Page 24 of Darla's Christmas Knight
Two decimated cupcakes later, Darla wiped her sticky fingers on a wet wipe from the dispenser and picked up her cellphone.
Thank you for the cupcakes. Delicious.
I hold you responsible for the extra five pounds on my ass.
His reply was almost instant.
You’re welcome.
I’ll bring dinner tomorrow. See you at six.
Dinner? They hadn’t shared a meal since, well, sinceyearsago.
She was still pondering the unexpected statement when his next text arrived.
And now I cannot stop thinking of your delightfully fine arse.
Her heart stuttered. He’d always admired the curvy part of her figure. But she had no idea how to respond, so she typed:
You’re full of shit. Go rake some.
*salute emoji*
Darla wasn’t sure how she felt about the stupid grin she had on her face when she placed her cellphone down beside card number three.
Three?
She rushed to her locker, dug out the other two cards from her bag, and raced back to her office. Laying them down with the third, her gaze bouncing between them. And grinned, her stomach exploding with butterflies.
What would number four say?
*
It was on her windshield the next morning. Heart hammering, Darla pounced on it, ripping the envelope. A row of red and blue Christmas stockings hung from a line. And the message …
Still thinking of your ravishing arse.
A laugh burst from her, and she was still sporadically gigglingwhen she arrived at work. She pulled up as Mindy emerged from her car.
“You’re in a good mood today,” the young woman remarked, holding the back door of the clinic open for her.
The statement instantly sobered her mood. “Look, Mindy, about snapping yesterday—”
Mindy held her hand up, stalling Darla’s words. “It’s forgotten. And the cupcake made up for it. We’re all allowed a bad day every so often.”
The results from the lab arrived in her inbox just before lunch. She had finally plucked up the courage to have blood drawn and tested yesterday after recovering from her sugar rush. She could give Bobby definitive proof later tonight.
Yet she hesitated in opening the email.
“Don’t be silly. Youknow.”
She double clicked, and it took a mere second to pick out the pertinent information. Her eyes closed, and she leaned back. “We’ll tell your daddy tonight, Bug.”
*
Unfortunately, Darla had to cancel several hours later:
Tied up with an emergency. Need to cancel tonight.
