Page 7 of Just A Dash of Holiday Magic
I’m across the room, standing in front of her before I even realize I’ve moved. Her eyes widen in surprise, but she doesn’t pull away when I cup her face in my hands and crush my lips against hers. She tastes sweet like sugar cookies, and I yearn for more of a taste.
I pull back when I realize how forward I’m being. I’m just overcome with emotion. I’ve spent my life getting the short end of the stick in every way possible, but somehow in one evening, this beautiful woman has saved me from going to prison and losing my nephew.
“Are you sure this is all real?” I ask, my lips a breath from hers. "This seems all too good to be true. How is it that a guy like me meets the most beautiful woman in the world, and she manages to rescue his family with one phone call?”
But before she can open her mouth to answer, my phone in my pocket starts to buzz. I take a step back away from her as I pull it out of my back pocket. A picture of my sister, Wendy, holding Billy flashes on the screen.
“What is it?” I ask as I answer. Wendy would never call this late unless something was wrong.
All I can hear on the other end of the line is a sob from my older sister that is like a slice through the chest.
“Wendy? What happened?”
“He’s getting worse, Will,” she barely manages to get out. “They say he might not make it through the night.”
I look up at Marie, but she’s typing something into her phone. I know from the concerned crease in her brow that she heard Wendy.
“I’ll be right there,” I tell Wendy.
“Okay,” she says, her voice sounding a bit stronger before she ends the call.
“I’ve called for a car to pick us up,” Marie informs me.
“Us?” I ask.
“You’re going to need me there throwing my name around if we have any hope of getting the hospital staff to get him into surgery as soon as possible.”
I'm not about to argue with her. I'm willing to pull any strings I can, even if they aren't mine to pull if it helps Billy.
