A Dash of Love For Christmas: A Sapphic Secret Celebrity Holiday Romance by Kavanaugh Claerie

Author:Kavanaugh, Claerie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Half Caff Press
Published: 2024-11-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter eighteen

Pepper

December 13

After Sage’s car disappears down the road, I head into the kitchen and pull out a mug, filling it with water and popping it in the microwave.

“Mom, I’m gonna take a shower!”

I chuckle as I watch her go. “Don’t use up all the hot water!”

“I won’t!” She calls back.

The microwave beeps and I take out the mug, dropping in a tea bag and blowing on the water before taking a sip. The liquid scalds my tongue and I wince, but the warmth is soothing. I head to the living room, sinking into the armchair. I’ll give myself a few minutes to relax, then I need to check my email.

An hour later, I’ve gone through the restaurant’s inbox and my own, and I’m starting to go through my social media notifications, when Clem comes bounding down the stairs.

“Hi, honey,” I say, logging out of my account and swiveling in my chair to face her. “Did you leave any hot water for me?”

“Uh-huh,” she says, nodding. “I used the coldest setting.”

My brows furrow. “Why would you do that? It’s freezing outside.”

Clem shrugs. “I wanted to take a quick shower, and I read in one of my books that cold showers make you go faster.”

I laugh and stand up, taking her hand in mine and leading her to the kitchen. “That’s true, but you don’t have to do that, honey. I can always make more hot water.”

She frowns. “You can?”

“Yes, sweetie.” I pull out a chair and sit down, motioning for her to do the same. “Now, tell me, what did you and Sage do today?”

Clem grins and scampers off to grab her backpack her backpack, pulling it into her lap. “We made a present for you!”

“You did?” I gasp and place a hand over my heart. “For me?”

“Uh-huh! But you have to wait until Christmas to see it.”

I giggle. “I can’t wait.”

Clem smiles and starts pulling out her homework. “Oh, and we went to her house.”

“Did you?”

“Uh-huh.” She rolls her eyes. “It was so boring!”

I laugh. “What do you mean, boring?”

“She doesn’t have a single Christmas decoration!”

“Really?” I ask, brows raised. “Not one?”

“Not one,” Clem confirms. “She doesn’t even have a tree!”

“A tree?” I repeat. “But everyone has a tree.”

“That’s what I said!”

I grin. “And what did she say?”

Clem shrugs. “She said she’s never home, so it didn’t matter.”

I hum. “I guess that makes sense.”

“But I told her we would get one, anyway.”

I blink. “You did?”

“Uh-huh.” She nods. “We made a deal.”

“A deal?” I echo. “What kind of deal?”

Clem giggles. “You’ll see.”

I shake my head with a smile. “All right. Go ahead and do your homework, then you can take a break before dinner.”

“Okay.”

I head to the shower, letting the hot water wash away the stress of the day. As I step out and wrap a towel around my body, I can’t help but wonder what kind of deal my daughter made with my... friend.

Forty-five minutes later, I’m pulling a tray of lasagna out of the oven, and Clem is setting the table.

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