Kira's Best Friend by Natalie J. Damschroder

Author:Natalie J. Damschroder [Damschroder, Natalie J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary romance
Goodreads: 25586781
Publisher: Dragonsoul Books
Published: 2004-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Kira exchanged gifts with her family after they’d all gotten out of bed and eaten the traditional breakfast. They gathered in their robes in the living room and took turns opening the presents after the yearly argument between Sophie, who wanted to open them all at once, and Brie, who liked to go slow and savor the experience.

Kira once again donned the Santa hat and distributed the presents. She felt a very child-like satisfaction at the size of her pile.

They went around the circle five or six times, giving orders on which present to open next. Kira exclaimed over the subscription to a trade magazine her parents gave her every year, the impractical earrings from Sophie, the journal and perfume from Brie.

“Is this a hint?” she asked her. Brie grinned cheekily. “To help you attract that man who isn’t Jake,” she teased.

To Kira’s relief, everyone seemed to love their presents, both the ones she’d agonized over and the last-minute fun ones she’d bought at the mall with Jake. Finally, it was time for the Big Gift. Kira deliberately waited until everything else was done.

“Merry Christmas and thank you, everyone.” Elyse stood and adjusted the belt of her new robe. “I get first dibs on the shower.” She looked down at her husband. “Duncan, get your hand off me. I swear the man has never touched satin before.”

The girls froze, not sure whether their mother was joking. Their father seemed unaffected. He slid his palm toward the hem of the robe. “It’s been years, my sweet. You might want to save this for special occasions.”

Elyse went “phfft” and headed for the stairs. Kira jumped up and reached for a large envelope that had gone unnoticed, propped on the side of the tree.

“Hey, what’s this?” She waited until her mother turned. “It says ‘For Duncan and Elyse, from Santa. No two people ever deserved anything more.’ ” Kira tried to look innocent as she held out the envelope. “I guess it’s for you.” She sat cross-legged on the floor between her sisters. Elyse sank back onto the couch, staring in puzzlement at the white envelope, then at her husband.

“What are you up to?” she asked him. “You already gave me the beautiful sapphire necklace.” But Duncan shook his head.

“Not me,” he said. “I’m in the dark.”

Their mother squinted at her daughters, then slowly unsealed the flap and pulled out several items. She flipped open the plane ticket holder and frowned. Her husband selected a brochure for the Flamingo hotel from the pile on her lap.

“Hot damn! The Flamingo!” He sifted through the paperwork. “Rental car. Gift certificate for Gatsby’s restaurant. Plane tickets. Hotel reservation. Lysie, darling, they’ve given us a vacation!”

Tears filled Kira’s eyes when she saw the glitter of them in her mother’s. She hadn’t heard her father call her mother Lysie in years. She clutched her sisters’ hands and grinned at them. They’d made the right choice.

But suddenly Kira realized her mother was staring at the items on her lap, and her tears didn’t look like tears of joy.

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.