Page 52 of Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty

“Hurry back!” Amelia laughs. “You don’t want to miss the arrival of the star.”

Walking the halls of the school this late at night is a little alarming. The classrooms are dark and silent, the halls seem to stretch infinitely in either direction, and there’s a chill in the air that’s impossible to shake. I hurry down the hall toward the bathroom and quickly do my business, eager to get back to the hall.

I can’t get James out of my head, though. As I wash my hands, I stare at the now faint love bites he left on my neck. If I close my eyes, I can immediately feel his warmth pressed against me. It’s selfish, I know, but I don’t want to lose that. I want to call him up and fall into his arms just one more time.

But I’m a parent. I don’t get to be selfish anymore.

Drying my hands, I step out of the bathroom and squeal as a hand comes out of the nearby shadows.

“What the fuck?” Slapping the hand away, I make it two steps before another hand grabs me in between deep laughter.

“Lily, calm down! It’s me! It’s Mark!”

“Oh.” Oddly, that doesn’t make me feel at ease. I turn to face him and my heart sinks slightly. His smile is oddly toothy and as his hand slides down my arm, I’m reminded of how oddly dry they are. “Do you usually skulk around outside the ladies' bathroom?”

“I saw you walking and tried to catch up, but you went in there,” Mark explains, jerking his head toward the bathroom. “I didn’t know the right place to wait for you after that.”

“Ah. I suppose there isn’t one. But waiting around a dark corner? Definitely not it,” I scold slightly, then I start walking down the corridor. Mark falls into step beside me with a wide smile.

“Noted. Next time, I’ll join you.” His elbow knocks against mine, and a curl of disgust rises in my gut.

“Maybe not,” I say, laughing awkwardly. “Anyway, why were you looking for me? School related?”

“I’m not all about work,” Mark says, shaking his head. “I wanted to see you, to talk to you.”

I find myself picking up the pace, not wanting to be caught up in some awkward conversation with no way out. The sounds of the Nativity rehearsal rise up from behind the wooden doors to the gym and I beeline toward them. Mark easily keeps pace.

“About what? If it’s cake-related, you’ll need to come to the store because I don’t think I’ll remember anything tonight.”

“No, it’s not that. Lily.” James catches my arm lightly, drawing me to a stop. “I want to ask you something.”

Easing myself out of his grip, I force a bright smile. “Ask away!”

“I was so sorry to hear about what happened at the bakery. Imagine breaking in and doing all of that damage and not even stealing anything.”

“I know,” I sigh. “It was terrible, but luckily, I had a friend to help.”

Mark’s mouth twitches.

“Wait—how did you know nothing was stolen?”

“It’s the talk of the town,” Mark says quickly. “I stopped by that day to help you, did you hear?”

“I did. Thanks for that.” My mind runs. I hadn’t told anyone what was stolen—or rather, what wasn’t. Maybe my parents had mentioned it? Odd.

“Anyway, that’s sort of related to what I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh?”

“That man, Jason, is it?”

“James.”

“Oh. Right. Whatever. Anyway, I know he helped you out at the auction, but it’s not serious between the two of you, is it? Because I remember you saying you weren’t really up for dating.”

My heart sinks as it clicks where this is going.

“So, what do you say?” Mark grins and leans close. “Come on a date with me, a real date, and I’ll show youexactlyhow you deserve to be treated.”

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