Page 56 of Sexted By Santa
Fynn looked startled. “Neighbors. But…”
I smiled tightly. “Yes, I was your neighbor too. Not that we ever met officially.”
He looked confused. “Wait, you’re not…” Horror dawned. “No, youare.You’re the former student. The drop-out.”
I winced as Henry admonished, “Really, Fynn. Some tact.”
“I have a daughter,” I explained for Henry’s benefit. “I had difficult choices to make. Tori needed me, so I left school.”
Henry patted my knee. “A loving parent. I approve whole-heartedly.”
“Well, Christian didn’t,” Fynn said, eyes narrowed. “I remember you now. Christian was quite upset you’d give up on your education so easily.”
I nodded. “That’s true.”
“But now you’re dating?” he said skeptically.
“Looks that way.”
He hardly looked convinced, but I wasn’t interested in elaborating. Maybe it would make my relationship with Christian more convincing if I did, but Fynn didn’t deserve the effort. Most likely, people would chock up his skepticism to jealousy or resentment anyway.
Probably not too far off.
Fynn might be dating Hugh, but he hadn’t entirely moved on from Christian, judging by his emotions. At least, not enough to graciously watch his ex with another man. The question was, had Christian? I wanted to believe he had. But hehadn’tjumped into my arms earlier tonight, as I’d hoped. He’d clung to our charade instead.
“I’m sure you did what you thought was right,” Henry said. “Tell me about your daughter.”
I relaxed a fraction as I bragged about Tori: her sweet nature, her spirit, her insistence on meeting Christian while he was dressed as Santa. Fynn was once again aghast at the idea of his ex in a Santa suit, but he was like a man watching an accident unfold, too fascinated to look away.
Barry and Teresa returned with a tray of coffee and cups that they positioned on the dainty coffee table. Barry poured, and Teresa handed out full mugs to each of us. The roast was a nice, mellow medium with a hint of cinnamon. I sipped it while conversation turned to more comfortable subjects.
But after a while, I began to wonder what was keeping Christian and Hugh. They’d had more than enough time to sort out the dishes.
I placed my coffee cup on its saucer. “Will you excuse me a moment?” I murmured to Henry, so as not to interrupt Darius. He was a round-faced man with a sweet, melodic voice who was talking about his church choir and the solo he’d been given that he was going to perform when they caroled at the winter festival.
Henry nodded distractedly, and I quietly slipped from the room, making my way toward the dining room and kitchen. I stopped short at the entryway, caught off-guard by the sight before me.
Christian pressed back against the cabinets, Hugh in front of him, head bent close. It looked intimate, and for a split second, I felt betrayed.
As if this hadn’t been a fake date all along. As if Christian and I were a real, committed couple.
I stepped into the kitchen, making my presence known. “Christian, I was beginning to wonder what happened to you. Everything good in here?”
Hugh glanced my way, annoyed. But it was the sheer relief on Christian’s face that told me everything I needed to know.
I had no need to be jealous, not of this man. But my reaction provided a moment of clarity—about what I wanted.
It was time to stop dancing around the topic. Time to stop prevaricating.
I would be direct, and I would accept whatever answer Christian gave me. But I needed to know, once and for all, where we stood.
15
CHRISTIAN
Hugh had lost his mind. The man was pressing too close, whispering urgently that he’d always loved me, that Fynn still loved me, that we couldalllove one another. I had a lot of respect for people in poly relationships, but they weren’t for me—especiallynot with my ex-husband and my former best friend.
Hugh and I had lost something special the night I’d turned to him for comfort, and I felt truly sorry for that. His feelings for me had been on his sleeve for years, and I’d known—deep down—one night wouldn’t be enough for him. Even though I’d been honest about what he could expect, even though I’d been a mess of desperation and recriminations over my failed marriage, it had been wrong to soothe my pain with him.
