Page 52 of Never Sleigh Never
“She has such an icy exterior, but once you break through, she’s an incredible woman.” Shit. Word vomit. I snap my mouth shut, but Emma’s smirk says it’s too late. “I need to get back to the carnival. I have some more work to do.”
“Oh yes. Thank you so much for sitting down with me.”
“No problem.” I rise, and she does the same. “I hope the article brings a lot of exposure to the carnival in Mount Holly.”
“I’m certain it will.”
I shrug into my jacket, keeping my eyes fixed on the door. By the time I’m back in my truck, I’m kicking myself. I came to Mount Holly for Josie. For Brooke’s dream. Nothing more. And definitely not to let one stubborn, infuriating, beautiful woman hijack my every thought.
The drive to my parents’ house goes by in a blur of regret. I don’t know what she’s going to publish, but I went rogue. I should never have even mentioned Brie. Once I opened my mouth, it was nothing but diarrhea of words, and I couldn’t stop. I should have never agreed to the interview.
At my parents’ house, I shove through the front door, stomping snow off my boots. “Josie, are you ready? Josie?” Muffled chatter echoes through the house, followed by the clatter of pots and pans. “Hello? Anyone home?” Just as I pass through the foyer and toward the kitchen, my mom turns the corner. “Hey Mom, where’s Josie?”
With a wooden spoon in hand, she says, “She’s next door with Brie and her mom baking cookies.” She casually walks to the stove and stirs a simmering pot.
My jaw clenches. “Excuse me? You sent my daughter away with a stranger?”
Mom arches a brow. “Brie is far from a stranger. You’ve known her since elementary.”
“But Josie hasn’t.”
“She’s fine. They spent the afternoon building snowmen in the backyard. I was with her when we first went over there, but I had to come home to make dinner. She was having so much fun baking cookies and begged me to let her stay.”
What the fuck? “That’s when you tell her no! Or at least call me and ask. That’s how kids get kidnapped.”
“There hasn’t been a single kidnapping in Mount Holly since the town was founded.”
“And I don’t want my daughter to be the first. It’s the principle of it. You just don’t send someone else’s kid off to a stranger’s house.”
She rolls her eyes. “We used to send you off all the time as a kid. Half the time we didn’t even know where you were, but you always came home as soon as it got dark. You were just fine. Mount Holly isn’t like a big city. I don’t think you’ve been gone that long. Anyway, dinner will be ready in about ten minutes, if you’re hungry.”
My stomach growls, but I ignore it. “No thanks. I’m getting my daughter.”
“Be nice!” my mom yells as I storm out.
Nice? Right. My teeth grind together. What the hell was she thinking? Leaving Josie alone with Brie. You don’t dump someone’s kid with someone else. Who does that? My mom apparently. Once outside, I hurdle the snowbank separating the two driveways and jog up the pathway to the front door. I jab the doorbell, taking my anger out on the button. Several seconds pass before the door opens.
Mrs. McKenna greets me with a warm smile. She has the same dark hair as Brie, but it’s laced with silver. “Logan! Come in. Josie’s in the kitchen.”
I don’t waste time. I stride past her, following the sound of giggles. And then I stop dead in my tracks.
Brie stands at the counter, her ponytail swinging while her red sweater is dusted in flour. A smear streaks across her cheek, and all I want is to wipe it away with my thumb. Feel her soft skin under mine. Next to her, Josie’s perched on a chair in an apron so big it nearly swallows her. Flour also covers her cheeks along with a wide grin. The sight punches me in the throat. Josie used to do this with Brooke. And now she can’t. Instead it’s Brie.
I clear my throat. “Josie. Time to go.”
“But Dad,” Josie protests, “the cookies are still baking.”
“I’m sure Brie can finish them.” My tone is sharper than intended.
Brie shoots me a glare hotter than the oven behind her. Then, with the kind of composure I clearly lack, she tells Josie, “I’ll pack up some of the ones we already made for you.”
“Okay, thank you.” Josie jumps off the chair and tugs off the apron. “Thanks for inviting me over to bake cookies. I had so much fun.”
“Josie. Put on your coat and boots,” I say, my eyes locked on Brie.
As soon as Josie’s out of the room, I lower my voice. “What the hell are you doing?”
Brie rears her head back. “Excuse me?”
