Page 51 of A Cozy Christmas Blizzard
“Hmm. It’s more a question of what he doesn’t say than what he does. He was always an intense child. As a youngster... Well, I’m sure you don’t have time to go into that right now.”
K.O. thought she could see Wynn’s car. “I don’t... I’m sorry.”
“Take my word for it, Wynn’s interested in you.”
K.O. felt like dancing in the street. “I’m interested in him, too,” she admitted.
“Good, good,” Max said expansively. “Well, I’d better get back inside. Have a nice weekend.”
“I will. Thank you.” It did look like Wynn’s car. His timing was perfect—or almost. She hoped that when he reached the curb, his father would be inside the building.
Just then the front doors opened and out stepped LaVonne. She froze in midstep when she saw Wynn’s father. He froze, too.
K.O. watched as LaVonne’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t see Max’s face, but from LaVonne’s reaction, she assumed he shared her resentment. They seemed unwilling to walk past each other, and both stood there, looking wildly in all directions except ahead. If it hadn’t been so sad, it would’ve been laughable.
K.O. could see that it was definitely Wynn’s car. He smiled when he saw her and started to ease toward the curb. At the same moment, he noticed his father and LaVonne and instantly pulled back, merging into traffic again. He drove straight past K.O.
Now LaVonne and Max were staring at each other. They still hadn’t moved, and people had to walk around them as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk.
K.O. had to find a way to escape without being detected. As best as she could figure, Wynn had to drive around the block. With one-way streets and heavy traffic, it might take him ten minutes to get back to Blossom. If she hurried, she might catch him on Port Avenue or another side street and avoid letting Max see them together.
“I think my ride’s here,” she said, backing away and dragging her suitcase with her.
They ignored her.
“Bye,” she said, waving her hand.
This, too, went without comment. “I’ll see you both later,” she said, rushing past them and down the sidewalk.
Again there was no response.
K.O. didn’t dare look back. Blossom Street had never seemed so long. She rounded the corner and walked some distance down Port, waiting until she saw Wynn’s car again.Raising her arm as if hailing a taxi, she managed to catch his attention.
Wynn pulled up to the curb, reached over and opened the passenger door. “That was a close call,” he murmured as she climbed inside.
“You have no idea,” she said, shaking her head.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“I don’t know and, frankly, I don’t want to stick around and find out.”
Wynn chuckled. “I don’t, either,” he said, rejoining the stream of traffic.
They were off on what she hoped would be a grand adventure in the land of Z.
Fifteen
“This is Zoe,” K.O. said as her niece wrapped one arm around her leg. After a half-hour of instructions, Zelda was finally out the door, on her way to meet Zach at the hotel. The twins stood like miniature statues, dressed in jean coveralls and red polka-dot shirts, with their hair in pigtails. They each stared up at Wynn.
“No, I’m Zara.”
K.O. narrowed her eyes, unsure whether to believe the child. The twins were identical and seemed to derive great satisfaction from fooling people, especially their parents.
“Zoe,” K.O. challenged. “Tell the truth.”
“I’m hungry.”
“It’ll be dinnertime soon,” K.O. promised.
