A Cross-Country Christmas(49)

I actually did it. All by myself!

This realization should’ve made her feel like Wonder Woman, but it didn’t. Instead, she was sitting in a kitchen chair, listening to a slamming door, and watching her friends leave her birthday party one by one.

All. By. My. Self.

She was about to burst with this news, and she didn’t want to want to tell Will.

But she did. She wanted to pound on his door and bubble over with excitement.

He would be genuinely thrilled with her about it. He’d proven that more than once since they left California. For all his faults, he seemed to be really good at this people thing. Lauren envied him that. It certainly wasn’t her strength.

And sharing this news would, of course, require her to be vulnerable again—this time without the cover of darkness. Was she ready to do that?

With the exception of Maddie, most of Lauren’s relationships stayed pretty close to the surface. And oh, the irony, the only other person who knew anything personal about her at all was in the next room.

That terrified her.

She’d done a terrible job of keeping him at an arm’s length. Her feelings were back—she couldn’t deny it. Before it was charm, and flirtation, and a very handsome face.

This time? It was so much more.

She scanned the upscale space, her gaze landing on the adjoining door that led to Will’s room.

She stood in front of the door, hand poised to knock, when her phone dinged again. She picked it up and found a text from Will.

Hey, I’m dressed and ready.

No rush, but I’m going to head downstairs and look around a little.

If your dress isn’t little and black go back and change! <winking with tongue out emoji>

Meet me in the restaurant when you can, Scrooge!





Lauren closed her eyes and breathed a trembling smile. She felt like a kid in a tree, venturing out onto a branch, hoping it would hold her up.

Did she have the courage necessary to take a single step toward a genuine feeling?

To Lauren, this step on this limb meant everything.

She didn’t know if she was ready, mentally or otherwise, to take this risk, but she wasn’t going to let her fear stop her anymore. She thought herself flirty and tapped her reply.

You’re stuck with what I have on!

<dancing lady emoji>

Be down in a few!





With renewed courage, Lauren pulled her little black dress off the hanger. She’d only worn it a couple of times, but it fit her like a glove. Even she had to admit, it hugged her body in all the right places. This dress made her feel invincible, amorous, coy.

She dried and curled her hair, applied her makeup carefully—dabbing extra shadow on the lids, and using a darker line of eyeliner than her normal, barely-there application. She even fished a lipstick from her bag that hadn’t seen the light of day in months. She found the one pair of heels she’d packed stashed at the bottom of her suitcase and gave herself a lingering, turning this-way-and-that, once-over in the full body mirror.

Compared to her daily attire, this was a major step-up. She felt pretty, an anxious-to-see-Will’s-reaction pretty.

A connection to a covered memory pushed to the surface.

Who looks like a librarian now?

A familiar voice at the back of her mind whispered a warning. She was walking a very fine line. She might not say it out loud, but she clearly wanted to impress the only person she knew in this hotel.

Danger.

She smoothed her hands over her hips, running them down her legs as she spun to face the back. He’s different now, she thought. He cared about people—really cared about them.

And she’d opened up to him because he felt safe.

She grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of herself in the mirror, sent it to Maddie with an accompanying text:

God help me, I’m going to go for it!





She pep-talked herself all the way to the elevator. She wasn’t sure how to make her interest in him known, although she had a feeling her dress would handle the introduction. There had been moments, more than a few, where she thought maybe—maybe—he was thinking about kissing her. It was a foolish thought, but then he’d tucked her hair behind her ear and her entire body responded with a thundering Hallelujah chorus, and, of course, she’d gotten weird and awkward and changed the subject.

He wanted to kiss me and I talked about corn.

She leaned against the back of the elevator and groaned.

Nope. Done. Done with all of that mess. Done being awkward. Done being the wallflower. It was time to bloom.

If only she had any idea what that meant.

She tried out a few scenarios in her head. She wouldn’t throw herself at him, no way she’d be just like all the other girls. He should make the first move. But she had to make him want to make the first move.

Maybe he’d take one look at her and that would be enough.

Or maybe he’d ask her to dance—which could lead to a kiss, which she wouldn’t stop.

She smiled at her reflection in the golden mirror of the elevator wall. An acapella version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” played on the speaker overhead, and she caught herself humming along with it.

The next time Will made her sing for her coffee, this would be the song she chose.

The elevator dinged, and she stepped out. She walked toward the restaurant, feeling like she was floating on air. She made her way through the lobby, admiring the Christmas decorations and the care it must’ve taken to make this place look so beautiful. She knew a person had to have the perfect balance of creativity and attention to detail to pull off décor as intricate as this.