“I was leaving it open for her,” he lied.
“Hey, guys! Oh my God, Duncan! How are you?” Britney came into the kitchen with her hair in two braids, wearing shorts and a camisole over her suit. She reached out for a hug, and Duncan obliged, with a friendly pat on her back.
“I’m great, Brit. How have you been?”
“Great, great. I brought the wine for the sangria, Jen!”
“Ooh, yes. And Duncan brought peanut butter whiskey from a distillery in California.”
Aurora’s eyes grew wide, and she drew her lips into a tiny ‘o’. “That sounds divine. Can we open it?”
“Already did.” Mike and Dave raised their tumblers.
“It’s good,” added Mike.
“I’ll pour you a taste.” Jen took a glass out of the cupboard. “I didn’t take you for a drinker, Aurora.”
“It happened somewhere along the way. I tend to go for sweeter drinks.” She took a sip of what Jen had poured her.
“Do you want one?”
“Oh yeah,” she all but moaned.
Duncan bit back a laugh. She handed Jen her glass to pour her a full serving.
“I bet if you added chocolate syrup, it would taste like a peanut butter cup,” Aurora said thoughtfully.
“Dave, would you grab the chocolate liquor off the refrigerator for me?” Jen pointed at the bottles atop the appliance.
“I’ll get it,” said Duncan. He wasn’t as tall as Dave, about five foot ten, but he could reach it anyway. “How much should I put in?”
Jen considered the glass. “A half ounce ought to do it.”
Duncan took the measuring cup and poured in the liquor. He swirled it around with the whiskey, then handed it to Aurora.
“How’s that?” He smiled as her face turned to pure contentment.
“It’s my favorite candy in a glass!” She took another sip, then glanced at Duncan. “This is dangerous.”
He chuckled, his mind filling with ways to test how dangerous. Most of them ended with her making that moaning sound again.
Jen pushed him toward the plates. “You guys better eat this food. The hot tub should be ready to go soon, so let’s get reunion business out of the way, shall we?”
The years fell away as they chatted. Duncan hadn’t been this happy since the last time he lived in Riverton. Maybe coming back was good for him? No, it had something to do with the company. Mike and Dave? Maybe. He’d hung around Jen before, when he came back to see his folks, and he’d never had this light feeling, this spring in his step. It hadn’t started until he saw Roar get out of her car. He stole a glance at Roar next to him and his heart thudded against his chest. Those old feelings he’d thought long buried were coming back to life even stronger now that he was in her presence.
Waving Through A Window
“Is it time for the candy cane sale already? Okay, ladies, go ahead.” Mr. Robinson, the choir director, smiled at the students from the prom fundraising committee. They carried a box filled with candy canes, most of them red, but there were a few green ones. Red candy canes had a tag that said, “Happy Holidays,” while the green ones had a tag that said, “I want to find you in my stocking.” It was as saucy as the kids could get away with.
“Jen Smith?”
Jen got up from her chair on the choir riser and came down to the piano to retrieve her red and white treat.
“And Duncan Sullivan.”
The committee girl held up the coveted green candy cane. Duncan’s cheeks turned pink as he descended the risers.
“Who wants to findyouin their stocking?” Mike taunted.
