Page 16 of Christmas Kisses

"So what's the glitch?"

"He kissed me."

"The mayor?"

"No, for god's sake, Brandy, pay attention. Ben kissed me during one of our lessons."

"Did you kiss him back?"

I blush profusely at her question, and she snickers while taking a bite of her cookie. It's not a good look for her.

"That kiss floored me, and then I ran away. I didn't know what to do with all the feelings it gave me."

"That kind of kiss, huh? Good for you, bestie. What's next, second base? Is it scheduled already?"

"I don't know if I can keep up with the lessons, Brandy."

How do I tell my best friend that I'm enjoying the lessons way too much for comfort? That now I want more from him, and I don't think I could ever tell him that.

"Why the hell not? Oh, you like him."

"He's very easy to talk to. Wouldn't it be better if I tried making conversation with the man that I'm interested in instead of a replacement? I need to get desensitized to the mayor's charms."

"Tell me more about Ben Hoffer."

"You've got a chocolate chip at the edge of your mouth. Seriously, bestie, you've no class. I've missed you so much!"

I hand her a napkin, and she wipes her mouth with it.

"You know better than to try to distract me. Be honest. You're enjoying these lessons far more than you expected, and now you are freaking out."

"We're not twins, you know."

"I can read you like a book, Bower," Brandy says.

"What am I going to do? He's still installing the booths in the cafe. That and the repairs I asked him to make will take him at least four more nights of work. I can't face him."

I wait expectantly to see what she has to say about it, and in the meantime, snatch two of the cookies off the plate before she eats them all.

"Well, it just so happens that I'm going to need your support the next few days. You don't have to see him at all once you let him in to do the work."

"Thank you! Yes, we've been apart too long. We need time to catch up."

"That's what's up."

Ben

Sam's bestie is cock blocking me, and it's pissing me off. I ask my brother Danny to meet me at Flora's Baked Delights for breakfast, and I order for us while I wait for him. He comes in and is stopped several times before he's able to make his way to our table. My brother Danny is well-loved by the folks at Woodland Falls because he spends the day before Christmas helping people with minor repairs or chores they might not be able to handle themselves. When he finally gets to sit down, the words out of his mouth are all about helping me.

"Hey, what's this big emergency you need me for? You need backup at work?"

"More like backup with my dating life."

"You still crushing on the owner of Over the Roast?"

"It's evolved, unfortunately."

"Do tell."

---