“She also almost killed you,” I point out, but the older people aren’t listening.
“I woke him up with another good slap to the face.” She slides her hand up his arm.
“A love tap.” He cups the side of her face. “She put ice on my lump.”
“He argued.”
“We bickered.”
“One thing led to the next.” They’re moving closer to each other.
I can feel my lips curling in disgust. My nose wrinkles. I’m slinking further down in the seat. I squint my eyes, ready to close them.
“We started talking.” Fred caresses her cheek. “And soon our anger soon turned into sexual tension.” Their mouths connect with loud and slurp sounds.
Cole curses. He tilts down his head, closes his eyes, and rubs his forehead. “Alright, that’s enough.”
They part. Sort of. Grams giggles. He pecks her lips. She pecks his lips.
“Let me get this straight.” Cole points between them. “You two hooked up yesterday?”
They nod, staring at one another with stars in their eyes. The magical holiday touch.
“You two weren’t tired or worn out today, were you?” Cole’s hand falls on the table. “You planned to spend the day together. You sent us off to bake your cookies, while you did whatever you did today.”
I gasp at their deception.
“It’s called sex, son.”
“And that’s my cue.” Cole stands and knocks his chair over. “I’m going to take a shower. Enjoy your chicken ‘n’ dumpling soup, and whatever else this is.”
“It’s called sex, son.”
“Say it again, Granddad. One more time. I dare you.” Cole points at Fred. The older man leans back and glares at his grandson.
I rise too. “I’m going for a shower, too.”
I bump into Cole. Our gazes meet. The desire is gone. The lust has vanished. He looks how I feel. Like we’ll never look at sex the same again.
I point to the right. “I’m gonna go this way.” We bump into each other again. Try to move around. Bump again.
“Sweetheart.” Grams takes my hand. “Fred and I have talked and we’ve decided that we’re going to take this suite.” She wraps my hand around the handle of my suitcase.
“What are you talking about?”
She slips my overnight bag over my shoulder. “I’ve packed your bag.”
“You packed my bag?”
“And your sisters.” She rolls Sadie’s suitcase to Cole and passes him her bag. “You’re both staying in Cole’s suite.”
I’m being kicked to the curb for a man who makes her want to beat him with a rolling pin in the middle of a food fight? It occurs to me, in that moment, that the Quylt sister’s holiday magic may not have been intended for me and Cole, but rather our grandparents. A warning would’ve been nice.
“Godammit, granddad, will you put some pants on?”
***
COLE
