Page 36 of Flown in for Christmas

Gasping, my hands fly to cover my mouth. “Oh my god.”

Seventeen.

Nick

Joy’s wide, bloodshot eyesstare at me and I can’t help but laugh.

“Oh my god. Oh my god,” she gasps. “I am so, so,sosorry. I didn’t mean to! I just wanted a stress-treat and I came down here to call my dad and see how he was doing and, and…”

“Hey, hey.” I try to calm her down, taking her hand in mine. I give it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”

“What do I do?” she asks, now gripping my hand in both of hers. “I’ve never been high before. Am I high right now? I can’t tell. My mouth is dry and my head is a bit swimmy, but how do youknowif you’re high when you’re already high? Oh, no. How long is it going to last?”

At her rapid fire of questions, I chuckle. “Relax. It shouldn’t last more than a few hours.” Then I pause. “How much did you say you ate again?”

Her eyes are suspiciously glossy as she sniffles, “It’s not funny.”

I try to suppress my grin and fail miserably.

“Stop smiling,” she pouts, teary-eyed.

“I’m sorry.” I chuckle. “But I promise, you’ll be fine.”

She gives me the most miserable, scared, adorable look and I can’t stand the thought of her being upset over something this silly. “Here, I’ll even join you.” I grab the half-eaten brownie between us and pop it into my mouth.

Joy scrambles to sit up, reaching out to my mouth with a stuttering cry, “Nick!”

I throw my head back and laugh, chewing the oversized mouthful. “You said,” I say between chews, “you didn’t want to do this alone, remember?”

For the first time since I found her half-baked, she cracks a smile. “But I ate oneanda half brownies. That was only half of one,” she says, in such a way it feels like a challenge.

And I’ve never been one to back down from a dare before.

I get up and retrieve another of my father’s medically laced marijuana brownies and shove the entire thing in my mouth. “Hm?” I mumble, spreading my arms wide as Joy giggles. I swallow and grin. “Now we’re even.”

Joy’s laughter continues as she asks, “So now what?”

“We just don’t talk like we used to. Ever since my mom and Dan got married, it’s been weird, you know? And Emmett hardly answers my calls anymore,” Joy tells me from our spot on the floor in the main living room.

I’m not sure how we ended up in here. Possibly sidetracked from trying to make it upstairs, but I’m not complaining. We’re lying flat on our backs beside the fireplace, our heads positioned under the too-large-for-words Christmas tree my family somehow got in here, staring up into the thousands of sparkling lights and shimmering ornaments. A kaleidoscope of holiday spirit.

It’s beautiful.

Almost as beautiful as her.

I watch Joy as she gazes above, not realizing that I’ve been staring at her since she began talking about her family and the life she left behind in California.

“So when you called,” she continues, “it was perfect timing. I didn’t have to sleep in an airport or…spend Christmas alone.”

My chest warms at her words—not the weed. I’m pretty sure, anyhow.

“Your brother sounds like a dick,” I say.

“Maybe it’s me.” She shrugs. “Maybe I expect too much from people.”

I roll on my side to face her fully, propping up on my elbow to gaze down at her gorgeous face illuminated in a soft glow. “Wanting to spend time with someone you love isn’t asking for too much. If anything, it’s the bare minimum.”

Her face turns toward mine and a flash of heat grips my core at the sight of her pillowy lips. It’d be so easy to lean in and kiss—

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