Page 36 of The Christmas Romance Wish

“SNAFUs?”

“Should the situation arise, don’t say that in front of the guys. It’ll give them carte blanche to say whatever. I, uh, censored a select word.”

“My grandfather used to get on my brothers about talking like pirates. Chances are, I’ve heard it before.”

“All the same, my grandmother taught me to speak respectfully in front of ladies.” Moving on, Alex tells me that his company, Wild Warriors, specializes in outfitting citizens with everything they need for camping and overlanding. “It just so happens that also comes in handy for natural disasters.”

“Glad I didn’t rent a car.” I hiccup.

“Would you like to call your brothers and let them know your flight was canceled?”

“No, because I was going to surprise them by showing up on their doorstep.”

“Do they live together?”

“No, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Coco Key is a small town and the moment I set foot in the sand, the Coconut Wireless would put out an all-points bulletin reporting my arrival.”

“I moved around a lot when I was a kid. Wish I could’ve had the small-town life.”

“Dylann says the same thing. Meanwhile, all I wanted was to get out of there and experience the city.”

“The grass is always greener.”

“Or the snow is always whiter.”

We both chuckle.

“You know that I was an only child and moved around a lot. You have four brothers and lived in the same small town until college, right?”

“Yep. Got out of there as soon as I was able.”

“What else? What’s your story?”

“Are you writing a book?”

“No, we are.”

“Yes, but it’s yours.”

“Surely you have a story to tell.”

I shrug. “No, I help tell other people’s.”

“Tell me what made you want to leave Coco Key so badly.”

Taking a deep breath, I wonder what part of this sad old tale to dust off. “Magnus, my oldest brother is thirty-eight.”

“Same as me. He’s the military guy, right?”

“Navy pilot.”

“I wonder if we ever crossed paths.”

“Put the two of you in a room together and you’d probably talk for days. Then there’s the first set of twins, Royal and Ryan.”

“Are they identical?”

“When they were younger, it was harder to tell them apart, but it’s easy enough now. Next, is CJ.”

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