Page 67 of Under the Mistletoe
How is the chapter coming?
That was better.
She checked her text to Heather Barlow, but she hadn’t responded. Maybe she should drive over there.
She pushed the Barlows out of her mind. She still couldn’t believe that she’d told Logan she loved him. She’d never said that to anyone. But it had just slipped out. Maybe she could blame it on the fact her lips had still been tingling from that mind-numbing kiss. Because boy, did Logan know how to kiss. It had been hungry but giving. Sweet and tender, yet it had awakened every inch of her skin and had her ready to forget her responsibilities at the event and spend the day kissing him. Who needed a job anyway? She did. But it had left her counting the minutes until she could revisit that kiss again and again.
Her phone chimed with an incoming text.
Logan
I just sent it off. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.
Maybe she wasn’t the only one counting down the minutes.
Logan
Dress warm.
Warm? How warm?
Devin pushed to a stand, then walked to her dresser and unclipped her charm bracelet. Warm probably meant they’d be doing something outside and possibly active, and she didn’t want to take a chance on losing the bracelet. She studied the gingerbread charm she’d found among the candy at the end of the event. It was adorable and perfect. But finding it squashed any last hope that Logan was connected to the gifts.
After all, he’d only been in the building for less than a minute, and he hadn’t been carrying anything when he arrived. Then again, the Santa hat showing up at her door while he was away and not speaking to her had pretty much made it clear he wasn’t involved. But she still loved the bracelet.
She released a deep sigh and straightened the chain across the dresser, then positioned each charm so it hung straight. So far, she had five charms: an ice skate, snowflake, stocking, the Santa hat, and now the gingerbread house.
Ten minutes later, Devin couldn’t decide between her new cute jeans laid on her bed or Jess’s black fluffy snow pants. How warm was he talking?
Was it a don’t-forget-your-gloves-and-hat warm or come-looking-like-a-fat-toddler warm? She didn’t love the idea of being the most unflattering version of herself for their first official date, but she also didn’t want him ending the date early because he thought she was cold. Snow pants it was. She pulled them on over a pair of leggings and tugged the straps over her shoulders. Maybe she’d bring her jeans in a bag in case they went to his parents’ house.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call, and she reached for it but froze.
Mom?
Her hand hovered over the phone a moment before she picked it up and accepted the call. “Is everything okay?”
“I should ask you that. It has been over three weeks since we talked. I usually hear from you at least every other week.”
Because Devin was the only one who could pick up the phone. “Everything is great. I’ve been really busy.”
“Can you get away today? They are doing contamination containment in the lab today so we could meet you for that dinner.”
Devin squeezed her eyes shut as the familiar tightening in her stomach began. She longed to see her parents, but they couldn’t expect her to drop everything just because their work was unexpectedly put on hold. “I’m actually getting ready to go out.”
“Can’t you change your plans?” Her mom’s heels clicked in the background. She was probably ready to hop in the car and presumed Devin would do the same.
She swallowed and drew a steadying breath. “Actually, it’s a date and I am really looking forward to it.”
Her mother’s silence said it all.
Devin let out a slow breath, then sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of thick socks. “His name is Logan Kingsley, and I knew him in college.”
“What does he do?” There no warmth to her tone.
Right, because to her mom, what he did was more valuable than who he was. “He’s in the publication industry.”
“Textbooks?”
