Her Pretend Christmas Date: A Lesbian Christmas Romance

“What?”

“Lunch? You know. Where you sit down and eat.”

“I-I guess so. I don’t have any appointments. Are you sure? That you want to? With me?”

“No,” Morgun said, slightly sarcastic. “But I’m hungry and I hate going into a place alone. I think it’s sad when people have to have lunch alone or go to a movie alone. And you’re here. So, you’ll do in a pinch.”

“I think that maybe David was wrong about you. You are nice, but your use of wit and sarcasm are commendable. If I ever do get out there on my own and I need to hire someone, you’ll be first on the list.”

“What if I refuse? I have plans to get really famous and in demand before then.”

“I don’t plan on it taking forever.”

“Neither do I.”

“Good. I hope that you do. You’d be a good famous person. Not one of those people who lets the money turn them into a jerk.”

“Thanks. That was nice of you. I’ll take it as a sort of compliment.”

“Good. I meant it as one.”

Apologizing hadn’t killed her. Neither did voicing her feelings. She was still alive, so far.

“There’s this café down the street. They serve breakfast all day. They also make all sorts of fresh baked goods, soups, salads. It’s probably one of the best kept secrets in the entire city. It’s only a few blocks that way. Want to try it?”

Morgun frowned. She studied Laney and Laney didn’t look away. “Yes.” Her brow smoothed over and her full lips tilted back up. It made Laney think about how much she’d enjoyed kissing Morgun. About how much she knew she’d enjoy it again.

“Don’t worry,” Morgun said, and Laney was suddenly worried that she’d read her mind. “I’ll keep it a secret.”

“What?” Laney gasped.

“The café. You said it was a best kept secret. I promise to keep it that way. If I like it and it gets overcrowded and I have to wait so long that it deters me from going, that wouldn’t be a very good thing now, would it?”

“No,” Laney choked out. “No, it wouldn’t be.”

She was relieved that Morgun hadn’t figured out what she was thinking about, but then, right before she turned, her gaze dropped briefly to Laney’s lips and Laney wasn’t quite so sure that Morgun hadn’t known all along.

Chapter 16

Morgun

Over a huge plate of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, perfectly browned toast, and homemade hash browns, Morgun considered everything that both David and Laney had told her. Maybe she’d come out of it with the best deal possible. Maybe keeping her own company going wasn’t such a bad thing, bridezillas included.

Not only did she think about that, she went over and over what Laney said about putting on a tough front. Morgun was sure that she couldn’t do that very effectively, so maybe that’s what David meant about knowing who would make it and who wouldn’t.

She considered what Laney would be like if she didn’t always have to act tough. Under those layers, Morgun believed she was a good person. She’d caught more than a few glimpses of it at the wedding, and back there on the sidewalk, she’d been quite genuine in her apology.

Morgun took a chance and decided to bring up what Laney had mentioned about her family, just to see if she’d open up to her further. Even if it didn’t really matter. Because it shouldn’t. Because sort of drunken/buzzed things that happened at weddings in dark rooms should stay at weddings in dark rooms.

Morgun knew she had zero chance of hoping that anything could happen with Laney in the future. Even if Laney was a nice person, that didn’t mean they were a good match. Morgun was sure they were definitely not. She also knew that even if they’d kissed and touched when they were sober, that didn’t lead to people being able to make it work, day to day. Or wanting to. And all signs pointed to Laney really not wanting any sort of attachment in her life other than her career.

Which was really not why Morgun was bringing up what she’d said on the sidewalk. Because she didn’t need hope. She didn’t need complications. She certainly didn’t need a reminder of why she’d thought about Laney’s soft lips, why she couldn’t banish the taste of her skin from her tongue or the sounds of her moans and whimpers from her ears…

Stop thinking about that.

Morgun was sure she was blushing, but she went ahead with her question anyway, though she felt less than confident about it now. She was worried that it was too transparent. That she was too transparent. Unlike Laney, she didn’t have those layers built up to deflect her emotions.

“What you said about your brother and sister-in-law? Why do you think you felt jealous?”