Page 72 of All I Want For Christmas

They’d been friends ever since.

The entire Landry family had welcomed Theo into their midst. He’d quickly learned that the Landrys did that with nearly everyone they met, but after his brother had died in the explosion at the community center when they were all teens, the Landrys had rallied around him and his parents like family. Real, always-be-there-no-matter-what family.

So he didn’t actually want to get rid of Zander.

At least not permanently.

Just for right now. As inright now. Before Savannah showed up.

Theo studied his friend.

Or maybe, he wanted Zander’s advice.

Zander had met, fallen in love with, and married a city girl from money. Caroline was awesome. She was particularly awesome for Zander. But she was definitely not a small-town girl.

“I think I do actually need to be here,” Zander said.

Theo worked to give him what he hoped was a bored look. “Yeah, why’s that?”

“Because you made the cabin nice for her, didn’t you?”

Theo didn’t make eye contact. “Did Kennedy tell you that?” Kennedy was not just the mayor and the one who had to approve the cabin for Savannah, she was also Zander’s cousin.

“She only confirmed it,” Zander said with a smirk. “I knew you’d make the cabin nice. You evenrepaireda hole in the screen on the bedroom window, didn’t you?”

Theo scowled at his friend. “I had to. My bet is that she can’t last a night out there straight up. I can’t drive her out. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on, you and I both know Savannah isn’t cut out for the bayou. I don’tneedto do anything to make it more miserable for her. She’s gonna hate it just as it is.”

Which was seventy-five percent of the problem with Theo wanting her in the first place. The other twenty-five percent was that he would hate New York City just as it is.

“I do know that,” Zander agreed. “And I’m glad to hear you say it. Though I’m not sure it’s gonna matter once you get her out there.”

“What’s that mean?” Theo asked, his annoyance growing.

“It means you are asuckerfor blue eyes, and a nice ass in a prissy skirt, and a damsel in distress. Even if youputthat damsel in distress,” Zander told him. “And I’m guessing Savannah is going to be in distress tonight in that cabin. This is a really bad idea, bro.”

Theo scowled at him. Because Zander was right. “Fuck off.”

“I’m just here to remind you that you’re always gonna be a bayou boy, and I think there is only one way tonight goes well.”

Theo opened his mouth, but Zander kept going.

“Ifyou actually give her a taste of the bayou like you said you would. Don’t be nice. Don’t pamper her. Don’t be her hero. Make her actually experience it.”

Again, Theo started to respond, but Zander shook his head. “But you’re not gonna do that.” He sipped from his coffee cup. “Unless you wanna take her out there, drop her off, then come back to town and crash on my couch. Otherwise, I’m not believing for one second that you’re gonna leave her alone.”

Sometimes Theo really loved having a lifelong friend. Someone who’d been there for him through everything and knew him better than he knew himself sometimes. His history with Zander was twenty-three years long. Sometimes he thought that was really damned nice.

This was not one of those times.

“You’re one to talk about pampering,” Theo scoffed. “Caroline is a princess with a capital P, and you enable every bit of it.”

Zander nodded. “You are absolutely right. But fuck man, the higher the thread count, the better I sleep. And thereisa difference between cheap champagne and the good stuff.” He held up his hands as Theo smirked at him. “Make fun if you want. I know how it sounds, but I’m worth it.”

Theo outright laughed at that. “Jesus. What have you done with my best friend? I used to really love hanging out with this guy who was down-to-earth, who could swig homemade moonshine, and who thought caviar was a town in Europe.”

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