Page 165 of One Winter Knight
While it had been fun to sleep with everyone in a blanket fort in the TV room, it would be nice to have an actual bed.
Didn’t have to be mine. I was happy to sleep in one of theirs.
The idea that we all had our own rooms felt luxurious–almost wasteful. I shared rooms my whole life. Even at my place now I shared a room with Big Tad. I should text him, because I’d said I’d probably be back by now.
Oh, shit. Rent was due tomorrow. Fuck.
“The food looks amazing.” I took the mug AJ handed me.
“Where are you staying?” AJ asked me curiously. “Some of your mates are from New York?”
“Carlos just bought a townhouse, so we’re moving into that for now. I can’t exactly tell you where it is, other than it’s literally down the street from Dimitri’s.” I took a sip of coffee.
Verity sat down at the table. There were fruit and potatoes, and that tomato egg dish that was really good after a night of drinking. Also, bacon and some muffins.
“This looks great.” I piled some of the egg dish onto my plate.
“I have to go do a few things, but I’m here if you need me.” AJgave Verity a kiss. He looked at me. “I guess congratulations are in order. We’ll talk later.” He grabbed some food and went down the hall.
Nervously, I put more food on my plate.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning? Until you told me you were going skiing with your friends I didn’t even know you were going away for Christmas.” Grace put some potatoes and bacon on a plate.
“Start with taking my car and the girl.” Verity gave me a look over her chai latte.
“Fiona is very glad you found her backpack charm. Oh wait. I forgot.” I got the bags that I abandoned in the living room, then brought them over and put them onto an empty chair.
“Mercy already got her present.” I started taking the dolls out and putting them on the empty part of the table. “I don’t know if you’re going to see any of the littles or are sending a package to London. Maybe I could just have their address, and I guess I’ll send it myself?” I could handle that, right?
“Oh, the dolls are so cute. I love them. Which one’s mine?” Grace asked.
I showed her which one was hers and said who all the dolls belonged to.
“You got me a doll?” Verity held one.
“She looks like you and she’s wearing a pretty pastel dress. You always wear pastel dresses.” I was glad I’d had the foresight to buy it because I never did have time to buy her anything else.
“Thank you.” Grace beamed. “I’ll make sure the dolls get to everyone.”
I sat back down. “I apologize for stealing your car. I hadn’t planned on it. It’s just that my friend called me up at the last minute and asked me if I wanted to take his place in the race. All I had to do was provide a car that met the specs. It was too big of an opportunity to risk you sayingno, considering I had no time toget another car. I didn’t crash it. I’d give you some of my winnings, but I kind of spent most of it.”
Earlier, I checked my bank balance. Apparently, I made a large purchase and had it shipped to Verity.
“Would that be the very beautiful jewelry that arrived in your name?” Verity’s manicured eyebrows rose as she took another sip of her latte.
“We opened it, because I’m nosy. Also, we had to make sure it wasn’t alive.” Mercy stood and got it off the counter, then handed it to me.
“That’s not fair. I only ordered living things because Chance is too little to do it for himself,” I replied. That was my little brother who liked animals.
Inside the box were three blue boxes from Stephanie’s, which was an expensive, popular jewelry shop. The first held a delicate link bracelet with a little heart on it. The second and third held similar link bracelets but they were thicker.
“How pretty,” Grace said. “You’re matching.”
They were very pretty.
“Let me start at the beginning.” As we ate, I told my sisters everything about the trip– meeting Fiona, not remembering everything, her dads’ kidnapping us and their ultimatum, and how we now had six months to make it work or they’d add a stranger.
Verity gave me a look. “They actually said that?”
