Page 91 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
“I didn’t exactly love it.”
We both fall quiet and Sara starts up the car, slowly pulling onto the bridge. We stay silent for a stretch as she drives us across the lake. Then I say, “I guess I just needed some time to grow up.”
She nods. “We both did.”
“Yeah.” I run a hand over the top of my head, pausing on the tender swelling. “As hard as that time was, it made me pull myself together and work toward the life I have now.”
Sara tips her chin. “And burying myself in work got me through the toughest years of school, internships, and tests.”
“So … are we actually saying there was an upside to what happened?”
“You know Idolove a good silver lining.” She swallows hard. “But that whole time, I never let anyone else get close to me. And I never stopped thinking about you.”
When she casts her gaze my way, her dark eyes set off an avalanche of emotions tumbling along my sternum. “I couldn’t forget you either. Hard as I tried.”
She returns her eyes to the road. “Good.”
At this point, her car is halfway across the bridge. Soon we’ll be at a crossroads.
Literally.
“So what do we do now?” I ask. “About the gala? Our so-called impasse?”
“Hmm.” She pauses for a moment, cocks her head. “I propose a settlement.”
“Wow.” I guffaw. “You really are a lawyer, aren’t you?”
One corner of her mouth lifts in a half smile. “Yep. I really am.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“We stay at the lake house for one more night. Enjoy ourleftovers and the Christmas tree. Scarf a bunch of pie and cake. Then tomorrow, once we’ve gotten our final approval from Ryan Detweiler, I’ll drive home for the gala.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“But I’m going to come back first thing the next morning.”
I blink. “On Christmas?”
She nods. “That way my parents will have me for my birthday and the gala, but you’ll only be housebound for about … twelve hours. Hopefully you can sleep through most of them.”
“I don’t know.” I break into a grimace. “That’s a lot of time in the car for you.”
“MaybeI think you’re worth it.”
“Maybe?”
She tosses me a quick glance, her eyes bright, and my insides fizz, right along with the buzzing in my pocket. I slip my phone out and check the text.
Kenny
You’re all set, buddy. #OSS
Chapter Forty-Three
Sara
“My house,” Three says, looking down at his phone.
