Page 168 of Lost Track

No.

But inviting her over to see them up close felt like asking for trouble. Why mess with something that was going so well?

Soon.

He’d have to let his guard down eventually.

And then what?

And then…

He closed his eyes and tightened his hold on her. Because he couldn’t even begin to imagine what might happen if she finally saw all of him.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

HOAX

SABINE

“What are your plans for the holidays?” Sabine asked, closing her laptop.

Piper shrugged. “I think we’re going over to Aunt Carmen’s. It’s what we usually do for holidays now.”

“Are you looking forward to the break?” Sabine asked, knowing the answer.

Piper had worked her ass off to get her grades back up. But Sabine had it on good authority that Piper was more than a little excited to not see her tutor for a month.

Piper flashed a smile and slid a red envelope across the table to Sabine.

“See you next year!” The eighth grader called, heading out the door, dark hair streaming behind her.

Sabine picked up the envelope and tucked it into her bag with the others she’d received that day.

“What about you, Max?” Sabine asked. She’d seen a lot of Max over the past couple of weeks. When he wasn’t at the studio, he was at the loft. Though neither he nor Kara had declared they were dating, it seemed like they were at least considering it seriously.

“I am heading home to Long Island this afternoon. Ma does not tolerate her kids being abroad for Christmas. Any other holiday we can miss. Not this one.” Max flashed a grin and checked his watch. “What about you?”

Kara left for Mexico yesterday with the family she nannied for. She wouldn’t be back until after the 1stof the year.

But that was okay because Sabine had the same plans she did every year.

“My brother comes over and we make cookies and watch movies.”

“No other family?”

Did she want to reveal how much of an orphan she was?

Eh.

“Mom is in jail and dad is…busy.” That was the easiest way to explain. If it wasn’t soccer, the man didn’t care. And yes, she deliberately called it soccer just because she knew how much he hated it. He’d probably have Christmas dinner with the family of one of his star players.

“Will Dave be joining you this year?” Max asked.

That was the question, wasn’t it?

She had mentioned to him that he was more than welcome to hang out with her and André. But he hadn’t said whether he wanted to or not. Or if he had anything else happening.

Since she’d declined his invitation to Saint-Tropez, he didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about the holiday.

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