Page 59 of The Grumpiest Elf

In response, I bring her in for another kiss, happily swallowing her laughter.

As much as the attraction between us is white hot, I like that we laugh. I’ve been with people who are dead serious when it comes to bedroom stuff, and while no one wants to feel laughedat, I like that when Lydia and I are together, even when we’re making out or fooling around, we can laugh. It makes it feel so much lighter and more fun.

I eventually let her pull away, and she gives me another smile, shaking her head at me. “Tomorrow’s Tuesday,” she whispers.

“I can’t wait,” I tell her.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

Lydia

Dylanand I open together on Tuesday morning, but I have the afternoon off. It’s bittersweet saying goodbye to him when Nora comes in to take over. I want to spend as much time with him as possible, but I’m also grateful that I’ll have time to clean up my room and get ready for him to come over tonight.

The plan is for him to pick up food on his way over after his shift ends, but I’ll have a chunk of time where I’m in the condo alone between when Mom leaves and when he arrives.

Mom asks for my help getting ready for the Christmas party, even though we both know she doesn’t really need it. She has enough fashion sense for the both of us, and usually it’s the other way around. Still, it’s fun to sit on her bed while she presents me with her outfit choices.

“Do you have any fun plans this evening?” she asks with a knowing smile after she’s dressed in black slacks and a sparkly red top. It’s sleeveless and has a cowl neck, but she assures me that she’ll be fine since they’ll be at her boss’s house, and there’ll be cocktails and eggnog, which will keep her feeling plenty warm.

“Text me if you need a ride home,” I tell her after that reveal.

She gives me a funny look. “I thought I was the parent,” she says, hooking her silver drop earrings into her ears.

Laughing, I shake my head. “Seriously, though. It’s a party. If you want to let loose, you should. But if you need me to, Dylan can bring me there, and I can drive you home.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says as she puts on her necklace, then turns to face me. “I take it from that statement that you have plans with Dylan?”

My cheeks heat, and she gives me a knowing look. “He’s coming over,” I confess.

“I sort of assumed that would happen,” she says, turning and giving me a kiss on the cheek before leading the way out of her room. “Be safe.”

Rolling my eyes, my blush deepens. “I know, Mom. I am. We are.”

Her eyebrows raise, but she doesn’t say anything else on the subject—thank god. After gathering her keys, phone, and purse, she gives me a wave. “Love you. I’ll let you know when I’m heading home.”

“Or if you need a ride,” I say, pointing a finger at her before she closes the door.

Laughing, she nods. “Or if I need a ride, though I don’t plan on that being necessary. See you later.”

Then she’s gone, and I’m left with the swooping sensation of needing to while away the time before Dylan arrives combined with excitement at the fact he’s coming over soon.

I busy myself with tidying my room, though that doesn’t take as long as I expected, largely because most of the mess was just clothes needing to be either put back in the closet or tossed in the hamper. After checking the time and realizing I still have at least thirty minutes of waiting ahead of me, I head into the living room and kitchen, straightening the books and magazines on the coffee table, lining up the remotes next to each other, and loading the few dishes from the sink into the dishwasher. While I’m naturally inclined to be messy, Mom isn’t, and between the two of us, we keep our living space fairly well put together. My room is where things tend to devolve, but since most of my things are at Dad’s or in storage, it’s just clothes I have to worry about. I haven’t been here long enough to acquire more that needs taking care of.

I wonder how long it’ll take for that to happen? When will I decide to add personal touches to my room? It’s homey and warm as-is, but it’s definitely a guest room rather than a space that’s obviously mine.

Maybe once the elf gig is over and Dylan’s back at school, I’ll have more time to want to do that sort of thing. The thought of Dylan leaving sends a pang of sadness through me that I immediately push away. I’m not going to think about that now.

Despite my resolve, his question from the other night about how long I plan to stay in Arcadian Falls floats through my head. Even though this is still very new, he’s thinking about when and how often he’ll get to see me once the spring semester starts, wishing I’d be in Seattle again so we could date like a normal couple.

And while the thought makes me happy, that pang rings through me again, because as lovely as it sounds to go back and have a boyfriend in theory, thinking about returning to school and how difficult last semester was has my shoulders bunching and my heart speeding up. Shaking my head, I throw that off. Just because Dylan wishes something were possible—and I do too, in some ways—doesn’t mean I need to do it.

That’s the whole point of this break, isn’t it? To get out from under the expectations of others and figure out whatIwant.

My dad’s the one who wants me back in school, majoring in business and on the pre-law track. He’s already got my entire life mapped out for me.

Dylan wouldn’t fit nicely in his plans either, which makes me smirk.

But trading my dad’s desires for Dylan’s doesn’t feel any better, really. Not when I’m not sure what it is that I want to do with my life. Business and pre-law isn’t it, though, I know that much.

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