Monday (Timeless Teaser)(40)

“So, how are the sleeping arrangements going to be?”

“Meaning?” She released a quiet sigh like she was trying not to fall asleep.

“My room or yours?”

“You want to sleep together?” she asked. “Here?”

“We won’t get caught.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I’ll go back into my room before anyone wakes up.”

“It’s pretty risky…”

I looked into her eyes and was reminded of the color of algae floating on top of the lake just a mile away from there. “I like risky.”

“If Axel caught us, he’d throw a hissy fit.”

I shrugged. “When did you start caring about his opinion?”

“When it could ruin Christmas. Yaya works really hard to make everything perfect. I don’t want to mess that up for her.”

She was right. “I hope I’m strong enough to stay in my room. You’re right next door.”

“I’ll lock it so you won’t be tempted.” She gave me a playful look.

It would take a lot more than a locked door to stop me from getting to her.





CHAPTER TWELVE





Hawke

“You want to build a snowman?” Francesca wore a thigh coat with her hood up. She wore skin-tight ski pants and thick boots. Even though she was completely covered, she still looked cute.

“A snowman?” I’d never done that before.

“Yeah.” She kneeled in the snow with thick gloves on her hands. “We need to make the bottom first. Help me.”

I squatted down beside her and watched what she was doing. I helped her ball the snow into a large mound then pack it until it felt solid. Even though it was freezing cold, I felt warm from all the work. After we made the bottom, we started on the middle section.

“You’ve never done this before?” she asked.

“What gave me away?”

She gave me a gentle smile. “You’re doing great.”

We constructed the head on the very top and had everything completed.

“Now we need to decorate his face.” She grabbed the bag she set off to the side. “I have some olives for the eyes.” She stuck them into the snow but they didn’t look right because the head was too big.

I pulled my sunglasses out of my pocket and placed them over his eyes.

“He looks badass,” she said with a laugh. She grabbed an ear of corn and placed it horizontally across his face.

“It looks like he has yellow teeth.”

“He’s a smoker.”

I chuckled at her joke. “What about his nose?”

She pulled a muffin out of her bag and stuck it in the center of his face. “Ta-da.”

I stood back and admired our work. “This snowman is never going to get laid.”

She laughed. “Those sunglasses make him look pretty cool.”

“But the big nose and yellow teeth aren’t helping his odds.”

The sound of a running motor came to our ears, and we both turned to see Axel come out of the shed on a snowmobile. He hit the gas then headed straight for us.

“What the hell is he doing?” Francesca asked.

“Step back, Muffin.” I grabbed her arm and yanked her away from his path.

Axel ran into the snowman and demolished it. “Take that, suckers.” He hauled ass through the snow.

“Ugh.” She threw her arms down. “What a jerk.”

I picked up my sunglasses from the ground. Fortunately, they weren’t broken. “Let’s make another one.”

“He’ll destroy that too.”

“Then we’ll make another one.” I picked up the fallen pieces. “The funnest part is making it anyway.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

***

Christmas Eve arrived, and all of us walked through the snow until we found the perfect tree to chop down.

“This one is perfect.” Francesca’s eyes lit up when she stopped in front of a tall and leafy tree. “Let’s get this one.”

“I like it,” Yaya said. “It’ll look great in the living room.”

“Make way for the man.” Axel had a hatchet over his shoulder. “We need muscle and power.”

“Then why don’t you let Hawke do it?” Francesca jabbed.

I shot her a quick smile.

Axel chopped it down after a few swipes, and the tree crashed on its side. We tied ropes to the base, and Axel and I dragged it across the snow back to the house. Once we were inside, we put it in a base and set it in the corner.

“It is perfect.” Yaya pulled all the ornaments out of a box. “Now let’s decorate it.”

It seemed like a family tradition so I stayed out of the way and sat down. My parents and I never decorated the tree. The one time we did, it led to a huge fight about money. Ever since then, I never bothered participating.

Francesca dug inside the box until she found an ornament. Then she hooked it onto a hanger.

I liked watching her. There was a slight smile on her lips, and I knew I was witnessing a moment that would become a treasured memory.

Instead of walking to the tree, she approached me. “Can you hang this at the top for me? I can’t reach it.”