Page 2 of She Came Upon A Midnight Clear
I roll my eyes, making her grin, and we keep walking. We approach the first outbuilding, another old stone structure where the kennels are, and just as we reach the door, it opens.
And out walks Dru Fiori.
Tall, tattooed, beautifully androgynous Dru, who I accidentally kissed six years ago at a Christmas party. Dru, who was my roomate’s newly-ex girlfriend at the time and strictly off limits. Who I hung out with and crushed on the entire year my roommate was dating her.
Dru, whose kiss I haven’t forgotten about all these years. Whose lush lips I can almost still taste in my mind. Who smells like that perfect combination of the earth and the ocean.
Shit.
“Gretchen, hey. And… oh my god. Evie? Evie Taylor?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Hi, Dru, this is my best… wait. You two know each other?” Gretchen demands.
“Yeahhhhh….” Dru answers, drawing the word out. “We do.”
“Dru is, um… shewasmy roommate’s ex,” I explain. “Well, they were together when Marcy and I were sharing that apartment, but… Yes. We knew each other.”
Gretchen turns to me so Dru can’t see, and her eyes go wide. I’ve told her so many stories about Dru, but apparently she never put two and two together—until right this moment. I give a tiny shake of my head to try to warn her to keep quiet even as my whole body burns with a wave of desire so strong I actually feel weak in the knees.
“Well,” Dru begins, “how have you been?”
“Good. I’ve been good. And, uh, this place seems pretty amazing. Are you… you’re Gretchen’s boss?”
She smiles, and oh my god, those dimples! My insides light up like New Year’s Eve. How had I forgotten how handsome-beautiful she was? But my body hasn’t forgotten.
“Yeah, this place is mine, so yep, Gretchen’s boss. I assume you’re the plus one she mentioned?”
“Yep, boss,” Gretchen chimes in. “She’s my bestie. We’ve known each other for what, Evie? Like five years?”
“Ah, well. It’s really nice to see you, Evie,” Dru says, smiling again. “You two heading to the kennels?”
I nod, swallowing hard, trying to pretend my entire body isn’t going hot and damp.
“Yep,” Gretchen says. “I wanted to show her the setup, and a few of the dogs. We’ll be back at the party in a bit.”
“Great. I’ll see you inside.”
I try to smile, but honestly, I have no idea what my face is doing as Gretchen grabs my hand, gives Dru a wave, and spins me around.
“Wanna tell me what that was all about?” she demands in a rough whisper as she pulls me into the building.
I pull in a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. You remember when I kissed my roommate’s ex at a Christmas party, like six years ago?”
“What? The ex was Dru? My boss? Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, shit.” Gretchen is quiet for a moment, then she grins at me. “You said someone named ‘Dru’, but I never thought it was the same person. And the way you’ve always gone on about her—or them… I told you she was your type, didn’t I?”
“Gretch! No. I mean yes, but…no. It was nothing. We happened to be under the mistletoe and I would never have kissed a friend’s ex. Not on purpose.”
“You and Marcy aren’t really friends anymore. You haven’t been since I’ve known you.”
“That’s not the point,” I tell her while trying to figure out what the point might actually be. “Can we drop this for now? I really want to meet some dogs.”
Gretchen shrugs, but I know her, and she won’t be done grilling me any time soon. “Sure. Come on and meet some of my favorites.”
