Page 75 of About Last Night

“No. I like plain.”

Willa nods slowly and sips her coffee. “Well, that tracks,” she says, and walks off.

Greta’s face flames with embarrassment or anger, I’m not sure which, and I don’t have time to think about what just happened because Toni bounds into the house.

When I see her I forget to breathe. I’ve never seen her look so gorgeous. Her eyes sparkle, her skin is bright with exertion and a little red from the cold, especially her nose. She’s smiling and I imagine this is what she always looks like after she’s been out hiking or skiing or snowshoeing or whatever crazy shit she does. Her energy fills the house, overpowering everything and everyone, jolting us out of our lethargy. Toni’s here. The day is alive with possibility.

“Where have you been?” Willa asks.

“I snowshoed over to Max’s place, then did a five-mile loop.”

“I’m sorry, did you say five miles?” Willa asks. She’s still in her flannel pajamas, with a thick navy sweater thrown over the top. She looks cozy and rather beautiful.

“I did,” Toni says.

Her eyes meet mine and blood roars through my body like class-five river rapids in the spring. I’m glad I’m sitting down because there’s no way my knees wouldn’t have buckled with the force of Toni’s charisma and my attraction to her.

She grins and walks toward me, taking off her beanie as she does. Her hair is absolute chaos, sticking out from her head with static electricity from the wool cap. So, I’m distracted when she comes up to me, leans down, says, “Merry Christmas Eve, Audrey,” and kisses me on the mouth.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

TONI

I don’t realize my mistake until I pull away from the kiss—a very sweet and tender one, I might add—see the expression on Audrey’s face, and realize there is a vacuum of silence in our kitchen.

I have the crazy idea to cover my mistake by kissing Willa, too, and even turn toward her. She obviously reads the panic written all over my face, and somehow has the same idea as me.

“My turn,” she says, and steps forward.

“Merry Christmas Eve, Willa,” I say, and kiss her as quickly as possible. But she won’t let me go and holds me to her for what seems like forever, but is probably only a few seconds, about the length of time I kissed Audrey. Thank God the kiss I gave Audrey was pretty chaste, or I think Willa would go for more.

When she pulls back, she turns to Greta with a big smile and open arms. “Your turn, Greta.”

“I’ve already wished you merry Christmas Eve.” Greta’s voice is as stiff as her expression.

“Oh right. Last night. I forgot. If you would have added a kiss, like Toni, I’d remember.” Willa turns to my mom, whose eyes are wide. “What can I do to help, Ingrid? Dishes are washed. Anything else for your sous chef?”

I appreciate how Willa is trying to brazen this all out, to make it normal so Audrey and I can talk later, but it’s definitely not working.

“Um, well,” my mom says.

She and Dad glance at each other and Dad says, “Ingrid, remember that thing I, uh, wanted to show you in, erm, the workshop?” If this wasn’t the start of a dumpster fire, I would laugh at how comically high my dad’s voice goes at the end of the question.

“Yes, absolutely. Let’s do that now.” And at that my mom, who has never been one to shirk a confrontation, practically sprints out of the kitchen.

Once they’re out of the room, and I hear the back door close behind them, I have no choice but to turn around to Audrey. She’s sitting in much the same position as I left her. That has to be good, right?

“Audrey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking and…” I trail off. No. I’m not going to say what she wants to hear, I’m going to say what I want, what I meant. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just my family.”

“And that is our cue to exit, Greta,” Willa says.

She starts towards the stairs, but Greta seems glued to her seat.

Audrey stands. “We’ll go.”

I follow Audrey up the stairs and to my room, and close the door behind us.

“Look, I’m really sorry, Audrey. When I saw you and you were looking at me like that I just forgot where I was and who else was there. All I thought was how happy I was to see you first thing in the morning, in my childhood home, on my favorite holiday.” I move close and pull her to me. “How I hope this is the first of many.”

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