Page 16 of Holiday Home 4

“‘There’s a picture of me post-shower in your future,’ it says,” he announced. “Number thirty-three.”

“Ugh, that one… now?” The woman yawned again.

“I’ll take it tomorrow if I have to,” he said, leaning over to see her rubbing at her eyes. “Sleeping Beauty.”

Avril squished her face together, then yawned a third time. “Thanks, babe. I’ll send it before you wake up, I bet. I’ll be up again soon.”

“Why? What’s got you waking up this early?”

“Wouldn’t. You. Like. To. Know.”

She blew him a kiss, and then their conversation tapered off. Eventually, he let her head to bed; she clearly needed sleep. He’d never seen her quite so exhausted, and he was interested enough to consider texting Anna about it. However, the angle of approach gave him pause.

Even though it felt more and more like an open secret between roommates, he wasn’t sure if it would be wise to mention to Anna that he’d been talking to Avril so late at night. On Valentine’s Day, no less.

Ultimately, he didn’t message anyone else that night. Instead, he looked over thebountifulgifts that each woman had sent him. Even though he didn’t see any of them in the flesh, this Valentine’s Day still became the best that he’d ever had.

Chapter Six

An Angel (Not)

Liam scowled for the first time in weeks when it began to drizzle while he was still on the highway on the 17th. Rather than making the drive last night, he’d decided to get up relatively early on this brisk Saturday and leave then. He had hoped to make it home a little before noon. That would still be the case, but he still frowned as the first patter of a pitiful but long-lasting sprinkle forced him to turn on his wipers.

He supposed he should count his blessings—it was just rain, not a flurry of snow. Winter still had February in its clutches, but Liam’s hopes rested with March. He’d be out of the country when April struck, yet there were still some things he wanted to indulge in stateside before then. Outdoor activities, including one that had been promised at the end of last year. He needed it to be marginally warm for him to get the opportunity.

After letting the rain burden his thoughts for a few minutes, he forced himself to unshoulder his annoyance. Today’s opportunities could survive a bit of dismal rain. He doubted he’dspend much of this chilly Saturday experiencing the outdoors, anyhow.

The experiences Liam had in mind were far warmer, far more intimate. Regardless of the rain, the long drive, or the semi-truck that veered in front of him and forced him to slam his brakes, today, February 17th, had every chance to become the best day of the year.

So far.

After escaping the highway, Liam didn’t beeline it home. Instead, mingling with the busy midday traffic, he battled toward a local shopping center. Given that Valentine’s Day was three days behind them, he didn’t need to fight to seize one of the six parking spots in front of Chocolate Bliss. Further benefits were found within the cozy store, as just about every remaining box shaped like a heart and coated in shiny plastic was on sale.

Liam spent half of what he would have last weekend when he selected three boxes to bring home. Yet, midway through checkout, his eyes drifted back to the shelves, where a memory of Christmas Eve also dwelled. A lonely heart-shaped box of assorted chocolates languished in solitude—the rest of its siblings had all found a home before it could. The crimson covering gleamed in the light, showing no signs of damage to the packaging, and a white sash draped across it like it was a beauty contestant.

So, a few minutes later, as Liam returned to his car, he carried a stack of four boxes of chocolate, not three. It might not be the ridiculously expensive brand that Avril had gotten everyone last year, but it was still pretty nice chocolate. He just hoped that everyone’s palettes hadn’t become too used to the finest stuff on the market.

Three of those chocolate gifts would find themselves impatiently waiting for tomorrow, lingering in his house until he could bring them to their recipients. Only the fourth—a mixof milk and white chocolate; he knew Tess’s preferences—would get to present itself to its intended recipient today.

When Liam made it into his neighborhood, a flood of memories lifted the corners of his mouth. Nothing short of a hurricane could have dampened his mood now. He descended the hill into the neighborhood, eyeing the length of sidewalk—now visible—where he and Anna had engaged in a brief snowball fight. Afterward, he’d trudged back through the snow to Tess’s waiting arms. Today he got to make that trip a little quicker.

As soon as he laid eyes on the house beside his, his smile expanded into an overjoyed grin. He’d seen it only a week ago, yet it felt like an eternity since he’d last visited. The meager rain shower threw a sepia tone over it, but it was still enough to make his excitement nearly unbearable.

Pulling into his empty driveway, Liam texted Tess that he’d made it home. After that, he hurried four boxes of chocolate indoors, then separated Tess’s from the rest in his kitchen. His phone buzzed with a message that Tess was waiting for him, so he gleefully tossed himself back into the chilly rain.

Keeping the chocolate’s packaging safe under his jacket, he forced himself to walk from his front door to the one next to it. Even though he knew the door would be unlocked for him, he nonetheless rang the doorbell. It allowed the rain to dampen his head and shoulders for a few seconds more, but he didn’t mind. When it opened, every trouble or complaint in his mind vanished into the void.

His first taste of the woman he loved was a smile containing equal parts amusement and bemusement. Eyes of endlessly deep blue, obtained from the depths of the ocean just moments before the sunlight could no longer penetrate any deeper, took him in, held him captive. They had since he’d first seen them years ago. Now, however, they didn’t just shine with kindness and sincerity.

“Hello, Liam,” Tess said, displaying a luscious smile. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes,” he responded, then strode into the actual home he’d been living in when he came back to town for the past month and a half.

Once he was inside, Tess swung her door closed. Their gazes reconnected briefly, but then Tess dropped her attention to the pronounced outline of a massive heart sticking out beneath his thin jacket. A fine eyebrow elevated itself above its sibling.

Before Liam could reveal his belated Valentine’s Day gift, he needed to reset his mind. It was how it always was. It was as if he turned into a long-forgotten backup phone every time he made it back to Tess. Battery drained, he needed to be plugged into the wall before he could work as intended. Even if it’d only been a few days since he’d last seen her in the flesh, he still went through the same ritual.

First, he admired her.

---