Page 5 of Enemies to Lovers

Love of my life: well, it’s a work in progress.

Miles’ handsome face fills my mind, and I let myself indulge in a daydream of him pushing a lock of hair behind my ear, leaning in with those full lips and pressing them to mine. Brewster is at our feet, Miles’ hands on my hips…

I inhale deep and sigh blissfully. Oh, maybe one day. For now, I’m going to revel in the fantasies I have thatarecoming true. And that means I must prepare for a puppy.

“Hey girl,” I greet my chocolate lab, Hershey, as I walk in the door. Her tail hits the Christmas tree as she wags her entire butt to say hello, then she runs off to find a toy. I shrug out of my coat, but it’s barely down my arms when Joy comes around the corner.

“Favor?” she asks, her green eyes round and desperate. It doesn’t even surprise me she’s here—my place has become the home base for every one of my siblings and their best friends. Joy’s been Ransom’s best bud since junior high.

“Maybe…” I say, pausing to take my coat off.

She clasps her hands together. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to, but your brother is a turdmuffin who got himself sick, so he can’t join me at my office Christmas party tonight.”

My shoulders slump, already sensing where this is going. “And I’m your best choice for a substitute?” I’m hardly an upgrade. Ransom is far more outgoing than I am, knows how to talk to people he doesn’t know, get them to like him in an instant. Yeah… I’m much better suited for a read-a-thon. Man, I miss those.

Her lips turn down, and my resolve cracks instantly.

“When is it?” I say with a resigned sigh.

“Um… now?” Her cheeks blossom red, and I tug my coat back on. “I promise I’ll be the best date ever.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I smile so she knows she’s not putting me out, even though I’d much rather spend the night with my dog. Hershey wags her butt next to me, whacking me in the leg with her tail while her jaw is clenched around a stuffed mallard duck. I bend and take it from her, tossing it down the hallway. Joy slides into her coat, rambling off thank yous all the way out the door.

Joy works at some office just south of downtown in the billing department, and that is all I know about it. I’m sure Ransom knows every detail; he’s her date to every office event she has, and she gets teased about him a lot. We siblings tease him about her, but neither of them has shown any interest in each other outside friendship.

Joy tosses her hands around as she talks. She’s always been a hand-talker. “I thought he was faking it, but then I saw him. Ick. A family of birds could’ve built a mansion with how many tissues he went through.”

I cringe as I slide into the passenger seat. Joy starts up the car, and the heater blasts me square in the face, waving my unruly hair around my forehead. I try to fix it while she backs out of the drive.

“Ransom wouldn’t fake sick to get out of a party. Unless it’s something fancy where he has to be quiet.”

She snorts, flipping on the wipers and getting rid of the snow built along the windshield. I try not to white knuckle my seat; Joy doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to driving, and all her fender benders have been in the snowy months.

She whips out of my neighborhood and onto the freeway, jabbering the whole drive about Ransom, her coworkers, and how fancy for her office Christmas party usually means catered by Cafe Rio instead of Taco Bell. My nerves build in my gut, and I shut them down as much as I can. Parties aren’t my scene; I prefer the quiet of a library if I have to be in public at all. And from the sounds of it, there will be games and prizes and teamwork activities and all the things I dread.

“Uh… how long is this thing?”

“Few hours.” She gives me a big smile, but there’s an apology in her eyes. She knows this is going to be hell for me, but she’s like a sister. And damn it, I do for family. “But the food is going to be good. And there is no pressure to socialize outside of the obstacle course.”

I jerk back. “The what?”

“It’s no big deal.” She waves me off as she takes the exit ramp. “We team up with another couple, do sort of a relay race through a Christmas-themed obstacle course. Winners get $300 gift certificates to Hibiscus Springs.”

“Isn’t that some sort of massage place?”

“Luxury spa.” She sighs blissfully. “Ransom and I win this thing every year, and I want that spa day. So we’re not backing out.”

I run my sweaty palms down my jeans. “I’m not exactly an athlete.”

“Duh,” she jokes. “I’m putting you in whatever puzzle they’ve got set up. They always have a solve it to move on section, and it’ll be your time to shine.”

I scratch my beard. “Right.”

I try not to overthink this stupid relay race/obstacle course while she talks about our Christmas plans—most likely changing the subject so I don’t have a panic attack in the seat next to her. I usually have a good hold on my anxiety—meds help—but my siblings like to tease that I “make my face out loud” a lot. While I don’t have a lot to say, my expressions do a lot of the talking for me.

And I must be making one hell of a look, because Joy’s really trying to calm me down.

We get to her office building, and the parking lot is packed, which doesn’t help the nerves. Joy tucks her arm through mine, and we crunch across the salted sidewalk to the front door.

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