Page 31 of Silent Night Sins
The botched attempt at rhyming with the Christmas carol warmed me thoroughly. It wasn’t the promise of something more, but it was a promise that there would be more of this. For now, that had to be enough.
Maybe next time I would be brave enough to unmask him. To see if our chemistry could go the distance and translate into a relationship that stood the test of life, coming from the shadows into the light.
I tore a paper towel, dabbed it between my legs, and tugged my cotton sleeper shorts back over my hips. By the time my sister stumbled back into the kitchen, I had her unimaginative omelet in a pan and a coffee with low-calorie, homemade creamer waiting.
“What’s that smell?” she moaned, peering into the oven.
“It’s cookie decorating day,” I quipped.
Amanda groaned. “You’re bad for my waistline.”
“And your negativity isn’t welcome. It’s Christmas!” I pointed the silicone spatula at her. “Cheer up, and get with the program.”
“Let me have my coffee and protein first, then we’ll negotiate the Christmas cookies,” she said with a smile.
I turned back to the stove. The pan shimmied over the burner, and with a flick of my wrist, I tossed the omelet with perfect precision.
“Sssoooo, what’s his name?” Amanda asked.
My eyes snapped wide. I fought to school my features before turning around. “Whose name?”
“Whoever snuck out the back door while I was upstairs,” she countered. “Come on, Nicole, don’t play dumb with me. I saw him out the back window.”
Busted.“Kris Kringle.”
Amanda snorted. “Okay, fine. Keep your secrets. But since you’ve never brought a guy home, I thought this one might be different.”
I hope he is.He was my Tino. The boy my heart knew without a shadow of a doubt.
I plated her bland food and shoved it toward her. “Let’s just say he’s everything a girl could wish for.”
Amanda stabbed her food. “Then I’m happy for you, sis.”
Me too…me too.
Chapter 10 – Nicole
Damn you, low-carb palates queen.I picked my way over the frozen sidewalk after stumbling out of the luxury rideshare my sister ordered. Maybe the spiked eggnog was not so great an idea. But I only guzzled the second glass after Miss Prim and Proper refused the high-fat, sugary divinity.
Amanda strode confidently to the front door, bouquet of flowers in hand. I thought my tray of cookies was a far more charming, thoughtful gift. Something we’d argued about all afternoon.
She sighed as she saw the tray I was balancing. “Sorry, I rode your ass about those.”
I saluted her with the cookies. “What the hell was the point of having an older sister if bickering isn’t part of the fun?”
Amanda smirked. “I’ve missed your tiny ass. So…no plans to return abroad?”
I hiccupped.Oh, shit.
Amanda arched a perfectly manicured brow at me, and I gave her a blistering smile. “I’m State-bound for now.”
“Because you have a new job lined up?” she hinted.
I lifted my gaze to the cloudy sky in supplication. The light pollution gloomily stared back at me. The last forty-eight hours had been one long, roundabout conversation during which my sister tried to fix me, and I avoided it all.
To make matters worse, there’d been no break-in on Friday night. Now that it was Saturday evening, I had little hope for a midnight tryst.
“Let’s just go inside and have a nice night, okay?” I pleaded.
