Page 19 of Mistletoe Masquerade
Wrangling my turbulent emotions has been hard enough. The last thing I need is to tell the girls and have my spiraling doubts start from scratch.
What I fail to consider is the infallible intuition of abestie. When something is up with a soul sister, we know it in our guts. That’s why Dani calls me and why I should have expected her call. Instead, I’m so lost in my own head that I startle and spill water all over myself before answering the phone.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I try to sound normal, but my voice is deflated. Lifeless.
“I’m all good. I wanted to know about your night. How was it?”
“It was good. I danced a little, had champagne, then called it a night.”
Silence.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
Because you’re my best friend, and you know me.
“It’s nothing. I just have a bit of a stomachache this morning. Probably the champagne.”
“Well, that sucks, but I’m glad you had a good time!”
“Yeah,” I say wistfully. “What did you do last night?”
“I made Tommy watchThe Holidaywith me.” Her grin is somehow audible over the phone and manages to lift my spirits a fraction.
“And is it his new favorite movie ever?” I ask playfully.
“Oh, definitely,” she teases back. “Now, I have to watchDie Hardwith him—that was the agreement.”
“Ah, yes. The not-Christmassy Christmas movie.”
“Indeed. Hey, before I forget, I also called to invite you to make Christmas cookies this afternoon at Amelie’splace. She’s baking now, so the cookies should be cooled and ready to decorate in a couple of hours.”
“That’s sweet of her!” I infuse as much enthusiasm in my voice as I can muster. It should come easily since I adore all things Christmas, but post-Dean, nothing has the same luster. “Does four o’clock work?”
“Yup. I told her Tommy and I would be around about that time, maybe a few minutes after.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, babe.”
“Bye.”
I hang up and wonder when gravity in my apartment got so intense. I feel like I can hardly hold myself upright, and I need to find a cure before I go to Amelie’s, or I’ll be in for an interrogation. I considered using the fake stomachache as a reason to bow out of the decorating session, but the distraction will be good for me. The sooner I get back on that horse, the sooner I’ll be ready to ride again.
My poorly chosen analogy brings to mind the vision of me straddling Dean.
His belt around my wrists.
The slap of his palm on my ass.
Lips like velvet tenderly kissing my temple.
Well, crap. Looks like it’s time to cry again.
Cucumber slices have donewonders for my puffy eyes, but I’m sure Dani will still notice once she gets here. Amelie may have already noted it when I arrived, but she was too kind to bring it up if she did.
“I was just mixing the last of the icing colors,” she says with a grin while I give her sweet dog a pet.
“Hey, Freya. You been a good girl?” I ask, wishing not for the first time that I had a dog or cat of my own. I lift my gaze back to Amelie and smile. “Thanks for doing this. The cookies smell delicious.”
