Page 25 of Once Upon a Winter
“Coffee and dessert, then?”
“Okay. I’ll have some pie while I watch you eat lunch.”
And with that, the spark that began with their kiss burst into flame, but she had the good sense to suppress it. Her heart wasn’t on the same timeline as his, but she could cope with that far better than rejection.
With the tension somewhat eased between them, Laura practically floated down the porch steps on the way to his truck.
Laura opened the door just as Delia pulled into her driveway.
Cooper asked, “Were you expecting company?”
“That’s Delia’s car. She wouldn’t come here unannounced unless something was wrong.”
Cooper said, “I can guess what it is. I’ll tell you what. I’ll go get us some takeout, and you two can talk.” With a wave toward Delia’s car, he backed out of the driveway.
Eleven
Delia gotout of her car and walked inside without bothering to explain why she’d come. Her red-rimmed eyes told enough of the story. She turned to Laura. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Laura led her to an overstuffed chair by the fireplace. “Can I get you some coffee or something?”
Delia shook her head.
As Laura sat down, the sight of the snow globe on the mantel made her uneasy. She thought back on her wish that someone else would tell Delia about Philip’s indiscretion, but she’d never expected that it would be Philip. From what Laura had observed, Philip wasn’t exactly in touch with his feelings, and Delia seemed more like a mosquito buzz in his orbit. She tried to imagine Philip, overcome by guilt, pouring out a confession to Delia. She supposed it had happened on its own, but she narrowed her eyes at the snow globe and wondered.
Delia said, “He’s never been like Cooper is with you.”
Laura turned from the snow globe. “Meaning?”
Admiration filled Delia’s voice. “Cooper is so attuned to you. Philip has never been like that, but I always knew—thought I knew—he was there for me.”
Laura got stuck on the idea that Cooper was attuned to her but forced herself to move on. “I would have told you, but you were so happy. You live for that party, so I thought I’d let you enjoy it and call you today after you’d had a chance to rest.”
Delia rested her head on the back of the chair. “He said Blair threw herself at him.”
“She was all over Cooper earlier in the evening, so it’s not hard to imagine her throwing herself at Philip.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t have to catch her.” Bitterness darkened her expression.
Laura didn’t know what to say. She was inclined to believe Philip, but that didn’t absolve him of guilt. He did confess, so that worked in his favor. But none of it mattered if the snow globe’s enchantment had brought it about.
Delia said, “He insists it was only a kiss, but what might have happened if you hadn’t walked in?”
Philip had never struck Laura as the unfaithful type. But what did that even mean? He didn’t have to be the type to give in to temptation. But even if it was only once, how would Delia ever be able to trust him again?
Delia stared at the fire for a long while then blurted out, “And Blair! Blair thinks she can just kiss my husband and then trot off to work the next day at her daddy’s cosmetics company without a care in the world!”
Which she apparently could, but Laura didn’t say it.
Delia gazed at the flames and pouted. “I hope she slips and falls into a big vat ofEau de la Mort.”
Laura sprang up and went to the snow globe. “She didn’t mean that! She meantEau de l’Amour!”
Delia looked up. “Who are you talking to?”
Laura thought fast.The, uh, theoretical spirit of Christmas?She wanted to bury her face in her hands. There was no way to explain why she’d just spoken to an inanimate object. But the spirit of Christmas? What did that even mean in that context? But she’d already said it, so she moved on, looking Delia straight in the eye. “It was a rhetorical statement. I mean, who says Santa Claus is just for kids? Maybe he’s got a Christmas miracle in store for you. Maybe he’ll… come down your chimney and bring you… a happy ending.” She had just gone from bad to worse.
Delia’s shoulders slumped, and she pouted. “My chimney could use a happy ending.”
