Page 2 of Intrigued
“Yeah…” She waited attentively for my answer.
Thanks to the help of a really good principal, guidance counselors, and teachers, I’d learned years ago not to let who my father was make me feel ashamed. His choices were not mine. “Absolutely nothing,” I finally said.
Bryn tossed her head back and laughed. “I like you.” She adjusted in her seat. “But you’ve never heard of the Christmases?”
I frowned, confused. “Which Christmases are you talking about?”
She studied my expression for a moment then busted out in laughter.
I felt my face turn red when I realized what she meant. “Oh, you mean your family? No, I never heard of them.”
“You never heard of us?” she whispered so the other girls couldn’t hear her.
“Should I have?”
She smirked. “Nope.”
Dean Westerly took the stage, and just as she welcomed all the new students to Redmond, Bryn hopped to her feet and strutted out of the auditorium. The next time I saw her was a week later when I walked into what was my version of heaven on earth. The place was like a modern apartment and had all the bells and whistles, including two master bedrooms with their own attached bathrooms. My jaw dropped when I saw the jetted tub.Is this a college dorm, and if so, do I have the right room?I looked at the key in my hand that my student advisor had given me and used it to open the front door.
“Hey, roomie,” a voice said.
I quickly whipped my face around to see Bryn standing behind me with a guy, whom I soon came to know as Dale Rumor, draped around her.
“I needed a roommate, so I chose you,” she said, her delicate lips stretched into a cocky smile.
It didn’t take long to realize why Bryn had sat next to me before orientation and chatted me up. She had secrets, and I was an outsider, so her double life was safe from gossip and scandal. It seemed as though she brought home a different boy every night. Only a few would spend the night; most would be locked in the room with her for a few hours and then leave. Not once had I ever seen Bryn study, yet when she showed me her first-semester report card, she had all A’s.
Bryn and I genuinely liked each other, though. She would listen for hours as I talked about my parents and all the shit they had put me through. Bryn never really said much about her family. I knew she had a twin brother and two older brothers. Like my parents, her far richer and seemingly just as unstable parents never came to visit. At times, a woman would show up to check on her. Bryn never told me her name, but she looked to be in her thirties.
When I graduated from college, I received a handwritten card from Bryn that read, “Don’t worry about paying us back for the dorm. You deserve to live in the lap of luxury.”
My mouth dropped. All that time, I’d thought my scholarship was paying for the room. When I went to the finance department, I made them provide me with a statement of all my expenses and payments for four years of college. To my surprise, the Christmases, on behalf of Bronwyn Henrietta Christmas, had paid for my souped-up dorm room for the entire four-year duration.
As soon as I had graduated from grad school and landed my first job as a reporter, I’d contacted the estate and made arrangements to pay them back. I’d been paying them eight hundred dollars a month for the last three years. Only thirty-six thousand more, and they would be paid in full.
I sat in my car, still staring at the massive door, and took a steadying breath. Soon, I would see Bryn’s face again.
“Here goes nothing,” I said with a sigh. Twisting my body, I reached into the back seat of my car and snatched my ankle-length wool coat off the seat. I angled my body downward and stretched my hand beneath the passenger seat to feel for my purse. “Got it,” I whispered. My arm ached from expending so much energy to do only two things in such a cramped environment. For sure, my fuel-efficient compact car was out of place. Thank God I’d made it there before another downpour of snow, because my car never drove well in the snow.
Bang, bang, bang.
I pressed my hand over my pounding heart and turned to see a man with the world’s sexiest blue-green eyes glaring at me from the other side of the window. It took me a moment to absorb more of his face, like all the angles and his delicately plump lips. His eyes, face, mouth… Looking at him was like watching a hypnotist’s medallion shift back and forth.
Finally, he took a step back. “Roll down the window,” he said while motioning for me to do just that.
I resumed breathing steadily and pressed the button on the handrest.
He folded his arms. “Who are you, and how did you get through the gate?”
“I’m Holly Henderson.” My tone indicated that my name should’ve jogged his memory, but the stern look on his face didn’t change. “Bryn invited me for Christmas, and…” My face burned with embarrassment as I looked down uncomfortably at my lap, flustered by the moment. I always showed up prepared, so feeling rattled was unfamiliar to me. It would’ve been nice to be able to tell the man about my professional mission. It probably would’ve made me feel more like a worthy guest.
I knew the beautiful man standing before me was a Christmas. He was Jasper William Christmas, the oldest brother and presidential hopeful. Of course no one could ever pin down what he actually stood for. He never spoke much. However, he always appeared confident and stoic in the news in a way that most men wanted to emulate. And he had looks that put most of the hottest movie stars to shame.
“You’re her college roommate?” he finally asked.
The fact that he was aware who I was by name made me relax a smidgen. “Yes,” I said briskly. “And you’re Jasper Christmas.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. There were thoughts behind the way he looked at me, and none of them appeared welcoming.
