“Mom’s asking where you are. Chloe is chomping at the bit to open her Christmas Eve present.”
He moved away from the bathroom to be out of earshot. “We’ll be there in thirty minutes. Did my package arrive?”
“Yes, and I wrapped it, like you asked. And no, I didn’t look, although I was tempted.” Her curiosity carried over the phone but he wasn’t about to indulge her.
“Thank you for not being a snoop. I’ll see you in a few.”
Alice came out of the bathroom, a towel draped around her chest. “Is everything okay with Hallie?”
“Yes.” He palmed the phone and went into his room to dress. “Chloe wants to open her midnight present. Hallie used to be so impatient to open her gifts that my mother decided to make it a tradition. Truth is, I think she’s as excited to give as Chloe is to receive it.”
“Your mom is really nice. Mine never had much money but at Christmas, she’d get me and Brooke pajamas and a robe.” She dropped the towel exposing her high breasts, flat stomach, and rounded hips before she put on her bra and underwear. He turned his back to her lest he give into temptation. They were late as it was. If he fell into bed with Alice, he’d never get out.
“I was spoiled. I got everything I asked for.” He hadn’t appreciated how lucky he was until he’d nearly lost it all. Thanks to Alice, he’d saved CG. Until the next round of medical bills started all over again after the New Year. Sighing, he slipped on jeans, T-shirt, and a button-down red flannel shirt.
“Hard work and eating a diet of ramen and peanut butter allowed me to pay for college. And it’s paid off. I’m fortunate I can have any material thing I want within reason but I’ll never forget the pajamas. They made me feel safe, odd to think of it like that but perhaps it was because they were warm and cuddly.” She slipped on a loose-fitting black dress, covering her body from his view. She sat on the end of the bed and put on her boots.
Niko stared at her, unsure how to respond. She was a chameleon, one minute soft and relaxed, the next serious and driven. In some ways they were similar, but in many ways, they were polar opposites. She’d never had anything handed to her.
He’d had everything handed to him and he’d taken it all for granted. It wasn’t until Jon died that he’d realized how hard life was. And he’d had a crash course with Chloe. He retrieved a duffle bag and shoved clean clothes into it. “Ready to go?”
Alice zipped up her black roller suitcase and pulled up the handle. “I have everything I need right here. Presents and all.”
“When did you have time to shop for Christmas presents?” He hefted his duffle and motioned for her to precede him to the outer door.
“There’s this amazing thing called the internet. You can order stuff and it gets delivered.” She walked past him, her eyes shining, a smile creasing her lips. Her perfume teased his nose, the soft scent one that he’d never forget. Nor could he ever forget how she made him feel. Whole.
He closed his apartment door. The next time he came home, he’d be alone. And it hurt like hell.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“This is beautiful. When was it built?” Alice exited the town car in front of the Stavos house and scanned the property. Located on a corner lot in the Queen Anne district, the stately two-story Victorian had green gingerbread siding, a white picket fence, and a wrap-around porch. It was the vintage house of her dreams.
“In 1910. It didn’t always look this nice. My parents put a lot into it over the years.” Niko hefted his duffle bag on his shoulder and opened the gate.
She dragged her suitcase behind her, gripping the handle, palms damp, her stomach dancing from nerves. Silly, since she’d met his family already but being in their house was different. Staying the night here was taking their relationship, whatever it was, to a different level. He was no longer a contestant on the show. For all intents and purposes, he was her boyfriend. A smile bloomed on her lips and warmth invaded her chest.
Niko opened the front door and allowed her to precede him into a sweeping foyer. Pine, cinnamon, and clove sweetened the air. The house smelled like Christmas. An oak staircase led to the second floor; a bench seat tucked under the stairs. She craned her neck, taking in the warmth of the woodwork, the cream wallpaper, and two large stained-glass windows. In another life, she could imagine coming here every Christmas with her own kids and continuing the tradition of opening gifts at midnight.
If Chloe is your daughter, how would that play out? Yes, it was a foolish fantasy but a girl could dream. Except she was a woman who had to face reality.
Live in the now. For the next twenty-four hours she would fool herself into thinking this was her life.
“Oh good, you’re here.” Sarah exited from a doorway at the far end of the foyer, a green shawl over her shoulders. Her light brown hair was tucked behind her ears, her smile welcoming.
“Hi Mom, sorry we’re late.” He took Alice’s suitcase and his duffle bag and placed them in a cubby next to the bench. “Alice took forever to pack.”
She wrinkled her nose at his teasing lie. If anyone was to blame, it was Niko, and the effect he had on her. The second he kissed her, the world disappeared until it was just the two of them.
“You’re timing is perfect. Your dad’s in the kitchen making tea and cookies. Why don’t you two go into the living room?” Sarah turned her back, but not before Alice caught the approving look in her eyes.
Niko’s mother liked her. She wanted to clap her hands but refrained.
“Peppermint tea and cookies is a family tradition. Dad’s lactose intolerant so Santa didn’t drink milk in our house.” Niko placed his hand on the small of Alice’s back and guided her into the living room. The tree they’d picked out at the farm was in the corner and was decorated in vintage Christmas ornaments and flickering multicolored lights. The woodwork from the hallway carried through in the wainscoting and Alice fell even more in love with the house.
“Hi Alice.” Hallie sat on a large, blue sectional couch across from two recliners. Chloe was slumped over her lap, a decorative Christmas throw hiding her slender body, her eyes closed. She wasn’t wearing a hat or headpiece and her bald head and the touch of dark circles under her puffy eyes, brought home her illness on a base level.
Breathe. Smile. Pretend. What she isn’t is cancer. Niko’s words whispered in her head and she inhaled, taking the sentiment to heart. “Looks like somebody’s exhausted.”
