Page 31 of Back Home For Christmas

I couldn’t speak. I could only watch him while his back was turned, studying each muscle as it moved beneath his shirt. And I found myself actually wondering if it would be worth putting up with his personality to get him in bed just once. His personality wasn’t all that bad in truth. Sometimes he was funny and had proven kind of nice during the car ride. Oh my God! What is wrong with me? I silently yelled at myself.

“There, that’s how it’s done,” he said, standing up and gesturing toward the roaring fire. He had opened his mouth and broken the spell.

“I could have done it better,” I said.

“Sure,” he said, leaning over and patting me on the head. I got up and stood in front of the fire, hoping the bottom of my pants would dry from the walk in the snow. I had already pulled off my shoes and socks, coat and sweater, leaving me in jeans and a cami, but I didn’t have high hopes about my pants drying. I couldn’t sleep in them, but I also couldn’t take them off and walk around in my underwear. I didn’t think Jay would ever try something, and just a few minutes ago, I desperately wanted him to, but there was something really embarrassing about sitting around half dressed.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Once I had warmed up enough, my stomach growled. All I had to eat was some combos in the car.

“Is that your stomach?” Jay asked from the armchair that was a little too close for comfort to my spot in front of the fire, but I couldn’t exactly tell him to sit on the floor.

“Mind your business,” I said with a glare, wrapping my arms around my stomach. Leave it to Jay to mock completely normal bodily noises. And I had just been thinking positive thoughts about him.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” he said, standing up as if I didn’t have a say.

“I am not going back out in the cold.”

“Are you going to starve?”

“Do I get to be warm?” I asked.

“Do you enjoy arguing with everything I say, or do you just feel obligated to?” He asked.

“A little of both.”

“Well, I’m going to get something to eat. I suggest you come with me, but I can’t make you,” he said.

“You could offer to bring me food?” I suggested.

“But then I wouldn’t get to spend time with you.”

“Since when do you want to spend time with me?” I asked.

“Since always,” he said. I snorted a laugh.

“You are a good liar. I guess that helps you with your job,” I said.

“Maybe.”

I begrudgingly put my sweater, coat, and shoes back on, feeling freezing despite the fire. Outside, I shivered inside my coat until we started walking at a fast pace, and the exercise warmed me up slightly. I didn’t know the town well enough to know where to go, and I had to imagine Jay didn’t either, but we were on the main stretch of shops, restaurants and inns, so hopefully we would find something. Although neither of us were in any condition for a sit down meal at a high-end place, so we had to find something appropriately dumpy.

Ahead, white and colored Christmas lights strung on every lamppost, tree branch and shop reflected off the snow, making a magical sort of glittery effect. It was beautiful and almost made up for us being back out in the cold.

“Should we test out the competition?” Jay asked, pointing to a small, enclosed booth standing against the snow falling around us. It had a sign that read “Coffee by the Beach,” and a young woman, bundled in several layers, served various hot drinks to the few people braving the weather.

“The name is a little too on the nose,” I said.

“Totally,” he said. “I can’t believe they do any business at all with a name like that.” We approached the booth and ordered two cocoas. They came to us in paper cups with a generous swirl of whipped cream and little chocolate shavings on top.

“Fancy,” I said with equal parts admiration and derision before taking a sip.

“Do you think they use chocolate from the same place we do?” Jay took his own tentative sip and then smacked his lips thoughtfully, as if he were a sommelier tasting some new wine.

“If they are smart, they do,” I said, taking a sip. It was rich and sweat and delicious. If it hadn’t been so hot, I would have gulped the whole thing down in one long swig. “It’s good.”

“Really good,” Jay said, “although not as good as your mom’s.”

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