Page 28 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
“Well, with any luck, they’ve gone back to eighteen-twenty-two where they belong,” I quipped.
Beth stared at me for a moment then burst out laughing, throwing her head back. It was a real, deep belly laugh that brought a smile to my face because it was so genuine.
“Now that,” she said, wiping under her eyes. “I needed.”
I grinned. “You need this, too.”
She looked at me, furrowing her brow in confusion.
I dug in my bag for my purse and pulled out one of my cards, then scribbled on the back of it. “I know you don’t have my personal number, so here. I might only be here for a month-ish, but you’re not the only one who doesn’t have many friends here.”
She took it from me with a watery smile. I didn’t know if the tears were from her recent laughing fit or from me giving her my number, but either way, I just wanted to hug the poor woman.
I knew how hard it was to live in Castleton without having many friends, but I’d always been lucky enough to have my family with me.
Beth didn’t even have that. The one she did have was grieving.
She turned around and motioned to the waitress with the universal sign for the bill. I reached back into my bag for my purse to get my card out, but Beth reached over the table and touched her hand to my arm.
“Please,” she said. “This is on me. Consider it payment for the therapy session.”
My lips curled to one side. “If you’re going to pay me in food, consider me your therapist.”
She grinned.
Yep.
I had a new friend.
***
“I don’t knooooow,” Hazel whined, dramatically leaning against Julian’s side. “This is so hard!”
I buried my face in my hands. “Hazel, you’ve had eleven months to come up with your songs. I need to know them in the next forty-eight hours.”
Julian slid his gaze towards her. “She’s not wrong, babe. We do need to figure this out.”
“There are just so many songs I love! What do I choose? Is a Christmas song too cheesy? If not, which one? Most of them are about wanting love for Christmas, but we’re getting married, so I can’t do that. I don’t want love for Christmas. I already have it.” Hazel groaned, hiding her face behind her scarf. “Julian, help me!”
He looked at me. “I’ve tried. I’ve offered at least thirty solutions that haven’t felt right for her. At this rate, I’m just going to suggest bloody Mariah Carey and be done with it.”
My eyes widened.
Talk about a declaration of war.
“Don’t. You. Dare.” Hazel shot up and glared at him. “Sylvie, if that song is played at any point during my wedding, I will strangle you with a holly garland.”
I held up my hands, dropping my pen on the floor in the process. “Don’t worry, I’ve already told everyone in charge of music that there is a ban on Mariah Carey for the duration of the wedding. If anyone even thinks of asking, they’ll be warned they’ll be kicked out if they mention her name again.”
If I was going to die this Christmas, it would not be by garland at my sister’s hands, thank you very much.
“Seems extreme.” Julian looked at me. “Do you not think so?”
Yes.
I did think so.
I wasn’t going to say that out loud in front of my sister, though.
