“It’s never just a kiss,” she said.
“Well, this time it was. It can’t go anywhere. I’m going home right after Christmas. To Florida, where I live. You remember? Palm trees, sunshine, a distinct lack of snow?”
“Uh-huh. Whatever, Sam. You can tell yourself that all you want, but I know you.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked, intrigued.
“It means that you don’t go around kissing people at random. And especially not at Christmas. It’s a goddamn Christmas miracle!” she exclaimed.
“Oh my God, Robin, shut up.”
“It’s a blessing. Like the baby Jesus,” she teased.
“I cannot even believe we’re related,” I said, rolling my eyes dramatically. She was cracking me up to be honest, but I wasn’t going to give in.
“Oh, we are related. And I know you. Better than anyone else. You like him,” she said, quite matter of factly.
“I can’t deal with you right now.” I started to laugh.
“Oh, but you can. And you will. Because I’m your sister, and you’re stuck with me,” she said in singsong fashion.
“Good lord.” I let out a small giggle. “I’m going to shower. What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Today, we are lounging. I’m done with work through the holidays, and the girls have their concert tonight. So, tonight will be about those shenanigans. But until then, we have no obligations whatsoever, which pleases me to no end. That work for you?”
“That sounds amazing actually. Wanna bake more cookies?” I asked.
“Well, of course I do. It’s the holidays. We’re gonna go ahead and get fat and nap after we get high on sugar, before we do it all over again.”
“Sounds like the best day ever.”
I sat down with my coffee and listened to the girls talking and laughing. The house felt warm and inviting. I was relaxed and genuinely happy, which I can’t say I’d felt in years. Part of me knew it would have to come to an end, but I decided that very moment, that while I was in Friendship, I would enjoy all it had to offer. Including one very rugged and handsome pilot-slash-mechanic.
Chapter Twelve
Jason
That night couldn’t have turned out better if I’d planned every bit of it myself. I didn’t, though, and considered myself lucky as hell. Deep down, I wasn’t really sure where it was going with Samantha, but it felt right. I had felt some kind of pull to her and then a push from Gabe, and that propelled me toward her at almost top speed. How Gabe knew was still lost on me. There was no way that he figured this out on his own simply by being a good listener. I didn’t really care what it was. I felt good, and I was going to enjoy it.
The next day when Robin came to drop Emily off, she teased me a little bit but then helped me plan a surprise for Samantha. It was outrageous and required a ton of legwork, but the wheels were already in motion. Robin couldn’t believe what I was planning.
“Wait, you’ve already found a place to get plastic flamingos in December, a week before Christmas? How is that even possible?” she asked me.
“I have a buddy who’s in the business of getting people what they need,” I joked with her as if I had to call the mob or something. In reality, if you’re willing to pay, you can get almost anything you need. Besides the fact that it’s the season of giving, and people wanted to help me make Christmas wonderful for someone special.
“What about the hats?” she asked.
“That’s where I need your help,” I replied.
“Okay, what can I do?”
“I need you to get me two hundred Santa hats.”
“Two hundred?” she repeated. “That’s a lot of Santa hats, Jason. Where am I going to get that many?”
“Call the moms club and initiate the emergency phone tree,” I replied, completely serious.
“You want me to initiate the phone tree for Santa hats?”
