Page 76 of Back for Seconds

Her voice was like Swiss meringue. Soft and smooth, light as air, and for the first time in a long time, I woke up feeling nothing in my stomach but hunger. Eyes still closed, I reached a hand out blindly, searching through the sheets for June’s body.

Her hair, with its strawberry smell, danced over my face, pulling me from sleep. I felt the mattress depress next to me, then cold, silklike skin against my chest. “It snowed.”

“No way,” I managed, my voice sleep-cloaked. I blinked an eye open, bright white morning light overwhelming everything. Then my vision cleared.

Junie. Her head propped up on folded hands resting in the center of my chest. A mile-wide smile on her heart-shaped face.

“I swear. Just a dusting but it’s enough.” She scrunched her nose at me. “Come on, get up.”

I pressed my hands to either side of her face, gently squeezing her cheeks. “Don’t move.”

“Why?” She laughed.

“Because I like this.” I closed my eyes, letting her weight sink into me, pressing me back into a soft sleep. What time is it? How late had we stayed up? My body ached from the labor of last night—cooking all day, dancing—little sparks of pain dinging through my legs and lower back. I’m exhausted.

“Wait.” June weaseled her way out of my arms. “Go back to sleep. I have an idea.”

She said this like I had any choice.

***

“Ok, sleepyhead.” Her voice pulled me up from the depths of a dreamless sleep. “Rise and shine or Santa’s going to be very angry, and you don’t want to know what that man is like when he’s angry.”

My eyes flew open. “What the fuck?” June was standing beside the bed wearing one of my T-shirts, a mug in one hand and a plate in the other, muted morning light at her shoulder. She looked like an angel. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, rubbing the last bit of sleep from my eyes. “What’s all this?”

“Well, I made you coffee—with cinnamon and nutmeg, the way you like it.” She handed me the mug. “And I made you avocado toast. I used some of that fancy olive oil you kept talking about last night. Oh, and I couldn’t really figure out your toaster so maybe the bread could be warmer—”

“You cooked for me?”

She nudged the plate into my bare chest, prompting me to take it. “And I unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it.” She padded across the room and pushed the curtains open, whispering to herself: “Snow.”

“Merry Christmas,” I said dumbly. Because are you an actual fucking angel? might have been a little awkward. I set the plate down on the duvet between my legs and took three enormous gulps of coffee, admiring the curve of her ass under my T-shirt and the gentle sway of her long hair around her tapered waist as she leaned up on her toes to get a better glimpse of the road. “You really didn’t have to do any of this, June.”

“It was barely anything. Your mom cleaned up so much last night. And she danced her little ass off. Bernie’s impressive.” She spun back toward me. “By the way, my brother got me a table at his restaurant for three so…no Christmas alone.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that? I was never going to let you spend today alone.” I lifted my chin. “Come sit with me.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, gnawing at her lip, taking a few careful steps toward me. “Two family dinners in a row feels a little…”

I shake my head hard. “It doesn’t have to feel like anything. The Paganos are always taking in strays.”

“Strays?” She gave me a dry look and punctuated with a slow blink. An undeniably Junie look.

“Wrong word,” I said quickly, letting out a laugh. “You fit in perfectly. My brothers loved you. My mom thinks you’re brilliant—”

“I just don’t want to keep you from your family. Your nieces.” She flashed me a nervous smile. “It’s already eleven, so…”

“Can you just come over here? My arms are getting tired.”

“Fine,” she said with a laugh, crossing the room to settle in my lap, burying her face in my neck.

She smelled like morning air and fresh coffee. I breathed her in deep and tightened my arms around her. “You don’t have to run out.”

“I just don’t want to overstay my welcome.” She said this while pushing her fingers through my hair, gently working her fingertips against my scalp. My head lulled back in pleasure. I felt her lips on the tip of my nose, the top of my cheeks, the corner of my jaw, on the pulse point in my neck.

“There is no overstay with you. You’re always welcome. And I’m not seeing my family until later.”

A hum vibrated in her chest. “You’re trying to get me to crawl back into bed with you.”