She studies my face, searching for lies like she has a built-in detector.
Then she nods once, turns, and grabs something from her dresser.
She hands me a bag.
It is heavy.
I raise an eyebrow. “What is this?”
“A Christmas activity,” she says, as if I should obviously know what that means. “Now I see why you do not want to celebrate.”
“I thought you were tired?”
“Oh, I am a night owl.” She waves her hand. “Plus, it would be nice to do something while we wait for the countdown to Christmas.”
She walks past me, robe swishing, peppermint bonnet bouncing, heading toward the living room.
“Wait—what activity?” I call after her.
“You will see,” she sings, not looking back.
She is a menace.
A holiday menace.
And just like that, my night gets a whole lot more interesting.
9
ONE NIGHT DRIP
CHRISTMAS EVE
God, why do I attract people who are emotionally unavailable?
Heaven telling me she is recently single doesn’t help. I don’t know what is worse — thinking she was a cheater or realizing she can move on from being cheated on this quickly.
I cannot even focus on the canvas in front of me. I am supposed to be drawing a snowman, which is easy, but I keep glancing at Heaven across from me.
“What’s on your mind, Shortcake?” Heaven asks without looking up from her canvas.
“I am trying to figure out if I want my snowman to have a carrot for a nose or a peppermint stick.”
“I vote for a peppermint,” she says with a smirk.
“Of course you do.”
Mariah Carey’s “This Christmas” plays softly in the background while we paint. I thought this would be a fun activity, something to turn my mind off for a bit.
But it is hard to turn my mind off when she is sitting across from me.
The way she tilts her head while she paints.
The way her lips curl when she is focused.
The way she looks so calm while my chest is doing full-on gymnastics.
I am supposed to be drawing a snowman. Instead, I am emotionally spiraling while Heaven Oakley paints like she is not the hottest distraction I have ever met.
