Page 28 of Snowflakes and Sparks

Addy nodded. “Of course.”

I hoped I could trust her to keep her word. Addy was sweet as a Christmas cookie, but also very talkative.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I don’t understand how you two are not together, though. From what I can tell, Alex is really fond of you.”

“I’m fond of him as well, but honestly, we’re just friends,” I said, even though deep down I had to admit that there was something of a spark when I thought about him. The feelings I had a decade ago came rushing back in spurts when he was around.

“I dare to disagree. Why else would a guy go to all that trouble? Taking care of you, going for a ride on the Ferris wheel, being a model for your calendar… If you ask me, that’s not being friendly, that’s being in love.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of it being true. “Who knows? Maybe he’s into me, maybe he’s not. Whatever the truth may be, thanks for arranging that interview for me. It’ll be good to get Diane out of my hair. For some reason, she doesn’t like me.”

Addy fiddled with a stack of bookmarks. “She’s only looking out for Alex. I wouldn’t take it personal. Last year he had his heart broken by a girl we all thought would stick around. I think Diane’s afraid he’ll get hurt again.”

“Alex told me that as well, but there’s one thing I can’t understand. Why her? Please tell me she’s not his real mother or something?”

“She’s not. They are related though. Diane’s a cousin of Alex’s mother. Ever since his mom moved out of town when he was thirteen, Diane kind of felt it was her duty to look out for him.”

I shut my laptop off and closed it, struggling to keep all of the questions I had about his mother and why she’d left inside of me. For some reason it didn’t feel right to discuss Alex’s personal life with Addy.

“Well, I should get changed and head over to Dave’s Diner,” I said, glancing at the time on my phone.

“Let me know how it goes, okay? Maybe we can get some coffee together tomorrow morning?” Addy asked, gathering her things.

“I would love to, but I’ve got the photo shoot tomorrow.”

“In that case, I’ll swing by. Seeing Alex half naked is something I don’t want to miss. You’re one lucky girl.”

I laughed. “Enough with the naked talk. It’s going to be pretty decent.”

“If you say so,” she said with a wink before she headed out.

Her remark made me think though. Should I ask Alex to spice up the photos? I had to admit that I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I already knew he had a perfectly maintained body, but seeing it up close would be a whole new ballgame. I grinned foolishly as I imagined Alex taking off his shirt and smiling at me. Even the thought alone was enough to make a girl weak in the knees.Keep it together, Suzie, I told myself. For the love of all that’s good in this world, keep it together.

Chapter Eleven

One hour. That was all it took to transform Got It Covered into a professional set. Pam, the photographer, had arrived with three sets of lamps, two tripods, garment bags full of outfits and boxes filled with Christmas props. I’d watched her as she carefully laid out the props on one of the tables. There were Santa hats, red-and-white striped socks, mugs, antler ears, fake presents, snow globes, a bag full of candy canes and four bags of marshmallows. Either she was completely nuts about Christmas and she’d had all this stuff stacked away at home somewhere, or she’d raided an entire store worth of decorations, leaving other families crying over finding nothing left to buy.

Kate had told me they’d decided to make it a nationwide calendar after reading my proposal and seeing pictures of Alex. She said she wanted the result to be sexy, but friendly. The photos would all be centered around books of course, but she thought having me and Alex star as a couple would be the most marketable option. Plus, with Becca Loveheart confirming the signing, the store would attract lots of new customers who’d more than likely want to snatch a copy of the calendar as well. Kate had even agreed to closing the store for one day so that we wouldn’t have to wait to do the photo shoot.

I couldn’t keep myself from checking the time every minute, even though Alex wasn’t expected to arrive for another fifteen minutes. I took out my phone and opened the camera app to check my look. I’d loosely curled my hair and had opted for bronze eyeshadow, black mascara and a light pink lipstick.

“This is the outfit I selected for the first photos,” Pam said, handing me a garment bag and a pair of black pumps.

“I’ll go try them on upstairs,” I said and made my way to the living room.

I unzipped the bag and retrieved the outfit. It was a sparkling black dress with a deep-plunging neckline and an open back. On top of the dress rested a pair of stylish red stockings and red earrings. They complemented the look and gave it a genuine Christmassy feel.

I put everything on, then slipped my feet into the pumps. The black leather was shiny and new, a big contrast with my own shoes. The color of my trusty pumps had started to wear around the tips, but I found it nearly impossible to find a pair that fit me like a shoe should fit – comfortably, without giving you blisters. This pair felt different, though, and to top it off, they made me feel like a movie star.

When I arrived downstairs again, I saw Alex chatting with Pam and I walked toward them.

“Hey you,” he said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of me. Or it could’ve been the sparkles of the dress that blinded him. There was no way to tell.

“Do you like it?”

He let out a puff of air and laughed. “Like it? I love it. You look very pretty.”

“Thanks.”

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