Page 3 of Holiday Friend Zones
Then the group parted, and I saw her.
I swallowed hard, trying not to choke on my beer as I studied the woman who had me up late at night.She wore a forest green dress that was straight across the collarbone, but otherwise sleeveless.It tucked in at the waist with a little belt, and it flared out past her knees.She had on red chunky heels, and gold and glittery jewelry.But it was her hair that always got me.
A luscious red that was all natural and matched those light blue eyes of hers.It fell in waves around her shoulders, and I tried to look away before she caught me staring.But from the way her lightly painted mouth curved into a smile, I wasn’t going to be getting out of this without having to speak and lie to myself.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled my gaze away, grateful for the interruption.
“Hey, it’s my mom, I’m going to go take this outside so I can answer the video call.”
“No problem, I’m going to go steal one of those mini tarts.”
“I don’t know if it’s stealing if it’s on the buffet.”
“Oh no, I’m going to go steal it off of my sister’s plate,” he said with a laugh, and I just shook my head and watched the adult man go annoy his adult sister.
I moved to the back deck, down the stairs, and away from the crowd.I had missed the call because it had taken me so long to get through everyone that I knew, and I quickly hit the return call.
“There’s my boy,” Mom said as she grinned into the phone, Dad right beside her.
“Well, hi there.Sorry I didn’t answer right away, I’m at the Montgomery party.”
“They take such good care of you.”
“They do.But don’t worry, I’m ready to come to the other loud house with too many siblings that I love.”
“I’m not sure how to take that, son,” my dad said with a grin.“But you’re doing well?Is your truck going to be okay for the drive?I know there’s a storm heading out.”
“The storms not hitting until at least two in the morning, and I will be well tucked into my childhood bed by then.”
“It’s sweet you think that we have that for you since you’re thirty-nine, my darling.We made that into a gym that we don’t use long ago.”
I rolled my eyes because she wasn’t lying.“But yes, the truck’s all ready to go and I’m packed.I’m going to like the drive.The trees are gorgeous until it’s suddenly flat land.”
“That’s Wyoming for you,” she teased.
We spoke for a few moments before I finally couldn’t take the cold anymore, since I wasn’t wearing a jacket, and said my goodbyes.
Shivering, and with my hands in my pockets, I went up the deck stairs and through the glass doors and nearly ran into Posy.
“Oh, Cullen, there you are.I thought I saw you earlier.Are you okay?”
I had reached out to steady both of us, and now my hands were on her elbows, and I swallowed hard, looking down at the woman who was just my friend.
“Yeah, I was just talking to Mom and Dad.”
“Oh, you’re visiting them soon, right?”
“Tomorrow,” I said and quickly lowered my hands because I realized I was still touching her.“It’s good to see you here.”
Her lips tilted.“You mean out of my house?Don’t worry, I plan on having a good time and then making the drive to my parents’ house tomorrow.Leaving the house two days in a row.How about that.”
“You know, that deserves a reward.Maybe a piece of cheese.”
“You’ve already been assimilated into the group I see.”
“Are you going to be okay driving alone tomorrow?How long of a drive do you have?You know there’s a storm coming, right?”
She shook her head, a smile playing on her lips.“You sound just like my dad.But no, I’ll be at my house long before the storm hits.”
