Single and Ready to Jingle

by Piper Rayne

I follow her into the restaurant and have to blink a few times from being assaulted by the holiday decor. Literally every surface of the ceiling is covered.

She nods and heads into the bar section, taking the only free two stools at the end of the bar. The bartender walks over to us and gives Kenzie a big smile, leaning in to ask her what she’d like to drink. He’s younger and his Christmas sweater says he’s a fan of the holiday, just like she is. His blatant appraisal of her irritates me, but I refuse to give any thought as to why.

“What does your sweater say? I didn’t notice,” I ask to break the spell she has me under. Raising my drink to my lips, I take a swig, then set it down and turn my head to look at her. Her hands are on her hips while she juts her chest out as though she’s proud as punch. “It says, ‘I’m so good Santa came twice.’”

“Oh, I love a punny Christmas sweater. Especially if they’re a little dirty.”

With every word out of my mouth, his eyes slowly get wider and wider. It’s just now, being this close to him, that I get a better look at how deep blue his eyes are. Like a stormy sea, which knowing the little that I do about him, fits.

Me being attracted to Andrew would be akin to Mrs. Claus having an affair with the Grinch.

I frown and look down at my shirt with a cartoon turkey on it that says, “You only like me for my breasts.”

Watching what is normally a confident, capable, hot-as-hell man struggle to stay upright on the ice has to be God’s way of evening the playing field for the rest of us.

“Here.” He leans forward and uses his thumb to wipe the corner of my mouth. The urge to open my mouth and wrap it around the tip of his thumb is overwhelming. I mean, what the hell?

She takes my hand, and we cross the street over to Saks and walk around, discovering more Christmas cheer that’s supposed to kick-start my pathetic heart into loving the holiday. But none of them makes me feel anything more than being with Kenzie already does. My heart has been kick-started, it just has nothing to do with Christmas.