5 Days till Christmas
The very long line outside the Pine Cone Café shuffled forward a few inches.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lucas Alexander glanced automatically at his watch. He was not late. He was never late. In fact, he did not even register the time.
5 days left.
This was the thought which preoccupied Lucas. He hadn’t been worried until last night. Hadn’t taken it seriously.
The line of chilly would-be customers stepped another foot-length forward. This freaking Silver Sleigh Mocha sure better be worth it. Lucas sighed and his breath misted in the 14.6 °F air.
Hell. Day One, he’d forgotten all about Riley’s ultimatum. Hadn’t done anything, said anything,thoughtanything about it.
Because it was ridiculous.
R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S
Silly. Childish.
Like the premise of some stupid rom-com on the Hallmark Channel. He could picture the dumbass title credits:The 12 Days Ultimatumfloating in flowy script above snowy fields where, three minutes in, some wholesome freckle-faced girl and her adorable mutt get snow-plowed by a handsome lunkhead on a snowmobile.
They were grown men. They were FBI agents, for god’s sake. Not… Not whoever watched movies like that, read books like that,thoughtlike that.
And Lucas had told Special Agent Riley Christopher so. Clearly. Plainly. In words of one syllable.
Not countingridiculous, which, yes, was four syllables.
Anyway. Straight-from-the-shoulder.
The way they always talked to each other.
Or the way they’d always talked to each other up until a week ago when Riley, Lucas’ best agent, closest friend—and yes, okay, pretty much his boyfriend if youhadto put a label on it—suddenly, without warning, decided to throw down.
Which, obviously, Lucas was not having.
Riley had heard Lucas out, quiet and calm, and then he’d tipped his head to the side, narrowed his eyes the way he did when he was lining up the sight on a Colt M4 carbine, and stated, “What you’re saying is, my feelings are ridiculous.”
“I sure amnot.” Lucas was vehement. Sure, he thought Riley wasbeingridiculous, buthewas not ridiculous. Not at all. Temporarily out of his mind, maybe.
“Yeah, you are, though. You’re saying my feelings are silly. And childish.”
Lucas, flustered at the unfamiliar experience of being challenged, had responded with less discretion than usual. He tried belatedly to clarify. “I didn’t sayyouwere silly or childish or ridiculous. I said what you’refeelingis.”
“Oh,” Riley said, and Lucas felt the hair on his scalp prickle at that dangerously innocent tone. “Isee.”
“Ry—”
“It’s okay. I get it.”
Are there any five more ominous words spoken between two people?
“That is not at all what I meant,” Lucas had said firmly.
“Well, whatdoyou mean?” Riley asked.
All this because Lucas had forgotten that, last Christmas, Riley had asked—in passing—if maybe this year they could take some time off. Spend some time together during the holidays.
Which, for the record, they always did.
