Page 49 of The Mistletoe Trap
“Oh, right,” Julie said. “It was you.”
“And I was correct, so by that same logic, you should always listen to me.”
“That’s not the same logic at all.”
“Shhh. Just go with it.”
Niki sighed, nice and loud. “Are you guys gonna get a room already? Or are we going to play ball?”
Gavin’s fingers tightened on her waist, digging in and leading her to believe she might not be the only one fighting her inner thoughts. “It’s been a while since Jules last played, so we’re gonna give her a chance to catch up.”
The way Niki raised her hands in concession confirmed there’d been at least a glare or two exchanged. The Frost siblings regarded life as one big competition, the years that separated them bridged by their compulsion to one-up each other. When it came to their games, though, no one cheered louder than whichever one of them was in the stands.
In fact, Niki had taught Julie how to do the two-finger whistle so they could be the most obnoxious spectators ever.Next time she goes to shoot, I’ll have to use it against her.If she hadn’t been trying to expose her and Gavin at every turn, Julie might feel bad about it. As it was, they could use any advantage they could get.
After another minute or so of lining up and reminders about where to aim and how to follow through, it was go-for-launch time.
“You’ve got this,” Gavin whispered. “You’re all lined up. Now just…” He made a swish noise, as if he already knew the outcome, and she let the air billow out of her. Then she put her weight behind the shot as he’d instructed, her wrist folding over the orange brim in her eyeline.
The ball hit the red square, ricocheted from one side of the rim to the other, and the world froze for a second.
Two.
Swish.
Julie completed a pirouette more fitted to a ballet studio than a concrete court and flung her arms around Gavin. A squeal escaped, and the proud smile on his lips made her think about, well, kissing them, naturally.
Since that wouldn’t do, she kept the hug brief, pulling away instead of lingering and letting more of his exquisite body heat soak into her.
As she was lowering herself flat to her feet again, though, she caught the quick shift of the blinds. There, in the window that overlooked the driveway, were their mothers’ scheming faces. She supposed she and Gavin should commend themselves for lasting so long against their constant holiday hijinks.
But the joke wasn’t just on their mothers.
It felt like getting a taste of the most amazing dessert in the world, one Julie knew she’d never be able to top. Then being told she’d have to stand on the other side of the display, fogging the glass with her needy breath as she stared at the deliciousness she could never allow herself to indulge in again.
Yep, the joke was definitely on her.
Chapter Seventeen
Gavin scanned the shelf in the local antique shop, but nothing registered, his mind off in another state entirely. Two states, if he were getting technical: Texas and Arizona. On an average day, they would be nearly a thousand miles apart. Two days’ drive or a two-hour flight. Which was the way he’d prefer, but his weekends were so filled with travel already, the days with practice, and as it was, it’d already been hard enough to fit in a visit to Julie.
Add in the complications of a full-blown relationship, not living in the same city, and…hadn’t he decided to drop this line of thinking? After their game of hoops, where Niki demonstrated exactly why she’d landed a starter spot with a college team, Julie headed to her grandparents’ house to hang out with her extended family and to help prep for tonight’s celebration.
“Hey, Gav.” Niki slipped between a china cabinet filled with gilded plates, bowls, and teacups and a glass jewelry display. “Check out this cool find.” She held up a golden creature that appeared to be a cross between an ewok and an owl.
“What is it?”
She blew at the stray curl that’d fallen from her bun, which emphasized the crinkles forming between her eyebrows. “I’m not exactly sure.”
Light glinted off the gemstones in the creature’s eyes as Niki twisted it this way and that.
“But doesn’t it look like something Mom would like?”
“Yeah, until she accidentally releases the curse and ends up possessed,” he said. Nikita tilted her head, and he shrugged his good shoulder. “You asked.”
“And boy do I regret it,” she snarked as they continued down the cluttered aisle. Homemade soaps and lotions sat among the rest of the treasures, and he snagged one and sniffed it.
Smelled light and floral, so he declared it the perfect present for his mom, who was notoriously hard to shop for. Not because she was picky, but because she was content with most anything, insisting her children not spend their money on her.
