A Wish for Christmas by Courtney Cole

Author:Courtney Cole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Noel

I wake up in the morning to find the dog curled up with the kitten. More specifically, Elliott is curled around the kitten. As in, the kitten is the center of Elliott’s cinnamon roll. She purrs happily, safe and warm. I’ve never seen anything like it.

I take a picture and email it to Padraig.

You’ll get a kick out of this, I tell him.

I also ask him a question: Do Jack and Nora have a happy ending?

I pad out to the kitchen in search of coffee. I smell it, so I know someone is awake.

My mom is in her red fuzzy Christmas robe, her feet in reindeer slippers.

“Good morning,” she tells me, pouring me a cup without asking. She hands it to me. “How’d you sleep?”

“Well, Elliott shoved me out of bed on accident, so I’m happy the air mattress arrives today.”

“You think it was an accident,” she says knowingly. I laugh and take a sip of coffee.

“So, about last night,” I start to say. She raises an eyebrow and waits. I sigh. “I know you were up last night, but you ran to your room when I came in.”

“I did not,” she denies.

“You did. I saw you. I know you saw Jonah Blake bringing me home.”

My mom sighs. “I don’t want to know any of it. If your dad finds out, he’ll be beside himself, and I don’t want to have to lie.”

“Nothing happened that would upset Dad.” I pause. “But seriously, about last night, there is something I need to tell you . . .”

It’s at this moment that Elliott comes trotting in, the kitten dangling from his mouth.

My mom screeches and lunges for the kitten, trying to save her little life.

“Mom, it’s fine,” I tell her, holding her elbow. “This is what I needed to tell you.”

We watch as Elliott gently sets the kitten down and nuzzles her with his big nose. The tiny kitten arches her back and rubs against his ear.

“I think she thinks he’s her mom,” I say. “I don’t know how else to explain it. They slept together all night, and she has no fear of him now. At all.”

As if to prove the point, the kitten quickly scales his leg like she’s climbing a rock wall, jumps onto his back, and lies back down. Then Elliott somehow manages to sink to the ground and lie down without disturbing the kitten.

My mom’s eyes widen.

“Where did you get it? Was Jonah with you?”

“So you did see me coming in,” I say.

She scowls. “I already admitted it.”

I smile. “You did. Grudgingly. But yes, Jonah was with me. After I chased the dog all over kingdom come, I couldn’t get ahold of you or Dad, and . . . You know what, never mind. The story is long. Let’s just say, you guys didn’t answer your phone and I needed help with Elliott.”

“So you called Jonah?” my mom asks. “That’s an interesting choice.”

“I don’t know why,” I tell her. “He’s here, he knows me, and he’s already got experience with Elliott.

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