: See you soon.
Trepidation skittered up my spine. It was an overreaction. The news had reported an increase in these scam messages lately, advising the public to ignore them and block the numbers. So, that’s precisely what I did.
Someone elbowed me.
I looked up to find Zombie watching me. In a sea of hot, bearded guys, he stood out because he was almost albino-level pale and kind of scary looking. But he was a total softie, bringing me coffee and anything else I’d needed all morning. There was nothing but concern in his pale eyes as he held my gaze and asked, “Are you okay?”
I forced a smile and set my phone face down on the table. “Yeah. Absolutely.”
He cocked his eyebrows like he didn’t believe the lie, but he also didn’t push. “You ready for a mimosa yet?”
I’d turned down everything stronger than coffee all morning long, but now… now I could use a drink.
“Yes, please.”
He grinned and handed me a champagne flute.
Every warning I’d ever heard about accepting drinks from strangers flashed through my mind, but fuck it. Julia said I could trust these guys. Ben was missing, and not even the dubious skill sets of Link’s team could find him. Despite my best efforts to assure myself otherwise, I suspected that the random texts from unknown numbers were significant. Luke’s business was on a watchlist, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d put Ben in danger by introducing him to Luke.
And then there was Landon.
Yeah, I needed this drink. Thanking Zombie, I accepted the glass and took a sip. Citrusy bubbles danced across my tongue as I stared at the list of students. The drink dulled the edge of worry, allowing me to focus on the task at hand. After I finished assigning gifts to kids, I helped wrap. It took most of the day to finish, with only a quick stop for pizza. By the time everything was wrapped and organized, I was exhausted. I couldn’t wait to go home and climb into bed with a good book.
The bikers stacked boxes of wrapped presents against two walls, separated by preschool. The list had been impressive, but seeing the sheer volume of gifts had me fighting back tears. Two preschools in need would be absolutely spoiled this year thanks to the generosity of this club.
Julia joined me with a warm smile. I tried to smile back, but my expression had a mind of its own. Whatever face I made seemed to startle her, because she leaned closer and discreetly asked if I was all right.
I nodded. Swallowing back my emotions, I tried to say something, but all I could do was clear my throat.
The music stopped mid-carol, and the iconic first few bars of Nine Inch Nails’ song “Closer” played over the sound system.
Julia hooked her arm in mine and pulled me into a small room furnished with two overstuffed sofas facing each other and a coffee table in between. She sat me down on the edge of one sofa, and then took a seat across from me and asked, “What’s going on?”
I swallowed. “These are happy tears.”
“All of them?”
Her intensity made me feel like I was on trial, putting me on guard immediately. That was good, since it dried up the waterworks. Since I didn’t want to frighten away my new friend, I had to be smart about what came out of my mouth. But I had no idea what to say. We came from two different worlds, and I didn’t know how she’d react to my past.
She’s married to a biker and helps women who are abused. You’re not that special.
“I uh… I don’t come from money.”
Her brows lowered. “Okay…?”
“When I was growing up, Christmas was stressful. My dad was a typical narcissist who only took care of himself. Mom barely made enough to pay the bills. There were years when we couldn’t even scrape together the funds to hit the dollar store.” Then we took in Ben, and money got tighter, but he was worth the sacrifice.
And he was missing.
I couldn’t think about that right now, so I swallowed back those fears and continued. “The families of most of my students know what it’s like to go without. I can’t tell you what it will mean to the preschoolers to experience this incredible party with tons of delicious food and more presents than they’ve seen in their whole little lives.”
My voice broke on the last word, and Julia blinked frantically as her eyes filled with tears.
Remembering that pregnancy made her emotional, I slapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry. I shared too much.”
She laughed and wiped away a tear. “Never apologize for making me feel something.”
“Thank you for inviting me to your wrapping party.”
