Page 44 of Vixen's Guide to Christmas
For the first time since I got to the room, I see her relax. See her true smile. And I don’t know if I’ve knocked down a wall yet, but I think I loosened a few bricks.
“Really? The store’s manager is named Rudolph? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Kat laughs through the sip of beer she’s taking, because in my game, that I’m making up as I go, anytime someone has a “random” holiday-themed name, you have to take a sip.
We’ve taken a lot of sips.
“I mean, it fits,” Kat continues as we watch the movie featuring the Christmas queen herself, Hollie Berry. “Did you know Rudolph is actually Hollie Berry’s married name?”
I nearly spit my beer out. “What? No way. Also, how the hell do you know this?”
Kat sets her beer down and sits up a little straighter. “So, Hollie is married to this guy named Trent Rudolph, who lives in a tiny town about an hour south of Nashville. It’s the hometown of Logan’s wife, so I get to hear all the lore. I also saw her one night in the local bar. She’s a lovely woman.”
I don’t know if I’m drunk or if she just dropped a lot of information on me. “You’re making that up.”
“Hand to God,” she says. “It’s also the town that Hazel lives in, and her husband is best friends with this Trent Rudolph.”
“What kind of small-town, six degrees of separation, world are we living in?”
“The one where the town of Rolling Hills, Tennessee, is a little too busy for its population.”
“Fascinating.”
“It really is,” she continues. “I had my doubts about moving to Tennessee when Logan told me that we were relocating to Nashville. But I’ve enjoyed it so far.”
“Were you originally from Los Angeles?”
“No, but from California,” she says, turning so she’s now lying on her shoulder, facing me. “My parents still live there.”
“You’re not going West for the holidays?”
She shakes her head. “Parents are divorced. Dad has a new family that doesn’t like me too much. You know, daughter from the ‘other’ family and all. I would’ve visited Mom, but she joined a smutty book club for divorced women over fifty and they all decided to go on a cruise for the holidays.”
“Good for her.”
“That’s what I said. Which is why I can now go lay on a beach for a week, guilt free. Well, maybe, if it ever stops snowing.”
On our second beer and second movie of the night, we decided to open the curtains to watch the snow fall. We figured if we’re stuck here for it, we might as well enjoy the ambiance. And just from what I’ve seen, we’re not leaving this hotel for a few days.
“That sounds amazing,” I say. “Soon you’ll be eating at a beachside restaurant with a mai tai while I’ll be listening to my father brag about my brother’s latest case.”
“Will it at least be an interesting case?”
“Not even a little bit. He’s a divorce lawyer. The best I can hope for is a torrid affair.”
“I’ll cross my fingers for you.”
“Thanks.”
The conversation fades away naturally, and we both turn our attention back to the movie. Well, partially. I can’t help but notice that Kat is still turned toward me. And even more, she’s now burying herself a little lower into the pillows, like she’s about to go to sleep.
“You okay?”
She nods, but lets out a big yawn. “Great.”
I chuckle as I check the time. I don’t know when it got to be past eleven, but somehow we’ve drank a six-pack of beer and watched three and a half Christmas movies. “I can turn the lights off if you want to go to sleep.”
At the word “sleep,” her eyes flew open.Rookie move, Ross. Damn.She throws back the blankets and begins to rise.
