine,” she says and keeps it at that.
O-kaaay. Just trying to have a sisterly conversation.
“What’s he doing for Christmas?”
“Going to his parents’ house.”
“Oh,” I reply. “Not coming up to Kringle?”
She shakes her head and turns toward me. “No, he has nieces and nephews, and they do this big Christmas thing at his parents’ house. I told him not to bother coming here since we’d be leaving soon.”
“Oh…we are?” I ask, dread filling me immediately.
“I mean…you saw Aunt Cindy up on the stage. Not sure how much care she’s going to need after Christmas. And I already spoke with Martha and Mae about helping her out with meals.”
“Huh…” I run my finger over the pink marble countertop. “I guess I just assumed we’d stay longer, maybe through the new year at least.”
“Well, I have a job to get back to, don’t you?”
“I mean, I brought my computer with me, so I could work from anywhere. I just fear if we leave too early, and she tries to do something, she might reinjure herself.”
“I think she’ll be fine,” Taran says without a worry in her voice. “Why do you want to stay longer? I thought you didn’t care for being here.”
I didn’t.
And then I realized it was everything that I was missing in my life.
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “It’s grown on me.”
“It has?” she asks, brows lifting. “That’s surprising.”
“Why is that surprising?”
“Maybe because the entire drive up here, you were bitching about having to live in Kringle for weeks.”
“Well, I guess my mind was changed.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, and her eyes laser in on me.
