One Sweet Christmas (Sweeter in the City Book 4) by Olivia Miles

Author:Olivia Miles [Miles, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rosewood Press
Published: 2016-10-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Hailey. Earth to Hailey.”

Hailey jumped at the sound of a spoon being tapped against ceramic and looked up guiltily at her cousin Claire. She’d been thinking of Pete again, just as she had all night. Snatching her fingers from her lips, she grabbed the handle of her mug and took a heavy swig of hot chocolate—not how she typically started her day, but this morning she’d been inspired.

On Sundays she opened the café a little later, and Mandy was covering the first shift of the day. The commuter rush during the weekdays was her busiest time—or it used to be, at least—and she always looked forward to easing into her Sundays a bit.

Today her cousin Claire had stopped by with fresh croissants and an apologetic grin that almost made up for missing the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party…that never was.

Truth be told, she’d been so busy thinking about that near kiss, that she hadn’t even remembered her annual event had been called off until her cousin clarified her apology.

“Boy, you really are lost in thought today,” Claire observed as she spread fresh raspberry preserves on a croissant.

“Just a lot on my mind,” Hailey replied. And wasn’t that the truth?

“I’ve got time.” Claire smiled and Hailey froze for a beat, wondering if she should confide in her closest friend and family member, or if she should just keep things to herself. It wasn’t like her to hold anything back from her cousin, but then, she rarely had much to share.

Claire would listen. She’d give sound advice. She’d talk Hailey through these muddled thoughts that had kept her awake long into the night, long after Pete had walked her to her door, lingered outside, his hands thrust in his pockets, his eyes unreadable as she finally turned and went inside, each step feeling heavy until she reached her landing, a part of her wanting to run inside and hide under the covers as much as she wanted to run back downstairs and throw herself into his arms.

The radiator began to clank loudly—a sign that the frigid room would quickly, and finally, warm up.

Claire glanced over her shoulder and shivered under the chenille throw blanket she’d tossed over her shoulders within minutes of stepping inside. “It’s about time,” she observed.

“You mean you don’t miss living here?” Hailey bantered.

“About as much as you miss having me,” Claire replied ruefully.

Hailey smiled. It was true that sometimes she missed having Claire around, but the months she’d lived with her from late last winter into midsummer had been challenging from a storage standpoint, and she was quite happy to have her closet space back to herself. Almost as happy as Claire was to be nesting with her former best friend turned boyfriend, no doubt.

She felt her smile dip a bit. “Do you ever second-guess yourself?” she asked, leaning back in the chair.

“All the time,” Claire said matter-of-factly, and Hailey felt a surge of affection for the person who was more like a sister to her than a cousin.

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