Page 40 of A Holly Brown Christmas
“Ew, Lucas, seriously? Would you want to know if they’re not happy with their sex lives?”
“Oh my God! Why? Why would you even say something like that?” He shuddered.
“Because that’s the sort of Pandora box we could be opening. So…remember that.”
“Ugh…just…” Another shudder. “Call Kat and let's set up a time to do a video chat, okay?” You know I’m home most nights after six.”
“The kids all have activities going on. It’s easier to talk during the day. Can’t you take an hour at work for this?”
Since he didn’t have kids, he didn’t know if she made that up or not, but it was easier to give in than to argue with her.
“Sure. Text me some date and time options and I’ll make sure to clear my calendar so we can talk.”
“Perfect! I’ll text you later on. I need to go. Asher is blowing bubbles in the dog’s face and he is not amused.”
That made him laugh softly. “Have fun with that, and we’ll talk soon.”
“Yes, we will. Love you!”
“Love you too. Bye!”
Tossing the phone aside, he seriously considered maybe throwing it in the lake so no one could reach him.
In the distance, he heard the front door open and close.
“Lucas?” Holly called out as she made her way into the living room. She smiled when she spotted him. “Hey, would you mind if I made some hot cocoa for Henry and his crew? It’s awfully chilly out, and I thought it would be a nice way to help them warm up a bit.”
“You could invite them in if you’d like.”
“Oh, I already did, but Henry’s determined to get everything done and they’re close. I can’t wait for the sun to go down so we can see it all. When I leave to go home later, it’s going to be like driving away from a fairyland!”
“Um…okay?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole fairyland comparison, but what did he know?
“Come on. Make cocoa with me and then come out and see how it’s all going!”
Following her into the kitchen, he realized she had managed to calm his frazzled nerves from just moments ago. She was an excellent influence on him and the more time they spent together, the more he found he liked about her.
Tomorrow they would be back in the office, and he had no idea what that was going to look like. Typically, they didn’t spend any time together at work—at least, not until this last week when they started planning the party. But now he was going to want to seek her out or ask her to lunch and he wasn’t sure what people were going to think of it.
But did he care about that?
“Should we bring out cookies too?” she asked, smiling brightly at him.
And that’s when he had his answer. He didn’t care what anyone thought. They were starting something special here and he didn’t care who knew it.
Eleven
The crisp fall air carried the scent of roasted turkey and fallen leaves as Lucas followed Holly and Shmoop up the front steps of her parents’ cozy colonial-style house that was decorated with wreaths of orange and gold on every door and window. The porch creaked under their feet, and she couldn’t help but smile as Lucas shifted the pumpkin pie in his hands like it was a live grenade.
“I feel like I should have brought something more. Why didn’t you let me bring flowers or wine or something?”
Holly patted his arm. “Would you please relax? No one expected you to bring anything. There’s usually more than enough food and wine and decorations. Trust me. This is fine.”
Inviting Lucas to spend Thanksgiving with her was the natural thing to do. With everything going on with his family, she hated the thought of him being alone while she was enjoying herself and celebrating with her fairly normal family. He had been reluctant to accept the invitation at first, but he finally came around.
At least…that’s what she had thought.
They hadn’t even made it to the door when he gently cleared his throat. “Is it too late to fake the flu?”
