Page 31 of Stocking Stuffers
Sasha shrugged. “Robin and I had been talking about it for years, almost as a joke. Then one day it stopped being a joke. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
The teen boy glanced up then and grabbed a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich. “I don’t know why you’re all talking in circles.” He pointed his sandwich at Sasha. “You sell sex toys.” Then he turned to Andie. “And you work at the only strip club in the city that has male strippers.”
Silence descended on the table until Sasha couldn’t hold it in any longer. She burst into laughter.
“What’s your name?” she asked him.
He blushed and flipped his black bangs out of his eyes. “Ryker.”
“I think you’re going places. How did you know what I sell?”
“I heard the laughter during the private party last night, so I snuck down to see what was going on. Kind of hard to miss the dildos being passed around.”
“Oh geez.” Sasha laughed into her hands. The whole table was trying to stifle their giggling.
“Highlight of this whole stupid family-bonding time,” Ryker grumbled. “I hate Christmas.”
“Why?” Andie asked him.
“My mom died around Christmas.”
A hush of silence hit the table. Sasha glanced at the other tables that were occupied by Ryker’s siblings. He was several years older than the next oldest, so they were probably half-siblings.
Perry tentatively said, “I’m really sorry. My dad died right before Thanksgiving when I was ten. It’s hard to celebrate a holiday when a person you love is missing, isn’t it?”
Ryker nodded. “Yes.That. But my dad and stepmom try to force it.” He turned his attention back to his goth Christmas tree, where he’d started to paint tiny white skulls as ornaments.
Sasha’s chest hurt suddenly, like someone had scooped her heart out with a spoon. She knew heartache, but she couldn’t imagine losing a loving parent at such a young age. Neither of her parents had ever played a role in her life, and she couldn’t say that she missed them much. But she did miss her grandmother every day, especially this time of year, when so many families came together to celebrate.
Sasha, Benji, and Rosie were their own support system now. Those first few years after their grandma had died, Sasha had overcompensated, feeling this need to keep her little family close and tied together. Basically, she’d become a Christmas nut.
Sasha had gone all in on Christmas, building it up as this uber-important holiday, giving it meaning that wasn’t there. When P.J., her ex, had proposed, Sasha had pushed for a Christmas Eve wedding, thinking it would bring some of that specialness back to the season.
Instead, P.J. had left her at the altar and ruined Christmas for her for good.
Bile thickened in Sasha’s throat, old hurts rushing up at her. She couldn’t be here any longer. She needed out.
She started to stand as Valerie swept back into the room.
“Great news!” Valerie said loudly, so everyone could hear her. “Supposedly, there will be a bit of a break in the storm tomorrow morning. They’re expecting the snow to slow down and the temperature to rise above thirty-two degrees for about four or five hours tomorrow before the second wave of storms hit us. It should be enough time for the interstate to open and for us to get a crew out here to clear the driveway. It looks like a jail break is imminent.”
Sasha couldn’t help herself—she glanced at Perry, and he was staring at her, sad shock on his face. She hadn’t expected to get to go home tomorrow, and she should be ecstatic.
Shewasecstatic!
Truly.
Mostly.
“That’s awesome,” Sasha said, her voice as measured as she could make it. “I think I’m going to try to catch a bit of a nap, if you’ll excuse me.”
She left her pinecone ornament on the table. It was too ugly for a tree anyway.
Chapter Six
Perry thought he’d escaped the crowd. Everyone else was playing Risk in the breakfast room or watching Christmas movies in the den, so he settled down with a book in front of the fire and nursed a beer.
It only took thirty minutes for his sister to find him.
