Always by Nina Lane

Author:Nina Lane [Lane, Nina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780990532446
Publisher: Snow Queen Publishing
Published: 2020-11-11T05:00:00+00:00

“Come on, Liv, it’s a brand-new restaurant,” Archer says. “You gotta come with us. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”

“It’s a pretty cool place,” Dean agrees, holding out my coat. “And it’ll cheer you up, I promise.”

I glance at Kelsey, who nods with encouragement. And though I don’t much feel like going out, I know Bella and Nicholas will enjoy a special treat. Maybe I will too.

After bundling up, we drive to a glass-fronted dessert restaurant called the Chocolate Tree. The interior has opulent gold-and-brown décor with plush booths and chocolate-themed artwork, not to mention a menu filled with chocolate drinks and desserts. We sit in a booth and peruse the menu, then order hot cocoa and slices of butter cake.

Dean, of course, is right—the thick, rich cocoa combined with Nicholas and Bella’s delight, and Archer and Dean talking about the upcoming ski season, all conspire to ease the sadness that has hung over me since the surgery.

“Um, excuse me?” says a female voice.

We look up at the three teenaged girls who are standing bunched together beside the table, looking both nervous and excited. One of them nudges another.

“Hi.” Girl #1, a cute brunette, gives Archer a little wave. “Um, sorry to bother you, but we were just sitting over there, and we’re huge fans of Storm Hunters.”

“Huge,” adds Girl #2, not taking her eyes off him.

“Yeah, so we were just wondering if, like, we could get an autograph and maybe a picture?” Girl #1 asks.

Girl #3 giggles. Dean and I exchange smiles.

“Sure you can.” Archer pushes his chair back and stands. The girls step back and look up at him in awe.

“What are your names?” he asks.

They just stare. Kelsey snorts.

“I’m…I’m Jenna.” Girl #2 digs into her purse for a pen and paper. “It is just so cool to meet you. I mean, what you did for that poor dog…”

“It was totally epic,” Girl #1 adds. “We’ve watched the video, like, a thousand times.”

Girl #3 giggles again.

Archer, clearly having warmed to his celebrity status, signs his name on scraps of paper they produce from their little purses, asks them their grade levels and favorite subjects, answers their questions about Storm Hunters, and then poses for a few pictures.

“Let me take some of all of you,” Dean offers generously, standing to borrow the girls’ cell phones.

The girls smile and blush their way through a series of photos before Archer makes their entire year by giving them each a hug. They back toward the door, their rapt gazes still on him.

“It was so great to meet you,” Girl #1 says breathlessly. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, you’re really awesome,” Girl #2 agrees. “We can’t wait for the next season to start.”

Girl #3 giggles.

“Oh, wow.” Girl #1 glances at the table, her gaze zeroing in on Kelsey. “You’re Professor March.”

“I am.”

“Would you like a picture with her too?” I ask the girls.

“No, thanks.”

Girl #2 puts her phone back into her purse, and the three of them turn away from Kelsey with little huffs, in what the Victorians would have termed a cut direct.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.