Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Eight | Makayla

Eight

Makayla

“L ast night went well ,” my mom said, pouring herself a cup of coffee while I sipped mine at the island. I’d gotten up a few minutes before her, mainly because I couldn’t sleep thinking about Aiden. He had been on my mind so much last night that I found myself wanting to hump my pillow to get rid of the building tension I felt between my thighs every time I pictured his stupid dimpled smile.

“It did,” I agreed. “You guys have really mastered the songs. I think maybe a few more rehearsals as we get closer to the competition will help, but other than that, we are good to go.”

“I reached out to Aiden this morning, and he agreed to let us use the stage at the bar before they open so we can keep practicing. The girls can all meet there around one this afternoon, but I thought it might be good if you and I got there a little early. Then you could get some solo practice in.”

My mouth hung open as I stared at her in disbelief. Was she serious right now? It was hard enough being around Aiden in a room full of people, but spending a few hours there with hardly anyone else around would be pure torture.

“Are you kidding me?”

“What?” she asked, trying to hide her grin behind her coffee mug as she took a sip. “A little practice won’t kill you, Makayla.”

No, but being around Aiden and not being able to jump his bones might .

“What’s wrong with rehearsing at the church?” I questioned, setting my cup on the island and resting my hands in front of me to keep from fidgeting. “You guys literally sing there every single Sunday during the services. I don’t see why we can’t just go there.”

“Because they’re currently working on repairing the roof. There would be too much noise and lots of distractions. It’s better to do it at the bar, and since they won’t be open yet, we don’t have to worry about bothering anyone other than Aiden.”

“Yeah, ’cause I’m sure this isn’t going to bother him at all,” I replied with a bit too much sarcasm.

“He already said it was fine. I don’t know what you’re making such a big deal about.” She huffed and threw her hand in the air as she took another drink.

“Oh, I’m sure he was just being nice, Mom. It’s what people in small towns do. Even if he had a problem with it, he wouldn’t tell you. He would just smile and say okay.”

“You’re right. And since you’re back home, in a small town , it wouldn’t hurt you to be nice to Aiden.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but my jaw dropped even further.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t been mean to him.”

“Not necessarily, but you’ve been distant. He went out of his way to make sure you had dinner last night and took the initiative to get you something to drink. I know you guys have a complicated past, but that doesn’t mean you have to let it ruin your future.”

“You say future as if that’s even a possibility for us.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could even second-guess them.

“Who knows, maybe there will be. A little Christmas miracle , if you will.” She winked and set her cup down. “Now go get ready, or we’re going to be late.”

I glanced up at the clock on the wall, frowning.

“It’s barely nine in the morning. I thought you said the girls weren’t going to be there until one?”

“Yes, and I also said that I thought it would be good for you to get some practice time by yourself.”

“Four hours? I think that’s a bit excessive, don’t you?”

“Nope. By the time you take a shower and get ready, it’ll be close to ten. And, of course, I always have to stop by Sugarplum Lattes, so that adds more time. Three hours should be good, but we gotta get a move on it. Chop chop, let’s get going.”

She snapped her fingers as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving me wondering why I agreed to come back and do this in the first place.

***************************************

M y foot tapped anxiously on the tile floor as we stood in line at Sugarplum Lattes. My mother had insisted on coming inside to place an order, even though there was no one in the drive-through. It wasn’t that I was overly eager or excited to go see Aiden, but I also just wanted to get it over with.

“I can help you here,” Sam called, smiling as we approached. “What can I get for you ladies this morning?”

“I will do the gingerbread latte,” my mother answered, sliding her credit card out of her wallet while waiting for me to tell him what I wanted.

“Surprise me,” I said, already feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

“Do you still like peppermint?” he asked, watching me carefully.

“Yes,” I replied slowly, unsure of how he remembered that. “How did you know that?”

“It’s a gift.” He shrugged as he added my drink to the order. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

We stepped to the side as my mom put her card back into her wallet.

“Do you mind waiting for the drinks? I want to pop over to Sugarplum Sweets to see if Andi has any truffles ready yet this morning.”

Before I could agree, she rushed out the door and left me there to wait for our drinks by myself.

A few minutes later, Sam called my name, likely having seen that my mom had left.

“Thank you,” I said, grabbing the two large cups from him.

“No problem.”

I was about to turn and leave when he stopped me.

“Hey, would you mind taking this one to Aiden for me? He texted me that he wasn’t going to be able to make it in after all, and since you’re heading that way, I thought maybe you could deliver it for me?” His eyes pleaded as mine narrowed, wondering what he was up to.

“How did you know I was headed there?”

“It’s a small town,” he answered with a cheeky smile as he grabbed a drink tray and loaded all three in for me before adding a few candy canes as well. “Everyone knows everything in a small town. Enjoy the latte.”

“Thank you. Are the candy canes for Aiden?” I asked, not wanting to mess up whatever he had ordered.

“There’s one for each of you.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if he was trying to recreate that scene from Lady and The Tramp where they share the same noodle in the spaghetti. Things weren’t like that with Aiden, and at this rate, he would be lucky if there was still a candy cane left for him by the time I got there. Stress eating was a real thing, and I was beyond out of sorts this morning.