Page 5 of A Very Naughty Christmas

Sara awoke the next morning still on a high from the not-date. She’d done a little more squirming as the night went on, but eventually it had gotten better and she’d actually been able to converse like an intelligent adult. Alex had certainly treated her like one, asking her about her classes and even getting her opinion on politics. She’d felt very grown up and pleased with herself, all things considered. He’d insisted on following her home in his car—which kind of made sense, seeing as how he only lived next door and all—just so that he could walk her to her door. Once there, she’d tensed, waiting for the moment that would tell her if they’d just been on a date. And then he’d kissed her.

On the cheek. Like a sister, or actually, like the kid next door, which she definitely was. She guessed no matter how many topics they conversed on, or even if she managed to stop blushing every time he looked at her, he’d always look at her like she was a child. Oh, well. At least now she knew. Now maybe she could move on and start fantasizing about the doctors onGrey’s Anatomy, like a normal girl. Which was fine, she supposed. McSteamy, or whatever they called him wasn’t bad looking… but he wasn’t Alex, either.

There was no sense in replaying it over again and reliving it—it was done and over with. They were friends. Or neighbors. Or ex-neighbors, seeing as how she would soon be putting the house on the market. They were… friendly. And that was that. She’d just have to do her best to put him out of her mind and move on with her life.

Sara had just gotten out of bed and was about to head to her closet to look at clothing options for the day when she heard the doorbell ring. Hmm, that was odd. It was early and she certainly wasn’t expecting anyone. No one other than her dorm-mate even knew she was back. With a shrug, she made her way out of the room and down the hall to the door. By the time she got there she’d decided it must be UPS with the wrong house. This time of year, they got mixed up like crazy. She hoped they hadn’t just dropped it on the doorstep—she’d hate for someone to miss the package they were expecting, probably something they planned on wrapping in big, shiny paper to put under the tree.

Only when she opened the door it wasn’t a guy in a UPS uniform after all. Instead, it was Alex’s grinning face that greeted her, taking her completely by surprise.

“Good morning,” he called out cheerily.

“Oh, um… hi.”

“I thought I’d bring breakfast. I hope I didn’t take you away from anything?”

“Ah, no. I was just about to get dressed, actually.” She gestured sheepishly to her red flannel pajamas.

“I think you look cute.”

Cute. Yep, he really did still think of her as the twelve-year-old with pigtails. Sheesh. “Well, come on in, I guess.”

“I brought you a coffee. Do you drink coffee? They bring out all kinds of stuff this time of year. This is a peppermint latte, or something like that.”

Her mood lifted, however slightly. “I love coffeeandpeppermint.”

Alex’s smile grew. “Lucky guess.”

She held the door open and stood aside for him to come inside. Then he waited for her to close the door and lead the way to the kitchen.

“Nice place.”

“Yeah.” She looked around, taking in the familiar light beige walls and yellow accents. Her mother had been a fan of all things yellow—buttercup was her preference, though they had throw pillows that were squash colored and gold candles on the mantel above the fireplace. The loveseat and chairs were cream and the wooden floors had been stripped and refurbished only last year, left bare except for the shag throw rugs that her mother had made herself. They were all varying shades of yellow, of course. Her father used to cheerfully grouse that it looked like they’d been invaded by a swarm of confused bees who’d forgotten where their honey was supposed to go, but her mother had never paid him any mind.

“Was that a ‘for sale’ sign I saw out front?”

“Oh, yeah.” She shrugged. “Had to happen, I guess. I’m going to start packing the house up while I’m here on break and hopefully we’ll hear something soon. Apparently, lots of couples like a house before the holidays, but… I just wanted to… you know.”

“Spend one last Christmas here?” he asked, as if he did, in fact, know.

Sara smiled at him gratefully. “Yes. That’s it, exactly.”

“Well, are you hungry?” he asked when they entered the dining room. “I hope you like doughnuts.”

“Ilovedoughnuts. I’ll let you in on a little secret—every girl does, and those that say they don’t just eat them hiding in dark closets where no one can see them.”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Alex chuckled as he lifted the lid.

Sara quickly scanned the inside of the box, an assorted mix of breakfast yummies. She spotted the one she wanted instantly—it had a chocolate glaze and was decorated with red and green sprinkles. Just looking at it made her mouth water.

“Go on,” he encouraged, as though he’d read her mind. “Help yourself.”

She reached for the chocolate ring of goodness, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He was reaching for a cruller—she didn’t know how a cruller could even compete with chocolate and sprinkles, but she guessed that was a good thing. More for her.

“So, I don’t see a Christmas tree.”

The comment took Sara by surprise and diluted the pure and utter joy of the first bite of her doughnut. She scowled at him. You couldn’t get that first bite back. “It’s early,” she said at last.

“Oh, I know it’s early for the rest of the world,” he chuckled. “But I seem to recall that you Schroders have a strict decorating schedule.”

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