We wave as we watch his car, a black BMW, back out of the drive with less speed and far more control than Tiffany. I know he could have shown off his stunt-driving skills. I’m sure he has them after years of being on movie sets.
But he doesn’t. He’s probably concerned about safety. And small animals. I like that. I like him. Far too much.
When the car is out of sight, quiet descends on the house.
I grin. “Right. Let’s have some fun.”
CHAPTER9
71 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS (STILL)
Poppy
“Tell me one more story.”
Belle looks at me so sweetly that my heart turns over. I sit on the edge of her bed, marveling at how tiny she looks in it. It’s a bed fit for a princess—four posters painted white, with pink flourishes and a pink canopy.
“I’ve already told you three,” I say as sternly as I can.
“Pleeease.”
“You know, this is quite a bed you have here,” I say, changing the subject.
“I hate it,” she confides in me.
“But why? It’s beautiful.”
“It’s so pink.”
“I thought you loved pink.” I recall her saying that the night we first met.
“Not anymore.”
“Since when?”
“Since Tiffany said it was for babies. I’m a big girl. I like blue now. Do you think I could paint my room blue?”
I think for a minute. “You probably can’t paint your room since this is just your temporary house. But if you really want to, I bet we could add some blue pillows and decorations.”
“Really?”
“I don’t see why not. We can talk to your dad about it. But from one artsy girl to another, understand that the color ‘blue’ is way too vague. There are a million shades. For example, do you like turquoise blue? Or periwinkle? Sky blue? Indigo? Cornflower?”
“I know cornflower. That’s the name of one of my crayons.”
“It is. One of my favorites. So which will it be?”
“The blue of Miss Sadie’s hair,” Belle says with a happy sigh.
“Royal blue it is.”
“What are you girls talking about?” a deep voice asks behind me.
“Ahh!” I startle, losing my precarious seat at the edge of the high bed and going crashing to the floor.
I look up to see Ronan peering down at me, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Of course it’s Ronan and not some serial killer breaking into the house. It just surprised me because I hadn’t expected him home for hours.
I feel like an idiot lying in a heap in front of my number one crush. So much for looking cool. I haven’t even reapplied any lip gloss or brushed my hair.
