I squirm out of Jesse’s embrace and grab the handle of my wheelie suitcase and start dragging it down the porch steps as the driver scrambles with the rest. I point to the house kitty-wonkus diagonally across the street and say, “That’s where we’re heading, I guess,” then look over my shoulder to make sure Kraken Karen isn’t trying to hump Jesse’s leg while I’m not looking.
She’s not. But she’s still smiling at him like she wants to.
Jesse dutifully follows me, dragging his own wheelie suitcase down the porch steps, and we don’t look back until we’re across the street and on the porch of the Emma and Jesse cottage.
Karen is gone.
But instead of being relieved I feel like she’s stalking me from the bushes.
Jesse opens the cottage door and waves me in. “Just… forget about her. We’re not gonna see her again. We’re just gonna close up the curtains and pretend we’re the only people in the world.”
“Right.” But I know it’s not true. Kraken Karen is back for a reason. She saw us in the news or something. Our engagement was in the tabloids. They even featured us on some gossipy cable entertainment show the week after Halloween. In fact, according to my mother, that’s right around the time she bought her old house.
Something is definitely up with the Kraken.
The driver helps us with our luggage, Jesse tips him, and then he closes the door and turns to face me with a sigh. “Come on, Emma. It’s Christmas. We’re here with your family, there’s a huge party tonight and a big Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow. Then the big day, and lots of pie, and mashed potatoes. And then it’s a whole week of exploring beaches, and diving, and having sex on secret sandbars.”
I smile, picturing it. He’s right. Karen won’t be around for any of that stuff. So what if she manages to squirm her way into our tree-trimming street party? She won’t get any closer than that. For sure. It’s just family after tonight.
But… God. I just can’t shake it. “She’s like a bad omen,” I tell Jesse.
“No, she’s not. It’s just… she’s just a minor blip. That’s all. She’s got no staying power. And besides, we don’t really live here. We live three and half hours away by private jet. She can’t follow us back to the city.”
“I know. But… I just don’t understand why she’s back. She’s been gone for like fifteen years. And then all of a sudden we’re engaged, and in the news, and she’s here. Why?”
“Maybe she missed you?”
I cough out a laugh. “No. That’s not it. She was my worst enemy.”
Jesse makes a face at me. “Then why does your mother like her so much?”
I tsk my tongue. “I never told her about all the things Karen did back when we were kids.”
“Maybe you should tell her now?”
“What’s the point?”
“Well… your mom would take your side. You have to know that. Your family is fiercely overprotective. One word to Alonzo about—”
“Oh, no. You don’t understand. He dated her!”
“What?”
“Yeah. For almost a year when he was a senior in high school. And she is the one who broke it off with him! He was crushed.”
“Wow. OK. Well… I didn’t see that coming.”
“I know. But she’s not back for Alonzo, because she’s married.”
“That logic holds true for me too, Emma. I’m taken.”
“It’s different.” I chew my lip, trying to work it out. “Something is fishy here.”
“Well… I don’t know. I think you’re making too big of a deal about this. Just...” He wraps his arms around my middle and leans his forehead against mine.
Which makes me smile and only think about him. Because yeah. Well done, Emma Dumas. Well done. Jesse Boston is the catch of the century.
So… is this just my own insecurities showing?
Maybe.
I drape my arms around his neck. “You’re right. I’m gonna just… let it go. It’s Christmas, we’re here with our family, and we’re gonna have a great time.”
He kisses me and all my dark, evil thoughts about Karen fade away in an instant. And when he breaks away and presses his forehead against mine, he says, “Ya know, she could be after you and not me.”
Which makes me giggle. “Right.”
“You’re hot,” he says. “You’re bossy. You’re super-rich, and super-smart, and super-pretty too. In fact, now I’m a little worried she might steal you away from me.”
“Stop it. You’re being silly.” But I get it. I’m being silly too.
“So… are we ready then? Should we go find your mom and dad? Get this street party started?”
I kiss him one more time, lingering in it just a little bit longer than I normally would, then whisper, “Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s go make a ruckus.”The rest of the afternoon is filled with last-minute details. Jesse joins the volunteers with getting all the lights and ornaments on the big palm tree in my parents’ front yard ready for the lighting ceremony and I make sure all the vendors set up in the middle of the street have what they need.