Page 273 of Accidentally Under Your Tree

"Yeah, of course. Who is she again?" I tapped my fingers on the velvet sofa arm.

"The one with the shitty fiancé."

"Ah, right." I recalled Rose complaining about her friend's engagement to a total asshole, but I wouldn't have recalled the person's name.

"Is he shitty?" Kelly asked over her persistent clicking.

"The worst."

"In what way?"

Rose arched an eyebrow. "Um…she doesn'tsayanything. You know how she is. But the only good thingIcan say about him is he's gainfully employed, and hot."

"Well, that's sad. After everything she's been through…"

Rose nodded, even though her mom couldn't see her. "Is it okay if I take the car?"

"Sure," I agreed. "I'll find something to do."

Fifteen minutes later, Rose and I exchanged an awkward hug after she went to kiss me on the cheek, and I went for her forehead. Giving up on salvaging the goodbye, she exited out the side door. The engine of the rental car came to life, and Kelly called from the office, "Will can you do me a favor?"

My stomach dropped, overwhelmed by a paranoid fear that her next words were going to be along the lines,"Can younotfuck around with my daughter in the basement?"

Forcing my expression calm, I leaned against the doorjamb. "What's up?"

She grinned at me like the cat who ate the canary. "You get along really well with Lizzy."

Cold sweat prickled across my skin.

"I've noticed," she went on more stiltedly, "that you're helping the girls…reconnect."

"I don't know how much I play into that."

"I don't either, but I'm happy to see it, anyway."

I curled and uncurled my toes inside my comfortable socks. "So, what can I help you with?"

"I want you to take Lizzy shopping for a gift for Rose. She usually gets store credit somewhere, but it'd be nice if she got her something more personal. She just might not know what to get her, but you probably would."

"Uh, I'm not great at gifts, but I can try." Anxiety still twisted my gut, but relief was slowly untying the tension.

And that was the Christmas miracle that put me sitting in the passenger seat as Lizzy drove to a nearby mall—at her mom's request. Lizzy tapped the steering wheel, silencing the stereo as soon as the first note of a song began to play.

The waves of her ponytail swung as she looked both ways before pulling out of her driveway, and I remembered burying my fingers in the strands as I slipped inside of her.

I sucked in a sharp breath—the memory sparking echoing sensations through my body.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Mm-hm." I cut my eyes her way.

A devious grin split across her face, understanding the directions of my mind. "Oh, yeah. You're fine."

"Whathaveyou done to me?"

"Nothing you didn't deserve."

"We need to change the subject, or we're going to have to find somewhere to pull over."

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