“But it would be weird if my husband didn’t want to celebrate Christmas.”
“I’m with you. Anyone messes with my eggnog habit and I’ll bust their ass,” David joked.
I laughed. We’d turned in a full circle, and my gaze went directly to Jake again. I wished he wasn’t here. I was having a perfectly nice time with David, Annie, and Logan—both of whom were sitting at a nearby table while Annie took copious notes on Crestie behavior—until Jake had arrived fashionably late with his latest victim. Ever since then I’d known exactly where he was at any given moment, and I’d been nothing but tense.
What the hell was my problem? Practically all I thought about was Jake. Half the time I fantasized about bumping into him in the hall and ripping into him for the lawn jockey prank. Telling him about how my mom had called some junk-hauling place, and they’d said it would cost two hundred bucks to pick the thing up and dispose of it because it was so heavy. Two hundred dollars! Money we did not have. Didn’t he realize that his actions had consequences? In my fantasy he would be chagrined into speechlessness and I’d walk away all triumphant while he hung his head in shame.
The other half of the time the very same fantasy ended up with him grabbing my arm as I tried to walk away, pulling me to him, and kissing me half to death.
I was in serious need of some therapy.
“So, I have a question,” David said.
We’d turned so that Jake was no longer in my line of sight. Slight reprieve. “Let me guess. Would I ever name my first born after a planet?” I joked.
“Close,” David said. “Would you go out with me?”
I stepped on my own foot and sort of slid sideways. “Wait. What?” My heart was pounding a mile a minute. He had to be kidding. He was kidding. Right?
He looked around, dropping his arms from my waist. “Um . . . do you really need me to say it again?” he asked, his smile beseeching and adorable.
I swallowed hard. He was serious. “I thought you liked Shannen.”
David shrugged one shoulder. “That was stupid,” he said. “That was, like, the unattainable stupid crush. But you . . .” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at me, his gaze steady. “You’re, like, extremely cool. Pretty much any guy in this room would kill to have a girlfriend like you.”
My heart melted into warm mush. Could he possibly be any sweeter? What girl in this room wouldn’t kill to have a cute guy say that to her? I took a deep breath and considered David. Sweet, fun, adorable David, who was growing more uncertain and vulnerable by the second. What was stopping me from saying yes?
“Hey.”
We both turned. Jake Graydon stood in front of us, jacket unbuttoned, hands slipped casually into his pockets. Hotter than any normal person had the right to be.
“Um, hi,” David said ironically. Not that Jake would get the tone, considering he had no idea what he’d just walked in on. “What’s up?”
Jake gave David a baffled look. “Uh, actually, I came over to see if I could, you know, cut in or whatever.”
I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, right.”
Jake colored slightly. “What?”
“No, you cannot cut in,” I said slowly. A thrill skittered over my shoulders. He was finally giving me my chance to reject him. To make him feel the way I’d felt when I saw him peeling off from my house with the Idiot Twins cackling in the backseat. I still had no idea which one of his friends was driving the car, but it didn’t matter. Jake had been there, defiling my home, rubbing my downfall in my face. And now he was asking me to dance?
“But I—”
David slipped in front of me, facing off with Jake. “She said no thanks. You can walk away now.”
My heart fluttered. David was defending my honor. But as much as I appreciated the gesture, I wasn’t about to let him speak for me.
“I’ve got this, David,” I said, stepping around him. I looked up at Jake, lifting my chin. Annie and Logan were suddenly
“I’m with you. Anyone messes with my eggnog habit and I’ll bust their ass,” David joked.
I laughed. We’d turned in a full circle, and my gaze went directly to Jake again. I wished he wasn’t here. I was having a perfectly nice time with David, Annie, and Logan—both of whom were sitting at a nearby table while Annie took copious notes on Crestie behavior—until Jake had arrived fashionably late with his latest victim. Ever since then I’d known exactly where he was at any given moment, and I’d been nothing but tense.
What the hell was my problem? Practically all I thought about was Jake. Half the time I fantasized about bumping into him in the hall and ripping into him for the lawn jockey prank. Telling him about how my mom had called some junk-hauling place, and they’d said it would cost two hundred bucks to pick the thing up and dispose of it because it was so heavy. Two hundred dollars! Money we did not have. Didn’t he realize that his actions had consequences? In my fantasy he would be chagrined into speechlessness and I’d walk away all triumphant while he hung his head in shame.
The other half of the time the very same fantasy ended up with him grabbing my arm as I tried to walk away, pulling me to him, and kissing me half to death.
I was in serious need of some therapy.
“So, I have a question,” David said.
We’d turned so that Jake was no longer in my line of sight. Slight reprieve. “Let me guess. Would I ever name my first born after a planet?” I joked.
“Close,” David said. “Would you go out with me?”
I stepped on my own foot and sort of slid sideways. “Wait. What?” My heart was pounding a mile a minute. He had to be kidding. He was kidding. Right?
He looked around, dropping his arms from my waist. “Um . . . do you really need me to say it again?” he asked, his smile beseeching and adorable.
I swallowed hard. He was serious. “I thought you liked Shannen.”
David shrugged one shoulder. “That was stupid,” he said. “That was, like, the unattainable stupid crush. But you . . .” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at me, his gaze steady. “You’re, like, extremely cool. Pretty much any guy in this room would kill to have a girlfriend like you.”
My heart melted into warm mush. Could he possibly be any sweeter? What girl in this room wouldn’t kill to have a cute guy say that to her? I took a deep breath and considered David. Sweet, fun, adorable David, who was growing more uncertain and vulnerable by the second. What was stopping me from saying yes?
“Hey.”
We both turned. Jake Graydon stood in front of us, jacket unbuttoned, hands slipped casually into his pockets. Hotter than any normal person had the right to be.
“Um, hi,” David said ironically. Not that Jake would get the tone, considering he had no idea what he’d just walked in on. “What’s up?”
Jake gave David a baffled look. “Uh, actually, I came over to see if I could, you know, cut in or whatever.”
I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, right.”
Jake colored slightly. “What?”
“No, you cannot cut in,” I said slowly. A thrill skittered over my shoulders. He was finally giving me my chance to reject him. To make him feel the way I’d felt when I saw him peeling off from my house with the Idiot Twins cackling in the backseat. I still had no idea which one of his friends was driving the car, but it didn’t matter. Jake had been there, defiling my home, rubbing my downfall in my face. And now he was asking me to dance?
“But I—”
David slipped in front of me, facing off with Jake. “She said no thanks. You can walk away now.”
My heart fluttered. David was defending my honor. But as much as I appreciated the gesture, I wasn’t about to let him speak for me.
“I’ve got this, David,” I said, stepping around him. I looked up at Jake, lifting my chin. Annie and Logan were suddenly
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