“Let me try first,” Mom insisted, taking the coat from her. “It won’t take long. Gregory, we’re about to watch a classic movie. Why don’t you stay and watch it with us?”
“NotAlien,” Darby begged.
“Your mother vetoed it,” her father said with a frown. “We have to stay on Christmas overload.”
“Christmas only comes once a year,” Mom reminded him.
“It’s a good thing. Our bank account couldn’t handle more than once a year,” Dad retorted.
His wife ignored him. Darby followed her into the laundry room and watched as she went to work spot-cleaning the coat.
“I may as well resign myself to the fact that it’s never going to be the same,” she predicted. “That was a Vince.” She’d gotten it at Bergdorf Goodman, and it had cost a pretty penny. Now that she was unemployed, she wished she had some of those pennies back.
“What’s a Vince?” Mom asked, working away at the stains with her damp cloth.
“A brand of clothes I can’t afford anymore. Oh, well.”
“My, you are being calm and philosophical about this,” Mom said.
Yes—there, too, was a change.
“All part of my steep learning curve,” Darby quipped.
One thing shewaslearning at a rapid pace was to appreciate Gregory Collier. He’d been her best friend in grade school; she was finding her best friend all over again now that they were adults. Even better, after that kiss they’d shared, she dared to hope they could be a lot more than friends.
They’d just settled on the couch with popcorn and eggnog to watchChristmas with theKrankswhen Gregory’s phone pinged. Darby knew even without asking who the text was from. Arielle. Of course he’d ignore her, like he had all day.
He didn’t. Darby, who had always been so confident, so self-assured, was suddenly hit by an avalanche of insecurity. She could feel that warm holiday feeling slipping away from her.
No, no, no. Between her broken nose, tonight’s mud bath, and falling out with old friends, she was learning enough lessons. Losing Gregory just when she’d found him again would be taking this whole learning thing too far. She held her breath and surreptitiously looked over as he thumbed his response.
Chapter9
Busy all week,he texted.
All right! “Yeah? With who?” Darby teased.
“Guess,” he replied. “And what are you doing reading my texts?” he asked with a grin and a cocked eyebrow.
“I just happened to see,” she said, returning the grin.
Of course, Arielle couldn’t take such a subtle no for an answer.With???
Darby
U R nuts.
No, happy,he texted, then turned off his phone.
“Really?” she whispered, snuggling closer.
“Really,” he whispered back. “I got my old friend again. Welcome back.”
“It’s good to be back.”
“Hey, you two are going to miss something,” said Dad, who was not a fan of multitasking when it came to watching movies.
They exchanged smiles and returned their attention to the movie, and he took her hand in his.
