Page 155 of Champagne Nights

I walked over to the picture window in the living room and looked out as the storm was approaching. The skies were gray, and the palm trees were shaking from the strong winds.

“I hope we don’t lose power,” I said as I walked back to the kitchen.

“Gee, I hope not.”

Suddenly, the rain pelted against the roof and crashed against the windows. The lights flickered, and Paisley looked at me.

“I hope you have candles.” She laughed.

“I have plenty of candles. Look around. Amy loved them.”

Then it happened. The house went dark. This was not the way I wanted my night with Paisley to turn out. She turned on the flashlight on her phone and shined it in the drawer while I grabbed a lighter and followed me around the house while I lit the candles.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Paisley

The whole house was glowing with candlelight, and I became very nervous.

“How about we cut into that lemon tart?” I said to distract myself from the ambiance of a romantic setting.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” He smiled.

Ben brought the tart to the table, and I grabbed a couple of plates. He took one of the large candles from the fireplace and set it in the middle of the table.

“There. Now we can see while we’re eating.”

I cut the first piece and put it on his plate as he poured me another glass of wine.

“I can’t believe this weather,” I spoke.

“I can’t believe we’re talking about the weather.” He chuckled.

I laughed. “Next week is Thanksgiving already.”

“I know. My parents were talking about going to my Aunt Melinda’s house this year. According to my mom, she just moved into this mansion of a house and wants to show it off.”

“Where does she live?”

“Santa Barbara. She and her husband just moved there a month ago.”

“That’s quite a drive.”

“I know.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. You can ask me anything.”

“How did you get through last Thanksgiving without Amy?”

He looked at me with empathy and then at his wine glass before he began to speak.

“It was tough. I stayed long enough at my parents’ house for dinner, and then I left. I didn’t want to be around anyone and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Christmas was worse.”

“This will be my first Thanksgiving without him. He passed away on December 1st. Christmas was horrible last year. I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate it. I spent the night at my mom and dad’s house on Christmas Eve and spent all of Christmas Day in my pajamas, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch watching It’s A Wonderful Life with my middle finger up at the TV the whole time.”

Ben busted into laughter. “I’m sorry, but that’s funny. I know what you mean. I sat on the couch at my parents and pretty much didn’t move all day. My aunts and cousins didn’t know what to say, so they didn’t say anything. The only good part of the day was when I skyped with Leah. She’s a great kid. She wanted me to come to Texas before New Year’s Eve, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. I just wanted to be alone, and she said she understood.”

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